I'm really new to dark heresy and have very little experience with role-playing and the like, the closest I've come is playing warhammer or world of warcraft. That being said, a friend of mine recently introduced me to dark heresy and I've taken up playing. I'm interested in playing a gm because of the imaginative element required. I've looked over 5-6 pre-made campaigns and have the general gist of how one formulates a scenario and the characters which inhabit it. So I want my pc's 2nd adventure to be something homegrown. I think I have the literary elements down, but I am still less than confident about my ability to create a fair, balanced, and fun adventure.

I was hoping some veteran gm's could provide me with some tips.

thx again, Zamphear

What follows is a somewhat generic list of things to keep in mind.

Rule #1: Be flexible.

Don't set up anything that must be played out in a specific location. That boss that is hiding in the hive water purification plant needs to be able to be dropped into the cave system that the players find in the middle of the wastelands, 2,000 miles away from the water purification plant, without a second thought.

Players will always do the unexpected when you least expect it.

Players will only pick-up on blatant clues and hints 50% of the time, 90% of the time they won't realizes your dropping hints. The other 80% of the time they will latch onto things that are irrelevant and won't let go. (see Rule #1)

If you are planning a big fight have waves of enemies prepared in case the party blows through the first wave quicker than you thought possible.

Be ready to remove/drop stats on enemies in case the party is getting wiped by the mook gangers in the alley who they were supposed to walk over.

The big bad guy will get one-shotted. Get used to it.

Keep in mind the previous three suggestions but play the enemies smart, unless they are supposed to be stupid.

If the players are thinking out loud and lay down a good idea, steal it on the spot and make it happen. Sometimes a great game can evolve by letting the players run rampant and throwing out what you had planned. (see Rule #1)

Take it easy on yourself and keep everything as simple as possible. As a GM you can overload yourself with details that the players will never see or even think of asking about.

Don't make the players roll for everything.

Don't make the players fail because their dice have gone south on them.

Never let everything hinge on a single dice roll.

Keep pacing in mind. Everything can bog down.

Make a list of names. A lot of names. You will need them. I have had very interesting npc's evolve from being given a name when asked by a player. All of a sudden what was “ generic soldier #3 ” becomes Sgt. Kell . He evolves from three stats and a two line description for all soldiers friend and foe, into a staple in the groups activities for the rest of the campaign.

Get feedback from your group. What did they like, what did they not like, make adjustments.

Have fun and make sure your players have fun.

You have had more sense than most starting out GM's/DM's/ST's as you have asked for advice, I've been a player and GM for many years over many gaming systems and I still don't have everything figured out.

There are different ways to tell a story, i'm the sort of GM that can improvise very easily, so I find that if I set up the story (point A) and have an idea for the ending (point B) with a few bits of helpful information along the way, but instead of the line from A to B being a straight line it more like a squiggly line that a 3 year old has drawn.

Dark Heresy has built within it one of the most useful tools for a GM, all of your players work for someone, they are a team. Normally getting the group of players together and having them get along and work together is the hardest task for a GM.

most importantly do not be bound to what is printed, if you want specific world and you don't want something that's printed, make it up. Use your imagination, but make plenty of notes on your creation, if you have a writers flair and time to produce handouts for yourself and players then do so.

If you have them tactile battle grids and minitures use them, this will aid in giving your players an idea of what is going on in combat as well as speeding it up as your players get to gips with the combat system.

Lastly you are the point of contact with the universe, you are the background noise, the faceless masses, the buildings, weapons as well as all the major cast. Description is your friend, 40k is dark, grim and oppressive as well as opulant and beautiful. It is your descriptions that with bring your games and stories to life.

Have fun and let us know how you get on.

Welcome to the ranks

Always visualize the world in your head. Describe, describe and then describe some more. The more you describe, the more you spark the imagination of the players and they will start to immerse them in the "fantasy" world. As already mentioned by a previous poster, unexpected parts of the described world might be much more interesting to the players than you had imagined, and by taking the cue from the players you can get a really enjoyable session.

Do not ever start to explain the big picture to the players, that ruins immersion. Whatever brilliant planning you have done... you can't share.

A good idea is to start with recapping what happened the last time you played, and give the players some time to socialize with some of the important campaign NPCs that they have grown to learn and like.

Once the players are off to a mission try to have an early conflict or fight (whatever feels natural) to get some dices rolling. It doesn't have to be anything major or dangerous. Many players are very focused on their combat abilities and giving them an opportunity to dust off their skills will put them at ease.

Wow, thank you guys. I have tried to take what you have said to heart. It means a lot that you all would go out of your way to help a scrub like me try and become a decent gm. Thanks again for all the help/advise!

My generic advice: have plenty of maps ready for when your players set off in an unexpected direction (as they inevitably will). On a day when you have nothing else going on, sit down with a stack of graph paper and draw up maps for several generic locations: storefronts, bars, industrail complexes, plazas, etc. I garantee some of them will come in handy eventually.

In the same vein, it's always good to have plenty of extra NPC write-ups handy, even if they are just copied from the standard archetypes from the back of the Rulebook, and given specific names and maybe some customized gear.

There is no such thing as too much preparation...