So I picked up the beginners game when it was released but found no players.. I then snagged the core rulebook, GM KIT, and six sets of dice in hopes of finding a group to play with..... Much to my delight and with suprisingly little effort I was able to find 4 players one of which being my wife. The other three were veteran rpg players and nearly as familiar as myself with the captivating universe of star wars. My wife and I had never played an Rpg before.

My first task was to speed read the immense rulebook as I wanted to skip the beginner gameplay and allow my players to develop their own characters. Then after a three hour session of character creation with everyone at a local restaurant (which we apparently overstayed our welcome at) it was off to work creating the roots of an adventure...

I started by pulling various hooks and events from the adventure in both the beginner game and events in the films. I then printed character sheets, maps, the opening dialogue and even a few reference photos for players to use during gameplay, even going so far as to make an opening crawl. After securing some quiet space at a local art gallery and grabbing a couple bottles of wine, we all met up and it was game on!!!

It was a RIOT!! Everyone had fun and by the end of the night all the players had a decent grasp of the games core mechanic and their characters immediate obligations in the outer rim. One of my players even transcribed the entire first four hour game session with illustrations!! Needless to say I was amazed at how quickly everyone stopped looking like a deer in the headlights as I explained the dice mechanic and started having fun.

My question is this... Exactly how much work should a GM be putting into the skeleton of a campaign?

Should I make an ''on rails'' story? Should I give control to the players and just provide npc's for them to shoot at? Whats more fun? The three players in my group that DO have rpg experience say they have only played games where everyone just kinda ran off doing whatever but they where happy with the structure of the story i worked up as it helped keep things moving.

I'm just curious what other GM's do

Oh and if anyone wants to read the campaigns progress just PM me.

Well I would run the printed adventures to star with until you get a handle on the rules. Then go for it. As a long time GM I normally write an outline with the important points then let the story and players develop.

The answer to this is really dependent on you and your group.

My suggestion is to do what you think will be fun, and see what the group thinks. Adjust accordingly.

True, I was gonna use the beginner adventure or long arm of the hutt but I wasn't sure how freshly created characters would have worked in those stories as they where set up for the pre-gen characters.

So far for our next session I've expanded rules introduction including space combat and after I punish the PC's with a lengthy space battle Im gonna just let them go at it, I Have plenty of NPC's awaiting them wherever they go, (most likely in the direction of whom-evers obligation was rolled )

At first obligation seemed like a pain in the ass but I can see how it gives the GM a little break as far as coming up with ''quests''

Just be prepared for the unexpected...have other ways you can continue story or skip/return to sections

what if PC's completely skip said section

what if PC's fail said section

Be prepared.. good advice. Yeah I worked up a drunk pilot for them in the last game hoping they would help him and hitch a ride on his freighter... They killed him and tied his body to a speeder as distraction...., I was a little stumped for a second after that because I wrote in a whole mess of story revolving around his character..

In my few years running games I have found that the more time I dump into NPC development the faster they die. Thus I developed a method: when devoloping background & ties be detailed, when introdusing the major/key NPC do so when the players have finished their dungeor crawl and are to week to fight the guy that's fresh and has 150% xp on them... plus as the GM you can keep important characters in the fluff between sessions till it occurs to PC's that they "need" this NPC for something.

As long as everybody is having fun, your doing your job.

I would recommend that you start to improvise now, when you have the task resolution ready, just present obstacles that the group has to overcome, so just get an idea of an NPC, who did some bad things to the galaxy. Then improvise on this, generate a list of Names for Planets, for NPC's, Vessels and then go from there.

The improvisation keeps you fresh every time, and you are more free to go in any direction your player wants, if you prepare too much, mostly you want to see your developed story arc's come into play. Essentially you take freedeom from your players when you prepare too much.

Even if you have some stops in your game play because you need to conjure up your imagination, your players will forgive it, when you involve them into the process. So when the question comes up, what happens next, discuss about the next obvious thing, and make an obstacle from it.

It's always worth investing time and effort into designing a believable, enjoyable setting and cast of characters; you shouldn't over-plan, though, as players are infamous for their ability to go off-route in an adventure. This means that if you get yourself into the mindset that an adventure will progress along a rigid path, you'll be stumped when the players avoid it entirely.

I run two games. The first is a 5 player, 6 hour per session, twice a month group in which I use interconnected story arcs (think interconnected adventure modules) and I make sure I have enough motivations and rewards to have them follow the plot. They're free to off-road the campaign as much as they want but the group tend to be really good at playing along with the story. The group are currently embroiled in deep political power plays of the Hutt families, trying to work their way up the underworld ladder.

