Let me start by saying I have never GM'd any game before. I have never formally played a P&P game before. I've purchased the books for 3 separate games, coaxed unwilling friends into playing, and having the group fall apart shortly after characters are reluctantly created. These also took place when I was in high school and I'm 22 now. I finally got a group of 3 friends together who actually WANT to play Dark Heresy. My issue is that I now have to be a GM.

I've checked out some tips from various forums and websites on how to be a better GM, but I'm wrestling with some pretty big issues here.

(1)We made characters and I'm going to start running the adventure in the back of the book. There's TOO MUCH FREAKIN' INFORMATION! Too much! And the scary part is that I know it needs to be that detailed! How can I set up the adventure information in an organized, easy to read/reference fashion. And I mean ALL of the info. NPCs, locations, puzzles. Everything. Just tell me what I should write down and on what (pad? Cards? Binder? What works best).

(2)I don't seem to be good at winging things. I've thought about scenarios in my head, but I seem to lack ability to pull glittering dialogue out of my rump on the fly. I played a very brief trial “game” with them after we made characters. Like VERY brief. (There's a man in front of you trying to rob you” sort of thing. Mainly for combat) and when they questioned him with something I hadn't thought of. I had to sit back and think of something for like 20 seconds. Is my conception of the non-stop, on-the-fly GM correct? Is this EVER acceptable?

(3)My group is even less experienced than me. Problem is, that we're all good friends. We all like to make fun of tacky, overly-epic dialogue too. Our attitudes are 95% of the time less than serious. We're just a typical bunch of guys critiquing other guys. You probably know the type. So when reading through some of the dialogue I could say, or how to explain some terrain, I find myself feeling embarrassed. I know this is a personal problem and most likely no one here can remedy it, but I still can't help but feel awkward saying “The light scintillates off of the chapel windows, painting the interior with rays of sunlight. The alter is illuminated and you can see a massive, jewel-encrusted manuscript sitting ominously on a brilliant golden book stand”....See I just pulled that out of my rump but it took some time. I feel that if I spoke like that I wouldn't be judged. My friends know what the deal is with these games. I'm just afraid that I'll crack under the pressure and say something like “The uh...well...the spire is like... f***ing 20 meters high or something. Yeah. Like big and s**t.” Dialogue is particularly hard. Is it ok to say “He warns you of oncoming danger” instead of “O dear travelers, I fear that the road ahead leads to peril and certain doooom!”

I think I'm paranoid...I just want everyone to have fun. I'll find all the fun I need if my friends are having a good time.

1 - The information overload is normal and will ease with time. When running a session I suggest you have the following:

- The core rulebook. Have a bookmark in the current page of the adventure, the critical damage tables, and anything else you think you would need to look up a lot. When you need to look up a rule, look it up. The index is very useful here.

- A copy of the NPC stats so you don't have to flip between it and the current adventure page. Write on this to track things like their wounds and ammo count.

- Another piece of paper to track miscellaneous things like initiave order.

- Something to prevent the players seeing it all and to hide your dice rolls.

- If you can, the gamemasters toolkit is very useful to have.

Experiment until find an organisation method that works for you. For now it will be easier for you to just ignore the errata, unless it is just clarifying ambiguity or fixing a typo.

2 - It can be annoying for the players, other players enjoy trying to find the cracks in the gms plan. Over time you will need to learn to answer these quickly, or at least predict the questions your players would ask. Prepare some responses that can be used for a lot of the sillier questions. If you feel necessary, tell the players that you hadn't expected the question and apologise.

Remember to read the entire adventure to the end before the first session.

3 - You need to build up some confidence here, that will come with time.

Is it ok to say “He warns you of oncoming danger” instead of “O dear travelers, I fear that the road ahead leads to peril and certain doooom!”

The first is accptable, but can be annoying. If you have the NPC speaking use the dialoge that a modern person in a similar situation would say, unless the person is trying to confuse them. Over the top dialoge is probably going to be annoying if used too often.

I think you probably are over-worrying just a little, but it certainly always takes practice to get into the improv side of gaming. I'm sure lots of other folks will chime in with some tips on everything including 1 and 2, but let me offer my perspective on #3:

If you're nervous, it will impact your enjoyment as well as your performance. You say these guys are your friends, and that they want to play Dark Heresy. That's a great setup! I would communicate with them a little about number three. Just say something before you start playing like "I know the dialogue style in the game may take some getting used to, but go with it, okay?" and maybe "I know I'm new at this, but I did volunteer to GM for you guys, so can you please go easy on the wisecracks while I find my feet?"

SuperFieroStatus said:

Dude, seriously they are your friends. Relax a little. The worst that could happen is that you say something that makes everyone crack up in laughter, and if that happens try to see what they thought was funny and have a laugh along with them.

Like I said, they are your friends (or supposed to be at least). They won't be harsh critics of your narrative talents, especially not if they are even less experienced than you. If you have problems with setting the mood of the game due to nervousness and suffering from "stage fright", then just tell them on beforehand that you've had a hard time trying to figure out how to do the dreaded GM-bit and that you would appriciate if the players will play along with you and not disturb the game too much by making humourous puns mid-game and such. Some of them might find this attitude to be a bit hard and up-tight, but stress the point that mood can be very important for the whole experience and that too much puns, jokes and off-hand comments will just turn everything into a farce.

