Advice/Help New GM, halp.

[Nogoodname]

So as the title says I'm a new GM laying the foundation for an RP and I wanted to ask a question and get some insight. The idea of this roleplay is essential a small party of players (5-6 preferably) who are exiled to a dangerous and mysterious continent for reasons. The way I want it to play out is basically with the PCs firstly focusing on survival, finding shelter and a stable food supply before becoming comfortable enough to explore a bit and slowly learn about the history of the area and then get hooked into the main plot.

The problem I'm having trouble with just how to do this. So far my idea is to have a bunch of landmarks scattered around the continent for them to find and crack open to find all the sweet knowledge inside (as well as a treasure incentive) so that they can slowly piece together the lands history as they explore. Though I feel like this approach has a lot of flaws to it, namely the question of why some PCs would even want to explore after all their needs are sated. As well as my worries on how to make the continent feel big without bogging party down with long travel times. What do you guys think? Do you have any recommendations for an RP where the goals will mostly be player driven? Any tips on how to run a survival based RP? And most importantly some help on making this old kingdom feel like it used to have some life in it at one point?

 

[Bacon is fluffy]

Do you have any recommendations for an RP where the goals will mostly be player driven?

Every rp is player driven. There's no such thing as an rp where it's not fueled by player ideas and enthusiasm. The reason why I don't like the phrase, "player driven", is because they can make thier own rp if they're coming up with everything including the foundation. What you want is to be a semi dungeon master. Give them direction whether it's subtle advice from an native shaman. Or perhaps through a not so subtle reveal where lightning strikes a pillar, unveiling some ancient text to be deciphered. In this way, you can have your cake and eat it too. You get to introduce a survival scenario. Then necessitate exploration through DM'd events.

Any tips on how to run a survival based RP

Best thing to do is understand survival yourself. Start looking for survival manuals. Look for television shows that feature something along the lines of man vs wild. Actually take into account how hard it is to actually live when your body is constantly burning calories,but there's no grocery store to exchange your green backs. Research, is the key here. Ofcourse you also have to take genre into account and decide how realistic your scenario is gonna be.

And most importantly some help on making this old kingdom feel like it used to have some life in it at one point

Introduce some sort of tragedy, like pompei. A thriving metropolis with contemporary amenities that was destroyed overnight in an eruption. In this way, even without the perserved bodies left behind. You can introduce some more advanced contemporary inventions like irrigation or in door plumbing, if your rp cast is on the less educated or primitive side. Having a cast of characters who are seeing building bigger than they thought possible. Inventions they don't know what they're used for. Art and architecture with its own style, that's weathered, but still has glimpses of the artists original intent. Emphasizing how lonely the city of ruin is. You'll have to do a lot of thinking and take a lot of things into consideration and blend them in a cohesive fashion, so that someone who's just reading about your rp, can enjoy themselves for 5 minutes while you worked 5 months making it come to life. xD

Spoiler

 

[Nogoodname]

Every rp is player driven. There's no such thing as an rp where it's not fueled by player ideas and enthusiasm. The reason why I don't like the phrase, "player driven", is because they can make thier own rp if they're coming up with everything including the foundation. What you want is to be a semi dungeon master. Give them direction whether it's subtle advice from an native shaman. Or perhaps through a not so subtle reveal where lightning strikes a pillar, unveiling some ancient text to be deciphered. In this way, you can have your cake and eat it too. You get to introduce a survival scenario. Then necessitate exploration through DM'd events.


Best thing to do is understand survival yourself. Start looking for survival manuals. Look for television shows that feature something along the lines of man vs wild. Actually take into account how hard it is to actually live when your body is constantly burning calories,but there's no grocery store to exchange your green backs. Research, is the key here. Ofcourse you also have to take genre into account and decide how realistic your scenario is gonna be.


Introduce some sort of tragedy, like pompei. A thriving metropolis with contemporary amenities that was destroyed overnight in an eruption. In this way, even without the perserved bodies left behind. You can introduce some more advanced contemporary inventions like irrigation or in door plumbing, if your rp cast is on the less educated or primitive side. Having a cast of characters who are seeing building bigger than they thought possible. Inventions they don't know what they're used for. Art and architecture with its own style, that's weathered, but still has glimpses of the artists original intent. Emphasizing how lonely the city of ruin is. You'll have to do a lot of thinking and take a lot of things into consideration and blend them in a cohesive fashion, so that someone who's just reading about your rp, can enjoy themselves for 5 minutes while you worked 5 months making it come to life. xD

Spoiler

Thanks a lot for the advice! I'm still trying to kind of learn the ropes of all of this so any advice is really helpful for me.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Expanding on what Bacon said some tips for general mechanics of group roleplays

1. Time Skips and Timed Activities.
By this I mean that you give your players a set time limit to complete each of their activities. So say their current activity is to travel to a specific location and find the clue hidden within. Now say this activity has a time limit of 1 week IRL to complete. Meaning in that time the players must post as their characters and do their best to complete whatever the current objective is. If the objective is not completed in that time ( or they don't post within the allotted time ) you implement a timeskip to the next Activity. This keeps things moving and ensures your players are moving along the prescribed plot.

2. Write Out Activities Before The Roleplay
This one is probably self evident but you'd be surprised how few GMs bother. Basically when you come up with a plot that involves your characters discovering certain things in a timely manner your going to have to actually write out HOW / WHERE your players will discover the information. Likely most of the information won't be shared directly with your players but it's always a good idea to have a solid plan in place on how your players are going to progress from point A to point B to point C etc.

An example I used to do was a roleplay where the characters had to complete at least four mini missions before they were able to join a tournament to determine their ranks in that universe.