The other group tends to be a little more chaotic in terms of who attends but contains 6 players and 2-3 hour sessions every 2 weeks. As I wouldn't get a lot of mileage pre-writing I completely improv at the table. Also this campaign turns on the high-adventure, action film style than your traditional Star Wars. So far the group has battled a cybernetically enhanced Rancor, a crashed Imperial ship full of Scout Troopers with AT-STs and just recently located a remote hidden Rebel base by pure chance, finding the mysterious only survivor of the Rebel cell.

Overall whatever approach you take, as others have said, it doesn't matter if your players are having fun. What I would recommend is don't over-prepare. If you do you'll be desperate to try and direct your players back on track and that removes some of the fun for them and for you. Some of my best stories came from something random the players did on their own.

I generally run very improvisational games, especially with experienced RPGers and players who know the campaign setting well. For EotE I have been using the Long Arm of the Hutt as the basic story guide, but letting my players freely embroider around it.

If everyone is having fun, you are doing it right.

I can't remember who on this board suggested it, but I've taken it to heart and so far it's worked really well: don't spend too much time laying out a linear story. Instead, set broad goals, and have encounters ready to deal with likely places they will end up. Through advantages and triumphs on knowledge rolls and the like the players will often invent their own path to resolving the goal.

It's also very helpful to have a stable of character types you can place almost anywhere to pop up whenever you need to nudge the players. My favourite from last game was something I ended up inventing on the spot: a blind Ithorian panhandler. The characters were looking for a way to sell some drugs they'd inherited, and used him to find it. Just dealing with him and the interchange of dialogue and credits was a lot more fun than just rolling Underworld and giving an answer.

True, I was gonna use the beginner adventure or long arm of the hutt but I wasn't sure how freshly created characters would have worked in those stories as they where set up for the pre-gen characters.

So far for our next session I've expanded rules introduction including space combat and after I punish the PC's with a lengthy space battle Im gonna just let them go at it, I Have plenty of NPC's awaiting them wherever they go, (most likely in the direction of whom-evers obligation was rolled )

At first obligation seemed like a pain in the ass but I can see how it gives the GM a little break as far as coming up with ''quests''

I definitely second the others saying that it depends more on your particular group, if they like having the freedom to go off on side quests at the drop of a hat, maybe a sandbox world is best for them in the long run.

However, I'd really recommend running some of the published games (even Escape from Mos Schuuta and Long Arm of the Hutt), because they give a lot of great examples of how to manage dice pools, when to give a boost or a setback die, and how to set up conditions and apply the dice results.

There's a lot of nuance to the game system you can absorb while you're learning by running these adventures.

The short, smart-aleck answer is, prepare as much as you need to. I'd say at first come up with a story concept. Keep it simple at first. The PCs have to deliver a shipment of spice. The PCs need to salvage cargo from a derelict. The PCs need to collect a bounty. Then come up with two or three complications. Imperial security is beefed up around the PCs destination planet. The derelict has a poison gas leak. There are rival bounty hunters. Roll on the obligation chart to see if there's another complication that can be worked into the story. From there, get the stats you need from the rulebook, including the important NPCs you'll encounter. I wouldn't say try to create an NPC just yet--see how your PCs deal with the baseline adversaries in the core rulebook.

From there, you can get some feedback from your PCs. They may not tell you in so many words, but you'll get the sense of how the PCs behave in social situations and in combat, what their tactics are, and what sort of missions they respond to.

I've been GMing for years now, and my players seem to love me running Star Wars, so I think I'm doing something right. Usually, my adventures revolve around themes or concepts I think are cool. I think of what in that theme would provide a nice hook for my players, and on some level I look at it as trying to outsmart them. PCs usually need a reason before they go off on an adventure, and if you come up with an adventure that, say, reduces the debt obligation your players have and your players have already gotten almost that amount of money while gambling, then you need a reason that will make the PCs want to take on this adventure.

From there, I come up with how I want the adventure to flow. The PCs have to take on a run that goes bad. When does the run go bad? Why does it go bad? How would I ideally like the PCs to end up at the end of the adventure? This is also the point where I start to think about the PCs motivations and try to throw in a subplot that affects one or two of them. It's great that the run would go bad, but wouldn't it be even more fun if the psychotic bounty hunter after my player's mechanic was called in as backup? Or what if the run goes bad and the pacifist in the group has to decide whether or not to pick up a weapon and violate his oath? How would that play out in the long run?

I come up with around three or four set pieces, but that's not a set number by any stretch. I create maps of the ones where players will want to see their movement and design quick maps on RP Tools. Then I stat out the bad guys. I usually have some other character that I'm ripping off, or at least a generic archtype, but nine times out of ten my players don't mind.