If they are you friends as you say they are, and they are even less experienced with RPG's than you then they should listen to you, cut you some slack and play along.

As for improvisation, you'll learn that it's a skill that demands practice. I've been writing and GM'ing for a good couple of years now and I still worry about whether I'll be able to improvise situations that my fickle players spring on me mid-game. But you'll get better at it, in time as long as you play with friends that cut you some slack and that you are really motivated in making them have a good time.

EDIT: and to my total lack of surprise I see that aethel has already made the points I was trying to make.

But listen to her advice. She's a lot better at it than I am, I guarantee.

Welcome to GMing!

1) Don't worry about every little detail. You can never remember all of it and you will always forget something, that's just the way of things, especially if it's not your own story. In the end, if the players enjoy it, no matter how much you forget, alter on the fly without realizing, or flat our believe you borked, it's still a good session. Usually, when preparing a story, I will put it in my notes in outline format. You made it through high school, you should be well versed in outlining things; outline the adventure. It really helps, cuts out the extrenious info, and, after all, all you need is something to jog your memory about what you read, an outline will do that. Beyond outlining the major points, make short-hand stats for the NPCs that you can reference on the fly and, about an hour before the game, read over the adventure again so it's fresh in your brain when your reading over the outline.

2) Yes, it is VERY acceptable. In fact, a well timed break for another beer/bathroom visit is your best damned friend. If someone throws you a curve ball (and they will, regularly) take a drink and reflect. If that's not enough, finish the drink and get another while reflecting. A well reflected and thought out response is better then a knee-jerk one that doesn't fit the setting or throws everything off any day. When it comes to NPC's it's better to know that NPC's motivation and place in the story as opposed to what they say when. If you know their personality and motivation, all you need to do is take a few seconds to "get into character' and think like they would and respond to what ever is thrown at you as they would. If they're not an easy skin to put on, take a long drink or a short break while you do such. Your players won't mind the short break and probably have drinks of teir own they would like to get, cigarettes to smoke, bladders to relive, etc. Heck, i take a few seconds to a minuet just getting the framing for the next scene in my head before proceeding with the narrative.

3) Present descriptions and dialog in manner that is natural and comfortable with you. If you're not comfortable with heavy purple prose, don't present it in that way. If you're not comfortable with it, your feelings will be picked up by your players and they will respond accordingly (usually with jeers, a natural response to being uncomfortable and if your uncomfortable, you'll make them uncomfertable). It's also quite okay to describe a spyre as a "uh... well. big f**king 20 meter pointy thingie... or something..." Hell, I've got a rather sever case of dyslexia that effects the entirety of my language comprehension and expression and somehow I'm still the GM for my group. Half ( three-fourths?) of the time I'll be chugging along and then suddenly stop while all the words for something simply fall out of my head: "you heading towards a... large... um... big hole thing... in the wall... that gets covered with... boards... but you can move them aside, you know, they're attached to metal swing-things that scream... like mice do, but not screaming... but they move so you can go through the hole... but it's not a hole, and the... door! It's a large Door!" My players still play and have fun... if I can do this, you can too!

If you should ever start despairingly your GMing ability or think you're not presenting enough of a serous in-depth and thoroughly thought provoking game that will shake your players to the core, just remember, this is a bunch of grown adults getting together to play pretend for a bit -that's anything but srs business. If you guys have fun, then you did your job and that's all that matters.

Actually most was already well answered. I still add my two cents...

1) Read the adventure twice or thrice. Best is to read it once again on the day you are playing to keep most in mind. Even then I sometimes start flipping wildly through the adventure during the session when I try to recall something more or less important (especially if I drank too much beer). In the beginning of my 'GM career' I also worked with these small post-it labels and even nowadays I often have some scribbled notes on slips of paper that look like from a madman. My group and I are German, so it is sometimes rather difficult for me to translate all dialogues and description into German during play (especially if I drank too much beer), but my players got used to it that I sometimes begin to stammer while describing something and failing to recall the best German translation of an English word or sentence... Anyway, I think it is okay that sometimes the information you give to the players does not come quick like a shot. Players most probably know that being the GM is quite taxing and if they are your friends they also most probably thank you for taking that role (even if they do not tell you ).

2) Like Graver said instead of trying to 'pull glittering dialogue out of my rump on the fly', try to to 'get into the charater' like an actor would (gets better when I drank a couple of beer). This is what all role-playing is about in the end. Playing the role of a (N)PC. The GM's role is certainly harder because he has to play so many different roles instead of only one.

3) As long as you and your players have fun the session was an enjoyable one. If you feel uncomfortable speaking 'in-character' keep it descriptive. I am a GM for more than 15 years (more or less the whole time with the same group) now and even I switch between 'in-character' and 'descriptive'. Partly because I also sometimes feel a little uncomfortable if some speech is too pathetic and partly because I think it can be too comical and farcical sometimes. Still, a little laugh here and there can be very refreshing in any way. I mostly try to give at least one 'in-character' sentence or part of a dialogue and then sometimes (if it gets too demanding or comical in my opinion) switch to a descriptive way.

Welcome to the brotherhood. I myself am a level 18 GM (this will get funnier the longer you play).

Let's dive into your questions, shall we?

