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Old 02-07-2021, 07:49 AM   #11
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Kind of new to GURPS help!

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanjday View Post
4. Are there any practical tips you can give on getting your campaign off to a good start with your players generally?
I have to think about the other questions, but here's what I do.

I start by coming up with a list of several possible campaigns: genre, setting, what goal the characters will be pursuing (from "not die in the apocalypse" to "gain vast wealth and reputation"). I ask the players to rate them, and pick a campaign that everyone finds at least acceptable and as many as possible are enthusiastic about. (My specific method is to multiply the number of campaigns by 2, and give each player that many points to bid on proposals. A 0 means "I'd rather sit this one out," and I won't run a campaign that gets a 0. A 1 means "only if there's no alternative," and I try to avoid that. A 2 is average enthusiasm, and I look for a campaign that a number of people rate higher. So far I've never had anyone in a campaign they rated at 1, and very few at 2.)

I get all the players together for a "pre-session." I talk a little more about my concept for the campaign. If it's one where varied missions are possible for the PC group, I ask them to pick one. I may ask them for limits (for example, when I ran a "consulting criminals" campaign, I asked if there were any crimes their characters wouldn't take money to help commit). I ask them to propose character concepts, and try to make sure that they aren't stepping on each other's ideas.

I work with them on character design. This can start out at the pre-session, with each player ideally doing a fairly detailed sketch. But I then take their sheets, type them all into my computer, and examine each of them for (a) correct arithmetic and total cost, (b) correct use of rules, (c) whether they have any traits that aren't legal without other traits they left out, or that won't work well without those other traits (a character with Engineer but without Math (Applied), or with IQ 8, for example), and (d) whether there are any other traits that seem to fit with their concept, especially if they would make the character cooler (this is purely at the player's discretion—I'm just making suggestions). In other words, I do the work of looking through the books for players who might be daunted. I do a couple of rounds of back and forth till the player and I are both happy with the character sheet.

I run a first actual session. This is largely about getting the players familiar with the world, with how a scenario is likely to start, and with how I GM. I may face them with a threat, but if so, either it's a lower-end one that I think they can defeat, or there's an NPC available to save them if they get in too deep (think Gandalf saving Bilbo and the dwarves from the trolls).

I hope this is some help.
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