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Type "styles of GMing" into a search engine and you will pull up an amazingly lengthy and complex list of sites and articles. To list all the styles is probably not possible, and would result in much discussion over the names of said styles. Here are just a few examples.
Even in STF some GMs still fall back to what they know best. They plot out their sims and use paper and dice to make decisions and guide the players. There is nothing wrong with this so long as the GM remembers that STF is a text based RPG and turns his plotting into well written posts.
In this style the GM has set up a series of clues which will one by one lead the crew to the solution of the puzzle set. The GM is very clear about his beginning, middle and end and the path the players should take to get there. Sometimes a GM can get too fixated on their path and a sim can stall completely. The crew completely stuck unable to figure out the way forward and the GM is playing stubborn and not helping out. The GM playing stubborn and not helping out. It is the responsibility of the GM to ensure that this does not happen. Nudges may have to be given in the right direction, extra hints and clues dropped. The GM is there to make the game fun, and when you get completely stuck games cease to be fun. Why else is there a roaring trade in the selling of cheats for computer and console games.
Free form GMing is not easy, although it certainly appears that way at first. To free form successfully you have to be able to sense and understand the ebbs and flows of a ship’s players, to see possibilities in every post they write and possess a willingness to not have total control.
In a nutshell if you free form GM, you begin a sim with a minimal plot. You may or may not have an idea of how it's going to end. From that point, you let the crew guide the story to its next phase.
Freeform is often sold as the best way to GM. But it is worth bearing in mind that even some of the best GMs have found it very difficult.
This example comes from an actual sim run by Deanne Ashton. This example clearly shows how nimble you have to be on your GM feet when dealing with a smart and savvy crew. It is told in her own words.
Example 1. GM Nimbleness
"The mission was fairly straightforward. In the days of Bajor’s Cardassian occupation, a man and a few Bajoran families fled in a homebuilt spaceship to find a new home. These people were assumed lost until the man contacts Bajor. A colony has been established on New Bajor and they want to re-establish contact with their home world. A Vulcan science ship in the area did a scan and discovered the gas giant around which the colonial moon orbited was on the verge of collapse. The colonists needed to be whisked from their home before it was destroyed. A Bajoran Starfleet captain and his crew was given the relocation assignment.
I knew from the beginning that the gas giant’s implosion would not destroy New Bajor, because the prophets were creating a new wormhole in its place. So I had the Kai of New Bajor refuse to leave the planet. That was the main obstacle for the players, plus a rebellious band of Cardassians who thought the colonists would make wonderful slaves.
I figured the crew would have a bit of fun with the shipboard side of the sim, defeat the Cardassians and revel in the birth of a new Celestial Temple. I was dead wrong. First off, the crew DID have a lot of fun with the side sim to the point of ignoring what the Cardassians were doing. As a result they ignored situations that put the ship in grave danger. With the agreement of the CO and FComm, the ship ended up being destroyed.
Again, I expected a fairly simple chain of events. Ship is destroyed, crew finds another, saves New Bajor from the Cardassian rebels. What I hadn't expected was a relatively new science officer to create a torpedo that could actually rip a hole in the space/time continuum. He had studied the ship's class and discovered a secret weapon that enabled him to do this. Suddenly my sim got very complicated. Before we knew it, the Cardassian ship (which had abducted all the Bajoran colonists) was knocked into the Gamma Quadrant. Trust me, my original thoughts never took us beyond the New Bajor system, let alone into another quadrant. Additionally, the CO used this opportunity to switch ship classes from a Trafalgar Warship to a Darwin science vessel. Now, the ship's capabilities changed and the flavour of the sim with it.
Ultimately the sim concluded with the one thing I required, the birth of the new wormhole. But getting there took more turns and a lot more time than I ever imagined."
When starting out GMing, you probably do not want to leap straight into freeform GMing. You may never choose this style. It is helpful to have some idea where your plot is going, and what you might pass on the way. Using dice may help you to keep your resolutions fair and interesting. Laying out the order and type of clues you want to use will help you stay focussed and keep the sim moving. But no GM can deny that flexibility is also a key factor in a successful sim. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and follow the crew. Many GMs have found the crew writing a better sim than they could ever have planned. Be prepared to accept that the end you thought was coming is dead and gone. Sit down and rewrite your ending, at the end of the day you want the crew to feel good about what they have achieved. GMs aren't known for stomping in at the end of the sim and announcing "You've got it all wrong." After all GMs have a responsibility to keep up the appearance of all powerful, all knowing and evil, therefore remember, you planned it that way all along.
Homework - 103A: Using the sim idea from 102 explain the series of clues you might use to get the crew from the beginning to the end of the sim. Point out places where you feel the crew might branch off from your plan.
Now that you have your idea, know more or less how your idea will play out in a sim, it's time to review the methods you can use to present your sim. GMs have a few methods of giving information to the players and moving the sim along. They include Narrative posts, Interactive posts, and what I call Elsewhere Posts.
