Running the Game

What does a GM do, exactly? The role of a GM is to create a world in which an adventure happens. That does not mean you have to create an entire world yourself, although you are welcome to do so. It instead means that all that exists outside the players is animated and controlled by the GM; they are the ultimate deity and arbiter of the game universe.

For those who are new to GMing, it is often a good idea to start with a pre-written module and world. For Wanderstruck, such a world can be found in the World Book. There also exist various pre-made modules, which provide a short adventure full of monsters, danger, and treasure. Whether using these resources or operating solely in a world of your own design, the GM’s job is to create a story with the players. This does not mean the players always get their way, indeed, they often might not, depending on the will of the dice. It does mean that the story being told should involve them heavily, even though the world as a whole likely does not, at least until the players reach high level. The story being told in the game is one of the players and their actions, good and bad, wise and foolish, brave and cowardly. To this end it is important to give a note about NPCs.

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are integral to any campaign, for without them the players could only interact with themselves, but it is important that they do not become the main characters of the story. They may be the main characters of another story, one in which the players do not feature in, but only get brief

#### **The Basics**

This section is intended for those who have never run a game before, or who wish for advice on dealing with the common problems which arise in a game. Experienced GMs who simply want to read about rules and other information may proceed to the next session. 9 glances of through interactions with the NPC, but for the main story told by the game, the players, not NPCs, should take the main role. Not every NPC must be weak or toothless; the grand villains, helpful kings, brash knights, and vari- ous other personages the players interact with may be far stronger than the players.

The important thing to remember is agency; players must have and act with agency in order to feel their decisions in the world matter, and that the story they are a part of is worth telling. What this means is the choices made by the players must matter, and that forcing must be limited, or hidden. Do they save the threatened village, or join the bandits in despoiling it? Do they travel to the city, or head deeper into the wilderness? Do they accept the wizard’s offer of employment? All of these are choices which will affect the story being told, and which must be made by the players. Not every event is controlled by the players; it is well within the realm of the GM to have them ambushed, kidnapped, betrayed, or misled. But when choices are offered, they must be real, and when dice are rolled, the GM must be willing to accept the results of the interactions forged between the players, the GM’s world, and the will of the dice.

#### **Encounters**

The main story beats in Wanderstruck are encounters, which may be combat, roleplay, or other. Combat encounters involve a fight of some kind, while roleplay encounters involve discussion and problem resolution with various NPCs. The category of “other” encompasses the players dealing with various tricks, traps, and features of the world included by the GM which do not fall neatly into one of the previous categories. Each encounter has the chance to turn into another, and they are all described in more detail below.

**Combat**

The fighting and slaying of enemies and monsters. Some groups prefer this over all other types of encounters, others will seek to avoid combat at all costs. It is best to discuss with a group when planning a game how much combat they enjoy, in order to maximize enjoyment for both the GM and the players.

In many groups, preferences will differ among players, and so it is important to find a balance of different encounter types to ensure enjoyment for all. Combat encounters usually involve monsters or hostile NPCs with character levels. A large pre- made collection of both may be found in the Creature Compendium for your convenience. It is important that the strength of enemies be balanced relative to that of the party, and to that end the Challenge Rating (CR) system exists.

CR is used to describe approximately how dangerous a creature is relative to a party of adventurers. CR as assigned assumes a party of 4, all reasonably competent and at full strength. Thus a CR 5 monster would be a reasonable challenge for a 5th level party, an easy fight for an 8th level party, and quite 10 difficult and dangerous for a 2nd level party. These numbers are only approximations, however; since due to variable group size and player ability, a monster that could devastate one group may provide no challenge at all for another. Thus it is the job of a GM to balance encounters relative to their party. If an encounter is clearly unwinnable, there should be some indication of such, and the players should have the opportunity to flee or avoid it with clever roleplay. Killing a group of level 5 characters with a CR 18 dragon may happen, but it should be a natural result of poor choices, not a foregone conclusion.

While in combat, it is the GM’s job to run the enemies and any NPC allies, keeping track of HP, attacks, and various abilities and resistances. Enemies should be run as intelligently as they are; goblins might be foolish enough to fall for a ruse, but they won’t attack uphill into fortified defenders unless forced. Also in combat encounters, it may be useful to have players prepare what they will do on their turn while other turns are occurring; this helps ensure the smooth flow of gameplay.

**Roleplay**

Roleplay encounters involve the players discussing things with NPCs; negotiating for passage on a ship, trying to get help from a reclusive wizard, or convincing the king that it was some other band of miscreants who set fire to the town. Some groups may enjoy role- play dearly, others may disdain it, most fall somewhere in between. It is again good to discuss with players, thus ensuring everyone knows what they’re getting into. These sorts of encounters allow for degrees of success and failure, depending on the actions of the players. It should be noted that player abilities and character abilities are not necessarily the same; just because a player is silver-tongued and slick does not grant their character the same abilities if they have only 4 11 Charm and no skills allotted to social engagements.

