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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: austinmonster on July 07, 2010, 03:28:20 PM
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I've been waiting to get my books for two weeks, and now that they currently resonate in my hot little hands, I'm planning on running a game!
The catch - I've never really done this before.
I'm anticipating running into a lot of resistance from the FATE system, and i'm ready to roll with that, but what I need all of your advice with, is how DO you run a game?
I mean, I've read the chapters on running the game, I've tried my hand at it a few times in the past (which ended so-so). What I want to know, is what things have helped you all in the past? What tricks did you use to make things run smoothly? What wisdom have you uncovered as a GM that you wish you knew when you started running?
I come before you prostrate (without a black bag on my head, thank you) seeking your wisdom and sage-like advice.
PS - the posts over at http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,17305.0.html and http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=517766&page=2 seem immensely useful.
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For me, I think the key has always been the following principles:
When the players ask for something reasonable, give it to them (whether that's someone asking if they can do a particular Maneuver, or an arms dealer asking if they can get an SMG). Not necessarily without strings attached, mind you, but give it to them nonetheless. If that screws up your current plot, adapt the plot. This inludes them pursuing lines of investigation you didn't expect (which should be seen as a request for information).
When the players ask for something unreasonable, laugh, and tell them no. Stick to it.
When you are in doubt about whether something asked for is reasonable, think about it for a moment, but err on the side of reasonable but with a whole lot of strings attached.
Try to have logical reasons for everything that occurs. That way when players complain it's not fair, you can explain why it happened, and they'll likely be less upset.
Remember that the villains make plans, and should be reasonably competent at carrying them out and be prepared for a certain degree of opposition, but that they aren't omniscient. In other words, when the PCs do something predictable, the villains should likely have plans in place to deal with it, but when they do something surprising, let the villains be surprised.
And finally one specifically for FATE: Whenever a PC gets screwed over by circumstance, they should get a Fate Point. This is a large part of what Compels are for, and it makes the PCs feel a lot less bad about being screwed over for the sake of the plot.
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Try some of these articles - http://www.gnomestew.com/top-30-game-mastering-articles (http://www.gnomestew.com/top-30-game-mastering-articles)
Also if you want to run a long campaign, come up with a few 'mini' adventures that can be run in a single session. That way if a player hasn't been able to make it, or if the party goes in the wrong direction, you can give them a satisfying adventure without affecting the main campaign or forcing them to behave in a certain way.
For instance, a they could discover a werewolf mugger red-handed as they travel through the city, or a party member gets taken down to the station and the others have to bail him out etc.
Also, nice advice from DMW there.
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Try to be thematic.... Try to be as descriptive as possible when describing the scene and the situation...
I like to plot out 2-3 different story lines and toss out a hooks to see which one the PCs are interested in ...
Flesh out major NPCs to make them more hated by the PCs...
Personally, I like to try to setup the scene and then ask what the PCs are doing and move on from what they want. Sometimes I have NPCs villians act out their plans on a time line if the PCs are not doing anything to interfere.
DMW has a lot of good points.
#1 Rule, make it fun for all parties.
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I find looking at the characters aspects and connecting them to why they care for the plot I'm putting in front of them to be the most useful. I don't immediately point it out to the players, but having it in my pocket helps me move the story along and makes it easier to roll with curveballs the players are throwing my way.
DMW's first two points are my favorites and I use both.
Also be liberal with the compels, it makes the story fun and gives the players much needed resources.
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For games that I run, I like wrapping a lot of intrigue and deviousness and moral dilemmas. My players seem to dig on that kind of thing but some people don't. Find out the kinds of stories your players like and see if you can find a common thread.
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For games that I run, I like wrapping a lot of intrigue and deviousness and moral dilemmas. My players seem to dig on that kind of thing but some people don't. Find out the kinds of stories your players like and see if you can find a common thread.
I love this sort of game, and I know many of my players would as well. The problem is, I'm just not sure that I have the sort of skill to be able to weave that stuff in on the fly. I mean, for one character, maybe; but for a whole party? unlikely.
I'm pretty sure I won't have a problem saying "no" to these guys. I've seen them take reasonable requests and turn them into good old fashion clusterf#$*s.
