No.413188
So in a few nights I will be a GM fir the first time, ever. I'm actually quite nervous about fucking up.
The system is Delta Green. Fell in love with it ever since I played the first time. Couldnt find enough people to play regularly so I'm managing my own with a bunch of strangers on Roll20.
Any veterans have tips for a fresh GM? DG specifically? How do you keep tension, or know when/where to drop clues the players might need? I have prep notes that fill up 2 pages, but I still feel like it won't be enough and i'll stumble around for details.
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No.413204
Had a whole spiel about how you will fail, but your friends will be good natured about it.
Missed Roll20 on the first read.
Maybe run a practice session before so everything that goes wrong has to do with you DMing, and not fucking about with the software.
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No.413206
Don't feel intimidated. Meet up early if you can manage and spend some time learning about your newfound players. Make sure you have the system down pat. A bit of practice will help a lot. Even if you don't have the system down, making sure your players understand you are green as fuck will go a long way.
If some aspect of the system fails to make sense to you in a huge way, don't agonize on it. Change it for the moment and get back to it (making sure your players know this is temporary).
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No.413207
Players will never do what you expect them to do.
Fleshing out the environment and getting a good idea how it would react is more productive than planning out storylines.
Planning too far ahead is not productive, instead keep notes and practice retroactive foreshadowing.
If you plan out a mystery and it's looking far too simple on paper, it's probably still too complicated but keep a few action setpieces you can drop in anywhere up your sleeve in case it isn't.
Check out GURPS Mysteries for system agnostic advice on how to plan out a practical mystery type game.
Don't start out kicking them in the nuts, give them a victory first.
Players are scumsucking maggots who do not deserve your pity
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No.413209
>>413188
Go through the adventure so that you're confident you know it well (you don't have memorize it)
Take notes so you don't have to keep going back and forth between documents
Don't be afraid to let your players know that they've gone too far off the material
Have fun
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No.413210
Your never going to make every player happy. Expect to have some good and bad sessions but don't lose hope. Think of the tone you want hte game to be and make sure you tell the players so they know what their going into.
It should go fine anon, good luck.
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No.413215
>>413204
I spent quite a few hours laying out scenes, music, and the like so I feel somewhat more comfortable than I would have if i just booted it once and started running
>>413207
I'll give that a look when im off work. I DO feel like the adventure would be simple, but I'm planning on possibly pulling the Majestic-12 option if they blitz through it with no problems.
How do you recommend giving them victories? I only have the one spooky monster, should I create more ways they can feel good about their agents accomplishing something?
Thanks for the advice anon
>>413210
I do realize I cant make everyone happy, however it doesn't stop the feeling that I really need to nail it this first time. I will keep this in mind though
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No.413216
>>413215
Something like a simple puzzle they can solve and feel good about, getting into a scuffle with human thugs, or letting them outwit someone should be enough. This consideration might not even be wholly necessary because people shouldn't get into delta green games without expecting to get fucked up.
Just try to be harsh but fair. Players don't like to have their control taken away from them too much, so avoid tomb of horror shit. If possible make their inevitable gruesome fate a reasonable consequence of their foolish actions.
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No.413217
>>413188
just couldn't start with an easy one, could you?
one thing I would say is make sure there is a way that the players could best the monster, however slim the chance might be
if the players have a showdown and they loose trying to take it down with some idea how to do it, you did your job
as a player, I wouldn't be upset if I got killed because I didn't get all the pieces together but I don't like playing games where it's just me waiting to die
something you can do as well is have your players play until the PCs die but make sure they are keeping a log in game
then you can bring the players back with new PCs as a response team to locate the first
that way they can find the log and have an in game reason for knowing about the monster and they can pick up where they left off
have your players make up two or three PC sheets each with the understanding that they are replacements
That way your players aren't upset so much when they die and you can keep the continuity going
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No.413222
A loose framework is good. Don't be afraid to tell your players you need 5 minutes to set up the next scene especially if they really take you off whatever you expected. And definitely be comfortable with the roll20 program. I haven't been on there in a few years now, I hope they added some cool stuff for us freebie peasants.
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No.413226
>>413216
maybe I can make it so Majestic 12 gets wind of their investigation and sends some low level goons to scope it out instead of immediately dispatching BLUEFLY. Thanks anon.
>>413217
Yeah I realize im not choosing the easiest system to start with. But I had (what i think) a roaring good idea for an Op that I wanted to run. I dont want them to feel like they're waiting to die, so I included an additional way to 'banish' the monster instead of having to shoot at it and pray. The banishment involves a blood sacrifice so I think it fits the mythos and isnt as much of a copout
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No.413230
>or know when/where to drop clues the players might need?
Some of the best pre-written adventures I've seen are ones that present an area and sequence of events that will occur UNLESS the PC's intervene without assuming what form, if any, that intervention will take. So i'd advise you start with that. Do have some idea of how the NPC's will react to the PC's inteventions, but be general about it your notes. Your PCs WILL take you off gaurd, and you need to be ready to wing it when that happens.
For REALLY IMPORTANT INFO you have two opptions: Beat them over the head with it (in the case of a game like Delta Green, inculde it in the mission breif) or include it in the adventure so the PC's have to find it. When the PC's need to investigate to find REALLY IMPORTANT INFO make sure you've placed that same info in no less then THREE separate places in the area the adventure takes place in. You simply CAN'T rely on the PC's looking under any one specific rock, even when you place a giant flashing neon sign that says LOOK UNDER HERE DIPSHITS with an arrow pointing to said rock.
Just keep in mind your PC's WILL be braindead when you want them to be smart, and be smart when you least expect it.
