First Time running Game Recommendations - The Angry GM

My friend Matthew sent me a link to a blog that he feels is very helpful, and will give me a good start with GMing.  Some of my takeaways:

Just get out there and do it.  You'll be terrible at first, but you have to learn how to be a good GM.

GM-ing is not easy (but also not hard).  You have to practice to get better at it.  And what you're really looking for out of a first game is a group that will continue to play with you, so you can get better as they do. 

Follow these rules when running your first game. 

1. Keep the first run limited.   The author suggests ~5 hours, which mean 3-5 sessions. 
2. Use pre-gen characters.  
3. Use a published module.  

  And to prepare, he suggests knowing the rules, knowing the module.  And knowing the rules only means you need to pay attention to what is relevant to the characters you have generated.  Also, you should generate your own characters for their use. 

During the game, you control the rule book.  It is important that you being to understand that the rules are tools for adjusticating, and can be set aside if you need them to be in place of your logic. 


Your basic skills during the game are Narration, Adjudication, and Flow. 

Narrate means communicating the details.  Adjudication is determining what happens whenever the players take action.  It also involves using your logic and the rules.  And when deciding whether you need the rules, be sure to ask yourself "Do I really NEED the rules?"

Flow means continue using the basic pattern of the game.  Describe the situation, ask the players what they want to do, determine the result, and describe the new situation. 

"Here's what's happening.... What do you do?... Here's what happens... What do you do?...." etc.