Great write up. I don't think I ever read that one on the old site.
Desslok and I have been GMing assorted games for each other for, more like 20 years then 10. He has always done a great job capturing the big and dramatic moments. My stories tend to focus on more of the smaller, day to day heroics of the team. Both styles have there place and have led to a great deal of fun for our group.
While I might not agree with the OPs stance on some of these issues, the OP did a good job outlining the issues a GM needs to be aware of and have an approach for.
Good spirit in the original post, but much of it boiled down to "creative people good at improvising are better GM's."
well written and thought out. I also like the civilized counterpoints. well defended and good all around advice by everyone. thanks all.
I always roll my GM's dice rolls in front of the players now. I used to fudge all the time behind a screen for what I thought was making the game more balanced, but then I thought "what's the point of even having dice"? I could just make up a result.
Now I believe the way to handle a series of poor dice results is to have contingencies to cope with unexpected success or failure.
I had written that well before I actually played the game. But now that I have a couple of sessions (more or less) under my belt, interestingly enough, the EotE engine supports my Flexible Dice position (AKA the Dice Are Crap bullet points). With the threat/despair/advantage/triumph mechanic, it makes it easy to avoid out-and-out killing The Bad Guy (or killing the players) in one lucky hit. A blown roll does not necessarily mean a dead party or a prematurely ended game.
So yes, I'll stand by my opinion that Dice Are Crap (kinda) and the story is more important!
A contribution I'd like to make is to be sure to understand what the players in your party need. By this, I mean every party is made up of different people, and collectively their needs from you may be different than other players described in this thread.
In some games, some players hate the feeling of "playing on rails" and require far more sandboxy freedom. But that is not the case for everyone. Some players, like mine, require a bit more nudging and direction. When given absolute freedom, they tend to be overwhelmed by it and can't decide on what to do. There's nothing wrong with that.
Understanding what your players enjoy also will help you craft encounters. For the example of the big baddie taken out in one shot, sure some players may really enjoy that. Others may feel let down. There is no one correct answer. It's all about what the players need to have fun, and you are there to facilitate it.
So while it is important to listen to other GMs here, ultimately you need to understand your own players and what makes things the most enjoyable for them.
Truth there.
I play in two groups. One (the one with Desslock) is very story heavy, lots of role play. Action is fast and dramatic. Figures are only used for vague reference of where things are.
The other group focuses much more on the numbers. We play systems where moves are counted out, long periods of time are spent getting equipment just right. Less role playing, more strategy.
I enjoy both groups. They're both fun, but the styles and likes of the players are very different.
Edited by Split LightGreat tips. I am often surprised how often fun is left out of the game session.
I post you the best advice i could find on the internet:
http://www.gamemastering.info/
This ebook is totally awesome, it has so much good stuff in it, i just could not recommend it enough. I am sure, that even experienced GM´s can pick something up from the book.
My personal advice is the following:
Buy a second GM Screen, one that is system neutral, and allows to insert your own pages. Use this GM screen as a campaign reminder. Draw your NPC network on it, write down how each of your player character looks, what their motivations are, what their need is. Use one side of the GM screen with a name list, for made up NPC´s. and simple traits for these.
Do a alien research for the starwars galaxy, write down the alien names and besides it, the translation: i.e.
Bothans => lionpeaple, Gamoreans (space orc ) etc. Have some planets barley laid out, to use as you go. (Name, atmosphere, type of civilization if any , etc.)
On the right side, of the GM screen, write down some reminders, what you want to try out, and which ascpect of your adventure shall shine today, or your basic storyline which should be very compressed, to give you an overview at which
stage you are at the moment, or simple conflicts which may arise etc.
You could use this screen when you are out of combat, most of the time as a cheat sheet.
The Edge of Empire screen still makes sense in action /rules heavy situation, but i think in story mode this screen
works as a kind of telepromter. (Dont forget, youre not the "news guy").
I personally created an association deck, for my players to generate story´s, we brainstorm as a group over NPC , and plot twist cards i created from the very basic plot elements. I make bascally use of: "Once upon a time" the card game, but i created my own version of it. (Fantasy themed.) I still need to do it for a scfi plots, as they differ quite a lot.
Edited by sangeet
Interesting points, though I disagree with half of them.