Post by FlexibleFeline on Jan 17, 2023 15:26:03 GMT
Hi.
Apologies if I've missed a thread similar to this - I did look. I'll cut and paste this post and then delete this if someone points one out to me.
For some reason just after Xmas I decided to take the plunge into tabletop RPG-ing. I've participated in a few, but am not at all a DnD fan. I love boardgames, particularly thematic immersive ones, preferably with plenty of player interaction. Favourites include Gloomhaven, Dead of Winter, Rising Sun, Cosmic Encounter, Scythe (okay, that's not so interaction heavy but what a game in any case).
Anyway, I picked up the Alien RPG as it's a universe myself, my kids and a few friends love and know well. I promised to GM it once I'd got to grips with the systems (so maybe in February, all being well).
GM in this case, for those who don't know, means Game Mother...geddit? The problem is I've never actually GM-ed before so am a little nervous - I want to create a memorable experience in which the players feel a sense of agency, not to mention tension and perhaps terror, while following the core systems as well as I can. I imagine a lot of this comes with experience so one inescapable, I imagine, is that I just need to dive in and learn how to do it experientially.
Apart from Alien's thematic appeal (and glowing reviews), it has the cinematic mode going for it - one-shot scenarios with pre-made characters, objectives, personal agendas, item cards and even maps to use. I get this may be unappealingly hand-holdy for veterans but it seems perfect as an entry point. We'll start with the core rulebook's Hope's Last Day scenario - it appears to be an ideal tutorial in length and complexity, and having it set on Hadley's Hope around the time of things going wrong is a great theme.
I'm curious if any seasoned players of RPGs or perhaps even the Alien RPG specifically have any either general or particular advice to effectively running a session. I've watched a few vids, including a couple of playthroughs of Hope's Last Day and it's very slowly all coming together in my mind. There's a lot to take on board, though, even with what seems to be a fairly streamlined and reasonably intuitive system.
Anyone played this or GM-ed others? Any thoughts or tips? General tips for what makes an effective GM are very welcome. I imagine the key is knowing what you are doing, running things but staying as much as you can in the background so the PCs feel real agency, facilitating but not controlling play. Ta!
Apologies if I've missed a thread similar to this - I did look. I'll cut and paste this post and then delete this if someone points one out to me.
For some reason just after Xmas I decided to take the plunge into tabletop RPG-ing. I've participated in a few, but am not at all a DnD fan. I love boardgames, particularly thematic immersive ones, preferably with plenty of player interaction. Favourites include Gloomhaven, Dead of Winter, Rising Sun, Cosmic Encounter, Scythe (okay, that's not so interaction heavy but what a game in any case).
Anyway, I picked up the Alien RPG as it's a universe myself, my kids and a few friends love and know well. I promised to GM it once I'd got to grips with the systems (so maybe in February, all being well).
GM in this case, for those who don't know, means Game Mother...geddit? The problem is I've never actually GM-ed before so am a little nervous - I want to create a memorable experience in which the players feel a sense of agency, not to mention tension and perhaps terror, while following the core systems as well as I can. I imagine a lot of this comes with experience so one inescapable, I imagine, is that I just need to dive in and learn how to do it experientially.
Apart from Alien's thematic appeal (and glowing reviews), it has the cinematic mode going for it - one-shot scenarios with pre-made characters, objectives, personal agendas, item cards and even maps to use. I get this may be unappealingly hand-holdy for veterans but it seems perfect as an entry point. We'll start with the core rulebook's Hope's Last Day scenario - it appears to be an ideal tutorial in length and complexity, and having it set on Hadley's Hope around the time of things going wrong is a great theme.
I'm curious if any seasoned players of RPGs or perhaps even the Alien RPG specifically have any either general or particular advice to effectively running a session. I've watched a few vids, including a couple of playthroughs of Hope's Last Day and it's very slowly all coming together in my mind. There's a lot to take on board, though, even with what seems to be a fairly streamlined and reasonably intuitive system.
Anyone played this or GM-ed others? Any thoughts or tips? General tips for what makes an effective GM are very welcome. I imagine the key is knowing what you are doing, running things but staying as much as you can in the background so the PCs feel real agency, facilitating but not controlling play. Ta!
