I am probably going to start GMing very soon and I wanted to make sure I had all of the required materials needed...so far I have.

DH: Rule Book

Inquisitor's Handbook

Tons of Dice

Grid Mat

Minis

Pencils

Paper/Notebook Cards

Is there anything else I would need or you would recommend having other than food & actual players?

Some sort of screen to conceal your notes and rolls might be a good idea, otherwise it sounds like you're all set.

Players?

Seriously tho, you might wanna look into pickin' up the DH GM Kit...it's got some good stuff in it and the screen itself is very durable and has some handy reference charts in it....

In your own notebook it wouldn't hurt to have a few encounters and combat rolls already done and written down. I find the more prep time I put into GMing, the more fun to be had by all. It lets you concentrate more on what the players are doing and roleplay and less on what the npc's have to roll.

Beside the "material minimals", I consider the following usefull

- a prepared sheet of paper where you write down the name & function of all the npc you make up during the course of the session. For example , you could note down "Braddley, the swagging chief enforcer" or "Smirks, the whimsy street fence".

- a crude overall map of the area of gameplay. Be it a city, a patch of wilderniss, a ships deck or a block in the underhive.
It does not have to be exact in any way. But people have a much easier time if the can see how things relate to each other

- a list of staring equipment the =I= hands out to the pc at the start of the game
I know, a lot of people seem to prefer to let the players start with "nothing but scraps". But I found out that it helps "speeding up" if you hand them some essentials right from the start. Like "micro beads for everyone". Otherwise, the players will start with a "shopping tour". This is fine if you like that. If you want to get down to business a little quicker, stuff them in advance. Oh! And a lot players find working for the =I= a little more believeable if the =I= is at least as generous as....lets the say the city mayor to his enforcers...

- (Optional) If you have a psyker, three pre-rolled (or pre-determined) effecty of "minor phenomena". The game is more intense if the "oopsed"-role leads to a fine description right away instead of stopping - opening a book- roling dice -reading aloud... Being familiar helps the gm to entertain.

You also need drinks and crackers (or wine, beer and crackers if you are in France)

>>a prepared sheet of paper where you write down the name & function of all the npc you make up during the course of the session. For example , you could note down "Braddley, the swagging chief enforcer" or "Smirks, the whimsy street fence".<<

I find that 3x5 cards work very well for this. Each time the party runs into an npc they are likely to encounter again, and/or whom might be important for your adventure, write his name and a very quick description on a card. Later you can flush out more info if you like, but this makes keeping your npcs separate and organized much easier.

I also find it is very helpful to have a sheet handy with the names and a quick description of each important organization, (such as the different branches of the government/military/inquisition) so you don't forget which is which and you can look the info up quickly when it comes into play. This also applies to special rules or information about technology, the warp, communication, etc. Having this "cheat sheet" on hand will help you feel much more prepared.

Have a few cards on hand with quick encounters written up. These needn't be combat encounters - though they could be - but any kind of interesting event the players might run into while moving about the adventure setting. Note any important names, or stats, associated with the encounter, then when the pcs are moving from place to place and the pace seems slow, pull one out and use it to throw in some variety. I have a deck of "Once Upon a Time" cards (from the card game of the same name) which I draw from when things get slow, (or I find myself without direction) then work the card's subject into my game. (an art book can be used for inspiration as well, just flip to a random page ..)

A cd with some mood music, or a station which seems appropriate, can also add a great deal to the experience.

Jack of Tears said:

Heh, my ipod has a play list full of Lustmord for just this purpose.

When I game I am all about environment. A room with a large table is nessisary. Comfortable chairs are nice too (as your on your arse for 3-6 hours). I also like to have a full pack of smokes and maby a stock of everyones favorate beverage (alcoholic or non).

For me anyhow, I need to game in a place where I can smoke. Most people prefer to run dry (no alcohol) games, which is fine in my book. But something to loosen everyone up a tad is nice. As long as no one is getting too tipsy then I dont find it to be a problem. I also recommend getting some food of substance (not just chips and cookies), if you wana cook thats fine, but i find ordering out tends to make things simple as everyone is well fed, watered, smoked... makes for a calmer gameing expirance.

Apart from this, IF your GMing I recommend a large binder. And the game masters kit screen. These things help you stay organised.

I keep a lap top to one side, on a small table off our gaming table, with a few "Choice" bits on (like my Name Generator or maps or plot stuff) which also runs the music, so I can change the volume or drop in/out atmospheric tracks if needs be.

I tend not to use a map grid, I instead print plans out on A3 and drop them on the table, that way you can scribble on them to your hearts content and keep them for next game! My players don't tend to use minitures, just a purely taste thing however!

The Screen is critical however, very usefull!

I also tend to use a reporters note book with plot stuff and characters in then as I make stuff up I can make a quick scribble note, mostly for names and stuff so I can remember them in 2 months time when someone suddendly asks me about it!

I have a couple photcopies of things like Skills and Talents for the players to check out when ever they need and a list of combat actions proves very usefull from time to time again for the players.

I am however a big believer in prep, it just makes it easier to do then run things on the fly which work cause I have all sorts of things at least somewhere to hand!

One thing I've seriously considered but not done yet, is plug the projector into the lap top and put maps up on the wall, presnetation style... but maybe I'm too much of a geek :-)

Lol well I run "Welfare" games. If I had access to a laptop and projector you bet your arse I would be useing them. Thats not geeky thats bloody efficiant.