Introduction

Welcome to the Villian's Guide to Evil... er, I mean, the Academy's Gamemaster (GM) course. This course is brought you by the letter 'E' for Evil by the STF's Department of Evil and Mischief (muhahaha)... I mean, STF's Gamemaster Department (GMD). This course will help you understand what it takes to be a Gamemaster and guide your story idea into a sim. It will provide insight to the world of Gamemastering, as well as new beginner's tips that will help you succeed during your Gamemaster Training. If you already a Gamemaster, this course may provide new tips, insight or simply a refresher to what you already know.

In order for one to become part of the Dark Side, er, Gamemaster in STF, one must be an STF member for a minimum of six (6) months, hold a minimum rank of Full Lieutenant (somewhere in the club), pass this exam, and go through the Gamemaster Trainee (GMT) program. This is specified by the Omnibus GMD Revisions Edict (ORGE), which establishes the GMD and guidelines for GMs. It can be found here: http://www.star-fleet.com/library/bookshelf/charters/charter-gmd.html Don't worry, we'll include a summary and overview for ORGE if you don't want to read through the fine details of red tape. Every GM must go through the GMT program, before being certified as GM. Sorry, we might be the department of evil, but bribery skip your GMT training is against our departmental bylaws. Plus, it ensures that players like you, have excellent Gamemasters to play on our fine ships.

Passing this exam is the first step of becoming a GM. Good luck on surviving this exam... muahahahaha.

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What is a Gamemaster?

"It's swell! Being Q is just swell! It's clear than a bell, it's faster than pell mell, greater runs than hell, no need to under sell, it's swell!" - Q from Spock versus Q

A Gamemaster is the person who is in charge to entertain his or her assigned crew. As the Gamemaster, it's not your duty to run the ship, it's not your duty to hound people for going AWOL, it is however, your duty to loyal to Star Trek Canon, our own club's canon and integrity to your sim.

"Regardless of skill, a GM needs to have a good rapport with the crew. Whether it’s as an evil mastermind, a benevolent leader, a weenie, he has to be on very good terms with them." (Unknown GM)

Think of it this way, the ship is a cruise liner, and you're the activities director... save that as activities director, you're really not on the ship, and you shape reality to the activities you had in mind. You give them all the activities from which to choose from so they aren't bored, even if it means everyone is doing something different. You also make certain that no one is being overly rowdy, attempting suicide (unless you feel really evil and letting them), or throwing deck chairs around. Just one passenger flinging a chaise lounge is liable to ruin the cruise for the others.

"Be honest with the crew. If you make a mistake, admit it. Don't be afraid to be human. If a player posts something that you don't understand (a bit of physics you don't grasp or a hunk of engineering with which you're unfamiliar) ask the player to explain. Not only will you get the information you're lacking, you'll make the player feel good for being so creative." (Unknown GM)

Being a GM requires juggling ego, talent and humility within a ring of common sense. You have to be tolerant without being a pushover; strong without being overbearing; flexible without being unfocused; and most of all, able to put the needs/wants of the crew above your own personal desires.

A GM needs to be professional. One of the old GM commandments was "Thou shalt not antagonise thine enemies"; this still stands. It’s bound to happen; you are the GM on a ship with someone you don’t like, being a GM does not give you the authority to make that player’s life hell. Sure it would be great fun to lock up your sworn nemesis with a love struck moose. (Can we say, 'Moouse and Squirrel?') Yes, assimilation may do wonders for another foe’s personality. The temptation - even the justification - can be strong; do NOT give in to it, doing so only serves to shorten your GM career.

We might all have God complexes... well, most of us do anyway, but it doesn't give us the right to be jerks or like Doctor Gregory House. Being the GM is being God with a small twist... benevolent, humble but with a touch of chaos. As much power we have over the crew, we're still subject to the will of the Captain, Fleet Captain, and anyone else above that. Just remember, the Captain has more power in Real Life than you do in game. He or she can fire you if they are dissatisfied with you. If you encounter an issue with a player, and you're uncertain how to deal with it, talk with the player and talk with the Captain and First Officer. We'll cover more about dealing with difficult situations and players later.

"Ask questions if you're stuck. If there's a particular piece of technobabble that someone brings up in a sim that confounds you, then ask for advice from someone else; the GM Monitor (if applicable), the CO, someone from the Engineering Department." (Unknown GM)

A GM also needs to accept that when they agree to GM a ship they are taking on a commitment to that crew and CO. He has a responsibility to post often, read all posts and work with the Command Staff to keep the ship a happy place. That means not accepting a GM spot when you know that you are going to have to go LOA for a long term within the next few weeks. Organising with the CO as to how things will continue if you do have to go LOA and setting in place some sort of contingency plan should an emergency arise and you cannot post. We have all been grabbed by the real life monsters at times, be it illness or computer breakdown. There are ways to cope with this.

Likewise, look at the posting speed on a ship. While the posting requirements may say every three to four days, as GM you will probably need to post more often. Be prepared to post as frequently as required to keep the story moving.

Rules that GMs need to follow or how I got my ORGE tutorial in 3 easy steps...

(More here later.)

- Jason

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:
: I'm having difficulty deciding the breakdown of the remaining sections. I'll post more later. But I'm keeping in mind what I said before:
:
: : : : So after reviewing this document, I've been thinking...
: : : : 1) What is a GM
: : : : 2) Rules that GMs need to follow (summary and direct links to the extensive material policies)
: : : : 3) Common problems that GMs face
: : : : 4) How to plan your sim
: : : : 5) Ideas for your sim
: : : : 6) Examples from GMs / experiences from GMs
:
: As well as comments here:
: http://www.star-fleet.com/webb/node/231456
:
: And Russ' important comments here:
: http://www.star-fleet.com/webb/node/229452
:
: - Jason Y. Lee