like the title says, I am a new GM to table top RPG’S and don’t have a lot of experience as a GM.

Some friend’s at work are willing to play,

we want to try and do a open world type campaign, go where ever do what ever type thing.

so I was wondering if anyone could give me tips on running combat, NPC’s and game mastering in general.

Thanks!

I would actually recommend getting one of the beginner kits for you and your group. Its got some slimmed down, quick-and-dirty rules for the game, as well as pre-made characters for everyone to use. You can also use the beginner games as starting points for larger campaigns, as well.

Open world is very difficult to set up, particularly on a galactic scale. I would suggest you get some sort of general string of goals, major spots to hit, and then it ought to keep them on enough of a course that it is easy to fill in gaps when they randomly point to a place on the map.

Alternatively, keep it to a fairly small area of space (the Greater Javin region, for example) and come up with ideas for individual plot hooks for the various worlds.

In a campaign I'm running now, the players are on a quest to revive the Basilisk war droids, and in order to do that, they have to find artifacts that they can research. So I came up with a list of museums, collections, universities, etc. that have pieces, and basic story outlines for what might happen on those planets. Then I give them the list and cut them loose. There is no particular order (or timetable) to how they seek them out, so it gives them a direction, but it also gives them the freedom to pursue sidequests or whims and allows me to react more quickly to tangents because they are significantly less random.

I'm always most comfortable running sandboxes, so here's my advice:

Find stats for a few minor NPCs, nemeses and minions, that you can quickly reskin to be whoever your players are dealing with in the moment. You don't need new stats for every shop owner and street thug they encounter, and just because the stat block says they're all Aqualish Thugs doesn't mean you have to tweak things under the hood to describe them as a variety of different species. You'll get more comfortable with making things up on the fly and adjusting stats where appropriate, but to start out, just give yourself a few basics you can always fall back on.

For major NPCs, figure out what their motivations are. What do they want to accomplish, and what are they doing to pursue that? Then, as long as the players aren't interacting with that NPC or faction, assume they are quietly working away on their goals in the background. After a session, I'll run my own little mini session solo, just figuring out what's happening in the galaxy at large, either in response to the players action, or NPC background actions. If you want a true sandbox, it's important that, while these actions may affect the players and their environment in some way, you're not forcing them to go confront someone. They can ignore what's happening and allow the background to continue changing in whatever way it is. Related to that, don't just have one major NPC doing things, have a few who are tangentially related or not at all. This gives your players a sense of vast scale and the choices to pursue what they want.

As a GM, you're facilitating a story, you're not telling it. You get to have enourmous control over the world, but don't get fixated on it having to be one particular type of story you're telling (or, if you are, sit down before you start playing and have that conversation with your players). You might think that your players agreeing to steal an Imperial prototype weapon is going to be a series of major combat encounters, but don't force that vision on them if they want to approach it as a stealthy heist story, or a wacky comedy of errors.

Session 0: This is so important. Don't just allow sandbox players to show up to the first session and introduce their characters to each other. Sit down together, talk about what you want and don't want from a game, make an agreement to work together to some end, and then create characters that fit that vision. Nothing makes everyone's job harder than beginning the game with a Jedi, a Sith, a rebel commander and a wanted fugitive.

If you don't know what to do, that's okay. This system more than most encourages player participation, and it's expected when they make a roll that you ask them for input on what happens. This really relates to not having a firm unwavering concept in mind: let them spend that advantage on things that take the story in new directions, and if you can't recall a rule and don't know where to find it, don't feel shy about telling them how it's going to work this session and that you'll look it up afterwards. Likewise, if their shenanigans put you in a corner you don't know how to get out of, it's okay to tell them that and ask for a few minutes break while you think. Nothing makes players feel like they have more agency over their own story than stumping the GM.

3 hours ago, LugWrench said:

I would actually recommend getting one of the beginner kits for you and your group.

Seconded. If you run one of these first (which, if you get the PDF download, gives you 3-5 session's worth of content), you and your players will have a much better idea of how the game works and you'll be a lot more comfortable creating your own characters and adventures.

Other than that, a couple easy tips: be open to your player's ideas and lean towards "yes" when they ask if they can do crazy stuff; if you don't know a rule, make a decision and just move on, and tell the players you'll figure it out later...nothing kills a story or scene like having to look up rules.

Hope you enjoy!

3 hours ago, AdmiralAlice said:

Session 0: This is so important. Don't just allow sandbox players to show up to the first session and introduce their characters to each other. Sit down together, talk about what you want and don't want from a game, make an agreement to work together to some end, and then create characters that fit that vision.

This ☝️

This is probably the most important thing for any new RPG group, new game, or even just a new campaign.

Always have a session zero, so everyone is on the same page feom the off.

