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.