GM Needs Help (again) Options

[Omar the Falcon]

Ok, two games down, and we have the combat rules pretty well figured. Some more questions came up, but things went smooth. I totally forgot the professional rating, so some guards that should of taken moderate wounds and taken off fought to the death.. but anyway.


What I could use some help with is a basic overview of how you other GM's run a typical gaming session? You sit down at the table with your friends... and how do you start? I have a great adventure from the SR2 book "Mission" for a DocWagon HTR team that I want to use.. but I cant really figure out how to get the games started.

Someone mentioned something along the lines of "Its Tuesday, March 22, and 0800 hours. Weather is a light drizzle with some smog when you wake up... what would you like to do today?" Does that work? Should I just let the guys kinda find their own way before dropping a run in their laps?

The book provides for the hook, describes the meet with the 'johnson', but what then? Is it typical to encourage them to check with their contacts for more info? How do you go about doing that? How about when they want to go buy gear, or just general day to day life stuff?

I mean, is it just "hey, I am going to give my buddy Krazy Koslov the fixer a call, check out the details that I got from the johnson." then I roll the appropriate dice to find out what they found? Or "I need to buy a new case of ammo for my Ares LMG" and the appropriate dice rolls?


Just wondering if anyone would be so kind as to write up a basic run through of how you do things. I want things to be detailed for these guys, as they spent alot of time on their characters.. but at the same time I dont want it to take hours for them to do fairly mundane (but necessary) tasks. Keep the game smooth and all that.


Thanks if advance to anyone who is willing to help me out!

[Kagetenshi]

We've got some session logs up that could give you an idea of how our sessions go—I'll post a link if the group gives their approval.

~J

[Omar the Falcon]

That would be a great help! Thanks!

[Rajaat99]

Well, after a nice 30 to 60 minutes of BS talk, we actually sit down at the table. Then another 30 to 60 minutes of BS, then we start to play.
I start most of my games in one, or two ways.
1) If the characters are not right in the middle of things, I start it exactly how you stated it above. "Your alarm goes off right at noon with a loud buzz. You can hear rain drops striking your window outside. What do you do?" Something like that.
2) Or if my players were right in the middle of something when we had to stop. I say, "Ok, when you last left our "heroes" (I make quote marks in the air), they were driving to the meet. It was raining outside and you just flipped that guy off. Ok? Ok. You arrive at The Matchstick at 6:55PM, what do you do?"
My games are very player driven, I try not to steer them to obviously or forcefully in any direction.

[Omar the Falcon]

So, lets take option 1. Can you give me an example of a typical game session when you start off like this?


I am just having no luck trying to get things started. The players are all somewhat new to SR, and I dont want to lead them too forcefully (though I will drop some things in their lap), but what is a typical reaction from your players to Opening #1?

[Cain]

Opening 1 is a "Set the Scene" type of deal. The goal is to get descriptive, and try to draw your players into character. Most players will take a few minutes to settle into character. How well they settle in kinda depends on your skill as a GM, but generally most players are going to be accomodating.

Not long after option 1 comes the adventure hook. Generally, it's a fixer or Johnson calling to set up a meet. However, it could be something tailored to the individual player. For example, the Queen Euphoria module, I replaced the hook with a dead friend of one of the PC's, and they noticed that his credsticks had been used after his death.

[Kagetenshi]

Run archive. Poorly organized and with two games mixed together, but it should give you some idea of how we run. I'll try to dig up a specific good example session to look at.

~J

[Platinum]

When I am gm'ing a session ... I start off with the char waking up to take care of any little business they need too before the run starts. Top up on some last minute supplies, etc. If the group knows each other, one of the chars gets a call from a contact and told to assemble the team at a local establishment to meet the J. If they don't know each other, then each in turn will get a message left on their machine, note in the door etc, from a contact or left cryptically to meet at the same place. Then introductions and social jockeying takes place from there. I only free form stuff now, making some point form notes, and having plenty of precreated maps on hand, because the players never ever do what I think they will ... and always throw me curve balls.

[fistandantilus4....]

[Lazarus]

This is a pretty broad question but I'll throw my two cents in the hat and hope it helps.

