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Message no. 1
From: "Bill P. Flint" <claymore@******.DIGEX.NET>
Subject: Re: GMing...
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 01:52:34 -0400
I just recently did an shadowrun adventure with my players and have begun
to question my ability to GM.

I was running Paradise Lost and the players only just finish the snoop/raid on
the 2M office.

I trying to see what suggestions/ideas to help bring the fun backing the game.

Was it the adventure, the players, or me I wonder.

I would love to hear your ideas/suggestions that helps in making for a fun
shadowrun session.

--
bill
flint
Message no. 2
From: Axel Strack <strack@***.TU-FREIBERG.DE>
Subject: GM-ing
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 10:17:57 MESZ
In the thread gamemastering i read something which led to the question :
Do you make up the plotlines fully detailed in advance ?
I for instance have some fleshed out NPC (and their goals of course), some
detailed places, maybe a matrix but the rest i do by improvisation (sp?) because
the players tend to overthrow most of my plotlines. But, hey, it's fun to react
to the players actions even it's sometimes a bit stressy :)
How do YOU do it ? Just curious.
Kid Flash
strack@*******.tu-freiberg.de
Message no. 3
From: Stefan Struck <struck@******.INFORMATIK.UNI-BONN.DE>
Subject: Re: GM-ing
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 14:58:24 +0200
Kid Flash wrote:
>
> In the thread gamemastering i read something which led to the question :
> Do you make up the plotlines fully detailed in advance ?
> I for instance have some fleshed out NPC (and their goals of course), some
> detailed places, maybe a matrix but the rest i do by improvisation (sp?) because
> the players tend to overthrow most of my plotlines. But, hey, it's fun to react
> to the players actions even it's sometimes a bit stressy :)
> How do YOU do it ? Just curious.
> Kid Flash
I do it excatly the same way. One upon a time I wrote every little thing in
a litte book and was prepared for everything and after the first 10 minutes
of playing a closed the book and start improvising (?sp again).
Today I'm sitting in front of a white piece of paper thinking "ok, let's
write this new run, mmm" and then I realize that the plot line is in my head
and that I don't have to write it down. So, I make the NPCs and important
places and that's it.
And it's stress, you're right, but great fun, too, espc. when the players
telling you that youre runs a better than the FASA ones 8)
bye,
Stefan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
e-mail: struck@****.informatik.uni-bonn.de
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
...but there's nothing like having your friends show up with lots of guns.
-Frank Miller, The Big Fat Kill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 4
From: Cugel the Clever <cugel@**.NET>
Subject: Re: GM-ing
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 23:53:17 +01.0
On 23 Aug 95 at 10:17, Axel Strack wrote:

> In the thread gamemastering i read something which led to the
> question : Do you make up the plotlines fully detailed in advance ?
> How do YOU do it ? Just curious.

No way, all that work and it will be probably for nothing :). I just
think of a nice plot, jot down some notes about the people involved
and how they interconnect and then make a sort of decision tree with
most of the options the players could take. It's something like: If
they win the fight against the gangers, go to 2B -> 2B Meet people
who were terrorized by gang. The actual encounters I just improvise.
Only the names of the main characters are written down, because I'm
no good at quickly thinking up new names, so I have to do this lest
my players notice to much improvisation :). Most of the time when I'm
playing one of my own adventures, I have a pretty good picture of
what's going on, and what could happen. Now if you take the FASA
stuff that's a problem for me. I need to prepare myself very good for
these ones.

I once played with a GM who had prepared an adventure for over
three weeks with loads of details and sub-plots and all that stuff. But
we went through it in two hours, he probably only needed 10%
of the stuff he prepared and he was constantly looking in his notes
to find locations, people, etc. :). I've done that also a couple of
times (although not /that/ extreme because I'm very lazy :) and then
one day I went to a friend and he expected me to GM a session for
Shadowrun, and I had forgotten all about it! I went to the bathroom
(inspirational place ;) and when I came back I GM-ed a completely
improvised session and he didn't even noticed it! From there-on I used
improvisation more and more :). I don't say it works all the time,
but mostly I get good results.