1. Information overload. Relax. Seriously. There is *way* more information in published adventures than you will be able to remember easily. Ironically, your players won't care about 50-60% of it. That's there for *you* to know and be comfortable with. It's obvious the important parts. Make sure you remember those, and reference the details as you need them. I tend to xerox or print (if I have a PDF) pre-written adventures and go through them, making my own notes, and highlighting things I need to pick out at a glance. This isn't necessary, but it's meant to show you that even veteran GMs find this overload at times. That being said, don't panic, and don't worry, I promise you that you *will* forget at least one major plot point, detail, or aspect of the adventure. I also promise you that you'll be fine unless you forget to introduce the main bag guy at the end or something major like that, which let's face it, is unlikely.

As for references, I myself created an NPC reference sheet that's available deeper in this forum, feel free to download it. It the mediafire link down at the bottom of the thread. Go through ahead of time, and copy down all the NPCs that you need. Sort the NPCs by encounter, so that when battle breaks out you have the stats that you need nearby. Use scratch paper to record initiative and NPC hit points. Keep the templates in case you need quick NPCs later.

Have blank scratch paper handy. In fact, have a notepad handy, and write down notes, anything that strikes you as important to touch on, as you read through the adventure. As you play, if things change, or you forget stuff, take a moment to jot down what's happened, what you added, characters created, ideas that have come to you suddenly, whatever. Use it like a journal. I usually have a 3 ring binder full of stuff for each game I run, mostly for reference.

Are you going to have a battle mat? Probably not if this is your first first game, so sketch out the maps in the adventure real quick, the rooms where combat will happen, and use those to throw down and jot where everyone is to keep it all fresh in peoples' minds. New players visualize easier with a map to reference, and even old hands can benefit with a piece of scratch paper with the room layout designed.

Get some sticky tags (post it colored tags) and bookmark skill list, critical hits, the armory, and combat modifiers. Add anything else that you might want, but you'll keep coming back to these 4 areas time and again. This speeds up referencing. Everyone references. It took 5 years of playing Dungeons & Dragons 3rd every weekend for 8 hours a day to commit most of those rules to memory, and even then I still referenced quite a bit. Update your bookmarks as you learn the rules, or as common rules questions pop up.

Download the PDF combat reference sheet in Dark Reign's website. Give a copy to everyone, and keep one for yourself. This is a great at-a-glance sheet.

2. Go slow. You don't have to be an actor, nor an improv expert. If all else fails, paraphrase "he tells you that you need to go underground to chase the cultists" so that the game keeps moving if you are just stuck. It's not the best solution, but an okay solution now is better than a perfect solution 5 minutes from now. Running an entirely improv game is difficult at best, and impossible most of the time. I've ran three improv games in 16 years of GMing. Towards this end, if your players get ahead of you, end the scene, and call for a break. 10 or 20 minutes while you read ahead, make more notes, and prep for the next portion of the game. Think of it like theater. There are intermissions between each scene. You're no different. Be frank about this. "Hey guys, I'm gonna call a 20 minute break while I prep for the next portion." Your friends should understand, and if they've been gaming for an hour or more, will probably be glad for the stretch and a few minutes to relax. Also, you're not used to the rules, the setting, or really your players, and vice versa. The game is going to grind along painfully, slowly, no matter how much you prep. They will ask for rolls, you will have to look it up (I hope you bookmarked the general area), they will ask you something that throws you for a loop, you have to think for a minute to run with it, or better yet, how to alter the adventure to take advantage of this. It's part of the game. All players throw GMs for a loop and leave you scrambling for ideas. When all else fails, call for a cigarette break, meal break, or potty break while you keep prepping.

3. Everyone is a joker at the gaming table. Seriously, last session I ran, we got together at 4, and didn't start playing in earnest until 7, when I finally herded the cats together enough that we could focus on the game. If they start joking around, and you're at your wits end anyway and feeling overloaded, let them go for a bit while you keep working. It's down time you need that they aren't aware of. Besides, if the players are joking, they're having fun.

Also, as far as descriptions go, I start out pretty vague. "You're in a chapel, probably 50 feet by 100 feet, and the spire at the end is 20 meters high. There's a crazed dude with a chainsaw running at you." See? They know it's a chapel, it has chairs in it probably, there's an altar 100 feet away, and that there's a crazed madman attacking. This is all they'd really notice.Think of how you take in details in a room. You see the very basics of a room, and then one or two major, attention-drawing items. You have to then pay attention to notice the rest of the room. If your players never ask questions beyond the big important attention-getting details, don't sweat it, and don't feel the need to spend 20 minutes describing every room you're in. If they ask "Well, before I get cut in half, I look around. Is this a chaos temple?" I can then answer "Well, you look up and before you is a blasphemous, unholy stained glass window showing a demon f*cking a chick tentical hentai style." They'll laugh, but you know what? Everyone knows what tentical hentai looks like, and everyone is picturing the EXACT same thing. Don't be afraid to put things in terms that the players will instantly visualize, even if it breaks the setting a little or you get derailed by a few jokes or some ribbing. In the long run, they'll have a far better mental picture in their minds, which leads to a better gaming time to be had by all.

