For the game director

Adventure planning
It is not difficult to plan an adventure. There is no need to be afraid of
leadership. For example, you are not responsible for telling the whole
story, so don't worry about it. Imagine that you are the game director and
you plan the adventure as follows:
You meet the players and get to know their characters. You figure out
what the characters are about and what motivates them. Then you tell the
players, "I'd like to see an adventure dealing with these characters and
their problems. I'd like to see the following elements in it: an evil wizard,
a deluded maiden, and a knife fight under a waterfall. Move!"

Know your character

The most important part of planning an adventure is knowing the
characters. Of course, the adventure is about them. Players choose keys,
skills, and abilities to put characters in situations where they are
useful. Read the character sheets. Better yet, keep them on hand so you
can utilize them in game preparation. Organize the characters somehow. I
personally take a sheet of paper and write the names of the characters on
it, each in its own corner. I write the character's keys, most used skills and
best abilities around the name.
Then take these notes and think about how these character traits can
be used in the adventure. You don't have to take everything into account,
but try to bring at least one key and one other trait from each character to
the adventure. Make side characters that deal with these things. At this
point, the adventure begins to be prepared.

Know the players

These people are probably your friends. If not, you're in trouble.
What do your friends like? Do any of them like bloody fights with
guts flying? Maybe it's worth appearing like that in the adventure. Does
anyone like gender role reversal? Put a prince in distress on an adventure.
I personally like to use this technique that requires a delicate grip:
think about the life situation of your friends. People like stories they can
relate to. Do any of them have a relationship on the coast? Change the
position of the character's love interest, or if the character doesn't have
one, bring one into play. It doesn't matter if the change is good or bad - the
player takes care of it. Another player has problems with their
manager? Bring a commanding side character to the game. This player
takes care of his own character's reactions. Don't design a solution to these
real-life reflections, and don't underline it. It's not the game director's job
in any way. Players are looking for a solution. The game director's job is to
create conflicts that the players can identify with.

Know yourself
What do you like about the story? Use it! You are the game director.

Key elements
Now you can apply the work done above to the game. Take a list of ideas
and build the ideas into key elements.
The main source of experience for Shadows of the Past is the
keys. They allow players to decide for themselves what kind of
experiences they are interested in in the game. The game director is also a
player, so he controls a secondary source of experience: key elements.
Key elements are kind of like parts of a key, i.e. things that the
characters gain experience from. However, they are under the control of
the game director and are disposable. It's not so much about designing the
plot of the game as it is about bringing out elements that you would like to
see in the game.
The key elements are very similar to the "bangs" of Ron Edwards'
Sorcerer, i.e. open but charged situations that can go on in many
directions. Or they can be more relaxed, colorful things that you want to
play with. Examples:

Waterfall: 1 CP - one experience point for characters who participate in the scene at the waterfall.
Wicked Wizard: 2 CP - two experience points for characters who encounter this side character.
Betrayal of the County Lord: 3 KP - three experience points for characters who are betrayed by the
County Lord.

Assign an experience point value to each key element: 1 point for places
and objects, 2 points for people, and 3 points for situations (that is,
connecting a place or person to an action). This is how many experience
points the players whose characters are in the scene when the key element
"triggers" get.
A suitable number of key elements is 1-3 times the number of
players, at least in the first session. Later, add or reduce elements: if you
managed to reveal all your elements in a session, prepare one more for the
next one, and vice versa, reduce elements if you didn't manage to reveal
all of them last time.
When you cast Shadows of the Past on your players, an important
pacing factor is revealing key elements. When you let players know what
you're giving experience for, they can take the game in a direction that
interests you. Sometimes players will get ahead of you and trigger key
elements you haven't revealed yet, which is always better.
Revealing key elements works best when you do it when you feel like
it. If the players feel they have enough to do, there is no need for
revelations. Alternatively, you can try to always keep an element or two
exposed, sort of feeding them to the players. The key elements are your
tools, so use them as you see fit.
One big part of Shadows of the Past's gameplay is the continuity of
key elements from session to session: if all the elements in your list were
not triggered in the previous session, bring them back with you. And if
you particularly liked a certain element, by all means add it back to your
list! The more often an element is repeated, the more it colors your
campaign.

Character development
One more tip for setting up your adventure: make sure your adventure
includes side characters or other things that your characters can learn new
skills, abilities, and keys from. Shadows of the Past, especially in a longer
campaign, is based specifically on the drama of character development. So
give players opportunities to make choices about character development.
A good rule of thumb is to choose one ability, one skill, and one value
for each game session, which you will highlight separately in the
adventure. For example, a session could deal with Qek's fishermen (does
anyone have the ability to sail; do any of the characters want to learn
one?), the forsaken hermit (do any of the characters want to learn the art of
talking to animals?), and the justification of greed (would the key to
glittering gold be suitable for any of the characters?).
Preparing the world
In addition to the adventure, the game director also has to run the game
world, which includes first and foremost the creation of interesting side
characters. Making an adventure undoubtedly gave good ideas for side
characters to develop over time. However, here are some tips for quickly
creating world elements mid-game or beforehand.