Then I run the adventure, and watch all my plans unravel. PCs tend to foul up your plans, so the best you can do is to put yourself in the NPCs shoes and ask, "What would this bounty hunter/ISB agent/rival smuggler do to get his/her plans back on track?" Boba Fett would react very differently than High Inquisitor Tremayne. For that matter, Boba Fett would react differently than Zuckuss or IG-88. Some NPCs would order an all-out attack. Others might have planned ahead for such an event a la Batman, and have a trap ready to go off. Still others might pull back and try again when the NPCs are unaware. The EotE dice make improv skills a must, so be prepared to have windows explode, doors shut, floors get slippery and mouse droids trip up friend and foe alike. You might event discover the adventure takes a direction that you want to follow more than your precisely crafted storyline!

Finally, just have fun with it. Players are usually pretty good about working with you and are generally pretty forgiving of mistakes. Yes, you'll probably not give them enough treasure sometimes and be way to gentle with them other times, but on the whole you'll have fun. I think if you like GMing initially you'll grow naturally into more advanced stages.

Good luck!

I don't have any better advice than what has already been posted. I just wanted to tag in to say how awesome it is to see new players/GM's brought into the hobby! Welcome aboard!

What a great story! When I read the thread title, I thought this would be a tale of a game gone wrong. How nice to see that your first GMing experience went so well!

I haven't GMed (or played) EotE yet, but I learned some great lessons during my years-long WEG Star Wars campaign, and wanted to offer them up. In short, after every session, ask each of your players (in private):

1. What did you like about the session?
2. What did you not like about the session?
3. What would you like your character to achieve in the short/long term?
4. What would you like the group to achieve in the short/long term?

With the answers to those questions in hand, you'll never have to brainstorm a story out of the blue again.

This is the best and most coherent article I've read on GMing: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?517294-The-Lazy-Man-s-Guide-to-Gamemastering

There are others out there. I have heard a lot of good things about Play Unsafe: http://www.amazon.com/Play-Unsafe-Improvisation-Change-Roleplay/dp/1434824594

One of the GMing perspectives (there are plenty of schools of thought out there) that have helped me the most is also one of the core tenets od Edge of the Empire: don't just tell the players "no", tell them "yes but" or "yes and".

If a player asks if a certain thing ingame has certain properties, say if a bridge is wooden, chances are he or she has a plan. Roll with it, Let the players' crazy ideas drive the story forward into infinity and beyond! It will make your job much easier and your sessions much more fun.

This way of GMing suits certain rpgs more than others and for EotE it is a perfect fit.

Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of roleplaying games!

Oh, one more piece of advice, talk to your players! People call it different things, I call it the social contract. Ask them about their expectations of the game and tell them about your own expectations. This will greatly help everyone to get on the same page.

I can't remember who on this board suggested it, but I've taken it to heart and so far it's worked really well: don't spend too much time laying out a linear story. Instead, set broad goals, and have encounters ready to deal with likely places they will end up. Through advantages and triumphs on knowledge rolls and the like the players will often invent their own path to resolving the goal.

I think this is good advice.

As you're new to GMing, my best advice would be to not worry about it too much. It will take some time and experience before you get a good grasp of what works best for you, personally. As such, we can offer ideas, but we can't really tell you what the best approach will be. So get in there, give it a go and see how it turns out!

Me, I like meticulous planning. However, I've noticed that if I plan too much and plot out everything, I get kinda overeager to let everything follow that path, and end up subconsciously forcing the players along the rails. That's not the kind of GM I want to be. It has taken a while, but I've come to accept that the less I prepare, the more freedom the players will have, and the better the game will be. For me, usually my plots just consist of a vague overarching goal that can fit on a sheet of paper, plus maybe some stats for important NPCs (but really, winging mook NPCs is pretty easy in most systems).

In my experience there is an awful lot of work involved in the first 2 or 3 sessions of a new campaign. I typically put in days of work during this first few session. The nature of the work will vary - game to game, but will include creating stacks of generic NPCs, finding and printing maps, coming up with some interesting complications I can throw at the players down the line based on their individual backgrounds, making lists of names (vital - you really need sheets of names by species so you can easily create NPCs on the fly. I always find it hard to come up with names for the Rodian news-seller, or the Trandoshan mercenary on the fly).

Then you'll discover the work drops off fast. Listen to the players carefully during your sessions. They'll pretty much tell you where the game is going in their table talk. If they are planning to go to Degobah, then you'll need a Degobah map for next session, if they want to chase down a Bounty Hunter its time to think about Bounty Hunter stats. I generally find with an established campaign 30 mins afer the game (following day is fine) documenting the events which happened and planning what to print is fine, and another 30 minutes the day before the next session making sure I know how I'm going to start the session

Don't plan too far ahead. Definitely don't plan out a plot on rails. You need to allow for player agency. ie. players will do whatever they want, often not what your plot requires, and you need to run with that. If you plan out a detailed plot it will probably end up in the bin quickly because players have gone off in a different direct.

