Hi guys,

I am planning to start a mini campaign at home based on the published adventures. So far I have GM'ed/played d6 and Saga campaigns but this will be my first time using this system.

I am planning to use the suggested order for the adventures:

1. Lessons from the Past

2. Hidden Depths

3. Mountaintop Rescue

4. Lure of The Lost

5. Chronicles of the Gatekeeper (when I get my hands on it)

This will be my first time as GM and wanted to asks a couple of things to those who have run the adventures:

How much xp did you gave your players to start? None? Enough to reach Knight's level?

Did you allowed species, careers, equipment, etc in your game? 1 player was thinking about using a Falleen...

What was your biggest challenge?

Any tips will be more than welcomed.

Thanks!

Hi Bud

First of the Falleen - I believe the race statistics are in Fly Casual for EotE, so I suppose if you have the book then maybe, but I would ask the player the motivation for playing this character over 1 of the 8 included in F&D. I find there is a tendency of players to want to be "different" from everyone else and just nudge at the boundaries (if it was me btw I would say no, pick from the main book and stop being a #*@#.)

The first thing to consider is how are the group together - do they know each other, or do they meet in game? Though once the game this introduction fades and can quickly be forgotten, however having a good start in my opinion is essential to booting off a campaign.

Putting the group together and building the initial relationships can be exceedingly difficult with PCs of wildly different backgrounds, without it feeling to forced, which is why many games start with the "you all know each other" and perhaps at some later date decide how as a back story.

If the players are up for it, it is always worth saying you come up with how you know each other and give you the collected back story, this will be one less thing for you to deal with as part of the campaign preparation.

As GM you have a big job ahead, you have extensive preparation to complete, not only fiscal (purchasing materials), but also time, the reading of books, the noting of npc stats, developing NPCs, building encounters, making maps as well as fitting players into the story.

Preparation and knowing your story is essential as the GM. No matter how well written a given adventure is, players will always go off-piste, either because they have got the wrong end of the stick, or because they have decided they want to explore an aspect of their character. The latter here is probably the biggest challenge as a GM, and if handled poorly can sink a game. When players (individually or as a group) go off on wild tangents for whatever reason the GMs task is to subtly shepherd them back to the story. In these situations knowing your story is essential to have that gentle guiding hand to give the nudge. Use sub plots to lead back to the main plot, or even some form of motivational carrot - the PC is told doing X will lead to an Ilum crystal or suck like. Having the campaign traked, there is no harm using portents or omens to give that nudge.

Finally if an individuals' "character development/exploration" is running away with the game, there is no problem pointing out that the player is 1 of X people here so to continue this development, email/chat about it outside of the game so we can shove on with the story.

In any game the players have to believe they have free choice, and are not simply going from Clue A to Clue B to Clue C, even if that is exactly what they are doing. Know your story. Do not be afraid to ad lib the situation, and at all times listen to what the players are doing and more importantly what their objectives are for their actions.

I have ran many games where the players collective take and explanation fits much better to the written one, so what the hell run with it. It's their story as well, and nothing makes players happy than working stuff out and getting it right. (Obviously note don the change). Be aware of course in some extreme situations this may lead to continuity issues (especially in written material) that you may need to work around later on, but that's the fun of the GM.

Flow - the game needs to flow, and needs to feel organic rather than forced. As a GM you are in charge of the information, and players can only interact with what they know or they may wander as above. Ensuring a decent flow of information to ensure the story moves apace is important. If players are scratching their heads, then it's not enough, if players spending lots of time over thinking stuff, it may be they have too much information. Most written material has good pacing so this shouldn't be a problem (unless players go off on wild tangents).

Atmosphere is essential for a good game, fortunately starwars has so much great material star-wars-crawl-creator adds so much to the game from the get go there are probably others out there (to use click the edit bit at the top, and when done use the site link detail to be able to get too). Very useful to control the game flow, especially if the game has a break, this allows you to give the players so hints of what is going on, and what to sort of expect in the next part of the adventure.

Music - well SW has loads of material, either have the soundtracks ongoing, or put together a play list to go along with the game. The latter is hard and time consuming, but does create good results.

XP - as a new campaign I would just use the basic rules, no bonus XP, just brand new chars, no lightsabres or such like. Character development via XP is the best reward you can give a player. It gives them something to play for and advancing your character and getting better is what makes players really buy in to the game. Written material will have XP rewards for certain objectives met.

NPCs, interaction and combat. Player NPC interaction is a big challenge for a new GM. NPCs need to be individual, and feel (to the players) real. You are in charge of a cast of 1,000s, each one with their own motivations. Picture props work wonders and though you can't describe every individual sentient in the players vision, giving a general overview is essential.

Player interaction with NPCs should be fluid, and think of it as a normal conversation you would have with your friends, just be aware of the motivations. It's not unheard of players to resort to aggressive tactics (morality can help tame that here) so be prepared on how an NPC would react - surrender, fight or flight.

Which brings us to combat. Know the system, the dice pool, the NPCs, If you have enough dice have your NPCs dice easy to hand for the rolls. As a GM you have a stack of rolls to make, one for every NPC combatant.

Be creative and encourage the players to be so likewise. Sitting and rolling dice saying "a hit, 7 damage minus your soak" may be what happens but narrative around it makes the game. "the security guard is shooting from behind a stack of barrels, popping out and taking pot shots before hiding again, a hit etc...". The players now know there are barrels, and will ask questions, are they full, what of, can they be pushed over (force), can they get to the other side whilst he is hidden. The players now have lots of options.

It's useful to use maps and floor plans at the start of your GM'ing life, keeps things clear and gives the players decisions from the off based on the floor plans/map. Note that maps can slow stuff down in many ways as players start making meta (out of game) plans and co-ordinate the combat to batter your NPCs.

the 5 P's

Proper Preparation Prevent Poor Performance

By prepared, know the game mechanics, the game system, know your story, expect the players to do crazy things, and regularly go off-piste. Have mechanism's to get them back on track, maybe use of good subplots and player motivational carrots can help here.

Have fun, the fun is not just for the players, but you also, and if it's not fun for you then something isn't right.

Take Control - you are all to the players, you make the decisions, you are the rules, you are the universe, what you says goes (in game). If players have valid points, deal with them, but if it's going to spiral out of control, make a decision, stick with it, and say we can discuss this after the session.

Mistakes happen, rules get forgotten or missed don't stress about it, as long as the game is flowing and fun for all, then rules are something you may want to refer to, not live your life by.

A special note for "The Rules Lawyer". A type of player who has the rulebook to hand, and regularly consults it to make comment, and almost always when someone else is trying to achieve something, or when it will specifically benefit them, (ironically never when they want to achieve the impossible...) usually slowing the game down to a crawl whilst mechanics are discussed. Let them know if they have valid points, raise them out of game session time, not eating into precious game time.

Good Luck...

Thaks for your tips and suggestions FatPob. They are excellent for a new GM.

I wll take some time to review the rules and the adventures. My group is great, they work great as a team, but they can get sidetracked easily. With them preparation is the key. I normally drop a couple of npc's that can subtlety guide them when the need arises.

Regarding the Falleen player. For sometime the group wanted to reboot theircprevious set of characters into this new setting. Not all of them were on-board with this idea so they voted on it and lost. So they will generate a new set of characters and they all are happy withthe species selection on the F&D Core Rulebook so no issues there.

I agree with most of what Fatpob said except having any published species will in no way disruption the game except for a Hutt. I find as long as it's published and not fan made FFG has really Made the system's work well together and any species works in F&D even with a new GM.

I feel characters that don't know each other is so much more like the original movies. Make the first scenes and fights dramatic and intense and they will band together for a cause or just survival depending on the adventure.

I also highly recommend getting the players to add naratively to scenes and describing triumphs, threats, and despairs.

First of the Falleen - I believe the race statistics are in Fly Casual for EotE, so I suppose if you have the book then maybe, but I would ask the player the motivation for playing this character over 1 of the 8 included in F&D. I find there is a tendency of players to want to be "different" from everyone else and just nudge at the boundaries (if it was me btw I would say no, pick from the main book and stop being a #*@#.)

It's not really that "different." There are a number of Falleen Jedi in Star Wars lore, so players may just like the idea!

Zule Xiss

Natua Wan

Thann Mithric

Picture of a Faleen Jedi from the 2006 New Essential Guide (could be where the idea spawned)

IMO it's not dickish to want to play a species that's not in the main book (so long as they're willing to shell out the cash for the character options present in supplements!). Especially if his or her character archetype is not an alien concept to the Star Wars mythos.

A special note for "The Rules Lawyer". A type of player who has the rulebook to hand, and regularly consults it to make comment, and almost always when someone else is trying to achieve something, or when it will specifically benefit them, (ironically never when they want to achieve the impossible...) usually slowing the game down to a crawl whilst mechanics are discussed. Let them know if they have valid points, raise them out of game session time, not eating into precious game time.

Now, a true rules lawyer would bring up the rules even when it's a detriment to him or the party

Agreed. If my players are not min maxing then they are not being d#$kish. One of my players really wanted to play a Gungan in saga and I said as long as you don't talk like Jar Jar I'm good. I wouldn't stress over so many limitations. Limitations are a sign of fear or just not being open to the entire star wars world. The best GM's work with the passion the players have for their ideas

A special note for "The Rules Lawyer". A type of player who has the rulebook to hand, and regularly consults it to make comment, and almost always when someone else is trying to achieve something, or when it will specifically benefit them, (ironically never when they want to achieve the impossible...) usually slowing the game down to a crawl whilst mechanics are discussed. Let them know if they have valid points, raise them out of game session time, not eating into precious game time.

Now, a true rules lawyer would bring up the rules even when it's a detriment to him or the party

True.

I would say there is no reason not to allow them to pick up whichever FFG race as long as someone has the book, i run a togrutta in a buddies Edge of the Empire campaign so as long as they role play it well then its all good. If it is a difficult character with limitations(had a wookie player in EotE who kept forgetting no one could understand him) or if it is something very different and they haven't done much role playing before try and get them to stick within the book.

I played a Wookie once and asked another player to learn it and roleplayed that when he was near that pc he was a chatterbox and around the others he was more action with out talking. He grew a bond with that pc and ended up saving him 1st.

One of my players was a Wookie mechanic/computer wiz and built a translator wrist pad he would type into and it would speak back thru a droid. It didn't work in combat and when he became a jedi he saw more combat.

First of the Falleen - I believe the race statistics are in Fly Casual for EotE, so I suppose if you have the book then maybe, but I would ask the player the motivation for playing this character over 1 of the 8 included in F&D. I find there is a tendency of players to want to be "different" from everyone else and just nudge at the boundaries (if it was me btw I would say no, pick from the main book and stop being a #*@#.)

It's not really that "different." There are a number of Falleen Jedi in Star Wars lore, so players may just like the idea!

Zule Xiss

Natua Wan

Thann Mithric

Picture of a Faleen Jedi from the 2006 New Essential Guide (could be where the idea spawned)

IMO it's not dickish to want to play a species that's not in the main book (so long as they're willing to shell out the cash for the character options present in supplements!). Especially if his or her character archetype is not an alien concept to the Star Wars mythos.

A special note for "The Rules Lawyer". A type of player who has the rulebook to hand, and regularly consults it to make comment, and almost always when someone else is trying to achieve something, or when it will specifically benefit them, (ironically never when they want to achieve the impossible...) usually slowing the game down to a crawl whilst mechanics are discussed. Let them know if they have valid points, raise them out of game session time, not eating into precious game time.

Now, a true rules lawyer would bring up the rules even when it's a detriment to him or the party

That's one of my particular 'failings' as a player. (If the GM rules contrary to my understanding of the rules, that's fine, but I'm basically hardwired to make sure the rules are evenly applied, regardless of whether it's helpful or harmful to whoever is acting.