I've already done a little bit of work on the city of Seattle (nothing major, just potential threats and the like) I'm thinking about one plotline centering around "manny" the king of the hobos. In reality, he's possessed by a ant-spirit (mandible) and the local homeless community has taken on a sort of subconscious hive-mind. That's just one idea though.
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Here's just a few random thoughts:
(1) Ask your players in advance what they'd like to see in the next session: more action-oriented, more mystery/investigation, etc. If they don't have a strong preference then just do what'll be most fun for you. Make sure whatever it is that you'll enjoy it as well.
(2) Realize that the players will do things that you haven't anticipated and haven't planned for, especially with a system like FATE where players can add story elements on the fly. So plan to roll with this rather than forcing everyone onto a specific track. Plan an event/encounter or two that you can throw in anytime to keep things interesting (the old, "if you don't know what to do, have two guys with guns burst into the room and start shooting").
(3) To make combat more interesting, have it take place in an interesting location or terrain, where people can make use of the surroundings in multiple ways. Secondly, have a secondary objective. For example, the bad guys are after a child that you have to protect in the middle of combat, or escape with in a chase; one of the thirty pieces of silver is in a box which a baddie is trying to escape with, while minions are trying to keep the PCs from reaching him; a bomb is ticking down and the PCs have to reach it in time to prevent innocents from being killed, but the baddies are trying to delay the heroes, etc.
(4) Try to have a sufficient variety of scenes so that each player feels their character has been useful or had a chance to contribute something worthwhile.
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On the mechanichal side, try to get a few practical yet not common things ready before the game,
An A4 or A3 listing the stats / skills / conditions of you pcs arranged in side by side columns. Preferably in a plastic jacket so you can magic marker it.
Copies of Players' sheets and some reference cards for your important NPCs (for the session)
A GM's handbook or screen where you can easyly access rules and the like
A big, plastic covered sheet to draw maps and the like on the fly
Some props to represent positions in combat
If you want to go all the way, try getting a plastic covered city map of decent resolution. It really feels good.
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I try to be as lazy as possible. There's a lovely post over at rpg.net that sums up how to do this very well:
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=517294
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and now that they currently resonate in my hot little hands, I'm planning on running a game!
Lucky *******./me checks to see if his order has shipped yet.
****!
I mean, I've read the chapters on running the game, I've tried my hand at it a few times in the past (which ended so-so). What I want to know, is what things have helped you all in the past? What tricks did you use to make things run smoothly? What wisdom have you uncovered as a GM that you wish you knew when you started running?
No matter what I do, my players always end up taking the story in an unexpected, but plausible direction. When this happens, generally they aren't asking me stuff and are talking amongst themselves. I use these points to think up a plausible way to get the story back on track (I hate forcing things). Pretty much any time the story has gone in an unplanned direction, stop talking to the players and listen to what they're telling each other and build ideas/scenes from that. I don't know about your players, but mine are usually good to sit and chit chat with one another about the story for 5-10 minutes without any input from me.
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I definitely concur with my predecessors as to the "Say Yes" rule, because it gives the players a stronger sense that they are in control of their own game, and adds more drama. I usually start my games with a point of high action, for example in the adventure I'm running next, the PCs are immediately attacked by a bunch of ectoplasmic entities created by a powerful dark wizard. Finally I like to list a bunch of elements I want to use in the arc I'm about to start, and find relationships, then build adventures around those relationships.
Example: For this arc I want to introduce the players (most of whom are new to the Dresden Files) to the world, so I want to include many of the larger elements, both: monsters like the fallen, vampires, and the fae, and conflicts like the war with the reds, and the lack of white council control in our city. So the elements I choose are:
- vampires
- wizards
- fae
- demons
- angels
- knights of the cross
- mob
- outsiders
Then I relate them to each other, and use those to create adventures (at this point I make tentative titles as well)
Perfect Storm
Cold Snap
Storm's Eye
- Angels
- Demons
- Knights of the Cross
- Outsiders
Finally, I make it into a flow chart, to show how the adventure comes together. So that's how I do things, I hope it helps.
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I've been waiting to get my books for two weeks, and now that they currently resonate in my hot little hands, I'm planning on running a game!
