Preparing the Landing Zone
By Cape Rust
Some of the best things you can do as a Game Master happen way before the game begins. Before I dig into this, I have to say that I in no way advocate discussing the next game while a current game is going on, especially while you are at the table. That is one of those player habits that are worse than killing a baby seal! The farthest I think any group should go is to discuss who is going to run the next game and what system they are going to run. This should generally be done before the actual current gaming session starts and shouldn’t take up much time. I have seen groups that have set up a rotation of who is going to run the next game. Often, the only thing that needs to be discussed is which game the group wants to play. If the last three games your group has played have been Battle Tech, it might be time to switch to say, a Savage Worlds pulp adventure.
In most groups, there always seems to be one person who is willing to try a new system. This is fine as long as they don’t expect everyone else to buy a full set of books to support their exploratory urges. If you are on deck to run the next game and know what system the group wants to use, you have plenty of time to prepare. Use that time and use it wisely.
When I run a game, I like to talk to the players offline (away from the game) to find out what kind of game they would like to play in. I will give them a few phone calls, texts, or messages on their preferred social networking site. I take this info, pass on some of my ideas onto them, and start to fuse the two before I get into major planning. This creates some buy-in from the players and gets me started out on the right foot. I go into this process remembering that this is in fact not MY game, but a game, and hopefully, a good game. By getting some ideas upfront, I don’t waste good planning time. I hate spending hours upon hours planning a concept that no one else is interested in. Better save those for the fan fiction I hope I never have to write. After initial input has been processed, the game has been decided upon, and the current game has ended it is time to rock and roll.
I am a big fan of the character creation session. It is important to go into this session with an idea of whatever setting you and the group have chosen and how things work. I find it best to start this session out by discussing player goals as a group and confirm some GM specific rules, as well as interpretations of house rules. This is a good time to discuss how many points the players will have for creation or the rolling convention you plan to use. It is best to have at least two options in mind and again let the players choose.
As a GM, you have to have an idea of where you want the characters to start and just how interconnected the members of the party will be. I like my players to make characters that are more than just a sheet of numbers. Most players have ideas about their character’s personalities but few are willing to fill out a full description of their character’s background. I try to have all of the characters develop most of their backgrounds during the creation process at the table. This allows me to make sure there are no problems with the characters backgrounds and how the world actually works. This way, I don’t get a human raised by elves in a world that has no elves. This collaboration allows the entire group to create meaningful connections. Are the characters related? Have they known each other for a long time? Did they just meet in a tavern when they are approached by a mysterious stranger (That is my exclusive idea and I know nobody has ever started a game like that, ever! Feel free to use it…). Some systems build-in player connectivity during the creation process and others leave it up to the GM. Some GMs will leave it up to the players. No matter how you decide to handle this, it will act as the foundation for the rest of the game.
If the characters have any kind of relationship, publicly discussing a character’s background is a must. This process lets the player exert control over their characters. It lets them know how their character might interact with other party members. In fact, it can give the GM some great plot hooks and I think it is wicked fun. I often have each player tell a story about each one of the other player’s characters. All of these stories are subject to GM and player approval, but they really add a genuine feel to the characters. In our last game I played a character that would have gotten along well with Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. He wasn’t a bad person, but he worked very hard to not have to work hard. With my GM’s permission, I asked all of the other players at the table to tell a story about how I had gotten over on them or wronged them in some way. This gave me an idea about how the other players viewed my character. This would have never worked if my GM had said no to my request.
I know this seems like a lot of coverage for a game where character creation hasn’t even been completed, but all of the time and effort will make the game more enjoyable and create player buy in. It is much easier for them to care about a world that they helped create! Next week, we will wrap up character creation and get into the planning process.