World Building - GMing for the Easily Stressed

Everyone has their own styles in matters of GMing. That's the first thing to remember before you say 'I could never GM'. Really, anyone who has an ounce of creativity can GM. Every writer, in specific, can be a GM, because that's what GMing is all about: telling a story. The only difference is that, in this case, the players are helping with the details.

However, just because every writer can be a GM, it's also important to remember that there are also different writing styles. And some people are not good at planning things in advance, like drawing up NPCs, planning out specific events, or dialogue, or what have you. Maybe it's stressful, maybe you hit an uncreative spot, maybe you're just lazy. And this too, does not have to be a deterrent. If you qualify for this sort of thing, here are a few tips for those who, like me, GM on the fly. Anyone I GM for, I might be giving away some of my secrets...but definitely not all.

First, keep in mind you don't necessarily have to plot out stats for all existing NPCs. If they are designed to be combat NPCs specifically, then you usually only have to plot out those attributes and skills necessary for combat. Sometimes, if they are meant to be potent NPCs, you would also plot out some traits/advantages/feats to make them equal, or superior, to the potency of the PCs. For most other situations, such as when a contest of skills or attributes is necessary, merely roll the requisite die and compare it to what the PC rolled. Obviously, if the roll is especially better or worse than the PC's, the outcome is obvious. But if it's harder to say, figure out what skill rating that character would have, and then plot it from there. For recurring NPCs, however, such as NPCs in the party, it's important to plot out the whole rigamarole. As party NPCs, they are part of a team, and therefore may contribute needed skills none of the others have. Likewise, they could be assigned certain traits/advantages that contribute to the plot in one way or another. They do not have to be drawn up right away upon starting a game, but it's recommended that you do so before any major conflict in your starting plot.

Secondly, the best way to plan out a particular game plot is to just first get the general idea in mind, and then evolve the specifics slowly, in play. Often, viewing plot heavy movies or plot heavy books is a good place to start. They can also be helpful for NPC archetypes. In my personal opinion, I much prefer to introduce a plot, and then see what the characters try to do to solve it. And if their approach makes sense, and is bound to bear fruit, I start building on that on the fly. In that way, the plot becomes almost chaos theory-like: sensitive dependence on initial conditions. It evolves based on what the characters do. But it is also important to not rely solely on that concept. Eventually, the characters may run out of steam or ideas, and you need to prompt them with a new event that advances the plot, and gives them idea on what to do next. Similarly, it is also important not to feel like you have to conform to the player's idea of what would work. If it really shouldn't, based on the situationals, or the character types they are dealing with, or even just the die rolls you make, then bear that out. Just try not to wall the PCs into a corner by shooting down all available avenues...or, if you have in mind a specific path for the PCs to take, suggest it through NPCs.

Thirdly, do not be bound to the dice, or even, necessarily, to the rules of your chosen system. Those who know me might be going (bullshit, bullshit) under their breath at this point. And while it's true I can be a rules lawyer on occasion, one should understand that I do not act that way out of a desire to be stubborn. In fact there are two reasons rules can be important. First off, it gives a standpoint that lays out exactly how things are supposed to work for everyone. Spell descriptions, by example, are laid out, to identify exactly what they can and cannot do, and what is required to do them effectively. And secondly, it means less work for you, the GM. If your idea of fun is creating RPGs, then I applaud you for wanting to put in the time and effort and hard work. But for people like me, whom that intimidates, especially when you're afraid of creating an unbalanced system, straying from the laden paths is often not to be desired. But, having said all that, part of the job of being a GM does involve creativity. And if something doesn't work, in your mind, the way it should, then you should try to make an effort to nudge things in the direction you want.

One perfect example occurred during chargen. The character in question was a ghost, who had certain magical abilities that she gained in becoming a ghost. The way magic and ghosts usually work is that they cannot cast magic when they are not solid (using magical energy to become solid being one of the default abilities of a ghost.) However, the player argued that that idea didn't make a whole lot of sense, considering the ghost's natural state was being immaterial. One could have cleaved to the rules and held their ground, but on the other hand, the argument made sense, especially since one of the effects was to allow the ghost to make her fingers solid when immaterial. So, a compromise was reached. Her magical ability, which was already unorthodox in comparison to how it was set up in the game world we used, was made to be something special. And though she could use it while unsolid, other limitations were imposed on her, in order to make it fair, such as it being very hard to create new magical 'spells', Thus, the problem was resolved without having to resort to any complex mechanics.

Lastly, the most important advice I can give is that if you're a GM that's easily stressed, do not try and create your own world from scratch. If you want to be creative, by all means do so, but save yourself some headaches by starting with an already formed, tried and true campaign world that someone else made. Then, if you so desire, you can make changes from there. In this way, all the minutia is already taken care of, such as calendars, maps, spells, cultures, politics, and in some cases, major power groups and NPCs your characters might meet. If, however, your game takes place in a present or near-future earth, garnering these materials might be a little more difficult. In which case, the web is your best friend. Online, you can find street maps, college campuses, information on state laws, on religions, and just about anything you want to incorporate, but aren't too sure on the fine points. And if you want to just make things up, that's okay, too...but the idea is to make a world without stressing out! So use all the pre-generated materials you can get!

In closing, my final piece of advice is this: get advice from other GMs. Not all of it will be right for you, the GM that goes insane under pressure. But any tips they can provide, will mean less things you'll discover by trial and error, and less thinking for you. After all, world building is not supposed to drive you insane.

No, that's the job of the players. Happy GMing.