GMing is a lot of work. The fist part of the job is learning the rules, which is, and always will be painful unless you have a photographic memory. The second part of the job is prep. With published adventures, read them 2 times at a minimum, if not 3 or 4 more times. Go into it familliar with it the plot, and to the devil with the details committed to memory. If you write your own adventures, take all the time you need before game (a particularly plot-driven game I ran only met once a month. I needed 3-4 weeks to write the next part of the adventure, and sometimes then it was still slapdash), and never do more than outline the next few sessions of the adventure, as chances are you will be changing it furiously after each session. First few sessions (I'd say 5 or so) usually are your learning period. Things get easier as you go along.

All in all, your first time GMing is kind of like the first time having sex. You're nervous as all hell, are consious of what everyone else involved thinks of you, and you'll just be happy to get it over with and never speak of it again. But afterwards, you'll think back and want to do it again. and again. and again.

Relax. It's your game. There's no "wrong" way to run the game if everyone has fun. That's the important part.

First, let me congratulate you on making the best decision on your life: playing Dark Heresy

Second, let me congratulate you on picking up the GMs hat, and by so doing bringing joy and happiness to your friends and yourself

Allright, to business. You've had some good advice, and rather than repeat all that has been said, I'll add some musings of my own. In my experience players are a forgiving lot, and will go along with time-outs, brainfarts, very suspect dialogue, and many other things.

However, a few things will spoil a game and piss off your friends, and the "Golde Rules of Gamesmastering" as presented in Warhammer Fantasy will help you stay clear of them:

1. Always be Fair
You can be mean, sure, but be fair and consistent. You control the game, so try avoid acting arbitrarily. You don't have to enforce any and all rules to the letter, but play fair.

2. Give them a chance
Players come up with all sorts of ideas that you had not anticipated, and may attempt to solve a problem by different methods than you may have intended. Your first instinct may very well be to say "No, you can't do that". Resist that urge, and stop to consider your action. Players can be inventive, and you don't want to squash that. Give them a chance, even a small one. They are the heroes of your story after all, and deserve it!

3. Lay down the law
You can be fair, and give'em a chance, but don't forget you're still the man in charge. There will be petty arguments about feasibility of actions, wording of rules, etc. Do not let them get away with it, it ruins the fun of the game and interrupts the flow. Simply say "This is my ruling, it's time to move on"

4. Don't play favourites
This goes back to the Fair Play part. All players should get equal "screen time". If one person hogs the lime light, make sure to ask the others what they do, and try to re engage them in the game. Try to make sure that everyone gets a chance at interesting story opportunities (an all-combat game will be boring for your Adept, etc)

5. Keep the Pace Brisk
You're the narrator of the story, and it is your responsibility to keep it moving. It's easy to get bogged down with looking up rules, cracking jokes, or going off on tangents. Try to rein that in, and keep up the pace. The last thing you want to see when you look up from behind your GM-screen are bored faces.

Personally, I'd say 2 and 5 are the most important. Nothing kills fun as much as a GM who will just say "No" until you think of the solution he had in mind, and who lets the story grind to a halt while you scratch your head.

When I started GM'ing a new game I used to read the adventure a few times and then break it down into the characters and rolls required. It allowed me to think about the storyline and dialogue without having to worry too much about rules.

Like this one I did for a Wheel of Time game:

Megda Sedai - Fiery redhead w. pale skin and green eyes
Maynard - Warder with barrel chest from Tar Valon
Both last seen in Tobin's hollow a village 3 days travel west of Aturo's Orchard.
Month is start of November

Soldier HP 6 Init +2 Def 15 Atk +3 (D8+2) Mounted Combat(Ride +5 to avoid damage)
Officer HP 32 Init +5 Def 17 Atk +5 (D8+2 18-20 x2) Mounted Combat (Ride +7 to avoid damage)
Murdoc HP 36 Init +2 Def 20 Atk +7 LSw(D8+2) Listen +6 Spot +4 Feats: Alertness, Mounted Combat
Lord TIMAK HP 51 Init +7 Def 21 Atk +10 LSw(D8+3) Sense Motive +8 Feats: Dark Ones Own Luck, Dodge.

Travel - Muddy road down from hills. Forested on either side of road.

SPOT check DC8 notice large flying creature (to'raken) - SPOT DC15 it has a rider.
Flies in ever tightning circles until disappears behind trees. CLIMB tree DC11 SPOT DC16 = pinpoint landing 1/2 mile North.

5 mins into forest discover clearing with mist (weave)on northern edge MOVE SILENTLY opposed by LISTEN +4 see 6 men in strange colourful armour an Officer and a Rider with his To'raken. Officer 32 Soldier HP 6 7 8 9 9 10
Rider 20 Tactics: protect until clear then attack.
If half down surrenders. When rider in saddle gets +4 Def.
Officer offers quarter if a player goes down. During battle villagers will attack

Meet with BRYAN LISBET wisdom of Toban's Hollow
Attacked by TORM hp 52 Init +2 Def 16 Atk claws +12 D8+7 and RIDER hp 32 if either loses 20 hp then he withdraws to alert LORD TIMAK

Arrival Tobin's Hollow - small village of around 12 structures and 40 soldiers.