Side characters
Interesting side characters are the cornerstones of a good adventure. By
interacting with the players' characters, they act as a mirror for actions and
values. The characters' motivations and general reactions should be
planned before choosing game mechanic values. Once you have a solid
understanding of the side character's role, the mechanical side is also
simple.
A character's name is a very important feature: the first impression is
usually permanent. I recommend making a list of the common and rare
names of the game's event culture and keeping it close by when you're a
gamemaster. Choose the names of the main supporting characters in
advance. The names of disposable side characters can be selected on the
fly from a list.
After the name, the most important thing is to choose the highest
ability of the side character. Most people have experienced this level, only
children and otherwise special characters have it. Important characters can
have an ability level champion, but there are hardly more than a few
grandmasters in a campaign. Always assume that a side character's other
abilities are one rank lower than their best ability, and that the character's
unlikely abilities are two ranks lower, if any.
If you create a side character on the fly, it will have no resources. If
you give a side character a skill, they can only use it once per scene. If you
create a side character in advance, you can design the character like a
player character, but you should cut the resources in half because the side
characters don't have as many opportunities to use them.

Animals
Animals are the easiest to design. Instead of the usual abilities, they only
have the following:
Strength (pure): This is the animal's strength and ferocity. Even a
tame buffalo, which does not usually attack humans, can have high
strength, because when it is spoiled, it leaves a bad mark. This ability is
used to attack and destroy places.
Wits (Instinct): This is the animal's speed and control. It is used to
dodge blows, run away and move like a hare.
Senses (instinct): This is the animal's ability to notice its
surroundings.
Brain (Mind): This describes the intelligence and will of the animal
and is used like reason. Although it may make taming difficult, a tame
animal uses it to understand commands.
It is not a good idea to give the animal many points for resources. A
point or two of Instinct makes them fearsome opponents, and a point or
two of Purity makes them devastating. There should not be any points in
the mind, unless the animal has special qualities. If the animal has special
abilities, such as fierce horns or a flexible tail, they can be depicted with
art. If the ability is innate, the cost of using the art can be removed.

Forces of nature
One of the things that the game director needs to be you with is playing
the forces of nature. After all, these are not characters, so inanimate nature
usually does not cause harm to the players. However, some things can
always happen:
A force of nature cannot be resisted in skirmishes, so crossing
deserts, sailing in a storm, and other such feats are always independent
ability checks if the gamemaster decides to make them skirmishes. Even
the most extreme situation means only two penalty dice, which even a
capable character can survive.
If a character fails an independent ability check and loses, can they
deepen the conflict? He can't (who would he fight against?), and that's
what makes fights with the forces of nature so nasty.
Alternatively, however, the gamemaster may choose to treat his
natural forces as "characters"; the mountaineer faces the mountain's
reluctance to be climbed, and that track. This is suitable for some games,
and means that natural forces rise to a very important position in the
campaign. (What, did someone mention Gloranthan?)
A compromise solution is to assume that even on an independent
ability check, the character has an indifferent nature; in this case, the
natural condition is only made a "character" if the player really challenges
it to an in-depth confrontation, but otherwise it is treated like a surprised
side character, against whom a good success is enough.

Gambling the adventure

Daunting an adventure in the shadows of the past is mainly about
timing. In the first adventure, you as the game director have to produce a
lot of content: you definitely have to start the first scene. Do as I said
above: get to know the characters and especially their keys. Where would
they be? Draw up a few options and present them to the players: "Where
would Mr. Senkowski be on a sunny morning? In the cabin or maybe in
the pleasure house?"
When things get going, Relax and follow the events. Expect
backwaters where players don't really know where things could go. Bring
in a side character to hint at a key element, or reveal it to the players
directly. Arrange an exciting situation for one of the characters. The
players react and you can relax again.
If the players take events in an unexpected direction, respond
nimbly. Change your plans on the fly to support the direction the game is
going. Remember this: nothing in the game exists until one of the player
characters interacts with it. It is easy for the game director to fall into the
trap that when he has made this great venue, he has to force it into the
game. Don't do it: only the locations you encounter during the game
exist. Until then, everything else is just a possibility.

Placing bets
One of the game director's most important tasks is to set suitable stakes for
conflicts. The order is that first the players of the characters involved tell
what their characters are aiming for, then you, as the game director,
formulate the stakes suitable for these goals (i.e. what happens when
different parties win) and then the players either accept or reject the
conflict you offer. Your goal is to set stakes that are true to the players'
goals, but also bite hard.
Don't forget that you can also place handicaps on bets. Use this
opportunity. Determine the amount of possible harm according to the
severity of the situation: if the character's risk is low, suggest level 1
harm. If the risk is serious, suggest level 3. Only in the most extreme
situations, suggest level 5. If it is an opposed conflict, you can stipulate
that the harm caused is equal to the difference in degrees of success.
Don't be afraid to let the stakes resolve important plot twists. If the
player really states that his goal is to kill the king, setting the stakes any
lower is only justified if there are plenty of different story-important
obstacles in the way.
Likewise, don't be afraid to deny the players' goals if you think the
parties' stakes aren't balanced. If the character's goal is to kill the king, but
he is poor, tired and hungry, it makes more sense to make the stakes about
finding the next meal rather than killing the king. After all, the player does
not have to roll the dice if he does not accept the bets you offer.

