I wanna be a GM! How do I start?

[sniffles]

I've been roleplaying for about 10 years with the same group of people, and most of the group members GM various games. I've started thinking about giving it a try myself. I figure I'll stick with D&D because it's familiar and everyone likes it. I'd probably want a small group of players to begin with, and I'd run them through a simple dungeon crawl or some other basic module or Dungeon adventure.

There are certain things I like in a GM, and I'd want to emulate those things. But there are a few things I'd like to do differently. One of them is to try to keep the rules behind the curtains, so to speak. I'm worried about how well I can do that since I'm not such a whiz at the rules myself. All my potential players are better at the rules than I am.

I'd like to avoid the typical situation of asking for a skill roll and then telling the player what his/her PC's reaction is; i.e., "Roll an Appraise check. You rolled an 18? Okay, you know it's a ruby worth 100gp." I'd rather have the player roll an appraise check, and determine an appropriate reaction based on his roll : Player rolled a 2. Player says, "I have no idea what that is. It's a pretty red stone." Or, player rolls an 18. Player says, "Hey, this looks pretty good. I think it might be worth something." I then hand the player a note stating that it's a ruby worth 100gp.

How do-able is this idea for a newbie GM? How do other GMs handle keeping the rules from being more important than the roleplaying? I've seen suggestions such as the GM making all the skill checks for the PCs, or even taking away the character sheets, but I don't think that's feasible for a first-timer.

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Have a go, be fair, and be evocative.

Don't think GMing is an art. Like most art, it's just correct application of skill for the right audience.

Have fun!

 

[youspoonybard]

Always remember that you, and your players, are there to have fun.

Then go nuts! : )

 

[PeterFitz]

I think your plan for handling skill rolls and what-not is just fine, and it shouldn't be hard to get your players to go along with it once they know what's expected.

The main thing I've learned from about 25 years (holy crap! I must be nearly dead!) of GMing is that by and large, players prefer fair to kind. As long as they know that the GM isn't either gunning for them or coddling them, most people will accept the times when nothing seems to go right. I know that when I'm playing, if I know the GM is always going to fudge to stop the worst from happening it takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.

In a similar vein, don't play favourites. Never, never, never. That includes NPCs -- if an NPC you've lovingly created somehow doesn't work out, or is stabbed through the liver by one of the players in a fit of pique, just file off the serial numbers and use it somewhere else. If your Significant Other is about to fall to his or her death in a pool of boiling lava, DON'T fudge it if it's going to be in any way obvious to the rest of the party. I'm not saying that you can never fudge a roll, but it should always be for a purpose. I tend to do it when a character would be killed through no fault of their own in some non-heroic fashion, but even then I tend to leave them with some kind of scar to remind them not to go skinny-dipping in otyugh filth next time.

There's lots of other advice you can get, but I really think that being scrupulously fair with the players is paramount.

 

[philreed]

Grab yourself a copy of this book.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

My best advice is to find a GM you know and like and talk to them. They will show you the right path. Kind of like getting training from Yoda.

 

[Henry]

Sniffles, welcome to the most fun task in RPG's.

I figure I'll stick with D&D because it's familiar and everyone likes it. I'd probably want a small group of players to begin with, and I'd run them through a simple dungeon crawl or some other basic module or Dungeon adventure.

Sounds like a good plan; keeping it a one-shot or limited series also means you don't feel pressured to deliver a "huge, sweeping experience" for your first outing.

As for your plans on your running style, I have a couple of suggestions.

Phil Reed's advice on "Robin's Laws" is a GREAT idea, in my opinion. That book teaches you a lot about how to go about the process to best entertain your group. It's the kind of advice that many GM's with years of experience do instinctively, except that prior to that book I'd never seen it put down in print anywhere.

Your DM'ing style is your own, and no one should take that away; it's something that is discovered as you GM more and more. However, also be aware of your players' needs, too.

There are certain things I like in a GM, and I'd want to emulate those things. But there are a few things I'd like to do differently. One of them is to try to keep the rules behind the curtains, so to speak. I'm worried about how well I can do that since I'm not such a whiz at the rules myself. All my potential players are better at the rules than I am.

While it's a doable and valid style, be aware that some players might not take to this well, especially tactically-oriented GM's who are playing, or players who are more power-players than role-players. See if you can get a feel for how this would go with your group ahead of time.

I'd like to avoid the typical situation of asking for a skill roll and then telling the player what his/her PC's reaction is...

Some players could handle this well; other players wouldn't know how to gauge their roll. Another option is for you to note their appraisal skills ahead of time, as well as other secret rolls like Hide, Spot, etc. and then make a roll for them, or just assume the roll is equal to 10, and tell them the result. That way, you take the things they took time to invest their resources in, and fill them up with descriptions to take the dice-rolling out of the equation.

How do-able is this idea for a newbie GM? How do other GMs handle keeping the rules from being more important than the roleplaying? I've seen suggestions such as the GM making all the skill checks for the PCs, or even taking away the character sheets, but I don't think that's feasible for a first-timer.

A good halflway solution is over at www.thegamemechanics.com - Initiative cards. Print these out ahead of time, and pass one to each player. Tell them to fill it in, and you have a handy quick record of the most important abilities of a character you need to know. They are also used for initiative in combat, and in my opinion make it TWENTY time easier to keep track of inits in combat. Outside of combat, if you need those secret appraisal rolls, hide checks, Intelligence checks, etc. they're laid out for you. I use these all the time, and give them a hearty endorsement.

Before the game begins, make sure they know that because it's your first GM'ing session, go easy on you and let you know after the game what they liked and didn't like. This may be already unspoken, but you know more than I whether your group already has this understanding or not. Without knowing their favorite parts and their not-so-favorite parts, you can't become a better GM, and sometimes their telling you outright is much easier than trying to pick up a bunch of context clues.

Good luck!

 

[diaglo]

perform a coup d'etat on the current DM when he isn't looking.

it provokes an AoO from the other players. but make sure you bribe them ahead of time.

 

[Simplicity]

perform a coup d'etat on the current DM when he isn't looking.

Revolting incurs an attack of opportunity? I'm amazed peasant revolts work at all...

 

[Rel]

Grab yourself a copy of this book.

Ditto. Get it. Read it. Think about it. Read it again. Think about it some more. Then talk to the players about it. Then think about it some more. Then read it one more time. Then start planning your first game.

Seriously, the core principle of the Robin Laws book is "Know Your Players". If you want the people who play in your games to have a good time then you need to know what makes them have a good time. Then you need to do that.

Understanding that is going to tell you whether it is possible for you to be a good GM for this group of players and if so then what is the best way to go about setting up the kind of adventures that will engage them.