Martin Steffens (Cugel@**.net / bdi05626@***.rhij.nl)
Many an ancient lord's last words had been, "You can't kill me
because I've got magic aaargh." (Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times)
Geek Code v3.0:
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Message no. 5
From: Matt Hufstetler <gt2778a@*****.GATECH.EDU>
Subject: Re: GM-ing
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 22:21:20 -0400
>Do you make up the plotlines fully detailed in advance ?

Nope. I just have an idea for some NPCs, what they want. Find a place
for my players. And then let them run with it. My players are great.
They won't just sit around and do nothing(I've had this problem in other
groups. If you have this problem, then you HAVE to start fleshing stuff
out.) while the plot goes to rot. The only drawback is that you must
think quicker than the players can. But if they plan for 15-45 minutes(at
least mine do), you can get a lot of thinking done. The ending is totally
up to the players.

If you want some GOOD GMing source material, you might wish to go to your
bookstore and read through some of the Whitewolf Storyteller stuff. Don't
buy it unless you want to play their games(it's not that good); however do
read it and then change it to fit your own style.


Matt 'Comatose Raspberry' Hufstetler
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt2778a
Internet: gt2778a@*****.gatech.edu
Message no. 6
From: Merlin Montgomery <merlin.montgomery@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: GM-ing
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 17:32:25 +1200
Kid Flash wrote:
>In the thread gamemastering i read something which led to the question :
>Do you make up the plotlines fully detailed in advance ?
>I for instance have some fleshed out NPC (and their goals of course), some
>detailed places, maybe a matrix but the rest i do by improvisation (sp?)
>because
>the players tend to overthrow most of my plotlines. But, hey, it's fun to react
>to the players actions even it's sometimes a bit stressy :)
>How do YOU do it ? Just curious.

Players tend to change most of my plotlines as well, forcing me to
improvise until they stumble back in the "right" direction, but I still
tend to work out most of the adventure in advance, including maps, NPCs
and some descriptive stuff.

I think it's probably unneccesary as I'm probably a decent enough GM to not
need all that, but it's a hangover from the old days of **&* - you
remember: get some grid paper, draw some squares and rectangles, join them
with corridors, populate the rooms as you see fit, THEN try to make some
sort of logic to explain why you have a trap room that every denizen needs
to walk through, or monsters that stay in their rooms until they're
slaughtered...
Merlin.

---
merlin.montgomery@********.otago.ac.nz

**** STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE ****
**** ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING ****
**** TAKE IT TO THE EDGE ****
**** AIN'T NEVER GONNA DIE FOR WANT OF SHOOTING BACK ****
Message no. 7
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: GM-ing
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 10:23:48 +0200
>Today I'm sitting in front of a white piece of paper thinking "ok, let's
>write this new run, mmm" and then I realize that the plot line is in my head
>and that I don't have to write it down. So, I make the NPCs and important
>places and that's it.

I usually write down the basic events that get an adventure started, not
much more. Things like "Uncle & aunt from NYC call up -> son (Maya's cousin)
disappeared. Can she help?" together with a few other bits of relevant
info... Not much more than the ideas behind the adventure, and it all goes
off by itself from there. Sometimes I interrupt the game for a few minutes
so I can get a chance to think through the immediate future, but I haven't
found that to be distracting of what is going on.

--
Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
I listen for the voice inside my head
GC3.0: GAT/! dpu s:- !a>? C+(++) U P L E? W(++) N K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G++ e h! !r(--) y? Unofficial Shadowrun
Guru :)
Message no. 8
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@****.ORG>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 12:59:10 -0700
Gurth wrote:
|
|olafur gunnarsson said on 2:37/20 Nov 96...
|
|> Sentenced to a life of Gming about four years ago. with no chance of
|> parole
|
|I'd like to meet a GM who isn't... :)

That's what happens when you're a good GM <sigh>.