Don't be affraid to fudge rolls, but don't be affraid to kill PC's either. If PC's are to die, let it have SOME impact. Example: PC's all fail to notice the ambush they're walking into. The dice say the first PC get's it square in the brainpan and dies instantly. Fuck that, he takes it in the leg, now the party has a hobbled teammate and are pinned down by attackers whose positions they can't clearly make out. Now, if hobbled guy passes his spare magazines to another PC and says "FINISH THE MISSION" kill the fuck out of him. That was cool and memorable. If another PC breaks cover to get their fallen teammate and dice declare he gets gunned down with his buddy slung across his back, let it be so. That's memorable.
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No.413232
>>413230
awesome advice, thanks anon.
so, for instance one of the big clues are matching phone records between murder victims. should I follow the three separate places rule and make it so that, they have an avenue to pursue this in 2 other places than the police station?
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No.413235
• Playing online with strangers is almost always doomed to fail, usually by a player never showing up again and the other players becoming discouraged. This is normal, don't feel bad when it happens. I would highly advise finding closer friends to do this with.
• Never plan too much -- Figure out key points in your story (I want my players to find the muffin mcguffin to stop the big bad. They will find it in place X after fighting Y.) Expect players to deviate from what you originally plan, but keep your cool and simply figure out a different way to meet these key points. (Instead of going to X like I hoped, they went to Y. I guess they could find the mguffin there instead).
• It is not you vs the players. You are simply the arbiter of your world, setting out pieces of your world, and describing the actions and reactions of your players to this world.
• Have a name generator on hand.
• It's okay to fudge rolls to make combat more intense and interesting
• Don't try to give them puzzles, players are by definition utterly fucking retarded and even puzzles for babies will stump them.
• Try to find a way to make combat more interesting rather than "I hit X. Then X hits me. Rinse, repeat, fall asleep." For instance, instead of making your goblins run headlong into battle when your players enter their cave, have them jump in and out of small tunnels, attacking and running away hit and run style. Of course this could easily destroy your idiot players so be careful.
• You're there to have fun too. If you're not having fun then something is going wrong.
• ==COMMUNICATION IS VITALITY IMPORTANT FOR A HEALTHY GAME==
Good luck, OP
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No.413238
>>413235
I forgot some important notes.
• Have a session zero. This is where your players will build their characters together, discuss backstories, and find out about what game they want to play.
• Have your player characters know one another already. Nobody likes the "You meet each other. You are strangers. Now figure out why you would party with one another after the initial adventure."
• I would try figuring out an event that really gets the game going when you start. Try to avoid, "you are in a bar." cliche to start off with. Of course since you're new, this is fine, but what will really stick with your players if you throw them in the middle of action right from the start to get them motivated to play.
"The ringing in your ears finally fades away as you hear the muffled voices around you. Screams and yells, the clashing of steel against another. A brutish and tough language you've heard once or twice, Orcish. The smell of burning wood fills your nose as the wagon in front of the caravan that you were escorting lights ablaze. Roll initiative"
You might say that's a bit railroady, but it sets the tone of the game and puts your players into a position where they're already in a party and have a common goal together. It's also more exciting than players describing what they look like inside of a tavern. Speaking of railroading
• Do not hard railroad your players. Unless otherwise mentioned, no one likes to be forced to do anything. You might have a super cool event planned in this dungeon, but if the players don't want to go into the dungeon, then don't force them to. Instead, what you can do is lightly guide them into the direction you want them to. Have rumors of grand loot spur about in town about that dungeon containing all sorts of goodies. Have a group of monsters attack the town, and retreat into the dungeon. Make them feel like they've made the decision to go into the dungeon, even through you've almost invisibly guided them into it.
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No.413243
>>413232
Yeah. Those records also exist at said phone companies, maybe some online hacking, maybe backtracking the people who were making the calls, finding them on security footage they acquire through fair means or foul and checking the timestamp... whatever works without being too outlandish.
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No.413286
>>413207
>Check out GURPS Mysteries for system agnostic advice on how to plan out a practical mystery type game.
Not OP but I will definitely have to check that out, I've always wondered how to do mystery in a game, and I'm sure it would shed light on writing mysteries in general.
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No.413482
>>413235
>It's okay to fudge rolls to make combat more intense and interesting
In addition to this advice, if you find yourself fudging the same things even a few times you need to tweak the game and not your rolls.
And if you decide your opinion is more important than rolls then don't roll.
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No.413485
Find good players and hold on to them. With good players anything is possible, though don't feel like you need your whole group to be good players, just 25-50%. Also you never know who will be a good player, so I suggest just starting off with your friends and hoping they turn out to be good players or that they can easily be manipulated in to being good players.
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No.413486
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No.413496
Don't be afraid of your players.
Them overcoming the obstacles you put in front of them is what should happen.
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No.416734
>>413485
This is extremely important. A good player and a good GM can often support everybody else, if they can play off each other well. Nothing is better than having competent players capable of roleplaying who understand the system and adhere to your metagame short of being one yourself.
>I'm playing with strangers on roll20
Good fucking luck, lad. Tabletop is meant to be played in meatspace for a reason.
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No.416973
Just don't nerf an entire race because they have a racial that makes your dungeon irrelevant, and you'll do better than my GM.
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No.416977
>>416973
That's more an argument for properly vetting characters before play, which is a pretty useful tip: never let people just make a character and turn up. Either be in the room when they make them (ideal) or give them a very thorough investigation before you run the game. If someone insists on an ability that would ruin your game, tell them that it won't fit and work with them on a replacement.
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No.426077
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