GMing for the first time in 20+ years tomorrow!

[Matchstick]

My scattered group of friends are going to join me on Sunday morning in Fantasy Grounds for a Savage Worlds adventure, and I'm nervous! I've been studying the rules, editing and prepping the adventure, and just generally trying to get ready as best I can, but I'm feeling the pressure.

This is something that could get me back gaming and could add an entirely new possibility for fun for our group. We're all gamers but we've pretty much only done MMOG's to this point. I'm hoping that the technology will be there (FG2 and Teamspeak, both tested) and the game system will be good. Most of all I'm hoping that everyone shows up with positiveness; that can make or break the fun of an RPG session.

Any thoughts on FG2, Savage Worlds, online GMing, or GMing in general are appreciated.

Yikes and Yay at the same time!

 

[scruffygrognard]

Good luck and have fun!

Savage Worlds is a fun, flexible system that you all should pick up on pretty quickly. I've only played it a few times so I can't offer any deep insights into the rule set.

Ad for GMing, keep it fast and loose and don't get too bogged down by the rules. Try to enjoy yourself and be fair to your players. Allow each player his moment in the sun and all should go well.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

All I can say is: relax and enjoy it, get feedback from the players on how they feel it went and what could have gone better, and give it some time to scrape the rust off your skills.

Good luck

 

[nedjer]

My scattered group of friends are going to join me on Sunday morning in Fantasy Grounds for a Savage Worlds adventure, and I'm nervous! I've been studying the rules, editing and prepping the adventure, and just generally trying to get ready as best I can, but I'm feeling the pressure.

This is something that could get me back gaming and could add an entirely new possibility for fun for our group. We're all gamers but we've pretty much only done MMOG's to this point. I'm hoping that the technology will be there (FG2 and Teamspeak, both tested) and the game system will be good. Most of all I'm hoping that everyone shows up with positiveness; that can make or break the fun of an RPG session.

Any thoughts on FG2, Savage Worlds, online GMing, or GMing in general are appreciated.

Yikes and Yay at the same time!

Relax First time back doesn't have to be thought of as make and break, by you or the group. Not sure why they'd be there if they're not keen, but a bit of flexibility first time out might help. Maybe kind of let everyone 'wear in' the rules and the format.

HTH

 

[IronWolf]

As others have said, just relax and have a good time. If you don't know the exact rule on something, just roll with it, make a judgment call and finish that session out with that judgment call. You can look up the rule later and adjust future play as needed.

Online gaming via a virtual table top actually works quite well. I've done it via a couple of VTTs and voice programs. All experiences have been positive so far - worked better than I had anticipated.

Have fun!

 

[buddhafrog]

Awesome! Let us know how it goes.

I DM'd my first game in 20 years about 5 months ago. Now, I'm DM'ing 6 games a week (OK, it's part of an ESL teaching job, but still....). I love it and now wonder how I ever got away from it. I hope it goes well for you. Relax and have fun.

 

[Nifft]

IMHO one huge n00b mistake is to plan the game's plot. This is doubly true if you come from video games, since they are notorious for "railroading" -- as they must, it's the limitation of the media that you pay for in exchange for the (usually) impressive voice acting and visual effects.

Instead, make sure you have a good handle on the motivations of your key NPCs. That way, when your players surprise you -- which will happen quite often, in my experience -- you can easily figure out how your NPCs will react.

It's great to have planned-out encounters, but don't fret if you never get to use all of them. The players will surprise you. One* of the things that I like about table top gaming is the ability to roll with whatever the players throw my way.

Cheers, -- N

*) ... the other thing is drinking beer with friends.

 

[Matchstick]

Relax First time back doesn't have to be thought of as make and break, by you or the group. Not sure why they'd be there if they're not keen, but a bit of flexibility first time out might help. Maybe kind of let everyone 'wear in' the rules and the format.

HTH

I'm a little concerned because I think at least one of them might be the "DM or nothing" guy. And I'm not looking to be the all time GM. We've just talked and talked about doing this but no one was stepping up and starting. So I'm stepping up. I have tried to make it clear that this is just a first step to try and get ourselves familiar with the tech and system, but you never know how some people will go.

Awesome! Let us know how it goes.

I DM'd my first game in 20 years about 5 months ago. Now, I'm DM'ing 6 games a week (OK, it's part of an ESL teaching job, but still....). I love it and now wonder how I ever got away from it. I hope it goes well for you. Relax and have fun.

I saw that in the kids thread and just now downloaded the Monster Slayer thing from WotC. I'm going to try it with my two girls (8 and 7) soon!

IMHO one huge n00b mistake is to plan the game's plot. This is doubly true if you come from video games, since they are notorious for "railroading" -- as they must, it's the limitation of the media that you pay for in exchange for the (usually) impressive voice acting and visual effects.

Instead, make sure you have a good handle on the motivations of your key NPCs. That way, when your players surprise you -- which will happen quite often, in my experience -- you can easily figure out how your NPCs will react.

It's great to have planned-out encounters, but don't fret if you never get to use all of them. The players will surprise you. One* of the things that I like about table top gaming is the ability to roll with whatever the players throw my way.

Cheers, -- N

I've got a module that I'm running from but it's pretty free form. I used to be good at improvising, we'll see if that holds up.

Thanks for all the encouragement everyone!

 

[nedjer]

I'm a little concerned because I think at least one of them might be the "DM or nothing" guy. And I'm not looking to be the all time GM. We've just talked and talked about doing this but no one was stepping up and starting. So I'm stepping up. I have tried to make it clear that this is just a first step to try and get ourselves familiar with the tech and system, but you never know how some people will go.



I saw that in the kids thread and just now downloaded the Monster Slayer thing from WotC. I'm going to try it with my two girls (8 and 7) soon!



I've got a module that I'm running from but it's pretty free form. I used to be good at improvising, we'll see if that holds up.

Thanks for all the encouragement everyone!

Might be able to get the guy 'on board' with an up-front role during play and by giving a little ground if he looks for a couple of rules interpretations/ checks. Which possibly adds up to - make sure he's enjoying the game and he'll probably not give a thought to whether you've applied the rules precisely?

Your kids's games are much more interesting/ important than a possibly grumpy player. I'm doubtful that starting on the D&D model and module mentioned is helpful if you'd like girls to go on and play D&D as they get older. Particularly when you're used to improvising.

Basically, are you looking for them to follow the standard Western movie narrative model with a bit of roleplaying or to build shared narratives with you (learning golddust)and learn how to choose how they play a system like 4e to a style of their and your own preference once they're ready for a few more rules?

p.s. whatever you decide please give them useful pets, let them train up the pets and never, NEVER kill one of the pets. They'll love 'em and you place yourself inside the narrative where it's less obvious that you're reviewing, reframing and prompting in-game. 'Of course the old wolf can talk, it's a fantasy game.'

 

[Nifft]

I'm a little concerned because I think at least one of them might be the "DM or nothing" guy. And I'm not looking to be the all time GM. We've just talked and talked about doing this but no one was stepping up and starting. So I'm stepping up. I have tried to make it clear that this is just a first step to try and get ourselves familiar with the tech and system, but you never know how some people will go.

Well good on ya. IMHO the best kind of DMs are thoughtful non-control freaks, so you're doing great so far in my book.

Cheers, -- N