-David

/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\ dbuehrer@****.org /^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\
"His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking
alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free."
~~~http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm~~~~
Message no. 9
From: olafur gunnarsson <olafurg@******.IS>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 20:20:32 GMT
>Gurth wrote:
>|
>|olafur gunnarsson said on 2:37/20 Nov 96...
>|
>|> Sentenced to a life of Gming about four years ago. with no chance of
>|> parole
>|
>|I'd like to meet a GM who isn't... :)
>
>That's what happens when you're a good GM <sigh>.

But the problem i aint a good gm, ive tried to convince my pcs of this wery
often but they dont seem to get it. Ive tortured them destroyed ewerything
they loved.Often slaughtered them when ive had a bad day or just feel like
it set them into the middle of the worst messes i could cook up.AND THEY
STILL COME BACK FOR MORE. i think ive found the only masocist Rp group in
Iceland and i aint happy. I Want my victims to scream not go ALL RIGHT LETS
PARTY when i do something nasty to them.
Sigh oh why am i so missunder stood Im even getting afraid to answer the
phone now a days becuse it might be one of those nutters asking when were
gona play next.
-Olafur G
Message no. 10
From: "G.F.BURKE" <61940038%TAONODE@*****.CSUOHIO.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 15:36:00 ET
Afraid to answer the phone?!? Come on. If your PCs are that thick-headed
that they can't take the hint that you want to relinquish your
responsibilitiesas a GM, well, just come right out and tell them. I just hope
that there's someone else who is willig and/or capable of GMing. I have been
blessed with a couple of GMs (not including myself). I wouldn't consider
myself a great GM or even a good one...but my runners have fun, or are at
least entertained. They get paid quite well and receive a nice sum of karma.
Of course, what they don't know will eventually hurt them. Heheheheeee.
-Oni

"Umm, I can't GM tonight...I'm washing my hair and I have a headache."
Message no. 11
From: "Leo J. Butera" <fsljb1@******.ALASKA.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 11:26:14 -0900
HEY In our run on Saturday an Awesome thing happened, I threw a
flashpack at some goblin-vampires, and one of our GM's characters had
cybereyes, and the Flashpack blew out his sockets and revealed a self
implanted Cortex bomb, he rolled all ones. Killing our GM's Rigger
player.




Wolf
Message no. 12
From: "G.F.BURKE" <61940038%TAONODE@*****.CSUOHIO.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 15:47:00 ET
<Snip> Flashpack...GM's rigger...dead GM's rigger.

Umm, was the rigger on your side? Hope not. Ally death is always a bad
thing. Especially on a run. That is, unless a dragon hires you to geek one
of your fellow PC's. right Bull? :)
-Oni

"If you can afford to get cyber-eyes, you may think about investing in a pair
of sun-glasses."
Message no. 13
From: "Leo J. Butera" <fsljb1@******.ALASKA.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 11:48:48 -0900
Yes, the Rigger was on our side. the GM rolled all ones, and got his
eyes blown out, and his face burnt off to reveal a Cortex Bomb, just
chipped the paint off of the building we were going on a run in.
Message no. 14
From: "G.F.BURKE" <61940038%TAONODE@*****.CSUOHIO.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 16:09:00 ET
So he was on your side? Oops...guess that's one less person to split the
cred with. Of course, I hope he wasn't your ride home...it would look kinda
ridiculous if some big, burly runners had to use the mono-rail to escape.
-Oni

"Burnt out his eyes?!? I thought it was bad when my contacts dry up...geesh."

P.S. Hmm, I think I would award some karma to any PC that used the mono-rail
to escape...it adds that chase-scene drama. Of course, I wouldn't if they
happened to be carrying a missle-launcher or something else really obvious.
Message no. 15
From: Chris Brown <brownc@********.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 15:15:24 -0600
At 11:26 AM 11/20/96 -0900, you wrote:
>HEY In our run on Saturday an Awesome thing happened, I threw a
>flashpack at some goblin-vampires, and one of our GM's characters had
>cybereyes, and the Flashpack blew out his sockets and revealed a self
>implanted Cortex bomb, he rolled all ones. Killing our GM's Rigger
>player.

WHAT? i'm afraid i don't quite follow.
/>
/<
[\\\\\\(O):::<======================================-
\< Chris Brown, brownc@********.edu
\> "Putting the DOH! in Aikido"

"Relax, lad. Take life as it comes. Run when you
have to, fight when you must, rest when you can"
-Robert Jordan, _The_Eye_Of_The_World_
Message no. 16
From: "Leo J. Butera" <fsljb1@******.ALASKA.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 12:14:42 -0900
I knew I should have just pulled out my Panther Assault Cannon and start
blasting those little Goblin bastards, instead I had to throw a Flashpak
and lose the only Rigger we had, and we had a chopper that we stole
before that, so now it will be hard to do that because we don't have
anyone with the skill.

P.S. our GM had 2 Characters, the Rigger and his brother the Decker



Wolf
Message no. 17
From: Shad Owens <shadow@******.LINFIELD.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 19:16:18 -0800
On Wed, 20 Nov 1996, G.F.BURKE wrote:

> <Snip> Flashpack...GM's rigger...dead GM's rigger.
>
> Umm, was the rigger on your side? Hope not. Ally death is always a bad
> thing. Especially on a run. That is, unless a dragon hires you to geek one
> of your fellow PC's. right Bull? :)
> -Oni

Oh, that sounds painful, Bull --
Message no. 18
From: Shad Owens <shadow@******.LINFIELD.EDU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 19:26:01 -0800
On Wed, 20 Nov 1996, G.F.BURKE wrote:
>
> P.S. Hmm, I think I would award some karma to any PC that used the mono-rail
> to escape...it adds that chase-scene drama. Of course, I wouldn't if they
> happened to be carrying a missle-launcher or something else really obvious.

We use it (and other public transportation, ie buses) all the
time. The *%$&* lone star keeps figuring out our license plates (either
that, or my driving really is as bad as everyone says...)... The last
time we drove, we had... um, let me thing -- around 10 cop cars, two
helicopters, and something (???) else that really freaked the other
players out try to pull us over. And we weren't even speeding! It's so
much easier to just rent a limo... It also makes us much more aware of
what we can and can't carry about with us, letting us rely much more on
intelligence that fire power.

Jennie (the decker who's GM won't let her deck lone star :/ )
Message no. 19
From: Bull <chaos@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 00:12:07 -0500
At 07:16 PM 11/20/96 -0800, Shad Owens wrote:

>That is, unless a dragon hires you to geek one
>> of your fellow PC's. right Bull? :)
>> -Oni
>
>Oh, that sounds painful, Bull --
>
Not really... For one, I wasn't playing Bull (who would rather face a
dragon than kill someone he considers a team mate, regardless of
circumstance). And two, the character was an annoying, worthless waste of
space...

Basically, the Player was changing characters, plus he had managed to piss
off a few people (the other PC's included), so my character (a mage named
Chaos) was told tehre would be an extra 50K Nuyen if he killed the
character...:)

Fun Fun...

Bull
Message no. 20
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 12:00:27 +0100
olafur gunnarsson said on 20:20/20 Nov 96...

> But the problem i aint a good gm, ive tried to convince my pcs of this wery
> often but they dont seem to get it. Ive tortured them destroyed ewerything
> they loved.Often slaughtered them when ive had a bad day or just feel like
> it set them into the middle of the worst messes i could cook up.AND THEY
> STILL COME BACK FOR MORE. i think ive found the only masocist Rp group in
> Iceland and i aint happy. I Want my victims to scream not go ALL RIGHT LETS
> PARTY when i do something nasty to them.

So? The solution is easy enough: be nice to them, let them get away with
almost anything, let them keep all the stuff they saved their money
and/or karma for for several years, don't let any contacts (let alone
PCs) get killed, etc. etc. etc. They might hate your guts in a very short
time :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Dream out loud.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
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Y PGP- t(+) 5+ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------
Message no. 21
From: The Jestyr <jestyr@*******.DIALIX.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: GMing.
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 1996 12:53:08 +1100
> We use it (and other public transportation, ie buses) all the
> time. The *%$&* lone star keeps figuring out our license plates (either
> that, or my driving really is as bad as everyone says...)... The last
> time we drove, we had... um, let me thing -- around 10 cop cars, two
> helicopters, and something (???) else that really freaked the other
> players out try to pull us over. And we weren't even speeding! It's so
> much easier to just rent a limo... It also makes us much more aware of
> what we can and can't carry about with us, letting us rely much more on
> intelligence that fire power.

I thought of that before it happened, luckily. My rigger greased the
pockets of a Star contact she has, to get a list of vehicles of the type
and colour that she owns, with their license plate numbers.

Then she got a pair of license-plate-sized panels ruthenium-polymer coated
and hooked up a computer inside the vehicle. Bingo. New license plate
number every time you go out, and they're all legit for the type of
vehicle. :)

Lady Jestyr

--------------------------------------------------
A titanic intellect... in a world full of icebergs
--------------------------------------------------
Elle Holmes jestyr@*******.dialix.oz.au
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1503
--------------------------------------------------
Message no. 22
From: "Jackson, Hank" <hank.jackson@*********.COM>
Subject: GMing
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 09:45:18 -0400
Greetings unto all on ShadowRN,

My name's Galen (even though the header doesn't claim so) and I've been
a lurker on a few mailing lists so, I you feel I am acting like a rank
newby, please feel free let me know (privately).

I wish to introduce a thread concerning the manner in which Shadowrun is
GMed. I have heard in the past that some groups use Shadowrun as an
excuse to create extreme havoc. I prefer a more roleplaying and mystery
intensive game with heavy emphasis on impressing on my players how
brutal reality really is, in a very direct way.

Questions, comments, derrogatory statements, mystic chants,

Galen
Message no. 23
From: David Buehrer <dbuehrer@****.ORG>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 09:51:42 -0600
Jackson, Hank wrote:
|
| Greetings unto all on ShadowRN,
|
| My name's Galen (even though the header doesn't claim so) and I've been
| a lurker on a few mailing lists so, I you feel I am acting like a rank
| newby, please feel free let me know (privately).

Howdy :)

| I wish to introduce a thread concerning the manner in which Shadowrun is
| GMed. I have heard in the past that some groups use Shadowrun as an
| excuse to create extreme havoc. I prefer a more roleplaying and mystery
| intensive game with heavy emphasis on impressing on my players how
| brutal reality really is, in a very direct way.

<AOL> Me Too </AOL> (Copywrite by Spike Industries)

Of course, havoc has it's place. It's just not the main focus of my
adventures. (Somewhere in my current adventure are a couple of
trolls with rotory machineguns mounted on gyro mounts just waiting to
lay down a hail of lead <EGMG>.)

On the other hand there is the none combat type of havoc that can be
real fun. Just about all of the Pink Panther movies have good
examples.

| Questions, comments, derrogatory statements, mystic chants,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
O Wa Ta Goo Si Am.... :)

-David
--
/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\ dbuehrer@****.org /^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\
"His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking
alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free."
~~~http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.htm~~~~
Message no. 24
From: "Bryan L. Nylander" <bryan_nylander@****.COM>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 09:43:40 -0700
Jackson, Hank wrote:
>
> Greetings unto all on ShadowRN,
>
> My name's Galen (even though the header doesn't claim so) and I've been
> a lurker on a few mailing lists so, I you feel I am acting like a rank
> newby, please feel free let me know (privately).
>
> I wish to introduce a thread concerning the manner in which Shadowrun is
> GMed. I have heard in the past that some groups use Shadowrun as an
> excuse to create extreme havoc. I prefer a more roleplaying and mystery
> intensive game with heavy emphasis on impressing on my players how
> brutal reality really is, in a very direct way.
>
> Questions, comments, derrogatory statements, mystic chants,
>
> Galen

I for one think that roll playing and role playing are both important
parts. Each having its Place in it. (If I understand the statment
correctly) To much Roll playing makes for a PowerGamer Situtation. That
can get Old real quick. To much Role Playing leads to a FreeForm system.
(all IMHO). If you are going to play a freeform then by all means,, but
why resort and spend time on Rules and goals if the full Determination
is based Souly on the desided resultes of the GM? Tell me who has had an
Extreem shot to make,, Your at the end of your Combat Phazes,, this last
shot Will determine the Thrill of Victory,, Or the Agony of D' FEET...
To End up pulling a 9 roll in there. Life if FULL of chanse, that is why
I think that Both very much have its place. (again, if I understand the
question)
PowerGaming,, I/E Shoot'm Up, Bang'm Up, RAW HIDE!!!!! I think Really
takes away from the game its self. When all you rely on are your 13 dice
Hacking pool, and your X'cal to be a supploment for Quick thinking, and
Creative Conslusions, then life will only be the roll of the dice.

* Tosses his 2 cents on the table.

Blk
Message no. 25
From: Bull <chaos@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 20:08:56 -0400
At 09:45 AM 6/3/97 -0400, Jackson, Hank wrote these timeless words:
>Greetings unto all on ShadowRN,
>
>My name's Galen (even though the header doesn't claim so) and I've been
>a lurker on a few mailing lists so, I you feel I am acting like a rank
>newby, please feel free let me know (privately).
>
Well, I guess that's my cue... (But not a cue to tell you your a rank
newbie:)) :]

+++++ BULL-BOT ACTIVATED
+++++ AUTO GREET INITIATED

Hello there, new list-member Galen! Welcome to the Shadowrn Mailing List!

It's a great place, with good people and great discussion! hope ya like mail!

+++++ AUTO OFF TOPIC RANDOM GENERATOR v2.1 INITIATED
+++++ TOPIC #309

Instant Heartburn? Bacon, Pinapple, Anchovy, Ham, and Gunni Bear Pizza! :]

+++++ END AUTO GREET

>I wish to introduce a thread concerning the manner in which Shadowrun is
>GMed. I have heard in the past that some groups use Shadowrun as an
>excuse to create extreme havoc. I prefer a more roleplaying and mystery
>intensive game with heavy emphasis on impressing on my players how
>brutal reality really is, in a very direct way.
>
How the game is run varies greatly from GM to GM. My main campign, where I
play Bull the Ork Decker, started very small and lightweight, with lots of
mystery. 350+ Karma later, we've moved up in the world and now rub elbows
with the likes of Damion Kniight and Harlequin on occasion. However, we
still don't have much of a clue.

I've started recently running a game as well, and I'm keeping it fairly
mild, with an emphasis on roleplaying, though the combat is pretty nasty as
well. they're currently getting involved in a Massive gang war in Seattle.

Some games go in really odd directions. power games are not unusual, as SR
does lend itself fairly easily to the Munhchkins out there... I also know
of other games that have involved "alt\ernate" realities, time travel, and
the like...

>Questions,
>
Ummm, Have you seen Lost World yet? :]

>comments,

The sky is Blue.

> derrogatory statements,

That shirt your wearing looks like Drek! :]

>mystic chants,
>
E plurubus unum, zwie back dune junk! Nub nub!

>Galen
>
Bull
--
Now the Offical Celebrity Shadowrn Mailing List Welcome Ork Decker!
Fearless Leader of the Star Wars Mailing List
NEW HOME PAGE!: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/3604/home.html

Bull, aka Steven Ratkovich, aka Rak, aka a lot of others! :]

"The best Ork Decker you never met"
-Me, in the upcoming "Target: UCAS" Shadowrun Sourcebook!
Message no. 26
From: tom Cone <Brother-1@*****.NET>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 18:33:39 -1000
>GM...havoc....mystery.
Along these lines I'd like to recommend 'Mob War!' which has a good
amount of political intrigue (amongst who, you ask? one guess...), has
enough havoc for anybody's tastes,
and has been tremendously fun to run thus far.
Message no. 27
From: Gavin Lewis <lewis@**.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 15:27:57 +0800
>Greetings unto all on ShadowRN,

Heya!

>I wish to introduce a thread concerning the manner in which Shadowrun is
>GMed. I have heard in the past that some groups use Shadowrun as an
>excuse to create extreme havoc. I prefer a more roleplaying and mystery
>intensive game with heavy emphasis on impressing on my players how
>brutal reality really is, in a very direct way.

That works! What GM's do vary as greatly as what PC's do! Some GM's like to
stress the "role playing" attitude, while others are much more into the game
mechanics and the rolling of dice. I personally enjoy both, and it depends
on what my mood of the day is as to what sort of thread my GMing will follow.

I GM Vampire, which is a game that is solely designed for role playing. The
atmosophere, and mystery that is created is the highlight of any good
Vampire session. I also GM SRII (and play), I find that SRII lends itself to
a "power game" (PLEASE no flames). A good example is the finale of
Harlequin's Back. Power gamers find it easy to survive that last scene! :)

But my advice is to play the game as you and your PC's see fit. After all,
if you play a solely role playing game and your PC's want some sort of dice
rolling then you will loose your PC's. A healthy combination of both is very
important. I also suggest that you deal harshly with "screw ups" that your
PC's make in role playing. Teach them from an early start that their
characters are NOT immortal! :)

Enjoy!

Gav


"In crises the most daring email: lewis@**.edu.au
course is often the safest" tel: +61 9 239 5525
fax: +61 9 239 5544
Henry A. Kissinger Gavin Lewis
The University of Notre Dame - Aust.
Message no. 28
From: The Digital Mage <mn3rge@****.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: GMing
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 12:31:00 +0100
On Tue, 3 Jun 1997, David Buehrer wrote:

> Of course, havoc has it's place. It's just not the main focus of my
> adventures. (Somewhere in my current adventure are a couple of
> trolls with rotory machineguns mounted on gyro mounts just waiting to
> lay down a hail of lead <EGMG>.)
>
> On the other hand there is the none combat type of havoc that can be
> real fun.

One idea which may be of use comes from the Dream Park RPG which uses a
system of 'Cliffhangers' and 'Developments'. The cliffhangers are action
oriented (though not necessarily combat, they can consist of chases,
daring athletics etc.) whilst developments are roleplaying aspects and
usually consist of only one or two scenes. It suggests interspacing each
cliffhanger with a development. There's also Hooks which are the opening
scenes to get players , well... hooked!


The Digital Mage aka Grant Erswell - mn3rge@****.ac.uk
"Sadder still to watch it die, than never to have known it"
-Rush, Losing It
Message no. 29
From: Mark Fender markf@******.com
Subject: GMing
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 14:57:37 -0500
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sean jamieson [SMTP:elf61@*******.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 2:31 PM
> To: shadowrn@*********.org
> Subject: Re: ShadowRN digest, Vol 1 #161 - 19 msgs
>
>
> >The bigger the story behind the PC, the more opportunity for you the GM.
> >
> >-David
> >--
> >"Earn what you have been given."
>
> Oh how i wish my GM would figure this out!!
> I'm having a problem that I hope you can help me out with.
> as you have propably figured out it's with my gm. He's a great guy and a
> long time friend but as a gm he know very little. He gave me ¥75,000 to
> shoot an un-armoured, bodygaurdless, politician.
> I created a complete background with so many role playing oportunitys(sp?)
>
> it wasn't funny. He was an amnesiatic night one who's skills he had no
> idea
> where he got them, who had a fear of losing those he loved, and too many
> others to list. and he puts me into grunt work. He ignores my family, my
> contacts backgrounds and he turns every other player into a cyber zombie
> within 8 hours of play. I need help. I want to play shadowrun but I can't
> find another gm and the games with him just aren't fun anymore. he isn't
> learning, and i don't think he's even read the main book that i lent him
> almost a year ago. any suggestions would be more than appreciated.
>
We had a guy like this. He was running Rifts. We all made characters and
forced him to roleplay. How? Simple. We ignored the big bad nasty at the end
of the corridor (Usually a big blob with tentacles - this is Rifts we're
talking about) and proceeded to do anything else or characters wanted to do.
We talked to the bartenders, the godlings in our party started a cult. We
made friends with the Coalition, infiltrated their ranks, and destroyed the
Burbs. For the first few months, he was baffled. But eventually, he started
to figure it out, and soon, he was roleplaying.

You could try this approach, but I don't know if it would work. Some people
can do it, others can't. Good luck!

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about GMing., you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!