In the same vein, a player might be awkward and nervous, while their character is a fast talking con-man. Thus it is up to the GM to attempt to regulate things with fairness. Sure a gruff character might have the occasional moment of social grace, but it should not be the norm. Here it is again best to talk to players, and give options; perhaps the more nervous player simply gives the framework for remarks, paraphrasing what they wish to convey, and rolls the dice to see how well the character manages to put it.

Diplomacy is also not the same as mind-control; it does not matter how well the players roll, they can’t talk themselves into owning a kingdom without spending significant time on political intrigue. They may be able to do so, if they lay the groundwork of recruiting rebellious nobles and fractious merchants to back a quiet and bloodless coup, but simply walking into the palace and demanding the kingdom will fail, regardless of rolls.

**Other**

These encounters are ones which do not directly involve combat or negotiation with NPCs, although they may involve the players negotiating among themselves. How to cross a chasm, dealing with a trapped chest or locked door, or discovering a magical pool in the woods are all examples of these encounters. Sometimes there is a clear goal: get through the door or into the chest, while others there is an interesting object for the players to interact with; maybe for the better, maybe the worse. These encounters should again be tailored to a party, as a party with no means of detecting or dealing with traps will have far more trouble than one com- posed entirely of Trapper Brigands. These encounters serve as spice, to break the regularity of combat or discussion; here is this thing which may hurt or help you, what do you do?

#### **Leveling Up**

As players overcome challenges and defeat enemies, they gain levels in their chosen classes, and as GM, it is your job to decide when leveling up should happen. There are several ways to handle this; the first is to allow players to level up on a regular basis, spending one session at 1st level, two at 2nd, and so on. Another way is to allow the PCs to level up each time they achieve something of significance; meeting story goals, overcoming a difficult group of foes, or solving a particularly involved puzzle. This has the benefit of tying advancement to in-game events, while being fluid enough to allow for leveling at whatever pace fits your campaign.

The final method involves experience points, usually abbreviated XP, which are awarded directly after defeating enemies. This method ties the amount of XP gained from an encounter to the difficulty of the encounter. Tables for XP needed to level and XP awarded by CR can be found in appendix 10. We do suggest that a single method for leveling be selected and stuck to, as this allows for consistency, and lets the 12 players know what to expect.

#### **Problem Players**

It is possible in the course of a game to have a problem outside it, either between the GM and a player, or between two players. Here it is important to discuss things outside of the game, as dealing with out-of-game problems in game can simply increase the tension. The most common issues are listed below.

**PvP**

The characters might get into a fight. This can be acceptable if both players agree to it, or are willing based on roleplay decisions to accept the conflict, but can be a problem otherwise. Players should not be allowed to backstab, betray, rob, or senselessly murder party members for cheap thrills, and while that might be what their character would do, it is then best to ask why such a character is their choice to play, and why such a character would join a group in the first place.

**Cheating**

Both players and GMs will fudge rolls on occasion, but it is important to note that this is only alright for the GM, and then only in service to the story. The paladin’s heroic last stand ended by a random critical? Maybe it’s just a hit that drops them to bloodied. This may be done in service of the greater story of the campaign, and the enjoyment of all involved. This is the purpose of a GM’s screen, so that players do not see the dice rolls of the GM. Conversely, players should not be allowed to fudge rolls, with weighted dice or other means, as this can take away from the enjoyment of other players. It is not fair for all the characters to be outshone by one who engages in dishonest practices. Again, it is best to discuss this with the player in question outside of the game, and attempt to come to some form of resolution.

**Tone**

It is best to ensure that the entire group knows the expected tone of the campaign before starting, else there can be a disconnect between expectations and reality. If half of the group expects a joke, and the other half a serious noir story, there will inevitably be conflict. Thus the tone of the campaign should be established when creating characters, in order to avoid future conflict. Topics players are uncomfortable with should also be discussed, as causing frequent discomfort will kill a campaign quite quickly.

#### **Final Notes**

The role of a GM is to populate a world and tell a story, but the story is collaborative, and the world not theirs alone. It should be remembered, however, that when it comes down to it, the GM’s word is law, and when a decision is needed that is not covered by the rules, it is the job of the GM to decide how events play out. Here, it is best to be consistent, so the tone of the campaign is maintained, and the players feel that the world has some sense of fairness. And when in doubt, simply tell the players “You can certainly try.” and let the dice fall where they may.