The catch - I've never really done this before.
I'm anticipating running into a lot of resistance from the FATE system, and i'm ready to roll with that, but what I need all of your advice with, is how DO you run a game?
Don't over prepare, rules heavy games tend to encourage this behavior because everything needs stats, dynamic encounter areas, ect. Give the bad guys a plan and break it up into several separate stages. For example: 1) Big Evil Bad Guy's minions steal a magic mcguffin for the evil ritual. 2) BEBG makes a deal with some critters for protection during said ritual. 3) BEBG prepares his sacrificial victims. 4) BEBG gets everything in place and casts the ritual. Then look at each stage and see what the BEBG would do if one of those stages fails, just flesh out a bit of a backup plan. At that point, just draw the players into the plot and let them cause whatever chaos they're going to. You know what the opposition will do if a part of the plan fails, if the players don't stop them, they just carry on. No matter what avenue the players pursue, let them have their fun and it to draw them closer to the plan. In the example above, they might find out from one of the minions that the boss is getting some heavy hitters to watch him over the next couple of days. If the players stop the BEBG from hiring the critters, he goes to plan B, if not; well, at least the players should have a little time to research and prepare to fight whatever they are. No matter what happens, they know they tried and either way, they should feel better about the outcome because of advance knowledge or knowing they are facing the backup team.
About the only set piece fight I'd bother putting more than a couple of minutes work into would be the initial scene and the finale, where the players show up at the last minute to stop the ritual and save the day. Too much work on other scenes is likely to be wasted as players find an alternate way through a particular encounter or a way to skip it entirely. Avoid investing too much of your time in these middle scenes and you'll reduce your temptation to railroad your players into them as a "reward" for your hard work.
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This might seem odd to say but if there is one thing i've learned from being a gm it's this...
Think Like A Bad Guy
That is majorly helpful to do because, in possibly the truest sense of the word, you are "playing" the bad guy's. Honestly i consider the gm to be one of the players because they have to act as the bad guys in nearly all situations, and thus are a player in and of themselves.
That being said dont take it to far. If your bad guy is always a genius and perfect planner and prepares for everything they loose a sense of truth to them and become boring or worse annoying. So another tip on the bad guy note is to very the bad guys greatly. Also its fun to make once allies (or even life long friends) into bad guys because it's so much more emotional when it happens.
On a game note, it is smart at the begining to get a few words from each player about where they want to go with their character. It's their character and they will have a much more fun game if you start off catering to some of there likes and dislikes. Also dont take this the wrong way but dont plan to much (seriously though planning is good just not to much) because there is always a chance they will throw your well planned schemes to the side and do their own thing. Which is kinda awesome in its own way.
Welp thats all i can think of right now. And of course Just remember the basics as well Be Fair, Have Fun, and When In Doubt Ask if you do those your game will be a success.
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Most of the good points have already been mentioned, but to reiterate and twist things around:
My personal preference is to toss some hooks out and go from there. I tend to write down themes/concepts (outside of those of the city/locations) and have it on tap, just in case. You would not believe how many times my "well prepared" game was tossed to the wayside (and believe you me, throwing out eight pages of notes is NEVER fun) and I would need something on the fly. Therefore, I just pull from my theme list.
For example, my current list has "Newb Wardens Over Their Heads" somewhere on it. A simple theme when you consider it, but it could be enough to pull party members in, especially if you tie it with "Blampire Scourge Causing Kidnappings" or "Red Court Drug Cartel." Suddenly you take two things that you just have noted and have a game session, or even a novella worth of a story.
It may not work for you, but always have a Plan B (or up to Plan Q) just in case the players throw a curveball in your well thought out plans.
Beyond that, there is one other word of advice: remember that you aren't the only one at the table. See what the party wants to see, find out what they enjoy, and work with that. If you railroad the players into only what you want, it could get boring and bland. Let them act out their roles, their complications, and see where it goes. If they want to be railroaded, have your options ready, a story in place, and give it to them. Work with your players enough to make things enjoyable on all sides, but work against them enough to make the games memorable.