If you decide in session zero to run one of the beginner boxes, do another session zero once you've finished, before you start the campaign proper.

Like it was suggested in an earlier post, the Beginner Boxes are excellent introductions to how the narrative dice and other rules work. Just be aware that the pre-generated Beginner Box characters are created using those " slimmed down, quick-and-dirty rules", so if the players decide to continue the campaign with those characters then you all will have to devote a bit of time to re-create those characters according to the full rules when you get that far.

There are many useful resources on these boards. Check out the various pinned threads and other popular ones.

Session 0 is important for managing player and GM expectations and the "social contract". Things like style and tone - western- or noir-like settings in EotE, spycraft and heroic deeds in AoR, moral quandries and the like in FaD, or combinations thereof, or something else entirely - plus expectations/tolerances for canon characters or changes to the canonical events.

So, here's my 2 cents...

Pure sandbox is a terrible idea for rookie GMs.

Sandbox MISSIONS are brilliant.

The key issue with pure sandbox is the players can say "no." If you're new to being a GM that can wreck your session.

So, if the mission is non-negotiable with a single goal - the players won't be able to walk away. Instead, create a playground of destruction full of opportunity so they feel that sense of freedom. (I.e. don't pull a rockstar games and fail them if they don't talk to this specific npc)

This is me talking, but I'd rather play a linear campaign where the GM lets me apply "creative solutions" than be given free reign to do "anything".

Leads to next point...

Tools you can use to make sandbox missions meaningful to players...

A) guilds and high command are useful to an extent, at least for the first mission. But that can feel detached over time if you're always given orders.

B) during character creation, pull aside each player in secret and ask them to provide you with plot hooks. Once the party bonds, pull these out as "tonight's session" and drag everyone into it. The crazy twi might admit her ship might be stolen and the crime lord she may have stole it from possibly caught wind of their whereabouts ... much to the surprise of the others while said crime lord is offering a second chance mission. OXVenture (comedic entertaining d&d series over at Outside Xtra on youtube) does a great job leveraging hidden backstories/debt for new adventures, if you want an example.

C) optional but encouraged: give at least two possible end points to sessions, and force a decision. Less about moral decisions (players will almost always pick the good guy option) and more about opportunity (find out about a potential 2nd buyer, get two leads for character development, etc). It will give manageable freedom of choice, and you can leverage this choice in future missions to give weight to the decision.

...

That's it, really, with regards to sandbox. Again: STRONGLY just recommend giving an objective and letting them go nuts on how to do it.

...

Character creation!

I suggest doing the following upfront... because the FFG instructions on building characters isn't that great.

A) ask everyone what type of cool stuff the want to do. <-- most important as this is how players have fun: doing stuff they want to

Use this info to help them choose their careers. The smooth talker may be better suited as a performer rather than a politico, for example.

Ask this publicly and they'll work together to get their team balance.

B) then pull each person aside in secret for the background. I suggest limiting it to...

1) why are they not a civilian?

2) provide a major character flaw

3) things specific to your campaign: If you're playing edge you need to dig up their obligation type. If the Empire is involved you need to find out if the players drink Imperial Kool-Aid (so that you know roughly how they'll react). If anything related to the Force is in play, better find out if they even know about it. Etc

You can ask more later. But keeping questions hyper focused upfront will REALLY help get answers you need to get the ball rolling. Then, do the math numbers and guide them to what will build their character.

When I started as a GM for the game I picked age of rebellion, it let me run it like episodes so I could set up each mission and have a start and finish for the mission. How the players got there was nothing like I expected so be prepared be ready to roll with surprises. This also gave me control to end the mission if it got too messed up, but the other part I had to learn was getting use to the players. Some follow what is presented since they know you have a plan others will go about it how ever they want.

So my recommendation is to start with a controlledenvironment and learn from it. Let the players know you want to do this to get familiar with the game before you start the real campaign you want to do. It will also help players learn what they want to play and the rule system better. And learn how you run a game which is important if they are use to other GMs.

@Ardentstone

I won't give you a word wall to read, as I'm a new GM myself. Tommorrow is our 13th session.

Things I found have helped me:

1. Preparation.

Have a couple goals you want to achieve in the session, have a few NPCs planned out. Know your planet, city, starting area etc. This gives you a great foundation and will make you less nervous. Players really appreciate GMs who put some work in 👍🏻

2. Encounters

Have an encounter planned for your first session. Give them a taste of both the more relaxed roleplay and an interesting but tense encounter. Roll your Adversaries initiatives in advance to speed up the process. That comes under preparation as well.

3. Have fun!

Make sure you're enjoying yourself and so are your players. If they seem to be bored or distracted, think about why that may be and keep it in mind for future sessions!