Hi Guys,

Been a while since I was here, so possibly missed alot of great discussions.

In a week I will be starting as GM for my group, I have run Warhammer (2nd Ed) for this group before... both good and bad.

I plan to run Escape from Mos Shuuta, followed by Long Arm of the Hutt, followed by whatever I can get my hands on depending on where my players are taking things.

None of us have played this system yet (Hence why im starting with the intro adventures).

The group contains:

A Custom made Pilot Droid. (Who is being NPC'd by me, as the player is taking a break to build orphanages in India)

A Twi-lek Doctor.

A Rodian Scoundrel

A Trandoshan Bounty Hunter

A Drall Mechanic

A Selonian Marauder

So really, I am looking for any general advice to keep things moving smoothly, narrative techniques, and nifty ideas for avoiding problems that might crop up.

So... what issues have you come across? How did you avoid them?

What snaggles do you usually come across?

What general advice can you give me?

(I have read a topic recently that talked about Failing Forwards (Dice Frustrations, I think the thread was called.. and that was a useful idea!)

Cheers Guys!

RD

I would start by not listening to the Order 66 Podcast. especially don't listen to skill monkey

Ask the player to explain what happens with threats advantages and tirumphs and despair, use them as a way to brainstorm ideas, so you're not the only one doing the work. don't be afarid of using destiny points, and encourage your players to use them. Roll for obligation before the session so you know in advance if it triggers and whose obligation is triggered, and pyou can insert it in the session easily.

As for the adventures order, after Mos Shuuta and Long Arm you can do Trouble Brewing (the CRB adventure) Debts to Pay (the GM Kit adventure) and Under a Black Sun (if you're not comfortable wth the Coruscant setting, just use Nar Shaddaa as location, it fits more with the Outer Rima and hutts dealing theme). There are some player made adventures in the sticky thread in this forum.

The things that have helped my groups to date:

1) Narration is key. You tell me how you're doing it, and then narrate how the dice fall. If I disagree, I'll toss in my comments, but if I agree (even if the roll wasn't the greatest but the narration was epic), you'll move along.

2) Again, NARRATION IS KEY. So much of this system is about taking what the dice give you and spinning it into a tale. With that, remember that advantages and disadvantages are narration fodder just as much as success and failure determines if you succeed at what you want to do.

3) Don't be afraid to do something zany. This game isn't THAT fatal (losing all your wound points DOES NOT MEAN DEATH), so you shouldn't be afraid of doing some crazy stuff.

In my last game before we started testing Force and Destiny (mostly to get it out of our systems), the pilot decided he was going to "buzz" a defensive station (used a dumbed-down immobile Star Destroyer for stats) before leaving the planet. The players found a lightsaber in a bounty hunter's storage unit/stash and the Enforcer was ready to grab it and prove to be the distraction to let the party get away (they talked him out of it, but it was still the idea). The Archaeologist, who went native with Tusken Raiders, has a bad habit of running into a melee every chance he has, not caring about the opposition.

While most of the party has dealt with KOs and a number of crits to date, no one has died yet (even when I tried!).

If you're ever played 7th Sea, this game is reminiscent of that: the PCs are given plot armor so a stray shot won't kill them (but will hurt like hell).

4) Have fun. Seriously. If no one is having fun, why are you doing this?

Now, for a few specifics:

1) Make sure you always have a Plan B for how things can be done. Your Bounty Hunter and Marauder may want to go in guns blazing to get what they want (and that could be how the adventure is written!), but your mechanic and scoundrel may be able to cook up an idea that'll impress you enough to sidestep the combat. LET THEM.

I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH! I've seen many a GM fall into the trap of "Well, that's how the adventure is written." Just because it's written that way doesn't mean it's right, nor does it mean that it's the only way to handle a situation.

2) Don't be afraid to put your players in a hotseat. Some of my players are at their best when things are looking really tough.

3) When things get stale, shake things up! If the party is stalling somewhere, send in something to get them moving again: a squad of stormtroopers, their Obligations, the need for a part, etc.

As you have a nice balance of character types, you shouldn't have a problem with giving them something to do to put them back on track.

4) When all else fails: trust your gut. Again, you have a nice collection of character types, and they are going to want to take the spotlight from each other and do things that may be unexpected. Go with what seems right for you, your group and your characters, and you'll be just fine.

One thing I love to do is to use destiny points to influence the narrative. It is too easy just to use them to buff checks and all of that. As a GM it is a great way to justify throwing a wrench into the works. It also shows the players another way to use them as well.

One example I can think of is if the group were moving down a busy street. They're wanted by the imperials but they aren't being actively searched for and aren't easily known when seen. There is a patrol of stormtroopers nearby but they aren't looking toward the group. I could as GM just say the troopers turn and look at the PC's but since it was a spur of the moment thought to create the encounter I would use a destiny point. It could be as simple as a PC kicking an empty can on accident as they walked. It gets the troopers' attention. Then what plays out could be the face of the group BS'ing their way through it or a fight breaks out.

Another piece of advice that comes to mind is let another player play as the PC whose player is away. At the very least have them do that for combat. Since the character is a droid and a pilot it would be easy enough just to leave them looking after the ship.

If the player is going to miss a lot of sessions you might want to stat the droid out as an npc. It would be easier for another player or you, to play as them if they weren't a full blown PC. I would just avoid trying to play a PC as the GM. You can use the effort it would take to play the PC and put it into the story and characters the players come across.

Don't stop playing and spend an hour looking up rule minutiae. If you don't know the answer, wing it and figure it out later in between sessions.

Don't stop playing and spend an hour looking up rule minutiae. If you don't know the answer, wing it and figure it out later in between sessions.

Who is this zombie?

Don't stop playing and spend an hour looking up rule minutiae. If you don't know the answer, wing it and figure it out later in between sessions.

Who is this zombie?

Feh...............