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Message: <blockquote data-quote="snak" data-source="post: 356747" data-attributes="member: 2474">Couple of resources worth mentioning, you will need to do the conversions, but for a begining GM that may help familiarize you with rules and npc capability.1.  Nightmares of mine-by Kenneth Hite.  A generic break down of horror elements. A quick reading 158 pages.  Very useful for understanding the narrative mechanics and psychology behind 'horror.'2.  Unknown Armies 2nd ed by Greg Stolze and John Tynes.  The GM section is one of the best in providing practical advice on running games.3.  Anything Delta Green- John Tynes and Scott Glancy- Deep, uber Machiavellian plot devices.  Provides a good clearing house of material as well as why a group of various investigative types might get together.4.  Alternity Darkmatter setting and related modules.  Can be picked up mostly cheap.5.  Fantasy Flight Games, Nocturnum setting.  Several great adventures.  As a campaign it skirts dangerously close to either railroading players to desired outcome or providing tenuous clues.  You can by the old school versions relatively cheap.  My main reservations are the D20 conversion has missed some stats and everybody uses 1911 colt .45 pistols.Finally basic words of advise.  Try to avoid speaking in game mechanic terms.  "It looks like the beasty has only three hit points left."  "You see the Shoggoth slorping up the hallway."  Have your pcs met a Shoggoth before?"Roll dice randomly so as to trip up meta gaming tendancies.Leave some of the description to the imagination.What the pcs smell, hear, and touch can be more disturbing than what they see.I try to avoid value laden descriptors.  "You see the most horrific mass of beastie."  "You see a mound of compost.  Several glistening tendrils begin snaking out of the pile towards you. You begin to hear a low growl and the scent of rotten eggs fill the air.  What do you do?"Prepare your scenario, but I guarantee the players will at some point take a course of action that throws you. When this happen this can either be frustrating or mega entertainment as you have to act/improvise on the fly. Pretend this is a rip tide.  Go with the current a while until you get to a place where to can guide the players back to the plotline shore. By understanding the base motivations of your npcs and the general plot outline you can keep rolling with it.  I'm not an expert, but these are some of the books and ideas that have helped me.  Have fun.</blockquote>

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