Cain is pretty much right on the nuyen when it comes to the set up and the hook. Usually you do this type of stuff if you run a typical campaign run, you're just starting out as a GM and as players, or if your players like this style of play.

Some points I'm about to make you may have already heard so I apologize if I'm rehashing old news.

First you have ask yourself what you hope to gain out of the experience of GMing. It sounds corny in a self-helpish sort of way but really why are you running a game? Nothing better to do on a Friday night? Don't want to play a Halo LAN party? Want your friends to come over to your house so you won't be lonely? Or are you one of crazies that likes to be creative and this is an outlet (Guilty!)? Don't skip this question because it's important. I’m assuming because you took the time to write a post like this you're the last kind.

The next question you need to find out is what do your players hope to get out of your game? Do you have players that just want to play Troll Street Sams who get to run the Barrens with Panther Cannons checking to see "How many shots u think it take before zat building totally collaspes?" Or do they like the cyberpunk atmosphere? Also what type of campaign do they want to play? Action-oriented like Blade or Rambo? Do they want more of a Tom Clancy feel? Or are they Blade Runner purists? With these things in mind you can better design a campaign.

As for GMing it just takes time. You'll develop your own style. Myself I like more of an open ended game session. I like players to do a lot of work on their own. I hate leading players around by the nose from one scene to the next. I love it when a player comes up with an awesome idea that shoots the opposition's plans to hell. Also remember your players aren't their characters. Sometimes you might need to remind the Decker that "Hey you know you can chase down leads on the Matrix. In fact that would probably be the first thing your character would do." I know it seems like you’re being too nice but sometimes I can honestly picture a character in the Ether wanting to yell at his player for doing something out of character.

However you gotta get the action moving somehow. When I start a run I sometimes do the whole "Your vid phone is beeping. Caller ID says it's your Fixer Mr. Smith." After that it's role-playing. But if I'm GMing a group of amoral bastards I'm not going to expect them to take a Hood Run. Not going to happen not matter how much I like the story.

Remember players are sort of like Actors. You have to give them motivation to do something. That's why it helps if you know the player character's history, personality, basically the twenty questions section. If you have a player whose sole character is attributes, skills, and gun stats then he's not going to care about anything except combat.

Just try to have fun with it basically. Eventually you'll find your niche.

[DireRadiant]

One thing I've seen as very useful for a multi session adventure or long running campaign is the previous session recap.

Start of the session hand out one karma to the player who explains what happens last session and what's on the plate for today. (Extra karma for in character recaps, or character pov recap)

Reminds people of the fun they had last time, and gets them warmed up for the upcoming session.

[Rajaat99]

[Omar the Falcon]

That helps alot actually... thank you very much!

I am working on a detailed reply to the other responses. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to reply. More importantly, I think my players will thank you.

[Omar the Falcon]

[Omar the Falcon]

[Lazarus]

[Rajaat99]

Omar sent me a message asking me to explain a little more. I did, but I thought I'd put it here also, just in case anyone else needed it too.

[Kagetenshi]

Your players should be glad they didn't meet the parallel crusher.

~J

[tisoz]

[Kagetenshi]

I usually open the first game with the players all getting calls from their various jobfinder-people about a job. What they write about their character can help, but really, characters don't have personalities until at least the first time they interact with another character.

~J

[tisoz]

[Kagetenshi]

Incidentally, remember, if your players are DocWagon employees, it is their job to spray fire around indiscriminately on any HTR job. Every bystander they hit could be a DocWagon customer, which means another response, which means more money. Encourage each of them to buy one or more machine pistols or SMGs with extended magazines and to learn the suppressive fire rules.

~J

[tisoz]

[Kagetenshi]

Yes, but those contracts are very expensive—assuming the contracts are at least break-even on a response up to Gold (which costs in itself more than a Lone Star cop makes during the coverage period, and is the last level where some portion of HTR costs other than death benefits are paid by the customer), the cost for a contract that will lose them money if they shoot you is less than a thousand nuyen per month shy of the cost of a full Middle lifestyle. Basically, spraying around ammo is a good idea unless they're in executiveland.

~J

[Taran]

Because I like it and it's a good illustration of our personal play style, I'll (re?)post this run log.