This article is intended to relieve GM stress, and give you and your gaming group the best possible shot at having a good time (or, even more valuable, reducing the likelihood of a bad time).
While these strategies have worked for many GMs, your mileage may vary. The only way to find out for sure is to try them, and see what you think!
Ok, here’s the scenario: You’ve decided to run a tabletop game, and you can’t wait to start your first session for your friends and/or family. They’re excited, you’re excited, and everyone’s down to start as soon as the Game Master (that’s YOU!) gives the word…
…But no matter how much you prepare, it never feels like you’re 100% “Ready to Go”. A million little fears begin to crop up:
“What if the players go Left instead of Right?”
“What if Player X and Player Y don’t get along?”
“What if my Big Reveal doesn’t go the way I planned it?”
“What if I forget the rules, or I didn’t think of something obvious?”
I’ve got good news and bad news about all that, which turns out to be the SAME news:
In a game where nobody knows what will happen next, somebody’s plans will go off the rails… Possibly the players’ but, most likely the GM’s (sorry friend, you’ve got the most plans to derail; the odds are VERY good).
While it can seem scary, unfair, and more than a little tragic, that uncertainty and lack of full control is the heart of what makes these games tick, and can teach you (and your players) much more than any tutorial (or article). Leaving room for a little chaos can save a game, allowing your group to collaborate on something better than even the best ideas from any one person!
Like learning a new language or how to ride a bike, the fastest way to become comfortable and competent at running games… is to embrace your uncertainty and START RUNNING GAMES.
Your first session doesn’t need to be your Magnum Opus: in fact, going big right away can backfire by stressing you out even more. You and your players can have just as much fun (maybe MORE) with a surprisingly small amount of work, so take some pressure off by focusing on the essentials below:
These seemingly obvious but unspoken principles can help you host the best game possible (and ensure it’s not your worst):
These ideas are always worth redressing with any new group. They are the solid foundation that makes all the fun possible.
While Dungeons & Dragons is one of the best known, it’s far from the only system out there (even for medieval fantasy). Here are a few I’d recommend for new GMs and groups:
Experiencing your chosen system as a PLAYER before GMing is one of the best (and most fun) ways to get a feel for it, either online or in person. Websites like Meetup and Facebook Groups can give you a good overview of what’s out there, and many game systems have their own local and online communities full of folks looking to play, just like you.
If you’re able to talk with the game’s GM afterwards,
Using the Starter Content included with your game (like the examples above) is your shortest path to actually running a game. If a starter set isn’t included, it might be searchable online as “[game xyz] starter adventure pdf”. This content will usually include a condensed set of rules, and is designed to teach you and your players those rules as they come up in the sample adventure. I’d recommend attempting to run things as written, but if there’s some detail that just doesn’t appeal to you, you can exercise your divine GM powers and CHANGE IT!
For your first time behind the screen, I’d recommend only changing superficial story elements like the examples below, and avoid changing things that alter the course of the adventure (at least for now):
Make sure to think through how your changes might affect the adventure, and make them consistent (for example, the Dwarven mercenaries might not be as inclined to bite their enemies compared to Goblins… but then again, they could be especially )!
If you’ve made these changes and still don’t like the result, I’d recommend at least trying the Quickstart adventure before scrapping it entirely. If you want more options, there are TONS of free adventures out there (many written specifically for new GMs). Things can get messy very quickly with a lot of customization, so tread carefully here: your change to the opening encounter may accidentally alter the finale!
As you run more games and read more adventure modules, you’ll get a sense of what you like to run, what your players are into, and what makes a good adventure.
A big open world and epic adventure-- while a ton of fun to read and write out-- can lead to a slow, meandering first game (and a TON of work as a new GM), so let’s cover the essentials:
Be sure to read all the way through any adventure before meeting with your players, so you can feel more confident as you introduce them to the material.
As mentioned above, most game systems offer a Quickstart Guide (via a link or included in the game’s packaging), made specifically for first-timers and ideal for jumping straight in with as little prep as possible.
While it can be fun to create custom characters, for first-time groups I’d highly recommend using the game’s included pre-generated characters. This skips another time-consuming bit of preparation on everyone’s part, and the “pre-gen” characters are often tailor-made for the adventure.
If you can’t find the right rule right away, don’t sweat it: ask your players to help look things up! If the ruling is taking forever to find, very obscure and VERY important, start an open discussion and come up with something that makes sense together. The important part isn’t playing the game as written: do what makes sense for your group, at your table.
…It’s also good to get your players more comfortable with learning the rules themselves!
The point of this writing is to convince you that getting into the game is more important than making it perfect. You’ll probably forget a rule. You WON’T be able to anticipate the PCs’ actions.
Nobody expects you to run The Perfect Game – whatever that means – on your first try. You’ll all learn much faster (and have way more fun) by skipping needless prep and just DIVING IN:
Your first game might be occasionally nerve-wracking, frustrating, and a little uncomfortable. Choose people who won’t judge you for it, and acknowledge that you’re learning a new skill.
Things may get messy every once in a while, but if you’ve established a good rapport with your group, you won’t be going through it alone. Even if all your worst fears come true, don’t take it as an excuse to never run again. Mistakes and hindsight are your best friend (as long as you try to learn from them). The key is to adapt, get back up, and keep moving, with one more valuable lesson in your toolkit.