Be ready to say "Yes, but...". Lots of times, the players will try to use rules in new and interesting ways, or manipulate a plot or situation to their advantage. Heck, its part of the fun. This is where "Yes, but..." becomes your best friend. "Hey, can we hijack a Lambda shuttle?" "Yes, but theres doubtless going to be tracking gear on the shuttle for the Imperials to locate it. And since its definitely Imperial, you may not find anyone who would want to buy the thing."

Or, you can use “Yes, and …”. And the part after the “and” could be something you decide to keep to yourself. Feel free to smile at the players while you do it, if you like. They don’t have to know what you have planned thanks to this sudden boon that they have given you.

So, the Lambda shuttle does have tracking gear on it, but you don’t mention that to the players unless they specifically ask/search for it. And maybe they find the first and second pieces of tracking gear, but not the third or fourth.

So, everyone knows that it’s an Imperial ship, and the players later discover that no one wants to buy it. And every time they approach someone to see if they want to buy it, that person ends up dead — or just “disappeared”.

Or, maybe you don’t smile. Practice your poker face, and just go with it when they want to derail the adventure, and see just how much trouble they can get themselves into.

Or not.

The choice is entirely up to you.

Episode II: Storm of the Desert

On Nar Shaddaa, the Bounty Hunter took in the previous session a security job at 'Roxcorp' (a weapon industry owned by Ms. Black). So they contact the offices on the Smuggler's Moon in sector 9-E.

Behind the main door there are two row of columns and a red carpet, and the protocol droid BL-1CK (called Buck) greets them.

So Buck informs the PCs that there is a factory on Rorkak (planet in the same solar system) that needs surveillance. "As for the times of the contract, Ms. Black expects a week of work" said Buck at last.

The landscape of the planet is desolated: the sand and rocks surround the factory, while the YT-2000 was landing nearby a small warehouse. The PCs are greeted by the security chief, Sergeant Reth, who gives each one shifts for the night.

The first ones were quiet, only some creatures of the sands trigger some allarms, but nothing more.

On a sandstorm, they notice an access to the sewers open and decide to investigate. Down there they find a bomb, ready to blown up all the facility, and some traces that are going into the hangar (where they stun two rebel intruders.

While two of the party fly the ship to some mountains nearby, where they discover the rebel outpost, the Mechanic disarms the bomb.

In another hangar, there are some rebel commandos and a bothan spy that are surprised and surrounded by the PCs. After some negotiations, the rebels decide do drop their weapons and let them be captured by the PCs (in fact one of them is an ex-rebel ace gunner, and wants in fact use them to have vengeance over his former captain).

The rest of the week flys, and so the contract at Roxcorp ends. The Sergeant decides to not inform his superiors of the still-living rebel, who are left free (even if they have paid in credits and a favor their freedom).

And so even the second session comes to an end. I must say, I've felt as a GM that it was more thrilling (maybe because of the bomb) than the previous, and the PCs came into an agreement between all these factions.

(And lastly, the players seemed to enjoy this session )

Be ready for the players to go completely off the rails. Whether running a pre-made module, or one of your own creation, at some point the players will decide to 'attack the gazebo'. Let them run with it for a little bit...then pull them back around the to plot.

Try not to railroad the players, or force them to do This Thing rather than That Thing. In a past game of 'That Fantasy RPG', the group I was in skipped an entire chapter, if you will, of combat with clever use of spells and abilities. The DM laughed and went with it. Awesomeness was had.

Try running one of the beginner games, first. They are geared for first time players and GM's alike. Some players want to make their own characters and dive head first into the game. Thats all well and good, but running pre-gen characters can give them the opportunity to see what other races and classes can do, and may inspire them to try something different when they make their characters. Also, it gives the players a chance to see what combat can be like in the game, and speaking from experience, it can be pretty **** brutal on occasion. The beginner games also give GM's basic instructions of how combat works, how social situations can work and tips on how to 'present' the game to the players.

Every few games, ask the players for feedback. "Well...what do you guys think so far?" Ask the players what they like, what they don't like, is their character getting enough 'screen time'. Feedback from the players can help the campaign evolve, and help you mature as a GM.

Have at least one session where a character is the star. In a Jedi-heavy game, a bounty hunter may seem like a spare tire, and not have a chance to really show off what they can do, for example. Try to have at least one session where the bounty hunter can step up and shine. Or perhaps the Rebel spy has a session to strut his stuff. Or the jedi finally gets a chance to cut loose with their force powers. Whatever the campaign, give everyone a chance to be IT.