Road winds down from hills to village.
SPOT DC16 blue and white banners on stout poles outside Inn of Valley
SPOT DC19 more soldiers in stables behind INN. 2 x 5 man patrols circle village and a ten man squad wait in front of the Inn led by Murdoc
Open approach:
Approached by 10 soldiers and MURDOC and asked for 3 oaths
1. TO OBEY THE FORERUNNERS
2. TO AWAIT THE RETURN
3. TO SERVE THOSE WHO COME HOME
If polite they are taken with weapons to see LORD TIMAK. Else weapons removed by force if needed and taken to LORD TIMAK.
asked where going, where been BLUFF +4 due to indifference against SENSE MOTIVE +2. If all OK then sent on their way. 4 soldiers in the room with Murdoc. Women tested by Serrah - Sul'dam and Druu - Damane SPOT DC 8 she is holding the source.
Sneak approach:
If observe patrols +5 HIDE 2 groups of 5 soldiers ride around. Locals know of a ditch that leads into village HIDE +5 vs Murdoc SPOT +4
INT check DC16 to find route through village not visible from common. If failed then HIDE vs SPOT +4 and MOVE SILENT vs LISTEN +6

It was a lot more work than really required but it worked for me.

Ahh, a fresh GM Firstly, I hope your game goes well, I'm sure you'll do fine

Now, your questions:

1: You only need to remember the real important bits, the superficial details, like timing and stuff, can easily be jotted down on a pad of paper. It works well for me, but my players really arn't into all the detailed bits ^^ About 60% of the stuff you say, the players won't notice. In my current campaign, I've used 1 corrupt marshalls surname several times to signify it might be a large criminal family and the players havn't batted an eyelid ^^

2: Don't worry about it, When I first started WFRP, EVERY NPC the players met spoke with a lisp, they still joke about it today, 3 years later ^^. Basically, you need a few lines about each character, just some stuff. I'll give an example here

Callidon Zert. Arbitrator. Justice first, sympathetic. Not that smart, emperor above all. Now, from that, if a Player were to talk to my Arbitrator and ask about a drug smuggling operation in the market place, I could quickly improvise a response:
"What's your source on this? Names, I need names man, who, what, where and how? By the emperor, this cannot go on!" Quickly improvised there, not fully Arbitrator-ey, but it'd do to show that not all Arbitrators are faceless automatons.

3: Don't worry about being able tog et into character, you're playing with friends

Wow. Thank for all of your help. I suppose I'm not used to forums where people actually...y'know...HELP other people I really appreciate it. I'm feeling a way better. I think I'm going to prepare a little more and try to begin my game either Wednesday or Thursday, whichever my players like better. I'll let you all know how it went. In this thread, of course. Thanks again!

Oh, and Graver I have the EXACT same issue. I almost fell over laughing when I read it. At work yesterday I needed to write something quick "Amy can you hand me a ....that....that thing...with the writing...makes ink...paper....PEN!! I NEED A PEN!!!" And that's not even close to the first time that's happened. But my friends know it. It should be fine.

Hello

I cant really add anything that everyone here has already said

But because your new, and eventualy you will want to do your own adventures
I would read the Eisenhorn series(3books) and there amazing,

it brings you into the "mindset" of what the Inquisitor and his acolytes would see and do


GLV

There's some fantastic answers here so I won't try and butt in too much, just throw a few extra things in -

First, don't worry about the information overload on the published adventures, I personally think you'd be better running a quick prologue "mission" with the characters to get yourself used to the rules a bit more and take the pressure off... Something really simple, even treat it like a film intro complete with scrolling text at the bottom stating "planet name - time - Operation Calcify" or something, start them in a gunship just before they drop into a suspected temple, really drop the players into something to get them stuck in.

Secondly about descriptions - if your players won't appreciate it don't do it. Keep it brief - "you fast rope down from the gunship, ahead you see the entrance to the temple, smoke is pouring out. At the entrance, Reeze is gesturing with his free hand to run towards him. What do you do?"

I tend to build up my NPCs more than the scenery - my players can't remember the name of the first planet they started on, or even their first mission - but they sure as hell remember when Tunnel Rat ran across the roof of a building to drop grenades down its chimney, and how Vern jumped through a window to chase down a one-armed man.

Finally my advice is don't worry too much about rules and stuff, I personally set my "GM area" up like this -

DH rulebook

1 sheet of paper containing all the players names with plenty of space for initiative roles, and space for enemy initiative rolls

1 sheet of paper for tracking players ammo

An iphone with a very rough outline of the story

A flipbook with pre-drawn maps for whatever I need

I don't bother with a GMs screen, and any dice rolls for the NPCs I get the players to roll themselves (I can be a bit lazy like that). I've printed out a weapons list for them to drool over, so if I need any weapons stats I ask them for it - make the players work for you!

(BTW My last session involved me drawing a (very bad) Gargant, and thinking "how cool would it be to drop the players on that somehow?" I don't really plan too much in advance - it suits our playstyle very well and we get a lot of fun out of it.)

The Golden Rule - this is a hobby, enjoy it.

I don't use the GM screen to hide my rolls, since I built and use a dice tower for that (and I think I've made a dozen dice towers now for various gamers I know, the 30 dollar cardboard ones suck and the 80 dollar wooden ones are too expensive), but the DH DM screen *is* a good reference. I usually have it laid out underneath all of my gaming stuff, and a little shuffle here or there gives me the reference I need.

If the game persists, you might want to consider the screen just for reference.

GLV said:

Abso-freakin-lutely! Reading this series is almost cheating it gives you so much information. It should practically come with the game as a set. If you are GMing this book is a must read.

