I can tell you I personally find reading and studying a premade adventure more work than making one. On top of that, they can be kind of railroad-like.

When ran Pathfinder, I would spend HOURS and HOURS prepping. I mean like a 4 hour game would be perhaps 12-16 hours between conception and notes. EotE I spend about 4-6 hours prepping a session... the system is just that easy to prep for me.

Here are a few tips

1) Make 3-4 generic encounters, ones you can put anywhere. Random thugs, law enforcement, Bounty Hunters, etc. These can be pulled out anytime your players want to go off somewhere you have not planned. IMPORTANT: Never let them know! Always seem like things are prepaired this way.

2) Use the Adversaries Statblocks. They are your friend. Need an alien baddie? Grab that Defel Assassin... rename it what you want... GO! Occupationally swap out a Talent or two to keep it interesting.

3) When your characters seem to be completely off track and going completely off from the story, keep your eyes peeled for a way to steer the story back. Do not railroad them by forcing them to go somewhere, just change it to fit what they are doing. If they are supposed to goto the Cantina for an encounter and they goto the Ship Hanger... figure out a way to work the same thing there. IMORTANT: Never let them know.

4) Do not be afraid to come up with interesting mechanics, special rules (a la Mini games). I have done several things to mix things up. I have had a "Social Combat" for example. Use strain and have them battle like combat but with words. Use the Sabbatt rules in the Game Day adventure. I also will make "Environmental Criticals" that players can trigger with Triumphs (your blaster blows off a steam valve and causes these effects) Stuff like that.

5) Listen to the "Order 66 Podcast" and "Happy Jack's RPG Podcast." Order 66 is just awesome because the hosts are great and it is all about EotE. Happy Jack's is almost exclusively about GMing and full of tips. Especially the lastest Season 10 episodes. WARNING: Happy Jacks is for Mature audiences. LOL

Oop sorry, just thought of a couple other things...

6) Checkout these books at Engine Publishing. I have not checked out this Odyssey one yet, but the other 3 are great.

7) Seriously.... do not let them know! It is okay to LATER after the adventure say to them "Oh man, you were supposed to do this... but then I threw together this random thing and then got you back ontrack here... but it was supposed to go over there!" but NEVER let them think you are lost... never miss a beat if possible.

8) This is the most important.... make sure everyone has fun

As most people have said here, this really depends on you. Jay Little, the game's designer, runs his campaigns with basically no preparation. He usually has a single word or sentence to start with, and runs the entire session from there by the seat of his pants. Others that work on the game do a fair bit of campaign and adventure preparation. Some people like to have maps and unique NPCs built beforehand, but none of that is really required. The more work you put in beforehand, the more there is potential for you to have some very cool planned moments, but EotE thrives on the unplanned cool moments, with the triumph and despair mechanics. So I really think if any system is built to run with zero prep, it's EotE.

With all of the advice already up here, I've little more to add save the following:

1. Golden rule: everyone needs to have fun, INCLUDING you.

2. You get what you give. The more you can give your players the more they can work with.

3. It's not your story, it's our story. While you've got a bunch of really cool scenes in your head, the players do as well. In many ways GMing is more akin to being a Judge/Ref than a "master" of anything. The PC's will tell you what story their characters are going to tell, you just need to set up the stage and provide the challenges to help them be more than they are.

4. Repeat after me: "What are you trying to/do you want to do?" Negotiate isn't just a skill on the character sheet. Be flexible, but never break.

The feedback to date has been good. It really depends on your 'style'

Some GMs do best with a detailed session (requiring much preparation)

Some GMs do best with just a loose outline (requiring much ad-libbing)

There is no right answer - it depends on your GM style and the preferences of the group. As long as the fun level is high, it's the right move.

I like to try and pre-write my sessions which means I usually spend at least three hours on each one during the week before we actually play. I like to try to write a story that has branching encounters that will generally lead to the same outcome or outcomes. This way my players feel like they have an effect on the outcome of each session while they do not completely blow up my overall plot line with their actions. There is no way that I have found to completely prevent them from taking things in a direction you did not expect and often times my favorite sessions involve them doing something I do not expect. It keeps me on my toes.

The feedback to date has been good. It really depends on your 'style'

Some GMs do best with a detailed session (requiring much preparation)

Some GMs do best with just a loose outline (requiring much ad-libbing)

There is no right answer - it depends on your GM style and the preferences of the group. As long as the fun level is high, it's the right move.

I would like to add however, it is more about BOTH the players and GM's style. If you do a ton of prepping and try to take a bunch of people used to Fate or another rules light system and over plan, they will actually start fighting you... doing things like "You see the stonghold in front of you! It looks menacing!" and they go "Screw that... lets goto the cantina and play sabacc" derailing the whole thing. lol

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.

