Tore’s Handy Hints For Beginner GM

I've posted this before, but back then I did not have a blog. 

(Mainly traditional fantasy games).

01: Start simple. Don’t feel that you have to live up to something. Make a game that takes place in manageable surroundings, like a dungeon, a space ship or an office building. Start with low-level player characters, especially if your players are new at it too.

It's just the beginning. There might be a whole geological stratum of vampires down there. 

02: Accept that you’ll get stuff wrong. I have been a GM for ages, and I still get rules wrong. You’re learning. If a specific rule eludes you, make a ruling and move on. You can read up on it later.

03: Run a game you’d want to play. You’re all there to have fun. Start by asking yourself if the game you have planned would interest you as a player.

04: Player characters are wish lists. If your players all make swole warriors, it is a clear indication that they want to be cool in combat. If they make sly wizards, they want something which appeals to that ability set.

04b: Give them a chance to shine. You shouldn’t make it easy for the player characters, but try to set up a situation where they get to do the thing the characters are good at. It is up to them to grab it.

05: Be ready to improvise. The players will ask about something you hadn’t thought of. What happens if you eat orc food? What is the wizard’s clothes made of? Are there spirits in the river I can talk to? You can’t plan for everything. Make something up that seems interesting and reasonable (in that order), and make a note of what you said. Now it’s part of the game!

06: It’s meant to be fun, not a chore. That’s the most important item on the list, really.