and know it well.
After all, you are telling the story in this set- Character Class), and alignment. I often include the character’s level
ting so it makes sense to have familiarity with it. That familiarity
will also present ideas and opportunities for adventure. Most of the
time, if you are a new Game Master and have new players, every-
one is on an even playing field when it comes to fully understand-
ing the game world.
Make the setting yours. Own it. RPGs are designed to give you
the foundation and groundwork, it is up to you to run with it. That
mean’s creating your own corners in that world setting. Towns,
villages, ruins, secret places, particular areas of the wilderness,
caves, etc. are all yours to create. Just like NPCs they are places to
meet, places to go to, places to destroy, and so on. Take ideas from
the published setting, be imaginative, have fun and go wild with it.
Heck, you might even be one of those Game Masters who decides
to create your own entire game world – or your own big area of a
larger, existing world setting. That’s fine, too. Run with it.
Whether it is the world of Rifts® or something you have cre-
ated, you need to know your world and the NPC characters, villains
and monsters in it. Especially, the ones the player group is likely
to encounter and interact with. To this end, I find it useful to know
who the player characters are. Knowing what character everyone is
playing and the characters’ alignments/moral compass, goals, fears
and motivations – let alone special abilities and notable weapons
– makes your job as G.M. easier. It allows you to customize your
adventures to appeal to and challenge the specific characters and
the players. Once you know the background of the characters (and
the likes and dislikes of your players), it all gets easier every game
you play.
An aside from Kevin Siembieda: Know your NPCs and you
can take you story/adventure anywhere. I am able to run games in
which the player characters seemingly have infinite choices and
opportunities. Part of that is from knowing them, but especially
knowing my NPCs (Non-Player Characters).
I have my main villains and their henchmen all statted out. I
know their alignment, goals and motivations, which means I know
exactly how they will react to insults, trouble and opportunities
that arise, as well as how they interaction with other characters (i.e.
the player characters). The arrogant badass, for example, is not
going to waste his time with low level characters nor most people
whom he sees as beneath him. (Which, by the way, could be the
villain’s undoing.) However, like a gunslinger, this tough guy wel-
comes a real challenge and that means taking on and beating other
experienced and powerful characters. He likes proving how good
he is against others. He also likes to make the big score and enjoys
showing off just how dangerous and smart he is. That said, another
similar character might pretend to be less savvy and deadly. He or
she may like to manipulate and trick people, and let his henchmen
do his dirty work. This cretin attacks from the shadows and betrays
allies when it is to his advantage. I know if the villain loves magic
items (making characters with such magic a potential target) or
dislikes magic. I know if he hates Juicers, has something to prove,
drinks too much, has a soft spot for the ladies, or likes to kill, or
hates to get blood on his hands, or secretly works for the Coalition
States. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. All of this
helps me know how this NPC (Non-Player Character) is going to
react to the player characters and any given situation, anywhere.
And that means I can introduce them and drop them in anywhere,
at any time.
Before I start my game for the night, I like to make a list of the
players’ real names on a lined legal pad. Next to each name, I write
the name of their character, the character’s O.C.C. (Occupational
and sometimes special weapon notes or other details, like she is des-
perate for money, or he seeks fame or magic, or is young and inex-
perienced, or hates so and so (probably an NPC villain), and so on.
I do this even with players and characters that I have been running
in games for years and know well. It gives me a quick, easy frame
of reference I can see at a glance, and it reminds me about key char-
acter elements I may want to use in the adventure. I also make notes
during the game of noteworthy moments, great ideas, outstanding
role-playing and key moments, as well as experience point awards.
Now back to Carl’s excellent RPG Guide.
Knowing the setting for the game, the central antagonists and
NPCs, and the player characters, it is time to prepare for the actual-
ly running of the game. If you are running the adventure included
here, make sure you know how many players you have and what
characters they are playing.
Whenever making your own adventures you will want that to
fashion an adventure that fits and challenges the player group. Plot
and make notes for the story arc and encounters the player group
will have, and any ideas and alternatives that seem fun and viable.
Make all your notes ahead of time and write down important stats
like the number of bandits, the average level of these thugs, the
bonuses of each bandit, their armor’s M.D.C. and what weapon(s)
they are using. I jot the notes down in a notebook or laptop, or
anything I have easy access too. When I craft my own adventures,
I make sure those notes are handy, but we’ll discuss more on that
later.
So the basics of preparation are:
A) Know the game setting and background.
B) Know the any nuances about the specific places within the
setting where the adventure is going to take place, and which you
may be creating from your own imagination.
C) Be familiar with any NPCs and have their stats ready. You
may be able to get away with short stats for incidental characters.
In a movie (and in your game), this is no name Bandit Number
Four or Innocent Bystander Number Two. However, always have
the complete stats for the main characters such as the bandit’s lead-
er, the evil mastermind, and any other important NPC villains and
monsters. The important NPCS are the characters the player group
are likely to speak to, interact with, and probably fight, capture and
interrogate, or kill or chase off.
D) Have notes for any encounters or important setting areas,
clues and details, and, again, have vital statistics written down.
E) Relax and have fun. Let the adventure unfold. Listen to the
players and their characters, get ideas form them, and run with the
stuff you like. If you listen, your players (often through the words
of their characters or conversations between themselves) will give
you plenty of ideas you can use to spice up the game or tailor to
their fears and needs or desires. Trust us, this is fun.
Tip Number Four – Be Flexible. Nothing in your adventure
should be written in stone. We can not stress flexibility enough.
Even with the adventure presented here, different groups are likely
to react and play it, or portions of it, in very different ways. We
may know our friends well, but you can never completely see the
future or predict how each person will react, or anticipate every-
thing that is likely to unfold in a game. And that, by the way, is
one of the fun things about being the Game Master: the surprises
your players hand you – some good, some bad, always interesting.
That’s why you need to be flexible, improvise and run with any
given situation. You may be sitting there and thinking, “What the
...! I can’t believe so and so just said or did that!” But as the Game