I think I'll stop rambling and get more coffee as to be a bit more coherent for the next round of posts ^^;
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I map out relationships. Kinda like a flowchart, but not - just to keep relationships in view, it helps you remember the ripple effect of what someone's actions might create. Thick lines for strong relationships, thinner for relationships that are less so.
It also helps to keep the 'players' in view - not the PCs, but the movers & shakers.
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I ran that first session this last Saturday...
I think it went pretty great.
My players seemed to really be enjoying themselves, and I should first take a moment to describe my players.
1) a player who RPs like the wallpaper, she never does anything until you start poking at her.
2) two games designers that make their own system and think everything else that isn't their system is inherently flawed.
A) one of which is a writer and
B) one is the most unpredictable individual i've ever met.
3) My wife! Someone who's given up on the idea of gaming and has vowed to never try and RP again.
They all appeared to have a blast! The only hiccup I had was 2B's character - he tried to make a werewolf evoker with a few holy abilities.... he looked at the rules and fully stated out his character, and then made up a back story (of which he did a pretty damn good job).
I had one exiled shide who's had her memories kept behind by Tatiana who now works as a police investigator (the only real power she had was a massive mental attack that put people to sleep - emotional control, at range, lasting emotion, potent emotion for lethargy).
I had a pixie who talked really fast and had a few evocation tricks.
I had a vanilla mortal career student who wants nothing more than to play field hockey (my surprisingly awesome wife)
And last but not least, a street kid who knew a few forest magic tricks, was agnostic, but worshiped St Christopher. For a background that sounds like you threw darts at a dictionary, he really made that character work.
I had a really simple theme - Yakuza boss is trying to expand control by encouraging homeless folks to settle in high-class areas to bring down property value. Only the homeless people share a sort of hive-mind with the "King of the bums" who is possessed by an ant-spirit.
I got them involved in one serious low-ball fight (simple to explain the mechanics), and they ran with it so well. I even got my wife, who, as I mentioned, has given up on roleplaying, to have a good time!
Thanks for all your help guys!
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Sounds like a truly wonderful time! Glad to hear it went so well!
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awesome congrats on a good session! and let me tell you from someone who is going into his fourth campaign (the first one i will not be gm-ing) it only gets better from there ;)
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sounds great!
i am a bit late, but if you like, you can have some advice from me too...
I love this sort of game, and I know many of my players would as well. The problem is, I'm just not sure that I have the sort of skill to be able to weave that stuff in on the fly. I mean, for one character, maybe; but for a whole party? unlikely.
nobodoy is perfect the first time. all you need is practice and learning by doing. even now and then (being a seasoned GM with around 20 years of experience) after particularly long campaigns or after some "experiments" (strange astral quests in shadowrun and the like), i tend to send my players a questionaire by email with some questions. have they enjoyed it, was it too gruesome, or should it have been more gruesome? where they satisfied with how things were handled, which NPC did they like/dislike, etc. next time we meet we talk it over and i see where i could expand themes or did things which i should not do, because not all enjoyed them.
other advice i can give:
x) be prepared, have a plan, but be ready to improvise as players tend to go their own ways.
x) make handouts of important things you want to give the player (maps, building schematics, pictures of vehicles, etc.)
x) as I enjoy TV shows with a greater story arc than the current hour (babylon 5), i tend to loosely prepare for the next 5 to 7 stories. it gives my players the feeling to be a part of a larger world, when something they encountered a few weeks ago clicks into place.
x) don't be shy to adapt from other sources, but do it wisely and don't get caught. no seriously, steal only from the best. think about what you like in a show, a movie, a novel and then think about how it was done and try to bring that element in your story.
x) apart from one power gamer in my player group no one complains when i put a good story over the rules. my opinion is that rules should not hamper a good story - even my complaining player knows that when his dungeons and dragons priest can't resurrect the fallen NPC hero who stand with them for a while then it's for a greater good. ("but i should be able to resurrect him!" - "yeah, you are sure it should work, but it seems that the goods have cast a shadow upon his sacrifice... " and then he accuses me of using "scripted events"... :) )
x) as others already said: when you think as the bad guy: be ruthless - but when you are the GM: be fair
x) sometimes the player will have a better idea than you did have when you were designing a trap or something like that. if they do real creative thinking, let them go with that, and see where it leads. it's something i try to encourage in my group. (but don't let them always know.) sometimes my group did that and the new way they thoght of forced me to improvise but overall improved the whole story and made it more interesting, even for me, as i did not know where it would lead at the moment.