The world of arts and keys

When leading the game, remember that especially the arts included in the
game tell you what the conflicts should focus on, just like the keys tell you
about the subjects and themes of the story.
If no player character has, for example, the art of writing, you may
not need to take a position at all on the prevalence of reading and writing
skills in the Near World. This is not the topic of the game. If someone
needs to know how to read and write, you can, for example, assume that
they can, or you can find someone who can.
But on the other hand, if one character has this skill, the situation
changes completely. The fact that one character has this skill emphasizes
that the others do not. Now, it would be wrong to allow a lewd character to
bypass his limitations; rather, it's your job as the game director to highlight
the finesse of a literate character and make sure it matters.
So an experienced game director can read about the skills (and
abilities) of the characters, what kind of challenges and topics of conflict
he should emphasize. The keys work in exactly the same way: themes that
would otherwise have no meaning are highlighted when even one
character takes the key associated with them. Normally, for example, a
well-known suspicion of elves can be handled loosely and in a downright
free form, but if the character's experience points depend on it, all players
keep an accurate count of their characters' attitude.

Distribution of experience points

The task of the game director is to weave a story that is enjoyable from the
game. Players may think you are responsible for their experience points
and experience levels. That's where they go completely wild, of
course. When you see a player playing their character in a way that makes
them gain experience from their key, say it out loud. You can also not say
it: the character is the creation of the player and he should pay attention to
the events and be interested in the development of the character.
Ideally, distributing experience points works roughly as follows
(excluding key elements, as you, as the game director, are responsible for
them):
Fairy tale, player: Enki is beaten? My character Galatee throws
herself into the path of a sword strike. (throws) Succeeded! That's the key
to love, by the way. 2 experiences, right?
Mikko, game manager: Yes.

Tips and tricks

For the player
Two abilities are usually better than one. If the character is at least capable
in both, you get bonus dice and get to shine.
 When you get into an in-depth fight, give up. Do it often. In other
games, every fight might have been to the death. If you try it here, the
fight will drag on. Think every round, "Is losing so bad? Am I going to
survive a broken arm or Pilate with fame or whatever this is all about?" If
you're losing an in-depth skirmish, you might lose a lot more by
continuing it.
Remember the gift dice. Use them and ask others for them.
Be sure to mention character keys whenever you use them.
If you choose two keys that conflict with each other (a good example
is the key of conscience and the key of bloodlust), you will gain
experience points in the appropriate situation regardless of what you
choose. The internal conflict also makes the character more interesting.
Feel free to suggest your own skills and keys, and where your
character could learn them. Keep track of your character's unique skills
and keys with the character sheet - no one else does.
Keep a few experience levels handy; if you're about to lose an in-
depth skirmish, you can increase the ability you're using right away. When
you're in worse than trouble, claim the key. It's true that it changes the
character permanently, but it can also be fun.
Renew resources like a rocker. You can renew even several resources
at once! Get a sexy hunk or a lady to pour wine down the character's throat
and oil him, get naughty and recite poetry. The characters' resources are
renewed and the scene becomes great.

For the game director

There aren't many detection-related abilities in this game. This is a
deliberate choice. If it is interesting from the point of view of the game
that the characters see or hear something, for example a hint, then it
happens. The exception is when one character is actively trying to bully
another. In this situation, the player can counter the other character's
ability with an appropriate ability check.
Gamemaster! Don't brake. Really. It's not funny. Let's get a little
more specific: in another role-playing game, you may have played a
campaign where you try to find clues that lead to something big. Don't do
that in this game. If you're going to use one of the world's most powerful
people in your campaign, who gets his berserk power and immortality by
drinking poison and eating human flesh, bring him into the game
early. One of the players might do something crazy like say, "Hey! I'll take
the one-sided love key to the tyrant right here and now." It is fun.
Don't play your side characters like complete fatalists: you too have
to know how to give up in an in-depth fight. If one of the players doesn't
deepen the conflict against a side character and sweeps him out of the
game with a normal ability check, bring that bad guy back after two or
three plays. Recurring enemies are awesome.
Do not place bets that you are not prepared to call through. Only
rarely do hostile side characters want the character to die, they are
satisfied with imprisonment, banishment or a change of heart.
Feel free to place hard bets on the gambles that players want to
make. There's nothing wrong with saying, "If you mess up while
composing this song for the duke, you'll get level 5 harm instinct and be
banished from the kingdom."
Renew resources like a manager. The best opportunity to introduce
new characters to the game is to introduce them to the players when they
renew their power-ups. If a player says, "I need to renew my sanity," and
doesn't elaborate, he's begging his nose. That's what happened to me. I got
to meet a dead guy playing a theremin.