[GURPS Lite] First Time, Need Suggestions

[Stripe]

Originally Posted by Mulsiphix

I have finally done it. I finished GURPS Lite, am planning to play my first game ever, I only have one player (my wife), but was hoping to do this on Father's Day. My wife prefers the Fantasy genre but I will most likely be running our first campaign in a fantasy setting so I am open to other ideas for our first foray into GURPS. I was hoping you fine folks could offer up some suggestions or even ideas on what I should try my hand at first? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Don't take this personally, and don't let it discourage you, but under these circumstances, your first session has a lot working against it.

GURPS isn't the easiest system to play or GM. I'm 31 now, but as a kid and preteen, I DM'ed Dungeons and dragons for years before trying my hand at GURPS (third edition). I taught myself the rules without the aid of the Internet and knew them quite well before my group made the switch. Even with my players and I having a few years experience with table top RPG's it was a rocky process.

Game mastering is a skill; a skill for which you can have exceptional talent, but a skill none the less. As a skill, it gets better the more you use it.

So, what I'm saying is, your first game is likely to be your worst.


The trouble with getting bucked off now is that this is your player's first rodeo as well. Even if you decide to get back in the saddle, your player may be less enthusiastic to do so.


My biggest point of advice it to keep your first session very simple and as short as you can possibly manage. You'll be making a PC as well, and that's going to be at least a little grueling for you both.

My suggestion for a first-session outline:

   Opening Scene
         |
   Quick Combat
         |
   Big Decision
         |
   ------------
   |          |
Choice 1    Choice 2
Outcome     Outcome
   |          |
Endgame 1  Endgame 2

Here are some tips:

1. The golden rule of role playing: have fun. More specifically, as the GM, it's your primary duty to make sure the players have fun. That's not just the end goal; it should be at the center of nearly every decision you make during the course of planning and game play.
   
2. Don't have a "pet" NPC (non-player character). Normally, this is some Mary Sue of the GM's design. The PC's (player characters) should be in the spotlight, not your NPCs.
   
3. Empower your players. Role playing is about making important, meaningful choices. The PC's aren't just characters in your story; you are refereeing the PC's story. Players shouldn't be railroaded or drug on leashes into making any decision. "Do you want to save the princess or not?" That's not a decision. "Do you want to save the princess or do you want to save the kingdom instead?" Now that is a decision! Make consequences, both good and bad, to the outcomes of real decisions.
   
4. Be descriptive. Your descriptions are what sets the atmosphere and immerses the player into the game. Constantly describe every detail you can. Describe every scene such the rooms in a dungeon or streets in a town. Fully describe every NPC the PC's meet: clothes, visible equipment, height, build, hair color, demeanor from body language, etc.
   
5. Don't be a hard ass. Don't try to be the "great and powerful" GM. Don't be difficult. Be lenient. Be flexible. Be generous. Err on the side of fun. Be a "yes" GM instead of a "No" GM. Players will have worlds more fun under such conditions and you'll be considered a much better GM.

Lastly, I'll make the same offer to you as I do to each new fantasy GM on this board: I'll be happy to run your through a round of quick, basic combat through a voice chat program such as MSN messenger or Yahoo messenger. It takes about two hours. We'll use pre-generated characters and a map I drew and just call it out turn by turn as if we were sitting at the table. This will help you immensely. PM me if interested.


Whatever you do, don't let your first session be your last. They get better as they go.

Good luck!