Help for Beginning GM
Stephen Perelgut
With all you people claiming 2-5 yrs of GM'ing experience why did I get so
few replies to my first plea for help?
I am planning on taking a party of neophytes into a Basic D&D dungeon along the
lines suggested by the Basic D&D manual. If this bothers you send mail and
tell me why. I have only received two real responses so far.
1) What is the best way to start GM'ing?
2) What is the best way for a GM to introduce first-timers to FRP? (I am
choosing Basic D&D for its rogue-like nature and for the simplicity
of the rules. If you think this is terrible, let me know and give
me an alternative. It isn't too late. YET!!!!!)
3) Does anyone have any useful GM tools running under UNIX? I can
design my own random number generators (probably better and
faster than you with the nifty programming language we use
here). What I would like would be a fancy window managing
package with separate processes running in the various parts
of the window to constantly roll and suggest outcomes and
encounters and stuff. And maybe a sexy map displaying pgm.
I can imagine it all but I don't have the time to develop
anything extensive.
To summarize:
H E L P ! ! !
P.S. If your site did not receive this article, please let me know. :-)
--
Stephen Perelgut Computer Systems Research Group University of Toronto
Usenet: {linus, ihnp4, allegra, decvax, floyd}!utcsrgv!perelgut
ARPA: utcsrgv!perelgut@UW-BEAVER
arn...@umcp-cs.uucp
I have been playing FRP games for 6 years now and have GM for 5
years. So here goes my responces to your questions.
I have played D&D, Runequset, Traveler, Busido, SpaceQuest,
and other FRP games, as well as board (historial Simulation)
games.
1) What is the best way to start GM'ing?
Answer:
The best way to start GM'ing is to use a subset of the what
ever game you choice to run. You as the GM should stay in
control on the game. Your should not let magic item, special
abilities or bizare happings into your game unless you know
what they will do in most circumstances. They use of a very
basic system to start off with also helps.
You will find that your players will try their best to bend,
alter, and change the rules that you all are playing by. The
best solution is to change to rules when you are ready for
the change and can control the side effects that the change
will cause.
2) What is the best way for a GM to introduce first-timers to FRP?
(I am choosing Basic D&D for its rogue-like nature and for
the simplicity of the rules. If you think this is terrible,
let me know and give me an alternative. It isn't too late.
YET!!!!!)
Answer:
Chaosium, the people who make Runequest, Super World, and
Stormbringer, put out a 16 page booklet called Basic Role
Playing. Basic Role Playing contains the basics for most
role playing games. It includes definitions for characteristics,
spell, skills, monsters, sample encounters, what a begginning
cahracter could carry on an adventure and other information
useful for beginning players. This booklet is included in
most of Chaosium's boxed version of FRP games. It is a very
good introduction to the relm of FRP even if you are not
going to play any games by Chaosium.
3) Does anyone have any useful GM tools running under UNIX? I can
design my own random number generators (probably better and
faster than you with the nifty programming language we use
here). What I would like would be a fancy window managing
package with separate processes running in the various parts
of the window to constantly roll and suggest outcomes and
encounters and stuff. And maybe a sexy map displaying pgm.
I can imagine it all but I don't have the time to develop
anything extensive.
Answer:
I do not know of any GM tools running under UNIX.
General Notes:
One should look at the FRP games on the Market to decide
which game they want to run. A good GM ( one that stay in
control of the game) can make all most any system work,
by creating good plots, NPC's, and other story telling
devices. A few of the FRP games to look at are:
Runequest, Travler, Busido, D&D, AD&D, Iron Crown's Game,
In the Labrinth, Boot Hill, Space Opera, Call of Chuthlu,
and various other games. Go to your local game store and
check out what goes on, Talk to people who have games,
and read gaming magazines.
Enough time to slay the Ph.D monster
--- arnold
--
--- Arnold Miller,
U of Maryland,
College Park MD
Usenet: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!arnold
Arpanet: arnold%umcp-cs@Udel-Relay