I like to try and pre-write my sessions which means I usually spend at least three hours on each one during the week before we actually play. I like to try to write a story that has branching encounters that will generally lead to the same outcome or outcomes. This way my players feel like they have an effect on the outcome of each session while they do not completely blow up my overall plot line with their actions. There is no way that I have found to completely prevent them from taking things in a direction you did not expect and often times my favorite sessions involve them doing something I do not expect. It keeps me on my toes.

I would serious advise against anything that "Rails" the PCs. This will make a lot of players start actually trying to squirm out of the rails and can end up ruining things.

The way I am trying to setup stuff is make scenes and things that are happening WITHOUT the PC's intervention... a set group of events that are going to happen... or things intercepting the PCs. I then leave it for them to: interact, change, ruin or otherwise Mess-up. Remember, THEY are the heroes of the story, not your NPCs.

That said, it depends on the players. Some players can be less into the role-play portion of the game and are looking for a story with some combat. These players will handle a rails story better.

My group kind of falls in the middle of these two, though I am trying to steer them more into the less railed bit with the next "Phase" of my campaign.

Some players can be less into the role-play portion of the game and are looking for a story with some combat. These players will handle a rails story better.

This is my group. I've tried doing sandbox. the players mostly either stagnated or went straight for the prize, ignoring all the parepheral happenings. Though that was partly my fault I did throw them on the same planet as Vader, I should have expected them to not linger long.

I don't think they realize they are doing it, but subconsciously, they lean on me heavily to provide them where to go next. Normally they don't take the initiative and they never pick up any subtle clues I hand them. If I need them to go somewhere specific or do something, I have to be very explicit or very heavy-handed.

One of the more amusing suggestions: "If you can't think of why a slicing check would have some black dice on it, then not enough of the room is on fire."

I have a player who comments after every session that he wishes there was a way combat could go faster.

I feel like we're doing pretty well but he is playing 41-VEX and may not feel like he gets enough fun stuff to do.

I'm trying to brainstorm interesting tactics for the enemies to take during fights, so I don't find myself kinda forgetting about that aspect. Once the enemies have hunkered down behind some rocks, if I don't think about what they should do, they just stay there and shoot.

I'm trying to brainstorm interesting tactics for the enemies to take during fights, so I don't find myself kinda forgetting about that aspect. Once the enemies have hunkered down behind some rocks, if I don't think about what they should do, they just stay there and shoot.

Some ideas that might help:

• Throw a grenade
• Lay down cover fire while two or more split off and outflank the PCs
• Call for reinforcements
• Shoot out the lights
• Create a distraction and then run away
• Create a situational hazard such as blasting the supports on the platform that the PCs are on, cause a cave in, blow up a nearby vehicle, etc.
• Stop firing and try to talk the PCs into an alternative deal, bribe them, give them a clue to some other part of the adventure, arrange a meeting with a key crime boss, etc.
• Surrender, throw down their weapons, accept capture, but plan to break out later with concealed lockpicks/whatever and steal their ship
• Rig up a droid with a remote activated bomb and have it "take one for the team"

GM'ing can definitely be a challenge. I find that the hardest thing for me is to make everyone happy.

Last session, one of the players said he wanted to hide around a corner during a combat situation involving 4 different parties. Some of the parties had multiple groups. So this turned into a full scale engagement almost considering the amount of bodies involved.

Well, I lost track of what the player was doing and had some Imperials fire at him, and wound him. Next thing I know, the character won't look me in the eye and just says cold heartedly "I guess I should have just had my character stand out in the open to take a shot at an enemy because apparently they can see and fire through walls. No! No it's okay. I don't mind." And this has evolved into a passive aggressive conversation throughout the session... It was a bit uncalled for considering I apologized and have to keep track of so much.

GM'ing can definitely be a challenge. I find that the hardest thing for me is to make everyone happy.

Last session, one of the players said he wanted to hide around a corner during a combat situation involving 4 different parties. Some of the parties had multiple groups. So this turned into a full scale engagement almost considering the amount of bodies involved.

Well, I lost track of what the player was doing and had some Imperials fire at him, and wound him. Next thing I know, the character won't look me in the eye and just says cold heartedly "I guess I should have just had my character stand out in the open to take a shot at an enemy because apparently they can see and fire through walls. No! No it's okay. I don't mind." And this has evolved into a passive aggressive conversation throughout the session... It was a bit uncalled for considering I apologized and have to keep track of so much.

That's... unfortunate. You made a little mistake (who doesn't?), and apologized, and your player felt the need to whine for the rest of the session.

Had he been a sport about it (about the game you're running for his entertainment!), he might have found himself the recipient of a little extra XP or a groovy little piece of gear. Instead, he's probably established himself as someone you'd like out of the group...

