How to Run an RPG
Most RPGs on the market will provide you with a section on how to run it..., Prepare, prepare, prepare., As well as the preparation of the game itself, you'll usually be expected as GM to provide the venue., When players first arrive, start getting...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Most RPGs on the market will provide you with a section on how to run it...
Follow their advice.
These guidelines are just additional things, tricks they often don't mention.
I'll be glossing over the basic principles that every RPG's GM section always includes, on the assumption that you'll read them there. -
Step 2: Prepare
Even if you're using a pre-made adventure, make sure you've pre-read the story, and know where things are in the reference material.
If you're running something you made yourself, get EVERYTHING in one place.
Sketch out maps, visual aids, relationship or plot diagrams.
Double-check to make sure all the major stuff exists; you can flesh out side characters, other areas, and such during play.
Or, my personal favorite, flying by the seat of your pants.
Make sure you have an idea of general direction for both the session and adventure, or at very least a general theme.
No plan survives first contact with the players.
Not intact, at least.
No matter how you're running, read and re-read the rules of the basic system.
Make cheat-sheets for combat, types of actions, movement...
Whatever is going to come into play frequently.
Keep things organized. , Have a table, enough chairs, and good light on hand.
Ask players to bring what snacks and drinks they want, and to help clean up afterwards.
Have lots of pencils and erasers on hand, scratch paper and spare character sheets.
A CD player or laptop with mp3s can be handy, occasionally...
But you won't use it as often as you might think.
If your group leans towards using visualizations, try to have some miniatures or tokens on hand to represent characters and foes, and some assorted items for walls, doors, tables and the like. , If this is the first session, character creation will have to happen.
Try to get everyone doing this at once, as the discussion this prompts will get personalities jump-started and keep people interested.
Once everyone's there and ready, start the game as promptly as possible.
Don't let people start wandering right off hand.
Open sessions at a high pace, if you can, capturing interest right off hand, and getting people into character. , Going from creating a character straight to playing them is always going to be a little rough, and it's your job as a GM to keep things running until people settle into their character personas.
There are many ways to start a game.
Try to avoid the cliches of taverns and mysterious strangers.
Don't tell people out-of-hand that their characters already knew each other, unless it was something already discussed in character concept.
Better to have most, if not all, first meeting happen during play.
It helps define the relationships realistically, and gives a much more interesting time.
A good tactic is often to start with each character separated; more work for you, but more rewarding in the end.
Over the course of one, maybe two sessions, let them all run into each other.
They might even be pitted against each other initially, or working together, but hostile; don't force friendships.
Things will develop. , 'Sandbox' worlds, where they have to find their own stories, can work, but it takes a very rare set of players.
Most will just get frustrated and bored.
On the other hand, being overly controlling, forcing your players' actions and reactions, will make your players feel railroaded.
You can use these feelings for short stretches of games, if they have a valid in-game reason to exist, like a manipulative superior showing up as the villain, but they have to be something that can be stopped.
Players will get incredibly frustrated when they can't make their own decisions, and get apathetic and angry, because they're no longer involved in the story. , Take these with a grain of salt.
Some were culled from various games, some are just my own invention. , This is, basically, improv theatre with dice.
A 'no' is a destructive answer, and it interrupts the game's flow.
Here are the alternatives:
If it's something you have no problem with them doing, something you feel would be good for the story, just say 'yes'.
If this gives one player an advantage, make sure you play fair, though, to avoid feelings of favoritism.
If it's something you're not sure of, that you like, but seems unlikely, tell them 'yes, but'.
Qualify it.
Tell them it'll take special effort, or they'll only succeed partially, or they can't manage that, but something similar...
If you think it'll unbalance the game, hurt everyone's experience, and make things less fun, tell them 'you can try'.
And let them try.
They can even roll dice.
And they might manage to do something.
But at the same time, don't be afraid to tell them in that case that they failed. , Will it be fun? Will it be more fun than the planned story? Can I pull it off? Will the other players enjoy it? If you answer yes to these questions, then let them do it.
If you can get the players to drive the story, it's that much less work for you.
Just get a step or two ahead of them by the end to give them a twist or two and a good reward, and let them run with it. , Avoid altering core mechanics, but major NPCs, points of setting, details of how things work, and politics and machinations should be fair game.
The world should be able to surprise the players, avoiding the jaded feeling games can acquire when everyone's read the rulebook and setting, and knows everything.
Keep your own notes so your alterations are self-consistent, and don't reveal these to players.
Tell each one the information that their character would know.
Have fun with this; tell some outright falsehoods that would arise from cultural misunderstandings, and lots of colorings of the truth.
Let their information disagree. , Cultivate your accents and acting skills.
Practice your evil chuckle.
Be a friend to the players, and cruel fate to their characters.
Collaborate with individual players on events centering on their characters, from abduction or major alterations to family issues.
Do this for everyone, at one point or another.
Each story can get everyone involved, make the featured player feel special, and develop the campaign as a whole, all at once. -
Step 3: prepare
-
Step 4: prepare.
-
Step 5: As well as the preparation of the game itself
-
Step 6: you'll usually be expected as GM to provide the venue.
-
Step 7: When players first arrive
-
Step 8: start getting early arrivals into the game with discussions of character background
-
Step 9: what they want out of the game
-
Step 10: and what they think of current/past plot lines.
-
Step 11: Starting campaigns is hard.