This is probably the most common GM style in STF, or anywhere. Simply put, the GM knows all and shares the information with the players when needed: usually in the form of Starfleet orders, a diagnostic outcome and sensor information. Any characters the GM introduces to the story can be used to impart information in this way.
These types of posts are generally used to accomplish two types of tasks. The first task is to set a chain of events in motion.
Example 2. Omniscient/Narrative Post
Suddenly, the rundown freighter the USS Anyname had been escorting exploded in a blinding flash of light, sending debris in all directions.
The second way the Narrative post can be used is to convey information as a result of a player's action. Think of this as sensor readouts, diagnostic results, or data from the ships library computer. These posts come in handy when players try to gather more information in the sim.
Example 3. Another Narrative Post
A player posts: Lt. Anyone activated the sensors and began to scan the debris. He desperately searched for any survivors from the explosion.
A GM's response could be: Sensors showed several life signs in the largest section of debris.
As you can see this type of post is used to give players feedback on the results of the actions they take.
This style is growing in popularity as more strong role-players find their way to the GM ranks. As with Omniscient/Narrative, the GM knows all, but his way of telling is different. Here, the GM creates characters whose interaction with the crew reveals the needed information.
The Interactive Post can often be the most fun to write. These posts are usually in response to the sim characters the GM has created. A GM can use sim characters to convey all types of information, ranging from explaining why the villain of the sim is trying to destroy a planet, or what background information the Intelligence Agent has on certain smugglers.
Interactive posts are dependent on the GM creating his own characters. Sometimes these will be very basic characters, the interaction will be limited. Other times the sim may revolve around a GM character. These type of characters need to be as real and as deep as the characters that you play on other ships. Write a biography for them, no some basic stuff about them, background, loves. This will enrich your story and get the role-players to invest themselves in your characters.
Example 4. Interactive Post
A player may post: So did you notice anything unusual before you heard the explosion, "Lt Anywho asked as he interviewed the survivor.
A GM's response would be: The injured man, an elderly Bajoran, nodded to the question, "I heard weapons fire. Lots of it... I stuck my head out of the cargo hold to see what I could and that's when I saw a Cardassian running my direction!"
Here the GM has used a character he developed to convey information that the crew can now dig deeper into. The one thing about the Interactive post is that it is not an all-knowing character. The character should only know and be able to convey information that the character would reasonably have. So in this example, the Bajoran wouldn't know if the Cardassians were from a group of radicals out to resurrect the Bajoran occupation or someone like Garak who is on the good side. Now the player can ask questions of this character and try to glean some more information.
The more creative the characters are, the more fun the GM and the crew will have role-playing it out.
Example 5. Interactive Post - Fleshed out GM Character
A message arrives for the captain. He takes it in his ready room. The image on his viewer flickers, going from a blank screen to the Federation logo and finally to the face of a grey-haired human man bearing admiralty pips.
"Captain Example, Admiral Magee here. Sorry to shorten your shore leave, but we need your help. We've lost contact with our terra-formers on Maya Nine. Intelligence has alerted us to increased activity within the Neutral Zone. As you know Maya Nine is not far from the Neutral Zone. We fear the worse."
The first thing you should notice is the admiral has a name. This creates a sense of familiarity that makes it easier to interact with this character. Additionally, the admiral doesn't even mention the supporting data he'll eventually send to the ship. His conversation stops in such a way that he's inviting interaction from the captain. More than likely, the captain's response would involve asking questions to establish what his ship is getting into. Then the GM would provide the data he's prepared.
This type of post should really be used sparingly. Often times I have seen it used in moderation in the start and end of a sim. Basically, this is a post where one or more of the GMs sim characters are interacting with each other, or with themselves.
Example 6. Elsewhere Post
The Cardassian Commander shook his head as he saw the latest sensor readings. The Starfleet vessel had found survivors. This was not good. He slowly swivelled in his chair and turned to the helmsman. "Set an intercept course," he ordered, "Maximum warp."
As you can see this GM post takes place in an area where there cannot possibly be any of the role-players. Therefore, no players can respond or play off this post, since none of their characters would be aware of this. The benefit of using this post is to create suspense or a deeper understanding for the players of what this sim is about. In the example, it now tells the player someone else is out there and could possibly come after the Starfleet crew. It creates anticipation, suspense, or can be used to close up a thread, or even a sim. Use this sparingly only because the sim is meant to get role-players involved. Just using Elsewhere posts basically means you are playing your sim to yourself. That is no fun for anyone!
So how do you decide which style to use? There's no clear-cut way. If you're a strong role-player you may find the Interactive style of posts more enjoyable than the Narrative. If you're more of a storyteller, then the reverse may be true.