x) i tend to have one or two NPCs who are there for the group, sometimes they are part of the party. i can use them if they really overlooked something. ("mark walks up to you and whispers in your ear: "i am not sure, but i think i saw something back there, would you care to take another look?") but they can also be used as plot hooks, dispensers of cryptic knowledge
a player who RPs like the wallpaper, she never does anything until you start poking at her.
that's alright. some player involve themselves into the game by themselves, others need to be involved by somebody or something else.
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(my surprisingly awesome wife)
I'd cut out that "surprisingly" if I were you and my wife read the forums. ;)
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My $0.02:
1) Come up with a story arc. Know where you're planning on it going. Know how the characters are getting involved. Base it on the focus of your game; are your characters average joes? Are they movers and shakers? Is what they're doing going to leave even the broken vase standing, or will it shake the city to its very foundations? Figure out the beginning, the intended end, and the scope.
2) Make some notes about plot points. Don't write a novel, just get a vague idea of where the action's happening. So the end result is that the mad Dr. Magik is going to complete his ritual, become a god, and take over the world; and the players get involved because he kidnapped their dog. Are there certain scenes you *know* you want them involved in? Certain reveals you need to have happen? Make index cards. Not an outline - that implies order in most peoples' minds. Just unordered plot points.
3) Index cards really are your friend. Make one for an NPC, with a couple of notes that'll remind you who they are and what's already happened with them (Joe the Dog-Catcher. Hates his job. Met at the pound looking for the character's dog.). Make one for a location, with high points ("background count", "quick police response", "fault electrics", "fire trap"). Make one for important plot points (The new deputy mayor, who wants to appoint his brother-in-law the new dog-catcher, is in cahoots with Mad Dr. Magik.)
4) Be flexible, and be prepared for everything to fall apart - and this is why you should *not* get a story locked in your head. High points? Yes. Characters? Yes. Locations? Yes. Storyline? No, because your players will (accidentally, without knowing, and with the best of intentions) rip it to shreds. A perfect example is a D&D module I was reading through recently; it happened to be designed with easier encounters at the front gate and the assumption the party would go in there and work their way up to harder stuff. A GM noted that his party declared the front gate an "obvious trap" and instead climbed a cliff to go in the roof, triggering about four of the really hard encounters accidentally - one while the paladin and cleric were halfway up a rope and without armor.
5) Try to work your characters' aspects into the game. Not *all* of them *every* time, but Fate and DFRPG are intended to be role-play-heavy, not roll-play-heavy, IMHO. The players put work into they characters; thread it through your story. Make it personal, get them involved.
6) Don't be afraid to embarass yourself. Use the little girl's voice and the old man's voice. Flirt with the suave face and cower in your chair from the terrible ogre or fearsome wizard. Get them involved.
7) Try - at opportune moments - to be dramatic. You know that major plot point? The enchanted dagger still crusted with blood as Mad Dr. Magik runs away to his secret hide-out? $10 at an army surplus store, 10 minutes with an engraver, and a packet of dried ketchup = awesome prop with runes on the blade and dried blood. "The doctor runs out through the door, screaming spells that collapse the passageway behind him, and on the altar you see -" *pull out dagger* *thump on gaming table* "- that he left his ritual dagger behind!"
8) Remember that everyone's there to have fun - you *and* them. You have expectations, they have expectations. Be as aware of them as you can be. If someone's unhappy, find out why. If it's you, figure out why.
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So in keeping with this thread, i too, will scream "HELP!!"
I'm in the middle of building the world and getting some 'encounters' built, however i keep hitting a wall. i want my party to start at "feet in the water" so they can really build up. how hard should the enemies be at that level? how many should come in a fight? how can i tell from just looking at the character sheets?
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@ Blackdog, feet in the water combat depends massively on how your characters are focused. What's the party look like?
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There's some good advice in the Our Story book on Running the Game on how to balance opposition vs. the players. Roughly, take the points the PCs have spent in refresh and spend it on the villains. Spread it out a bit; don't dump all those points on one villain, or things will go bad.
I've been finding that having the players do the mutual character/city creation in a night can supply you a common theme and fodder for adventures without much work on the GMs part.
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@ Blackdog, feet in the water combat depends massively on how your characters are focused. What's the party look like?
we haven't done the character creation night yet, but we are looking at 5-6 players. and based solely on how we play other games: 1 will definitely be a focused practitioner, 1 will probably be along the lines of a cop, 1 minor talent, and 1 were-form.
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we haven't done the character creation night yet, but we are looking at 5-6 players. and based solely on how we play other games: 1 will definitely be a focused practitioner, 1 will probably be along the lines of a cop, 1 minor talent, and 1 were-form.
That's not enough info. Character types matter a lot less in planning encounters than what the average PC combat skill is. If most are Fair or worse, then it'll be a lot different from if most are Good or Great.
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Ok, that makes sense.
can i just get a generalization based on the party having good-great combat?
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A Red Court vampire is a decent encounter for two or so PCs at that level, ditto a Black Court if they have it's weaknesses (if they don't it'll take more like four or five of them), Ghouls are worth maybe three unless you drop their Athletics (which seems excessive to me), White Court are probably a fair fight one-on-one, barring mind-mojo or increased combat skills. A Hellhound is a good on-on-one foe, while an Ogre is a fair fight for three PCs, with any magic users not counting (or all of them together if they lack Cold Iron). Goblins are good one-on-one foes as well.
That's a rough barometer. Base unique creatures on comparisons with these. All these assume that the creatures are "minion style" and will concede before taking Moderate Consequences. If they're willing to go the distance, add one or two to the number of PCs they're a good fight for. For those where it's not mentioned, drop the required PCs by one if they possess the creature's Catch in a manner they can use with their combat skills.
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great! that helps SO much, and it took a bit of stress off my mind since this is the introduction to this game for most of the players in the group and i didn't want to make it too impossible on them.
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great! that helps SO much, and it took a bit of stress off my mind since this is the introduction to this game for most of the players in the group and i didn't want to make it too impossible on them.
There are two ways to find out how much oil is in your car, one is to drain it all out and measure it, the rest of us use the dip stick. :)
Test your players early on without trying to kill them, arrange for them to find/steal/inherit/be given the plot hook item and low to mid threat level bad guys (whatever you think is low to mid level) attack them to get it from them. They aren't looking to kill anyone and it would be perfect acceptable for them to just knock half the party senseless, take the item and leave. Just don't have it matter to the story, if they get the item, fine, the PCs are drawn into the story by wanting to get it back and hopefully getting some payback. If they don't get the item, the PCs should be curious as to why it's wanted and the bad guys at this point know all about it and just wanted to get it from the PCs before they could study it or what have you. Either way, you'll have a baseline for the PCs capabilities without needing to hurt them too much and your story stays on track. Go up or down from there as needed to get the challenge you want.
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First: Reward good behavior. Punish bad. No seriously. Are they playing their aspects? Even if they're doing it to amass fate points, reward that. Dole it out like candy (unless it becomes a problem, then, you know...ease off). Are they overconfident? Then allow them to do something stupid. When you smack them down, they'll learn, as long as the smacking was a totally predictable consequence of their actions...
Second: Come up with a plan. But get ready to throw it out. Only write the story that has happened so far "off camera." The off camera story can be, and should be as detailed as possible. That way, when they ask you about clues or rumors, you know EXACTLY what happened and you, therefore, can more readily infer what clues were left behind or who would be in the know to talk about it. The flip side of that coin is the players are going to take your ball and ruuuuuuuuun with it down so many WEEEEIRD alleyways that you may as well not even plan for what happens "on camera." So plan out the things they didn't do, and let it unfold before them.
Thirdly: Going back to punishing the wicked...don't forget what your players did. Some of the most fun, or the best lessons can come from when they either must explain their actions to an authority figure, or that authority figure tells them how it looks from the sidelines. Sometimes that point of viewing can be jarring when it turns out you look like a right monster. It's also reeeally funny.
Fourth: HAVE FUN!
Good luck!