-
Step 12: If you're indecisive and overly loose in your GMing
-
Step 13: your players might start feeling adrift
-
Step 14: and pointless
-
Step 15: without a plot to follow.
-
Step 16: Now you've got those basics
-
Step 17: here's the weirder suggestions from my time spent behind the GM's screen.
-
Step 18: Never tell a player 'no'.
-
Step 19: If someone proposes an action that will dis-rail or bypass your planned story
-
Step 20: ask yourself these questions: Can I make another story with this?
-
Step 21: Change things.
-
Step 22: Above all
-
Step 23: have fun.
Detailed Guide
Follow their advice.
These guidelines are just additional things, tricks they often don't mention.
I'll be glossing over the basic principles that every RPG's GM section always includes, on the assumption that you'll read them there.
Even if you're using a pre-made adventure, make sure you've pre-read the story, and know where things are in the reference material.
If you're running something you made yourself, get EVERYTHING in one place.
Sketch out maps, visual aids, relationship or plot diagrams.
Double-check to make sure all the major stuff exists; you can flesh out side characters, other areas, and such during play.
Or, my personal favorite, flying by the seat of your pants.
Make sure you have an idea of general direction for both the session and adventure, or at very least a general theme.
No plan survives first contact with the players.
Not intact, at least.
No matter how you're running, read and re-read the rules of the basic system.
Make cheat-sheets for combat, types of actions, movement...
Whatever is going to come into play frequently.
Keep things organized. , Have a table, enough chairs, and good light on hand.
Ask players to bring what snacks and drinks they want, and to help clean up afterwards.
Have lots of pencils and erasers on hand, scratch paper and spare character sheets.
A CD player or laptop with mp3s can be handy, occasionally...
But you won't use it as often as you might think.
If your group leans towards using visualizations, try to have some miniatures or tokens on hand to represent characters and foes, and some assorted items for walls, doors, tables and the like. , If this is the first session, character creation will have to happen.
Try to get everyone doing this at once, as the discussion this prompts will get personalities jump-started and keep people interested.
Once everyone's there and ready, start the game as promptly as possible.
Don't let people start wandering right off hand.
Open sessions at a high pace, if you can, capturing interest right off hand, and getting people into character. , Going from creating a character straight to playing them is always going to be a little rough, and it's your job as a GM to keep things running until people settle into their character personas.
There are many ways to start a game.
Try to avoid the cliches of taverns and mysterious strangers.
Don't tell people out-of-hand that their characters already knew each other, unless it was something already discussed in character concept.
Better to have most, if not all, first meeting happen during play.
It helps define the relationships realistically, and gives a much more interesting time.
A good tactic is often to start with each character separated; more work for you, but more rewarding in the end.
Over the course of one, maybe two sessions, let them all run into each other.
They might even be pitted against each other initially, or working together, but hostile; don't force friendships.
Things will develop. , 'Sandbox' worlds, where they have to find their own stories, can work, but it takes a very rare set of players.
Most will just get frustrated and bored.
On the other hand, being overly controlling, forcing your players' actions and reactions, will make your players feel railroaded.
You can use these feelings for short stretches of games, if they have a valid in-game reason to exist, like a manipulative superior showing up as the villain, but they have to be something that can be stopped.
Players will get incredibly frustrated when they can't make their own decisions, and get apathetic and angry, because they're no longer involved in the story. , Take these with a grain of salt.
Some were culled from various games, some are just my own invention. , This is, basically, improv theatre with dice.
A 'no' is a destructive answer, and it interrupts the game's flow.
Here are the alternatives:
If it's something you have no problem with them doing, something you feel would be good for the story, just say 'yes'.
If this gives one player an advantage, make sure you play fair, though, to avoid feelings of favoritism.
If it's something you're not sure of, that you like, but seems unlikely, tell them 'yes, but'.
Qualify it.
Tell them it'll take special effort, or they'll only succeed partially, or they can't manage that, but something similar...
If you think it'll unbalance the game, hurt everyone's experience, and make things less fun, tell them 'you can try'.
And let them try.
They can even roll dice.
And they might manage to do something.
But at the same time, don't be afraid to tell them in that case that they failed. , Will it be fun? Will it be more fun than the planned story? Can I pull it off? Will the other players enjoy it? If you answer yes to these questions, then let them do it.
If you can get the players to drive the story, it's that much less work for you.
Just get a step or two ahead of them by the end to give them a twist or two and a good reward, and let them run with it. , Avoid altering core mechanics, but major NPCs, points of setting, details of how things work, and politics and machinations should be fair game.
The world should be able to surprise the players, avoiding the jaded feeling games can acquire when everyone's read the rulebook and setting, and knows everything.
Keep your own notes so your alterations are self-consistent, and don't reveal these to players.
Tell each one the information that their character would know.
Have fun with this; tell some outright falsehoods that would arise from cultural misunderstandings, and lots of colorings of the truth.
Let their information disagree. , Cultivate your accents and acting skills.
Practice your evil chuckle.
Be a friend to the players, and cruel fate to their characters.
Collaborate with individual players on events centering on their characters, from abduction or major alterations to family issues.
Do this for everyone, at one point or another.
Each story can get everyone involved, make the featured player feel special, and develop the campaign as a whole, all at once.
About the Author
Robert Cook
Creates helpful guides on lifestyle to inspire and educate readers.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: