I'm a new GM. I plan to play through the beginners game then play a mix of my own campaign and the one from the core book and GM kit. I've been researching a lot of normal problems that come up but I haven't been able to find an official or unofficial FAQ for F&D. Can someone direct me or make a list of common questions and problems new GM run into?
FAQ?
Well, not too helpful for what you're asking, but officially speaking at least, Edge of the Empire, a sister system to Force and Destiny (same core rules) has an FAQ
As far as a list like that, one probably has been made on the forums at some point, but nothing particular sticks out.
I'll edit this in a bit with a list of personal experiences from my early GM'ing days.
1. Be wise with your control. As the GM, your job is to ensure an enjoyable game. If your players are having fun, let them. You want to challenge them, yes, but your job is to just -seem- to put up enough of a fight. Fudge a number here or there if you need to, but let the players succeed if they have a good plan (of course, always throw a wrench into their plan).
2. Don't be afraid to "cheat." Or rather, there's a saying, "Players cheat, GMs lie." Again though, don't abuse that.
3. If there is a question about the rules, make a swift ruling on how it is to be handled for the immediate flow of the game, and run with it during the current encounter and maybe even the session. If a player wants to look it up, or even you if there is a lull in the session where the players are deciding what to do next, that's fine (and arguably, yes, do switch back to the correct rules once clarified), just don't waste your time muddled in the rules mid-encounter. Generally try to land on the side of things that don't permanently screw up the party.
4. Screen wipes. Go back and watch Star Wars and note how the scene changes occur. Run your session like a Star Wars movie.
5. Hide information. Much of the magic of an encounter is lost if the players know too much (even after the fact).
6. Try to engage all the players, at the same time, sometimes players do just feel quiet and are happy enough to tag along with the party.
7. Try to avoid rail-roading the party. That is to say, show them the clues and let them establish the connections. Try to
adapt to things the players do. Build a sense of what might be going on and understand that as a fluid thing. Not "these events happen in this exact chain." Come up with ways to reign the players in if they get a bit too far off course (helpful NPCs for guidance), but don't force them back to what their course of action "ought" to be.
8. Show, don't tell. Instead of just saying something like "the imperials on this planet are on high alert," have things where like the players go through checkpoints, and see more stormtrooper patrols than normal.
9. Establish your canon. SW is many things to many people. You may know every piece of material ever created related to Star Wars, or you may of only just seen the middle half of Episode 4. State what Star Wars material you're going with at the start of the game and stick with it. More importantly, while you should be open to player suggestion, don't let players badger you over the head with details like "Well gee, Corellia doesn't have a 24 hour day, it has a 26 hour day!" (Note, I have not looked this up, I'm just making up numbers and picked a well known planet). Its your game, the way you say things are, they are.
10. Encourage your players to make characters, not stat blocks. Work with them on backstories.
11. Know the rules. If you got questions, ask em here and anywhere else.
12. Try to say "Yes" more often than "No" to anything players are trying to do. But do remember to say "No" to the truly outrageous things.
Edited by KommissarKI also maintain a list of questions answered by FFG developers on the same Edge of the Empire forums.
7. Try to avoid rail-roading the party. That is to say, show them the clues and let them establish the connections. Try to
adapt to things the players do. Build a sense of what might be going on and understand that as a fluid thing. Not "these events happen in this exact chain." Come up with ways to reign the players in if they get a bit too far off course (helpful NPCs for guidance), but don't force them back to what their course of action "ought" to be.
Probably the most important advice to any GM.
Plan the adventure, set the stage, and let the players navigate. If they go off script, adapt and improvise, and find a way to work it back around.
I almost liken it to a good level in Call of Duty. You're starting at point A, and ending a point B, you have the motivation to go there, lots of options on the exact path you with to take, are the center of the action, and are having so much fun you don't even realize there really isn't any direction or choice the GM didn't already have prepared.
Where a bad level is Railroading. Telling you exactly where to go, giving you only one specific path to get there, providing only one action to execute or making you execute in a specific order and timing, are largely watching the action happen around you, and are getting punished for any attempt to go off that path while simultaneously giving you every reason to want to.
Be careful about "Sandboxing" you can certainly do it, and some people are great at it, but it usually takes a lot of practice.
Continuing with the discussion on point 7.
One tool to have in your GM toolbox is getting good at providing the PC's with choices, but no matter which choice they make the result will be the same.
As an example: "You ask around and its well known the NPC your after hangs out at 2 local Cantinas and owns a local Swoop Bike Shop"
Now you have probably got a sentence or 2 description of each location, and 3 NPC's plus some minions to throw around. Also a couple of rumours or clues to throw in helps bring the places to life, but no matter the order which they go to the places the guy they are after will be at the third.
Another trick is to be able to "Re-Skin" locations or NPC's quickly on the fly, one group all have a raven tattooed on their necks and carry 2 blaster pistols each, while another have a lot of red in their clothing and walk with a swagger. In reality they are the same stats, different gear.
With a lot of systems GM's will fudge a roll by rolling behind a screen, or rolling in the open but never telling the Players what the actual target number is or the modifiers. In this system your better to modify the Dice Pools of NPC's before you roll, then roll in the open. this way if things are hard going for the PC's you can drop an ability dice out without anyone noticing, or if things are easy going ramp up the proficiency dice. adding/removing dice is simple and effective. And if your rolling in the open your Players trust you more, and they actually get to chime in on any bad things that could happen to the NPC's (making your job of on the fly creativity much easier).
In fact getting the PC's to do more helps your GM job a lot, have one player be responsible for tracking Initiative. make sure they are all involved in adjudicating PC Advantage/Triumph and NPC Threat/Despair, again less work for you and there are more of them so they often come up with more ideas than you.
This was described once by a friend of mine as "choosing the right door" (as per the famous tv show where you chose a door and won the prize behind, I think it was Here's the Deal or something). Basically, you can choose door A or door B, but if I want you to get a certain prize, I'll put it just behind the door you choose, and you'll never know.
Thanks guys. This very helpful. Coming from the xwing forums this a nice change of pace for help.
Thanks guys. This very helpful. Coming from the xwing forums this a nice change of pace for help.
We hear strange tales of that place. Tales of a wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Edited by kaosoeWe here strange tales of that place. Tales of a wretched hive of scum and villainy.Thanks guys. This very helpful. Coming from the xwing forums this a nice change of pace for help.
It's a lot of complaining, argueing, and dismissive comments. Basically everyone wants their favorite ship/pilot to be best and complain about what ever is better than it or best against it. Very little constructive advice actually is said.
We here strange tales of that place. Tales of a wretched hive of scum and villainy.Thanks guys. This very helpful. Coming from the xwing forums this a nice change of pace for help.
It's a lot of complaining, argueing, and dismissive comments. Basically everyone wants their favorite ship/pilot to be best and complain about what ever is better than it or best against it. Very little constructive advice actually is said.
Sadly pissing contest occasionally happen here, but at least we can fall back on "If your group is having fun" and "The GM has Final Say" as well as "This is not a Competitive system, its about getting together to have fun and tell a story in the Star Wars Galaxy"
Or "Who cares? Auto-Fire is also broken anyway." 