One interesting trick is to document the events which will occur independent of the PCs. e.g. "3 days in the Emperor will arrive, 5 days in the asteroid will hit the north ice cap, 2 weeks in the economy will collapse, 2 days after that the Governor will call a state of emergency". Then after each session you can spend 5 mins reviewing the list and asking questions like: is this still on track or have the players derailed it? Is it still going to occur but at a different time? What is now going to happen instead? What do I need to add to the timeline?

Also generic prep is your friend. Generic Adversary stats will get used, as will generic ship, location or building maps. Dont design the 'Mayfair' Cantina, design the generic bar. Now when you use it you can add flavour text in your description, but if they chose not to visit the 'Mayfair' Cantina it will serve perfectly well 8 sessions later when they visit the 'The Dancing Twil'k' and you need a map. The same goes for Captain Rand, vs Generic Imperial Captain etc.

I agree - its fantastic.

I would recommend buying it direct from the author at his website:

http://thievesoftime.bigcartel.com/

The PDF is also available:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/106247/Play-Unsafe

In my experience there is an awful lot of work involved in the first 2 or 3 sessions of a new campaign. I typically put in days of work during this first few session. The nature of the work will vary - game to game, but will include creating stacks of generic NPCs, finding and printing maps, coming up with some interesting complications I can throw at the players down the line based on their individual backgrounds, making lists of names (vital - you really need sheets of names by species so you can easily create NPCs on the fly. I always find it hard to come up with names for the Rodian news-seller, or the Trandoshan mercenary on the fly). Then you'll discover the work drops off fast. Listen to the players carefully during your sessions. They'll pretty much tell you where the game is going in their table talk. If they are planning to go to Degobah, then you'll need a Degobah map for next session, if they want to chase down a Bounty Hunter its time to think about Bounty Hunter stats. I generally find with an established campaign 30 mins afer the game (following day is fine) documenting the events which happened and planning what to print is fine, and another 30 minutes the day before the next session making sure I know how I'm going to start the session Don't plan too far ahead. Definitely don't plan out a plot on rails. You need to allow for player agency. ie. players will do whatever they want, often not what your plot requires, and you need to run with that. If you plan out a detailed plot it will probably end up in the bin quickly because players have gone off in a different direct. One interesting trick is to document the events which will occur independent of the PCs. e.g. "3 days in the Emperor will arrive, 5 days in the asteroid will hit the north ice cap, 2 weeks in the economy will collapse, 2 days after that the Governor will call a state of emergency". Then after each session you can spend 5 mins reviewing the list and asking questions like: is this still on track or have the players derailed it? Is it still going to occur but at a different time? What is now going to happen instead? What do I need to add to the timeline? Also generic prep is your friend. Generic Adversary stats will get used, as will generic ship, location or building maps. Dont design the 'Mayfair' Cantina, design the generic bar. Now when you use it you can add flavour text in your description, but if they chose not to visit the 'Mayfair' Cantina it will serve perfectly well 8 sessions later when they visit the 'The Dancing Twil'k' and you need a map. The same goes for Captain Rand, vs Generic Imperial Captain etc.

Excellent advice, possibly the best I've read. Thanks, R00kie!

I would like to thank everyone for such good advice!

I think for the next session instead of spending hours lining up a storyboard for the PC's to follow I'm going to work up a portfolio of minions, nemesis, rivals and other NPC's that I can throw in per encounter on the fly and just find interesting ways to tie them in. My pc's have mentioned that they want more firefights so firefights they shall have.

As far as story, Each pc has quite an extensive background(thanks to the creativity of the players) and I intend to take full advantage of the Obligation system possibly even revolving the main plot around whichever obligation/obligations are rolled prior to play.

I'm starting to like the idea of more improv style playing as it gives the pc's the freedom to literally go wherever they want. although it might make having maps on hand for those encounters a little tricky but I'll have a printer handy so worst case scenario I can always just throw a ''dungeon'' together and print it on the fly if they find themselves in a cantina on Ryloth or wherever.

The coolest thing about a more laid back GM style and NPCs that have their own background and motivation is that the world takes on a life of its own.

Wait for the moment when you stop in surprise as you realise that an NPC is deciding on a course of action, not because you the GM think it fits the story but because that's what he/she/it "would do".

A very good guide is here, its also usable for advanced GM:

http://www.gamemastering.info/

Price: free PDF, but you can buy the book at amazon to support the author.