I'm going to run Dark Heresy 1st Edition. I'm a tolerably good GM, but my experience has been with systems with far fewer "fiddly" bits to remember (e.g., Savage Worlds). I've excluded (at least from the beginning) the expansion books to restrict the vast amount of Information I'm pretty sure I'm not going to remember.
Any thoughts on how to handle this - my concern is not being able to remember all of the skills, talents, combat rules, etc.
Don't even try to remember all the skills and talents, just note which ones your characters and NPCs have. Use Note cards for stuff that's more complicated.
Have you considered picking up the GM screen? It's a great reference for combat.
The GM Screen seems to be out of print for some time, at least you can't get it or the core book, in Sweden anymore.
During your first session, just take a note of the things that 'catch' with you. Later, print/photocopy the sections you slogged through and put them in an easy to use binder for quick flips. That's how I tend to learn/operate
Don't hesitate to simplify.
For combat, for example - if you look at the 'taster' adventures, they just had a single armour value, and used 'zero wounds = dead' rather than using locations and critical damage. Whilst it makes combat more risky for the Acolytes, I don't see that as a bad thing, and it isn't half simpler. Equally, if you just use fate points as rerolls and extra lives to start with, and add in other uses as people get used to the game, that helps bed in basic ideas.
Also, start the players at basic level 1. You'll find they won't have more than a couple of talents each, so as noted it's easy to write a quick reminder of what they all do and you don't need to refer to any of the others.
Print out a copy of a character sheet for yourself as well - it's a quick reference of what skills exist (when deciding what check to call for).
Wish I had thought of that, since I'm having the same problem. The other night when I was play testing the combat rules I forgot that once you figure out initiative order it stays the same. Instead I was rolling for every round.
For NPCs, generalize: you average citizen got 30 in all stats, some decent guy got 35, top guns got 40-45, and other elite NPCs may have even better.
Note the skills/talents your PC have and what can be of use as well for your mission and NPCs
Examples:
-Step aside allows for a second dodge reaction per round. A good skill for top guns/elites NPC.
-Total Recall: a talent that Adepts/Tech-Priests have allowing them to remember pretty much everything.
-Two-weapon wielder (melee)+Ambidextrous+Swift attack: combining those 3 talents. one can manage to do 3 attacks in a round with a full action at -10 each. (2 with one weapon with swift attack, then the 'second one' with two-weapon wielder.)
In the end really, it's all about reading the book and keeping notes/tabs, and/or reviewing the PC's sheet once in a while to see what they have.
Edited by BraddocIf you don't remember a rule when it comes up, unless you are absolutely certain where in the book it is and can reference it in under 30 seconds, don't pause the game to reference the rulebook. Make a ruling and keep the game moving. Make a note of whatever it was and look it up later.
This has the benefit of keeping the game moving and exciting, and I've found that I remember things better if I have to look it up after a session to answer the question I wrote in my notes, so you'll do this less and less as you learn the game.
What CPS said. Really, it's one of the Really Big Better GM'ing Tips. You might also want to speed-read the sub-system rules between sessions for your first couple of games. Subsystems being stuff like how psychic powers work, as opposed to the particulars of individual psychic powers.
You might also want to stick a post-it on your GM screen or equivalent, with the following question in big, fat, friendly letters: "Am I prepared for all the possible outcomes of this dice roll?" Because if you're not, don't roll the dice. You're the GM, it's your call, and dice rolling yourself out of your depth is never going to add anything good to your gaming experience.
Also, try not to worry about the rules and instead worry about what your players are having fun with, and play to those things. If your players for some reason take a special interest in an NPC of yours, give them more of that NPC. When your players go: "hey, what if... ?" You should seriously consider turning that what if into fact.
When you're all still getting used to the system, setting and adventure/campaign, the most important part is to not worry about any of that stuff at all, and just making sure you're all having enough fun that you feel like trying it again
Ultimately, the system is not the game. It's just a handy tool and really no different from a handful of dice. I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of the reason much less complex systems are as popular as they are, is because a lot of people feel some sort of obligation to play by the rules, even when doing so gets in the way of the fiction. I know I went about things that way when I was a great deal younger, and it really is a completely backwards way of approaching roleplaying. If you have some sort of rules dilemma you feel compelled to work out while you're playing, do what CPS said: make a note of it for after the game and forget about it for now. If you can't decide what to do, just go with whatever the player(s) are hoping for or dreading the most.
I find it handy to simplify NPCs
1. Condense NPC stats to a 1-10 range and roll their tests on 1d10
2. Give then a "resistance" stat by combining toughness bonus and armour value so you have their damage reduction to hand.
3. Make the hit that takes them to zero wounds a critical hit with no deductions or just make up a suitibly horrible death.
4.Never be afraid to create new weapons and armour that do what you want them to rather than being tied to books.
I find it handy to simplify NPCs
1. Condense NPC stats to a 1-10 range and roll their tests on 1d10
2. Give then a "resistance" stat by combining toughness bonus and armour value so you have their damage reduction to hand.
3. Make the hit that takes them to zero wounds a critical hit with no deductions or just make up a suitibly horrible death.
4.Never be afraid to create new weapons and armour that do what you want them to rather than being tied to books.
Items 1-3 work great for mooks. For enemies who are supposed to be more of a challenge, it may be more interesting to use the critical charts (steps 1-2 are fine).
I'm going to recommend against step 4 unless you have a solid understanding of the game's math. Creating a weapon that looks good on paper but totally ruins a PC in one shot is way too easy.
I find it handy to simplify NPCs
1. Condense NPC stats to a 1-10 range and roll their tests on 1d10
2. Give then a "resistance" stat by combining toughness bonus and armour value so you have their damage reduction to hand.
3. Make the hit that takes them to zero wounds a critical hit with no deductions or just make up a suitibly horrible death.
4.Never be afraid to create new weapons and armour that do what you want them to rather than being tied to books.
Items 1-3 work great for mooks. For enemies who are supposed to be more of a challenge, it may be more interesting to use the critical charts (steps 1-2 are fine).
I'm going to recommend against step 4 unless you have a solid understanding of the game's math. Creating a weapon that looks good on paper but totally ruins a PC in one shot is way too easy.
Also, it's absolutely vital to keep in mind that any weapon/armour/cool toy that you kit out a bad guy with will almost certainly end up in the hands of the PCs...
Also, it's absolutely vital to keep in mind that any weapon/armour/cool toy that you kit out a bad guy with will almost certainly end up in the hands of the PCs...
This is why things like Spectacular Demise and Critical Damage are your friends. If you give an opponent something your players shouldn't have, let your players wreck it beyond repair for you
Pretty much. Pack your BBEG with a suicide vest of detonation packs and frags and hope for that crit result that explodes all of the ammo on his person.
What's a BBEG?
What's a BBEG?
Ah, thanks
)
I do this and our combats flow very well.
Run lots of sample combats by yourself to familiarize yourself with the rules/stat blocks.