Each mission I would give my players a brief description of the objective - ex. There are six bombs hidden in this village. You have 2 hours ( in universe usually 1 week IRL ) to find the bombs. The first team to find them all / the team that finds the most bombs at the end of the challenge moves forward.

Now that was the information that was available to them. On my end of it I had a list of where each of the bombs was located and I would random number generate each day to see if one of the bombs exploded.

That's what I mean when I say your going to have to have an aspect of the Activity that you share with your players and an aspect that you handle in the background to keep things mysterious.

 

[Beckoncall]

Check out my RP on this site "Lost Continent: Flight from Muurdaan" -- our concepts are very similar. Take a peek here:

https://www.rpnation.com/threads/be...n-building-rpg-thread.161688/#comment-7495195

In my SIMILAR scenario, this is how I addressed some of your concerns:

1) Make a MAP and fill it in only as the players explore. A great map tool is INKARNATE which you can see examples of if you check out my link.

2) There are ALL KINDS of things you can add to promote urgency and a need to explore even after basic needs are met. In my game, I established a mysterious threat (called the Cull) that wipes out most life in the area every so often... so even though the colony keeps growing, they are constantly faced with searching and time constraint based on this looming "dead-line"

3) Some other motivators would be seasonal weather that make the area they settle slowly untenable. Have there be a river they'll want to settle near. In the spring it's a trickle in the riverbed, but as days go on it's clear something (melting ice?) is making the river bigger as time goes on... by high summer the riverbed is so flooded they need to move someplace else. Or the rains are so heavy they have to move again. Or flowers pop up that make everyone slightly (or even very) sick in the area... or all of these things that keep them moving, and more. Make the best food source nomadic animals... and they'll have to or want to follow them.

4) If you want huge scale but not impossible travel times -- provide a means of transportation. Portals (finnicky ones so you can control pace?) or animals they can tame or trick into carrying them, or waterways.

Let me know if you have any other concerns and please look at my game as an example. Just seeing how I've organized IC, OCC, Player Status, and maps could be a real help.

Good luck and glad to try and help!

 

[Nogoodname]

Expanding on what Bacon said some tips for general mechanics of group roleplays

1. Time Skips and Timed Activities.
By this I mean that you give your players a set time limit to complete each of their activities. So say their current activity is to travel to a specific location and find the clue hidden within. Now say this activity has a time limit of 1 week IRL to complete. Meaning in that time the players must post as their characters and do their best to complete whatever the current objective is. If the objective is not completed in that time ( or they don't post within the allotted time ) you implement a timeskip to the next Activity. This keeps things moving and ensures your players are moving along the prescribed plot.

2. Write Out Activities Before The Roleplay
This one is probably self evident but you'd be surprised how few GMs bother. Basically when you come up with a plot that involves your characters discovering certain things in a timely manner your going to have to actually write out HOW / WHERE your players will discover the information. Likely most of the information won't be shared directly with your players but it's always a good idea to have a solid plan in place on how your players are going to progress from point A to point B to point C etc.

An example I used to do was a roleplay where the characters had to complete at least four mini missions before they were able to join a tournament to determine their ranks in that universe.

Each mission I would give my players a brief description of the objective - ex. There are six bombs hidden in this village. You have 2 hours ( in universe usually 1 week IRL ) to find the bombs. The first team to find them all / the team that finds the most bombs at the end of the challenge moves forward.

Now that was the information that was available to them. On my end of it I had a list of where each of the bombs was located and I would random number generate each day to see if one of the bombs exploded.

That's what I mean when I say your going to have to have an aspect of the Activity that you share with your players and an aspect that you handle in the background to keep things mysterious.

Ah, Thank you! Time skips I know of but timed activities are really helpful! I'm hoping though to be able to get a small group of good friends for this RP, but on the chance that I need to open an interest check these will be incredibly useful. And don't worry, I've already got quite a bit planned for them in the first down.

Check out my RP on this site "Lost Continent: Flight from Muurdaan" -- our concepts are very similar. Take a peek here:

https://www.rpnation.com/threads/be...n-building-rpg-thread.161688/#comment-7495195

In my SIMILAR scenario, this is how I addressed some of your concerns:

1) Make a MAP and fill it in only as the players explore. A great map tool is INKARNATE which you can see examples of if you check out my link.

2) There are ALL KINDS of things you can add to promote urgency and a need to explore even after basic needs are met. In my game, I established a mysterious threat (called the Cull) that wipes out most life in the area every so often... so even though the colony keeps growing, they are constantly faced with searching and time constraint based on this looming "dead-line"

3) Some other motivators would be seasonal weather that make the area they settle slowly untenable. Have there be a river they'll want to settle near. In the spring it's a trickle in the riverbed, but as days go on it's clear something (melting ice?) is making the river bigger as time goes on... by high summer the riverbed is so flooded they need to move someplace else. Or the rains are so heavy they have to move again. Or flowers pop up that make everyone slightly (or even very) sick in the area... or all of these things that keep them moving, and more. Make the best food source nomadic animals... and they'll have to or want to follow them.

4) If you want huge scale but not impossible travel times -- provide a means of transportation. Portals (finnicky ones so you can control pace?) or animals they can tame or trick into carrying them, or waterways.

Let me know if you have any other concerns and please look at my game as an example. Just seeing how I've organized IC, OCC, Player Status, and maps could be a real help.

Good luck and glad to try and help!

Awesome! Thank you! It's good to hear some advice from someone running a similar RP, I'll be sure to give yours a read.
And thank you so much for the mapping tool! That's something I've desperately needed for this.