First-Time GM looking for advice

[EldritchFire]

Next weekend I'm going to run my first-ever game of Traveller ans am looking sure advice/pointers/etc.

It's going to be a 'Vanilla Traveller' one-shot, NOTHING but the CRB. The intent is to try out chargen and kick the tires on the system, so to speak.

I've been playing RPGs for 20 years or so, but this is my first time with Traveller of any edition.

 

[bluekieran]

I'm doing the same - did chargen recently, first real session is tonight.

Assuming your lot aren't already familiar with the rules I would say, avoid the temptation to roll up a toon of your own at the same time (you'll be busy answering questions), and have as many copies of the careers and the flowchart on hand as possible (we had two phyiscal CRBs plus an iPad and a PC with the PDFs for a four-person group). Also, make sure people note down which events they got (by number) as they roll them, as it'll make things easier to keep track of when at the end they start forging connections.

 

[Condottiere]

Don't be this guy.

 

[EldritchFire]

I'm doing the same - did chargen recently, first real session is tonight.

Assuming your lot aren't already familiar with the rules I would say, avoid the temptation to roll up a toon of your own at the same time (you'll be busy answering questions), and have as many copies of the careers and the flowchart on hand as possible (we had two phyiscal CRBs plus an iPad and a PC with the PDFs for a four-person group).

It's going to be online, so I'm going to screen-share with the group the relavent pages. We're all new to the game (but I'm a rules lawyer, so I know most of them by now) and not everyone has the book. But if all goes well, there will be a few more purchases after the game.

Also, make sure people note down which events they got (by number) as they roll them, as it'll make things easier to keep track of when at the end they start forging connections.

AMAZING, thank you! I didn't even think to keep track of events. Awesome tip!

 

[EldritchFire]

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Don't be this guy.

Since I'm going to be the GM, that's not an issue at all. Not even a little.

 

[DanDare2050]

I read some interesting articles at the Alexandrian about game structures. In those he notes that Traveller has a bit of a blank spot.
He wrote a second article musing about how to fill that in.
He also looks at creating a "between the stars" structure.
And in the following article adds a nice "ship hijack" structure as an example.