A course in GMing

Imagine, you're teaching a course in GMing. It's not setting or game-specific, you have time to show different kinds of games.

How do you handle it? What is absolutely necessary?

Lesson 1.
Open world is best world.
Lesson 2.
No one cares about your story let the players chose what they want to do.
Lesson 3.
The bitter sweet smell of TPK

>The bitter sweet smell of TPK
What kind of lesson is that? How to fuck your entire party and end your campaign?

Doesnt matter what anyone else says.
Never fudge rolls.
A game loses all sense of risk/reward when its outcomes are arbitrated by the GM.
If you do fudge rolls pray to the god of dice your players never find out.
Once that trust is broken once there will allways be that nagging doubt as to whether you succeeded on your own merits as a player or through GM fiat.

Introductory lesson with a few quick parlor roleplaying games.

Then, a quick look at Chainmail for people unfamiliar with wargames, followed by an examination of each D&D edition up to 3.0, with the main highlights being what changed between each edition. Switch gears into a look at the ST games, CoC, an introduction into GURPS, Shadowrun, and a very quick sampling of a few other games. This might also be the time to introduce games like WHRP and DSA.
Introduce 4e, and then before any debates get out of hand, introduce Fate, and then some horror games like Ten Candles. Then wrap up the game introductions with 5e.

Once that's all out of the way, use 5e as the base to first discuss the responsibilities of a player, followed by the responsibilities of the GM.

Responsibilities of the player will start with making the PC and controlling it, and then expand to contributing more and more towards the creation of the setting.

GMing will start with making a first adventure, and after getting notes on it, expanding that adventure into a full campaign. From there, it's likely going to be more of a workshop, working with the other students and fleshing out their worlds, punctuated by lessons on what makes a good NPC (including how to alter your voice/ use accents), how to make a map, a run down of deity and government systems, and miniature workshops on how to make custom monsters, spells, and items.

This is an advanced course: 101 is how to be a good player.

1: there is no story before you're at the table. Examples of low and high prep games.

2: READ THE FUCKING BOOK (homerules are totally possible, but are to be decided in the group. Examples about how it fails if you don't do that)

3: worldbuilding and "atmospheric tuning": how to do it right (i.e. engaging the players)

4: GM: is it necessary? Examples of GMless games

5: oneshots: pros and cons

6: Genre: a box of stereotypes ready to be broken (or not, actually, but you'd probably consider them as ready to be)

Im gonna tell you how i structure my games, it works for me but might not be right for you.

I start with an an idea for a plot. Keeping this idea as simple in concept as possible, i personally tend to overcomplicate plots.
Dont overcomplicate plots, the players will complicate it plenty on their own.

Once the idea is nailed down in the rough i start writing "Chapters"

These chapters are not a script of events but rather pre-packaged locations with requisite NPC.

Each of these "chapters" must contain what i like to label A, B and C quests.

One A quest, a 1-3 B quests and as many C quests as i can think of.

The requirements for these types of quests are as follows:

An A quest must advance the main plot of the game in some to-the-players tangible way. Either through exposure to the plot or directly influencing the main plot.

In the case of a B quest, it must provide player or character development. Which is to say force the character into making choices, explore the BG of the character or allow the character to seek out personal objectives.
A very good thing to prioritize with B quests is how they will introduce intra-party play either through differences or similarities between characters. Make sure the players dont just wander off on their own to avenge their dead family, make them involve the rest of the party this will build the sense of a "team" and foster in-character play between players.

C quests are just filler to make the world feel alive. C quests must expose the players to the setting, and/or to tertiary NPC's. I preffer to throw in merchants, wandering bands of entertainers, local lords and ladies, odd little episodes. It's very important that C quests are "showing, not telling" about the setting, dont drone on for tens of minutes on end. I personally preffer to keep these C quests lighthearted as a break from the serious or even possibly grim mainplot.

Might write more details later if wanted and thread isnt ded, lecture is starting.

Smell, not taste. Regardless of how things are actually going, the players needs to stay on their toes and experience the feeling of real and imminent danger.

ah. Good lesson.

Cutest LARP couple