On another note, Before running an adventure, run a bar fight. This is how I always start a new rule system. Throw low level PCs into a bar that breaks out into a brawl. You can run as much combat as you like to get the hang of it without the impending "story" hanging over your head. And nobody has to die because the cops show up just when it is about to get deadly.

Eisenhorn? What is he, the Emperor's accountant?

He's a fairly hard-core Inquisitor native to the Calixis bordering Scarus sector.

He's an example of either the dangers or the greatness of radicalism, depending on your point of view. Some might say he's a glimpse of inevitability for those that serve the Left Hand of the Emperor.

Now as to the overload of information - that would be my job. Kind of "damned if I do or don't" - too much information and some GMs feel overwhelmed, too little leads to complaints about an overtly sparse book.

Most of the adventures I've ever written are designed to invoke a series of images / situations that will linger with players long after the game is over. That's all. The advice you're getting on this thread is really good. I usually tell GMs to do their best to develop a flexible mind. Be willing to "go with the flow" even if the course of the river may not quite make it to the ending a given adventure has in store.

And most of all, you're supposed to have fun too!

You don't have to use the given information, I've detailed planets entirley different to how they're described

The players never knew though, but I did add something awesome

The Adeptus Plaza (where the Arbites fortress, Administratium HQ etc etc was) was balanced on top of a HUGE statue of an Imperial guardsman. I do believe our Tech priest took a photo of it

Hey Super, congo-rats on taking up the mantle of GM. First the flaming (which you imagined would be in every post) BLAAAAAARGGGGGGG <flame flame flamity flame> Ok then, on to business!

What every poster above me has said is all good advice. I'd like to add one more thing to the mix. It's more of a question. Do you know your players? Do you know what motivates them? (Not the characters....the people at the table) Are they dice rolling combat monsters? Do they like to pick over the rules and try to generate the most effective character they can possibly make? Are they role players (that is...will they enjoy an evening of sitting around the table in character, portraying themselves in a purely social event (like a masquerade, or in the Lord Governor's office. Presenting an impassioned speech to the Ruling council, etc etc)). Are they puzzle-masters? Do they like trying to tie disparate threads of information into a legible tapestry?

If you know your players, and what motivates them to play, then you can customize your game to appeal to each player, and they will walk away from the table at the end of the night saying "AWESOME! I loved killing the bad guy, that combat was totally cool; ...loved how you handled the Lord Governor;...that was the trickiest mystery villain ever. The good news is that you can take literary devices from English Composition courses and apply them to roleplaying games. (in fact, it's encouraged) Remembering the theme of your story line. Setting the tone of the game through recurring descriptions of certain locations (cue: grimdark) and the occasional cliffhanger event all make for some fun roleplaying sessions. Since you're starting out with pre-generated scenarios, you have the benefit of being able to plug certain aspects to each player according to their preferred method of play.

So definitely take notes, especially about your players. And after the game, have a "wind down" session. Ask them what they liked. What they didn't. And what they'd like to see in the future.

Ok so I ran the game last night. We got pretty far into the story (up to act 5. the final act) for only 3.5-4 hours of play. I am now tasked with an entirely new set of problems.

As far as my player's motivation...I have no idea. I got the distinct feeling that they were bored 80% of the time. I tried different things. I tried to throw in combat (which bored them. They complained that they missed far too often...which they did) or even spice it up with timed objectives and things, but they missed so frequently that I had to have an NPC save the day and fight along side them. It was taking FOREVER! My cleric rolled a 53, then a 52, THEN A 51 in a row, making 3 turnes of near inactivity. I had to step in on his next (failed) roll and say "The emperor smiles on you and directs our bullet to the marauder's face."

I don't know how to fix that issue, along with the issue that they don't have a lot of cool gear or anything. I mean, why would scrubs of the Imperium start with very rare weapons? I might have to make an exception for this one.

Next, they don't know how to role play. Their characters never spoke. Actually, 2 of my 3 PLAYERS rarely spoke (which was weird for them.I know these people VERY well). One guy did 90% of the work. But even then it would be "Uh...I ask him...y'know...what's the deal?" They rarely discussed strategy, constantly passed right by VERY obvious clues. Some crazy psychic phenomenon happens and they go "Uh...we continue to the cathedral...I guess." They never had any questions for my NPCs, nor did they seem to care about what was happening.

It wasn't all like that. There were a couple sprinkles of role playing or fun combat here and there. Ohe of my players had the idea to cut the tongue out of the Hexalid. I didn't even think of that. I was proud of him! We had some good laughs and Ghostbusters references...but maybe it's this mission? Maybe I should plan something a bit more...contemporary? Like a heist? A jailbreak? Something they might relate to easier?

Oh also they're not using their skills. EVER. I constantly remind them that INTIMIDATE and CHARM exist. Two of them had Awareness and one of them used it once (other then times I told them to). Not to mention, that when someone finally does come up with a skill to use, they usually lose the roll due to their level 1 charactaristics.

OK so in a nutshell:

(1) Should I make the game easier and allow more successes where there would be failures? Or would this trivialize the game? IS there a happy medium? If so, explain.

(2) More contemporary missions? They seemed to not give a **** about possible heresy in some barren world.

(3) Is Illumination just not that great of a game?

(4) If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself? I know I would.

(5) How do you deal with first time gamers? Maybe the just needed to get their feet wet?

(1) Should I make the game easier and allow more successes where there would be failures? Or would this trivialize the game? IS there a happy medium? If so, explain.

