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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Ownagepants on June 30, 2016, 08:32:56 PM
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I have never played Dresden files before I'm familiar with the books and am reading proven guilty before anyways I was considering dming for my group cause we all really want to play I have also never played fate before so on a scale of impossible to total nightmare how hard is this probably gonna be ?
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I have never played Dresden files before I'm familiar with the books and am reading proven guilty before anyways I was considering dming for my group cause we all really want to play I have also never played fate before so on a scale of impossible to total nightmare how hard is this probably gonna be ?
Have you played a pencil-and-paper / tabletop RPG before?
GM'ed before?
Played or GM'ed any of the newer / more-"narrative"-focus RPG's?
If the answer to all the above is "yes" then it should be relatively easy... Add to the difficulty for each "no."
;D
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One small addition from me: I ran my first game in DFRGP, three sessions in. I mostly did improv along very general lines, and it exhausted me, despite the fact that FATE is kind of encouraging much more improv than most other systems. I strongly suggest preparing a more detailed gameplan.
Other than that, mechanically this system is fairly simple, most effort has to be put into using spells, but mostly it's done on chargen, so that's not a big problem.
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Combat can go quick and be very deadly; emphasize to players that this isn't a typical RPG, there's no cleric in the corner with healing spells and that actions have consequences. They might ask themselves if a particular goal is worth the risk of getting killed...which is good.
Keep the concession button on hand and while you should be a tough GM, don't be a killer/adversarial GM.
Ask your players if they're okay with the possibility of PC death first--that will give you a better feel for the group and will go a long way in establishing a GM pattern/storyline ("Yes, as a matter of fact, there ARE things worse than death.").
Also ask group how fast they want to advance in power. That too, will help you get a feel for the group.
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It's not harder to run than any other game, I suppose. The mechanics are often the easy part in GMing anyway. I've started GMing DFRPG with only a little bit of GM experience in other games and zero experience in the DFRPG and it turned out pretty well, I would say. It is definitely doable. Your group should know that you are doing this for the first time, so they should show a bit of patience and maybe help out as best they can. Playing the game is a group effort as much as it is work for the GM.
When it comes to improv, there's improv and then there's improv. Savvy?
Ok, let me explain. You can just go into a game mostly blind and just let things happen as they may. This is pure improv, and it's something that I think only very few people can truly do. I certainly can't.
The other kind of improv is easier, but it requires a lot of prep work. Instead of planning a story or something along those lines, you plan an opposition. You map out who the bad guys are, what they can do, what they have at their disposal, what they need to do to reach their goal, what their goal is, and so on. Plan ahead to what would happen if nothing goes wrong, because the bad guy will most certainly have that plan.
Once you've done that, you can have the players happen upon the bad guys at some point. That will most likely hinder, at least inconvenience the bad guys. Maybe one of the player characters is even a target or plays a vital role in the plan, so getting them involved should be easy. Now comes the trick: because you know what the bad guys need and what they can do to get it, you can now adjust their plans to the players actions. If they foil one end of the plan, you can adjust easily and go forth with another part. Improvising this is far easier, since you don't really improvise, you just do what logically follows. That's a big burden off the whole improv pressure.
Of course it can still happen that the players do something you are completely overwhelmed by. When that happens, don't panic (he said in bright, friendly letters). You can always just say "wow, guys, you caught me totally off guard, give me a few minutes to think about this". That takes the pressure away from coming up with something RIGHT NOW, and the rest of the group can take the time to get a smoke, go to the bathroom, clean up a bit or look something up.
But you can also involve the players in planning the scene. Tell them this is something you didn't expect, so you don't really know what to do here, but they can contribute some ideas what should be in a scene like this. It might be a bit weird to all of you at first, because that's not something an RPG usually does, but it works quite well in Fate.
There are a few ready made case files available on drivethrurpg. You could look into those to run as your first adventures. They are pretty well structured and do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Once you've gone through those, you'll have a bit of experience in running the game and should be good to go your own way. The case files are available for free:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/87671/Dresden-Files-RPG-Casefile-Neutral-Grounds
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/90998/Dresden-Files-RPG-Casefile-Night-Fears
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/94745/Dresden-Files-RPG-Casefile-Evil-Acts
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The other kind of improv is easier, but it requires a lot of prep work. Instead of planning a story or something along those lines, you plan an opposition. You map out who the bad guys are, what they can do, what they have at their disposal, what they need to do to reach their goal, what their goal is, and so on. Plan ahead to what would happen if nothing goes wrong, because the bad guy will most certainly have that plan.
Once you've done that, you can have the players happen upon the bad guys at some point. That will most likely hinder, at least inconvenience the bad guys. Maybe one of the player characters is even a target or plays a vital role in the plan, so getting them involved should be easy. Now comes the trick: because you know what the bad guys need and what they can do to get it, you can now adjust their plans to the players actions. If they foil one end of the plan, you can adjust easily and go forth with another part. Improvising this is far easier, since you don't really improvise, you just do what logically follows. That's a big burden off the whole improv pressure.
That is perhaps one of the best explanations of how to "story build" for a live-play, table-top game that I've seen in a long time.
I've been doing RPG's since the mid-70's and my approach has long been very similar to this. When I develop a story (single session or long-term campaign) I first come up with the Antagonist(s) and his/their goal(s) - what's going to happen if they're not stopped -- the "climax" of their story if it goes unhindered.
Then I determine what the characters will need to prevail over that. Including (in old D&D terms) what minimum level(s) they'll need to be. That includes things that can come in number of forms (often mixes) from one or more items (magic sword, scroll with a particular "bane" spell on it, whatever), a specific piece of knowledge about the antagonist that constitutes a vulnerability, etc. I then "backtrack through time" (so to speak) and deposit these necessary elements along the way in places that would be part of a reasonable path for the group to take (geographically or otherwise). These are "checkpoints" of a sort (though I never call them that). If the characters reach one of these checkpoints without something from a previous point and/or fail to acquire what's at that particular point, then it's time to start running them in circles until circumstance that takes them back to it - rinse and repeat as necessary until they have it.
I also determine approximately how long this should all take (in terms of game time) for the antagonist to accomplish the goal. Then I find a good, logical and consistent starting point for the party where I can introduce the exposition elements that kick it all off that takes that into account. I try to assure they have enough time (even counting delays) to stop the bad guy before the clock runs out but not so much that they don't feel pressure. Any needed adjustments are easy, just speed up or slow down the antagonists timetable on his end based on off-camera successes or failures in his own agenda.
Almost everything between the checkpoints is "improvisational" as you state it. Nothing nailed down too permanently because - let's face it, any group worth their salt will veer from any pre-planned path at the drop of a hat (and they bring their own hats). All I have to do is massage things enough to keep them aimed generally at the next checkpoint.
Anything improvisational (or extemporaneous?) that they come up that I find blends well with what I already have I generally allow and mix it in - hopefully seamlessly enough that they don't know they handed me the loaded gun. That just make it more entertaining for all because they help make it a better story and I didn't have to do much a lot more work to make it so.
I've had some pretty darn memorable game play come out of that.
Well, done. Thank you.
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I would add: Be ready to change your plans based on what the players do and speculate. Don't let yourself get locked in -- if your players "deduce" something that makes for a better story, let them be right and run with it.
Some of my best plotlines and games resulted from my players taking the clues I laid out and coming to a different conclusion than I'd originally intended, but made for a more interesting game.
Also also? Don't let first-time players be full-blown wizards. You will spend a lot of time explaining magic and thaumaturgy before they get it.
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There is a lot of good advice here. I would like to add;
Having an open and honest conversation with your troupe about what they and you want in a game is an awesome way to start. Do they want to play in an arena or a sandbox? Do they want action heroes or street level detectives? Most likely somewhere in between. If everyone is new to gaming these things can be a little daunting, so maybe pitch two or three very general ideas for a unifying connection for your players and listen to their own ideas well. That can go a long way towards making city and character creation easier.
Your players will have a lot of say in city creation, make heavy use of "Yes and" and "Yes but" here. Even ridiculous seeming ideas can be awesome with a little fleshing-out. (See the Codex Alera series, with "Pokemon + Roman legion" in mind.)
I am personally a huge Critical Role fanboy so this playlist comes to mind. Matt Mercer's GM Tips on Geek and Sundry: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT9570U87GhK_20NcbxM43vkom
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Thank you guys so much for your help I made my game on roll 20 I have a few people am waiting for two more but next week were gonna do city creation and stuff again thanks
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Some of my best plotlines and games resulted from my players taking the clues I laid out and coming to a different conclusion than I'd originally intended, but made for a more interesting game.
There are also 2 spins on this that I really enjoy:
1) The players picking up on "clues" you never intended to be more than a bit of color on the scene and running with it.
2) Just putting in a lot of stuff and see where that leads the players and what they pick up. Sometimes I don't even know what exactly is going on myself, I just find out alongside the players. I like to call this the Tylenol (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD6olRJ8S3I) method.
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There are also 2 spins on this that I really enjoy:
1) The players picking up on "clues" you never intended to be more than a bit of color on the scene and running with it.
2) Just putting in a lot of stuff and see where that leads the players and what they pick up. Sometimes I don't even know what exactly is going on myself, I just find out alongside the players. I like to call this the Tylenol (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD6olRJ8S3I) method.
Learning to improvise is a key survival trait for any DM who want to be worth his/her salt. I've long held with the old military axiom "No battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy," which can also be read as "The best laid plans of mice and men oft times go astray." Meaning that you don't nail anything down so tightly that there's no wiggle room for changes based on circumstance. Never leave only one path or one "out". Flexibility is necessary and as long as everyone's having fun the specifics of how/why are less relevant.
Knowing your players is a good idea so you can tailor both your initial design and any on-the-fly alterations with their preferences and abilities (even limitations) in mind. It can be a challenge but also very rewarding when you see the looks on their faces when something gets really entertaining.
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I've long held with the old military axiom "No battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy," which can also be read as "The best laid plans of mice and men oft times go astray."
I know it as "No GM plan ever survives the first contact with a player character", but the principle still stands.
Last week I was in a group playtesting the John Carter from Mars alpha. We managed to derail the sample adventure with the first action after the intro. That's a personal best. :D
We got attacked by sky pirates. The author of the story thought the players would flee, which is the only logical action to take. Our pilot decided to ram the pirates' carrier ship. Hilarity ensued. And battle. Mostly battle. :D
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Years ago I was part of a playtest group that had fun with a derail.
Yaquinto Games was doing beta runs around the country for two new RPG they were getting ready to produce: "Man, Myth & Magic" and "Pirates & Plunder". They were pretty much done and getting ready to head home when, somehow, they got wind of our gaming group and decided to stop by our town on the way for one final playtest.
They had two DM's, one for each game. Our players (we had over 20 in town at that time) broke into two groups, one for each game.
Day one (a Saturday) was supposed to be for familiarization of the system and rolling characters. Day two (Sunday) was slotted with a 3-hour play session followed by an hour of feedback/critique. /smirk... these guys had no idea they were walking into a blender. Our group was chock full of very intelligent and very creative people. Neither group took more than a couple of hours "learning" the system. The character creation process was supposed to take 2-3 hours... we did it in 30 minutes. So... we talked them into starting both games that day....
And we took less than 30 minutes to derail their trains by going outside their tightly scripted boundaries. We played through their limited scenarios and demanded more, forcing the to improve their backsides off. What should have taken two days we wrapped up in eight hours (not counting the feedback portion). We showed them a number of system flaws both in concept and mechanics.
In short, we tore them new ones - and made them thank us for it. In the end, they took down all our names and when the games were finally published (almost a year later than scheduled because of revamps initiated by our critiques) the hobby shop where we played received copies of the games for every one of us, complimentary of Yaquinto Games, with a thank you note that included brining our attention to the cover art -- which had our particular parties on them! They immortalized our groups - the specific composition of race/class, et al we used, which apparently was unique in all their playtest sessions.
To this day I can't look at those covers without feeling both a little embarrassed at how we treated those guys, and a bit proud for it too.
And I always take it as a lesson to be very, very careful about not boxing players in... if they get a chance to escape, they will and will cause havoc. Give them elbow room. You'll all be better off for it.
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And I always take it as a lesson to be very, very careful about not boxing players in... if they get a chance to escape, they will and will cause havoc. Give them elbow room. You'll all be better off for it.
Ask yourself: Are the players locked in with you or are you locked in with the players. :o
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Never leave only one path or one "out". Flexibility is necessary and as long as everyone's having fun the specifics of how/why are less relevant.
Emphasizing this, for the opposite reasons stated by others. If you create a singular way to "win" a scenario, there's a very strong chance that your players will simply never see it. They will try everything else besides the "obvious" solution that you set up, and if you stick to it too strongly, it'll only lead to frustration for everyone.
One particular horror story from here (http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1479#comment-86049) comes to mind...
My worst was probably “Jeph”, the worst DM I’ve ever had the misfortune not to be able to avoid having to meet. This was my first session with this group. My friend “Brian” was also just joining this group, I think it was his second time.
So here we are, trying to lockpick a door. It was something like a “sturdy oaken door, several inches thick”. So I try to pick the lock. He pulls out his notes, WRITES ON THEM IN FRONT OF US, and announces that it’s also barred on the other side. Brian tries to burn it, considering it’s made of wood. Jeph crosses out “oaken” and changes it to “obsidian”. We’re getting a bit tired of this by now, so Brian goes to melt off the hinges. Again, the writing on the paper. The door doesn’t have hinges, it opens by retracting into the floor.
Now I’m mad, of course. “Then how the hell is it barred, hm? I. Pick. The. Lock.” There is no physical lock, it’s magically sealed. We’ve had it, we ignore the door and head somewhere else. “For some reason, you find yourselves strongly averse to leaving the door as it is”.
At this point, Brian and I gave up in disgust and actually got up and left the house.
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Out of curiosity, I asked another player what the hell was wrong with Jeph. It turns out Jeph wanted to welcome me to the group with a bang, and had written a really humorous conversation with a group of goblins who were behind the door. We were supposed to knock on the door, which would trigger the funny dialogue. Jeph kept the remainder of the group (Brian’s and my characters had suddenly died of strokes, and their bodies had been instantly snatched up by TELEPORTING BANDITS so the group didn’t get our stuff) at that door for another forty-five minutes before some other guy decided he was going to hack at the door with a broadsword, and Jeph counted that as a knock…and started the comedy conversation.
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Emphasizing this, for the opposite reasons stated by others. If you create a singular way to "win" a scenario, there's a very strong chance that your players will simply never see it. They will try everything else besides the "obvious" solution that you set up, and if you stick to it too strongly, it'll only lead to frustration for everyone.
In a way, Fate makes this incredibly easy to deal with.
- Problem
- Approach
- Resolution
- Aftermath
Hey, that could be a cool new acronym. Yay!
Sorry, I'll focus.
Basically, you present a problem to the players. You can have a solution in mind, but don't fixate on it. If the players go another way, roll with it. Once the problem is presented, the players describe how they want to approach it (or IF they even want to). Do they want to fight, sneak, talk, do a spell, etc.
Once that is set up, you know what both parties (Players and opposition) want and how they will go about it. At this point you can choose the resolution mechanic. If your players want to sneak past someone, a simple roll or a contest could be enough, no need for a conflict. They could go and talk in a social conflict (or a simple roll again, if the person isn't too important in a talking way). You then go and resolve the scene the way the resolution mechanic demands.
And finally, you deal with the aftermath. Different things happen depending on the outcome of the scene.
The approach bit is an important one (and one I sometimes forget myself. If you set up a cool opponent for a fight, you're kind of primed to go for a fight. But if the players have a cunning plan to sneak around that, you'll be robbed of that fight. At least sometimes it feels like it. So this is something to look out for and keep an open mind about. A non-conflict scene can be just as cool as a conflict, but it works very differently.
It also means that depending on the approach taken, the difficulties can be quite different. The two thugs might be pretty tough but rather dumb. You might be able to talk your way past them fairly easily, while fighting them would be a very bad idea. And other approaches to solve the problem can lead to scenes you might have never thought about.
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One small addition from me: I ran my first game in DFRGP, three sessions in. I mostly did improv along very general lines, and it exhausted me, despite the fact that FATE is kind of encouraging much more improv than most other systems. I strongly suggest preparing a more detailed gameplan.
When I started to GM this game, I made the opposite error. I prepped too much. Had too many scenes worked out that never occurred. It burnt me out. It was the only time I had ever given up GMing a game. So as Mongward said generate a gameplan, but I would suggest that it is a broad overarching plan and not many details unless you are sure that they will happen.