A strong GM has mastered all these types of posts and is able to pull them together in perfect harmony to tell his sim and entertain the players. When starting out you should try to use a combination of these type of posts. It's probably wise to avoid the elsewhere style for now. Take great care when developing characters to interact with the crew, keep a note of any key points so they don't trip you up.
Homework - 103B: Using the sim idea you came up with in the last lesson, write out the sim’s first post using the Narrative style.
Now write a post introducing a GM character for your sim idea to the crew, using the Interactive style. Leave spaces for replies... do not play the other character.
Another way GMs can change the way they present a story is through the use of different mission types. Until you have reached full Gamemaster status in STF the only mission type you are allowed to use is the normal mission. But there is no reason you shouldn't be aware of possibilities in the future, when you do decide to move onto something different, be sure to check with the GMD first about rules and such.
This is a mission in which a single Gamemaster, who is NOT the CO of the ship, serves on a single ship for a single mission. Once qualified a Gamemaster may serve on multiple ships in different, unrelated missions simultaneously. Check OGRE for current rules and regulations.
Then we have the Special Circumstances missions...
This is a mission in which one or more Gamemasters run a mission that takes place simultaneously over multiple ships. This may require some help from the Internet Department in setting up shared topics and such. Again check OGRE for current rules and regulations.
In this mission the CO of the ship also serves as the GM of the ship. This can be quite difficult and requires the CO to be both a strong Role player and experienced GM. OGRE will list current rules and regulations concerning this type of mission.
This is when two or more Gamemasters serve on the same ship at the same time. Again there are regulations and rules in OGRE about this type of mission. But there are also some other points to bear in mind. This can be a fun way to GM but really only works well if the two GMs get along and work as a team. It is not designed to allow two GMs to sim on a ship because they don’t have the time to GM one ship alone. Planning is essential, and good communication at all times is vital.
There is one other type of mission type that you may see but will never GM and that is the Self-RPG mission. On a ship that is Self-RPG there is no Gamemaster, the crew all have equal control over the storyline.
Homework - 103C: Imagine you are running a multi-Gamemaster mission, list ten things that could go wrong, then choose five and explain how you might try to six them.
STF has many resources available to you. Here are the ones that have not been mentioned already in the course.
Gamemaster Department - This is your home department, there are a few resources to be found here. You can also ask questions and will receive advice from other GMs. First up the FAQ page or frequently asked questions. Check here first to see if it’s already been asked.
The Reference Manual is a home grown encyclopedia for STF, it has entries on planets, people etc. GMs are allowed to write entries for this Manual, but you'll need to check the GM Dept for the latest submission requirements. This is a useful place to find information for a sim.
GM wanted lists will be the place to look for a ship, here you can see which ships might be looking for a GM.
Mission Records form the new GM Archive. The GM Dept building up a record of all sims and there are two good reasons for this. One, it helps our GMs keep track of where they have GMed and how many sims they have run. Two, it provides a useful database for GMs planning sims. Eventually the archive will be the place to go and see if the ship you are about to GM has been doing back to back battle sims. Or check that they haven’t done a sim very similar to the one you’re planning.
The Administrative Menu - When you are given GM access to the WeBB suddenly a new button will appear on the ship MOTD. This is the Admin button. Before you go anywhere near this button it’s a good idea to find out what happens on the other side. The best place to find all this out is The Administrative Menu Course - look in the Academy.
A CO may grant a GM access to the ship's MOTD and/or access to add GM-controlled characters at his discretion. (OGRE 1.7) If you have been granted this privilege use it. Keep the crew updated on what's happening. You can also use it to foreshadow events and provide other minutiae, such as names, places, what-have-you. The ship's CO provides this place for you as a courtesy. Don't abuse it. Be sure to update your section as often as necessary. Don't make your section so long it makes up more than half the MOTD's contents. Also, don't change the way the section is coded. If the CO has it set up as a paragraph with blue text, don't make it a bulleted list in pink. If you're unfamiliar with HTML code take extra precaution that you don't rip the MOTD to shreds by accident. It's best to be at least somewhat familiar with the basic codes before you go about changing anything. If in doubt ask the CO for help, if he has slaved over a cool MOTD, he would rather help you than have you wreck his masterpiece.
The Player's Handbook - In the academy you can find a link to The Player's Handbook. You need to be familiar with this document.
Personnel Dept - The Personnel Dept is the place to go to find out about the ships in STF. Their ship profile page contains lots of information and is a good starting point. You could also ask the Personnel staff for information that they may have regarding ships. This is all good research and a great starting point but don't forget to actually go read possible ships and see if you like the feel of it. Chat with the Command staff, find out what they expect of the GM and see if it matches with your ideas. A good match now will make for a much easier sim be it a training one or later on when you’ve got some experience.
Homework - 103D: Go to the academy and read the Admin menu course. Then refresh your memory, by reading The Player's Handbook.