You should occasionaly go easy on the players if they seem to be in a spiral of suckiness. Although, if the spiral is entirley self-induced then they've gotta see it through themselves

(2) More contemporary missions? They seemed to not give a **** about possible heresy in some barren world.

It's their first game, I can't remember if you said they were new to 40k in general. They need some time to settle in and to recognise what is and isn't classed as Heresy.

(3) Is Illumination just not that great of a game?

Wouldn't know, never played it ^^

(4) If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself? I know I would.

Only if I was a proper sausage, not one of those wierd ones with that plasticky skin...

(5) How do you deal with first time gamers? Maybe the just needed to get their feet wet?

They do indeed, my group of friends were like that, some still are. You get used to it and eventually some grow out of it, gaining more RP confidence

SuperFieroStatus said:

1) The biggest thing for new GMs to DH to get used to is the magic os situational modifiers. There should be very few bland vanilla skill rolls made -most all of them should have a modifier! A simple rule of thumb I fallow is for every major thing in the environment or their situation that would help them, they get a +10 and for every major thing in the environment that would hamper them, they get a -10. I usually quickly rattle these pluses and minuses out to them as i think of them so they understand what about their environment or situation is helping and hurting them and give them a chance to change it. Further, this also sometimes gives them ideas about what they an change in the scene to give them the advantage and thus, interact with the scene more. Finally, I also let any redundant skill (any skill that could be seen as helping them preform what ever action they are trying) they have give them a +10 as well (common lore (tech) and Tech-Use are almost always paired, if one is looking for info in a book, search will heighten their literacy and lores may add more +10's, etc). Modifiers will make or break any game ;-)

2) Probably an issue with them not being familiar with the setting. However, if you think more contemporary missions would engage them a lot more, do it! There's plenty of opportunity in the 40k universe for just about any kind of story to appear and most any kind of world. Your imagination is the limit... just as long as it's over th top and more grimdark then Darth Vader drowning kittens in a vat of orphan blood, it'll fit. To get my players into the =][= mindset and what the game was going to be about, they were involved in a "simple" (it's in quotes so it really wasn't) witch-hunt on an Agri-World which was, more or less, the Salem Witch Trails with a 40k bent. I did that because I knew it was something they could relate to, the set-up was familiar so they understood their rolls, and then to introduce the 40k by the twists it took away from their expectations given to them the more familiar elements of the set-up.

3) Opinions on it will vary though I never ran it. Not my cup of tea.

4) Well, now, there's some unwanted imagery, though if you could do that, you'd make a mint on the darker side of the internet ;-)

5) Patently. Help them out a lot, let them know what they can or can't do. Try to coax them into conversations with NPC's by always speaking as the NPC. When they respond with a vague, put words in the characters mouth and describe what what the character says as well as environmental responses.

Player: "I ask him what's up with that... or something"

GM: "Okay, you give him a cool look over and ask, 'what do you mean by, 'the midnight bomber what bombs at midnight?' That doesn't make much sense. Explain your self citizen!'"

Then double check with the player to make sure that's what his character said. If not, the player would probably correct you and when they do, you have them hooked. Keep it up to real them in and soon they'll be speaking for their character. If they're fresh and new, they are still probably self conscious and not too sure what they can or can't do in the game.

This also goes back to them missing clues or not being engaged. They might be suffering from everything being too exotic that they have no baseline to know when something is worthily of looking and when something isn't as they don't know what ordinary is. If something is happening out of the norm, make sure you let them know that it is out of the ordinary; interpret their thoughts for them "...and after the screaming bloody woman with no feet floated passed, Psam knows that something is truly off -never in his 22 years of stabbing people in dark alleys in that retched hive has he used to call home has he ever seen anything like that..."

This leads me to another point: make things personal. Try to make problems, meters, and scenery relevant to the characters. When describing things, phrase it in ways that show, to a degree, how it relates to the character. A large blocky building with seven 20m tall columns out front could be described as "a large blocky building with incredibly tall pillars stretching higher then any ceiling that Psam could ever remember seeing in the crush-zone he once called home and while it's breath taking, it dose remind him of the first time he saw such a structure... when he was pulled from his home screaming by the Arbiters and brought before their fortress... this building, it's just like that." After giving such a description, check with the player to make sure it's spot on for his character or if he would like to inject anything about what you just said about his past and how he relates to that building. After a while, the player should start to naturally correct you when your wrong and, as such, not only help you with your narrative but help build his character and his character's past.

Finally, never make anything normal. If it's exciting, it's not normal. No normal tasks, no normal combat, no normal anything. If it's normal, it doesn't even need that much description unless you're using it to accent something distinctly not normal ;-)

That's all I've got. Others will give more I'm sure.

SuperFieroStatus said:

(1) As others have said, modifiers are your friend. The first time I ran DH, it seemed impossible to succeed at anything. Then I started throwing in the modifiers and suddenly things started to run smoothly.

(2) See points 3 and 5.

(3) I haven't run it, but I've read it and I don't think it's a very good game. Edge of Darkness, which you can find on PDF on FFGs Dark Heresy site, is a much better adventure IMO and might be something they can relate to better,

(4) I plead the 5th.

