G.M.ing for Beginners

First of all, let me be the first to admit that I keep learning about G.M.ing more and more everytime I do it. My first adventure wasn't a book adventure, and I tried to do to much, and it ended up sucking...alot. From there on I've learned quite a few things like never try to copy a video game / movie plot - Doesn't work, and never expect the players to have certain skills (Once had half the group almost drown because they didn't take swimming...) and there's more..

Getting a few things straight

You , personally, are NOT against the players by any means, you are a neutral guide in their adventures.

You will not show favoritism (or in some cases dis-favoritism :) towards any of the P.C.'s for any reason.

You will have patience with your players.  What seems obvious to you as an answer may not be so obvious to them.

And lastly, you are not God, you have no right to strike down a P.C. on a whim, alter nature, or alter natural laws of physics to stop a player from using his abilities (always exceptions of course). (i.e. "Your flight ring doesn't work here, I guess you have to swim across the river" - It's just plain stupid to do this if you want the player to get bitten by piranhas.)

Preparing and Running an Adventure

Are you doing an adventure of your own creation, or is it a book adventure?

Book adventure's are relatively easy to do... Just make sure you read far enough ahead, so you aren't scrambling to find stats on things etc.  Make sure that you remember that the book adventures are your basic outlines. Feel free to add stuff, change stats of things in the adventure etc.

If it's an adventure of your own. Make sure that you keep the least amount of N.P.C.'s with the group possible - Make sure your players are doing the adventure, not your N.P.C's that are traveling with them.

Make sure you have a BASIC outline of what's going to happen for the next meeting, and that you have everything ready for the players. If you make the outline set in stone, you're headed for trouble. Player's will sometimes go wrong ways, out of the way, or whatever else and then you're screwed. If they do go the wrong way, the key word is "improvise". Get them back on track in your adventure.

Make sure your adventure is leading up to something, or gives the players a goal of sorts. Some simple beginning adventures are listed below.  Basically, Just try to keep the plot simple until you feel you're experienced enough to add multiple plots and such.

Tailor the adventure to the power of the group, and not to any one player. Don't expect a couple of lvl 1 P.C.'s to destroy an elemental, and do NOT make the adventure around any one P.C.  The other players will soon grow bored, and what if that P.C. dies?  Then what...you're whole adventure is screwed.

About killing P.C.'s. Do not make it the point of the adventure..duh.  But if it happens, it happens. Just try to make sure it's the P.C.'s own fault for the death. (i.e. He didn't have to jump into battle, he could have ran, or he didn't have to go after the treasure buried in the volcano side). Most of the time it is their fault. just make sure that this never happens: (Kinda of extreme but) - "Your walking along, you trip and break your neck and die, make a new character"

Stress which ever your player's like more.. Fighting or actual roleplaying, but try to keep a good balance between the two (It's easy to say, but...) I always stress that fighting isn't the only way to get experience, thinking, playing alignment, doing skills, being brave, or talking yourself out of a battle all get you vast amounts of experience.. don't forget them.  This isn't D&D!

Experience... Don't be Santa Claus or Mr. Scrooge. Give em what they deserve, no more, no less.

Now, I highly suggest you read the G.M. and Player tips for some more advanced tips on G.M.ing.  The above ones just scraped the surface.  Check dem tips out!

Easy Adventure Ideas

Well, now you know how to make a great adventure, but where to start, well here's some idea's to get that mind working

The Dungeon / Cave treasure hunt. The simplest adventure around. Maybe one of the players was fishing and he caught an old bottle with a treasure map in it that shows land the players are familiar with, and a big X over a cave entrance. Then just draw an inside cave maze of adjoining rooms, maybe even throwing in some riddles and secret compartments. Have a few enemies that the players have to get past, like maybe it leads into trogolite caves, and the players might have to get past a few of them.  Whatever your mind can think of, and either just have different treasures hidden through out the cave / dungeon, or have one specific treasure hoard.  Maybe you found the legendary (made up) treasure of the pirate, Cock-eyed Smitty.

Mercenary adventure. The classic: Rich man hires the P.C.'s to retrieve something for him.  Maybe from deep within the Great Northern Wilderness, and the characters find that now a small wolfen tribe worships the object that needs to be retrieved.  Maybe the Wolfen tribe refuses to give it up unless the P.C.'s greatest warrior can defeat the tribes greatest warrior in some sort of contest.  (Fight to death, arm wrestling, endurance, race, riddles, etc...)  Maybe once that object is retrieved it's found to be evil in nature, and the "rich man" might have evil intentions...now what...

Other Ideas....

What I do is just pick up a random palladium book, glance through it, and if you know how to look, you'll see adventures all over just waiting to be used.  Here's one example that I've bet you've never even seen:  Look at page 267, the Palladium 2nd ed. main book.  Look for the Drug called Lavaryta, and have some fun (would be nice if you had a psionic in the group)

Have your players write up backgrounds of their guys, you can always use these as subplots in adventures and it will make the adventure a whole lot more interesting often offering tough decisions to the P.C.'s, and it will be easier to get them to play in alignment and disposition if you know they have a previous hatred or love for something.  Check out the descriptions on the characters on the main page and you'll see what I mean.

Now, are you ready to share with the world one of your adventures or adventure ideas or a G.Ming tip???  Well, send it to me, your name will be honored right next to your entry.  C'mon don't be shy :)