If a character dies, then a character dies. Part of the fun (for me at least) as a player is doing my damnedest to keep my character alive. Sometimes that involves combat, sometimes it involves fast-talking an Imperial. Your players are going to put a lot of time and effort into making their characters, but at the same time, if the dice says 'You're Boned', well, then thats that. While I'm not saying that you should smite a character to ash every game, you do have to make sure the players don't have an attitude of "Oh, we won't die. The GM won't let us die.", and start in with shenanigans.

Be ready to say "Yes, but...". Lots of times, the players will try to use rules in new and interesting ways, or manipulate a plot or situation to their advantage. Heck, its part of the fun. This is where "Yes, but..." becomes your best friend. "Hey, can we hijack a Lambda shuttle?" "Yes, but theres doubtless going to be tracking gear on the shuttle for the Imperials to locate it. And since its definitely Imperial, you may not find anyone who would want to buy the thing."

Ahahahahah players will go off the rails often, but I'm going to create a skeleton trail with a big number of different job and then use one or another and improvise the setting as I see fit.

We haven't got any of the beginner games, only the three core rulebooks and some supplement. However I've read some adventure modules to show me the concepts at the very base of a GM.

As for being the star for a session, I haven't thought about. For now I tried to make everybody do something based on their careers and skills.

Or, you can use “Yes, and …”. And the part after the “and” could be something you decide to keep to yourself. Feel free to smile at the players while you do it, if you like. They don’t have to know what you have planned thanks to this sudden boon that they have given you.

So, the Lambda shuttle does have tracking gear on it, but you don’t mention that to the players unless they specifically ask/search for it. And maybe they find the first and second pieces of tracking gear, but not the third or fourth.

So, everyone knows that it’s an Imperial ship, and the players later discover that no one wants to buy it. And every time they approach someone to see if they want to buy it, that person ends up dead — or just “disappeared”.

Or, maybe you don’t smile. Practice your poker face, and just go with it when they want to derail the adventure, and see just how much trouble they can get themselves into.


Or not.

The choice is entirely up to you.

I really like this "yes but/and..." to be kept to myself the problems of their actions

Great to see you having fun mate. You've taken your first step into a larger world.

Thank you very much to all who had enough patience to decide to join this tread

All of you are absolutely amazing!

I appreciate your courage to ask for help. Here is some helpful advice I received two months ago, and can validate its usefulness in being a better GM.

Step One: Meet (or email, Skype, etc.) your playgroup.

I. Ask what kind of adventure they want to play. Without this feedback, you may make great and intriguing encounters but the PCs wanted heavy combat opportunities.

II. Identify what resources you share, or what rules are available to make characters. Without this feedback, some players may become jealous of others' information.

III. Agree upon a time to play. Knowing players can only meet for an hour a week would suggest more episodic encounters instead of a slower linear campaign.

Step Two: Identify How to Make PCs

I. Do characters or the group get any special benefits? I recommend buying 'Far Horizons' for its additional rules of building group resources that unify them.

II. Can PCs make their own characters? In addition to having books to consult, are they (and you) confidant in their ability to follow the book(s)?

III. Set a character sheet due-date, or they default to pre-generated characters you make. You want to evaluate opportunities for characters to do well in game.

Step Three: Buy Some Adversary Decks, if resources allow

NOTE: I cannot spend your money. Many others (including myself) have written good things about this six-dollar game aid from FFG.

I. These cards give visual aids to players to maintain cinematic feel and save the spine on your Core Rulebooks. I suggest buying three different decks.

II. Sort through the cards to find three neat adversaries: (3) minions, (2) rivals, and a nemesis. Think about ways to connect them for your 1st Encounter!

III. Repeat this process two more times, remembering character strengths/weaknesses. You can repeat some cards, but try diversity with creatures, droids, etc.

Step Four: Invite for Gameplay!

I. Have everything ready for gameplay. This includes the valuable GM screen which may save time flipping through books, and hiding information til needed.

II. Give time for players to introduce their characters and brag, drink coffee, etc. This is a SOCIAL gaming experience, after all.

III, Start in medias res, or (Latin for) In the middle of things. Characters should begin taking actions almost immediately, like they do in SW movies.

Step Five: Continuity and Wrap-up

I. Using the Adversary decks, many encounters are done. You just fill in gaps while focusing on the flow of fun and dice dropping.

II. Be sure to have at least one social encounter, one combat encounter, and one knowledge encounter for variety. Remember what players said they wanted.

III, End the encounters on time, and give rewards. Follow reward/XP suggestions from the rules, while remembering some characters quest for lightsabers, ships, etc.

Above all, have fun. Being a good GM is a journey, not a linear progression. I hope my tips can help you enjoy the game and focus on being a good example of game play.