You know, we all fret about GMing - "Am I doing it right? How can I do it better? Am I respecting the canon? Are my players happy?"

Maybe we need a thread around here about how to be a better player!

GM'ing can definitely be a challenge. I find that the hardest thing for me is to make everyone happy.

Last session, one of the players said he wanted to hide around a corner during a combat situation involving 4 different parties. Some of the parties had multiple groups. So this turned into a full scale engagement almost considering the amount of bodies involved.

Well, I lost track of what the player was doing and had some Imperials fire at him, and wound him. Next thing I know, the character won't look me in the eye and just says cold heartedly "I guess I should have just had my character stand out in the open to take a shot at an enemy because apparently they can see and fire through walls. No! No it's okay. I don't mind." And this has evolved into a passive aggressive conversation throughout the session... It was a bit uncalled for considering I apologized and have to keep track of so much.

That's... unfortunate. You made a little mistake (who doesn't?), and apologized, and your player felt the need to whine for the rest of the session.

Had he been a sport about it (about the game you're running for his entertainment!), he might have found himself the recipient of a little extra XP or a groovy little piece of gear. Instead, he's probably established himself as someone you'd like out of the group...

You know, we all fret about GMing - "Am I doing it right? How can I do it better? Am I respecting the canon? Are my players happy?"

Maybe we need a thread around here about how to be a better player!

I do say that sounds like a capital idea!

I can tell you I personally find reading and studying a premade adventure more work than making one. On top of that, they can be kind of railroad-like.

I've run the Beginner's Game a few times and I haven't felt comfortable running it ever because, despite reading through it multiple times, I just can't remember everything, there are specific encounters to check off, and the player's wanted to do things that weren't in there. My main issue is I think I'd have more fun being a player than a GM but, even though I have a guy in my potential group that's been a GM exclusively for other RPGs, I am the only one that has the Core Book and Beginner's Adventure. I have been wanting to get the players together, but I feel like I'm terrible at GMing (based on how "well" running the Beginner's Game has gone the times I've run it). Do you think I'd be better off if I sketched out adventures on my own that weren't so rigid? I really want to play this game but I feel like if I don't step up to GM, it won't happen.

I can tell you I personally find reading and studying a premade adventure more work than making one. On top of that, they can be kind of railroad-like.

I've run the Beginner's Game a few times and I haven't felt comfortable running it ever because, despite reading through it multiple times, I just can't remember everything, there are specific encounters to check off, and the player's wanted to do things that weren't in there. My main issue is I think I'd have more fun being a player than a GM but, even though I have a guy in my potential group that's been a GM exclusively for other RPGs, I am the only one that has the Core Book and Beginner's Adventure. I have been wanting to get the players together, but I feel like I'm terrible at GMing (based on how "well" running the Beginner's Game has gone the times I've run it). Do you think I'd be better off if I sketched out adventures on my own that weren't so rigid? I really want to play this game but I feel like if I don't step up to GM, it won't happen.

I find it helpful to focus on the "movers and shakers" of the adventure and specific scenes or meetings that are important to the plot. If you can manage to remember the main NPCs and what their goals are much of the rest comes natural if you've read through the adventure at least once.

For Escape from Mos Shuuta those "movers and shakers" could be Trex the Trandoshan Bounty Hunter (goal: keep his ship), Vern the Junk dealer (goal: buy cheap and sell for much more), Lieutenant Herkin (goal: impress his superiours and Teemo) and perhaps the commander for space control (I can't remember her name) with a goal of doing things by the book.

With the help of that cast of characters and their short goals it becomes that much easier to free form the rest of the adventure and adapt it to the unavoidable screw-ups of the players.

This works for me. Just throwing it out there...

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.

The methods i use for constructing a campaign outline and it's contents are as follows. Note: Every GM is different.

1: I spend approximately 20-30 minutes drawing up the rough outline of the first 2-3 parts in a given scenario. By doing so

it allows for more detail to be added as needed.After all, describing the detail of the landscape is fine, but most player's want to see what awaits them within said landscape.

2: I create an encounter sheet containing two sections.The first section contains the major important encounters within the sections i outlined,while the additional encounters i add can transpire at any given time when needed.This ensures that even though the major encounters will take place,there will always be room for the unexpected.

3: I will add further detail to important locations in which the major encounters will transpire.

This whole process will take me about an hour to and hour and a half within the entire week itself.The one thing to always remember is to balance free-form and rails to every scenario.This allows freedom for the player's to explore while keeping things moving in a given direction.But the most important thing to remember is to keep the ability of adjusting everything on the fly should the player's move in a different direction or they attempted specific things unplanned.Like i stated, every GM is different.