(5) They do need to get their feet wet. You started this thread because you were confused and intimidated by running an rpg. They are probably just as confused and intimidated about playing one. Perhaps moreso because most rpg books and forums have a lot of advice about how to GM but precious little about how to play. (I'd never thought of that before...) Give them some time. Help ease them in. Explain to them that they have options. Prompt them with things they can do. Eventually, one hopes, they'll pick it up and run with it.

Above all, have fun!

SuperFieroStatus said:

Okay. Combat. Modifiers are your friend right now. Everyone should have 20's or 30's in their combat stats. Ballistics skill has TONS of modifiers. Remember, you can aim. Half action is +10, full action is +20. God help you, if you shoot at someone at point-blank range (which is something stupid like within 10 meters, which is where 90% of combat ends up happening), you get a +30. If you have a 20 BS (which is pathetic), at point-blank range you will hit 50% of the time. If you have a BS in the 30's, congrats, you'll prolly hit more often than not. Melee... yeah... if people gang up on the target it gets ugly fast, and I'd say melee can be even more lethal than gunfire.

Remember, a standard attack is a half action, and you get 2 half actions per turn. That helps too, especially considering you only get one defensive reaction per turn. If their guns are semi-auto, or auto, burst fire and other options help a lot. Tell your players to gang up on the same guy and geek them one at a time, since if 2 players successfully attack, at best the defender will dodge/parry one blow. So with your cleric, that would have only been 1.5 turns instead of 2, assuming he didn't move between those attacks.

Okay, to answer your questions:

1. There is a happy medium. Make calls for skill checks, and at least in the beginning go easy on the players. Remember, a standard, straight up normal difficulty is +10. Sometimes you can give them a +10 or +20 if it's really important, and just say "well, all things considered, make a blah check at +20". In the beginning, don't call for advanced skill checks unless someone has the skill. Call for straight stat rolls with bonuses, and then as the PCs level up switch over to the skills. Don't tell your players this. They won't notice really.

2. Yes, if possible, always make the missions relevant to your players if you can. They'll get into it later if they're the RPG types, but if it's personal "yeah man, this is your HOME PLANET..." say, then it'll be a little more interesting.

3. If this is the mission in the core book, yeah, I was unimpressed with it. The final fight is way too lethal, and for n00bs, a Total Party Kill (TPK) is extremely discouraging.

4. Depends. Is there mustard involved?

5. First time gamers you ease them in. In this case, if everyone feels really impotent with their characters, you might want to give them all, say, 2000 experience. This will put them somewhere past the "god I suck" level of gaming that is so common with level 1 PCs. It will open the game up a smidge, and might keep their attention some more. Do this as a last-ditch effort though if they just aren't willing to hack it until they get a little more powerful.

Now... skills. Get used to calling for skill checks. You'll have to be proactive for a while to show them how useful skills can be. Also, it's quite common to have a "leader" in the group. This is totally normal. So long as everyone has fun, who cares. As the GM, you're there to tell a story with the players, so don't be afraid of making suggestions, or "common sense" hints, or even gut intuition if your players feel frustrated and are stalled.

Also, ask for suggestions to make things more interesting from your players. I always do this at the end of every session. I don't have to be in charge of every little thing in my game, so if they'd prefer more combat, or more role playing, I'll go with it.

Also, consider that they may just not be RPG gamers. It happens. RPGs aren't instant gratification games. It takes time to see your character really skill up and become capable. That's part of the fun. If this is the case, your friendly local gaming shop (FLGS) is the place to go. You can find seasoned gamers willing to jump in and play with you probably pretty easily. Take what friends enjoyed the game a lot and bring them with you. No hard feelings. Keep the game open, but don't force people to show up.

Finally, consider an investment for a moment. Steve Jackson Games publishes a PDF for 8 dollars called "Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering". It's 30 pages long, and is an excellent musing on good ways to run RPGs and keep people interested. It is not dedicated to any specific system, moreso it's dedicated towards the concept of running an RPG regardless of the game.

Website is www.sjgames.com/robinslaws

Good luck!

Once again I want to thank everyone for all of their help. This forum has already served as an invaluable tool and I really appreciate how helpful and cool everyone is.

Another question I forgot to ask...how do you choose what your enemy NPCs attack in combat? Logic may dictate that they should all gang up on anyone enhancing the party (provided they understand what the hell the Psyker is doing chanting all that gibberish), or maybe even the guy with the biggest gun. I mean, my party is smart enough to gang up on the "boss", knowing that he is the biggest threat. But how can this issue be resolved? This is also barring examples where the enemy wouldn't know who is strongest (like an animal or a particularly dull gangster) in which case I just roll to see who the enemy attacks first.

So with "smart" enemies...

On one hand the enemy should be smart enough to know who the biggest threat is, and attack accordingly. If there is a boss, he should even rally his warriors to attack the same target (except in strategic situations). I know my own players will do that. But this makes my stronger combat players constantly targetted.

On the other hand, if I randomize it all, and have the enemies switch targets often for seemingly illogical reasons, it eliminates this sort of anti-favoritism but brings forth stupid enemies. I feel as though my players would see what I'm doing and think "Pfft...he just wants to make sure John doesn't die", in turn partially trivializing any threats they encounter.

How do your "smart enemies" choose their targets? Should I have a constant list of criteria for this? I mean if I had to I guess I would come up with some excuses for random target changes as to not eliminate the sense of threat during combat. But how many until they get ridiculous?