and know it well.

After all, you are telling the story in this set- Character Class), and alignment. I often include the character’s level
ting so it makes sense to have familiarity with it. That familiarity and sometimes special weapon notes or other details, like she is des-
will also present ideas and opportunities for adventure. Most of the perate for money, or he seeks fame or magic, or is young and inex-
time, if you are a new Game Master and have new players, every- perienced, or hates so and so (probably an NPC villain), and so on.
one is on an even playing field when it comes to fully understand- I do this even with players and characters that I have been running
ing the game world. in games for years and know well. It gives me a quick, easy frame
Make the setting yours. Own it. RPGs are designed to give you of reference I can see at a glance, and it reminds me about key char-
the foundation and groundwork, it is up to you to run with it. That acter elements I may want to use in the adventure. I also make notes
mean’s creating your own corners in that world setting. Towns, during the game of noteworthy moments, great ideas, outstanding
villages, ruins, secret places, particular areas of the wilderness, role-playing and key moments, as well as experience point awards.
caves, etc. are all yours to create. Just like NPCs they are places to Now back to Carl’s excellent RPG Guide.
meet, places to go to, places to destroy, and so on. Take ideas from Knowing the setting for the game, the central antagonists and
the published setting, be imaginative, have fun and go wild with it. NPCs, and the player characters, it is time to prepare for the actual-
Heck, you might even be one of those Game Masters who decides ly running of the game. If you are running the adventure included
to create your own entire game world – or your own big area of a here, make sure you know how many players you have and what
larger, existing world setting. That’s fine, too. Run with it. characters they are playing.
Whether it is the world of Rifts® or something you have cre- Whenever making your own adventures you will want that to
ated, you need to know your world and the NPC characters, villains fashion an adventure that fits and challenges the player group. Plot
and monsters in it. Especially, the ones the player group is likely and make notes for the story arc and encounters the player group
to encounter and interact with. To this end, I find it useful to know will have, and any ideas and alternatives that seem fun and viable.
who the player characters are. Knowing what character everyone is Make all your notes ahead of time and write down important stats
playing and the characters’ alignments/moral compass, goals, fears like the number of bandits, the average level of these thugs, the
and motivations – let alone special abilities and notable weapons bonuses of each bandit, their armor’s M.D.C. and what weapon(s)
– makes your job as G.M. easier. It allows you to customize your they are using. I jot the notes down in a notebook or laptop, or
adventures to appeal to and challenge the specific characters and anything I have easy access too. When I craft my own adventures,
the players. Once you know the background of the characters (and I make sure those notes are handy, but we’ll discuss more on that
the likes and dislikes of your players), it all gets easier every game later.
you play. So the basics of preparation are:
An aside from Kevin Siembieda: Know your NPCs and you A) Know the game setting and background.
can take you story/adventure anywhere. I am able to run games in B) Know the any nuances about the specific places within the
which the player characters seemingly have infinite choices and setting where the adventure is going to take place, and which you
opportunities. Part of that is from knowing them, but especially may be creating from your own imagination.
knowing my NPCs (Non-Player Characters). C) Be familiar with any NPCs and have their stats ready. You
I have my main villains and their henchmen all statted out. I may be able to get away with short stats for incidental characters.
know their alignment, goals and motivations, which means I know In a movie (and in your game), this is no name Bandit Number
exactly how they will react to insults, trouble and opportunities Four or Innocent Bystander Number Two. However, always have
that arise, as well as how they interaction with other characters (i.e. the complete stats for the main characters such as the bandit’s lead-
the player characters). The arrogant badass, for example, is not er, the evil mastermind, and any other important NPC villains and
going to waste his time with low level characters nor most people monsters. The important NPCS are the characters the player group
whom he sees as beneath him. (Which, by the way, could be the are likely to speak to, interact with, and probably fight, capture and
villain’s undoing.) However, like a gunslinger, this tough guy wel- interrogate, or kill or chase off.
comes a real challenge and that means taking on and beating other D) Have notes for any encounters or important setting areas,
experienced and powerful characters. He likes proving how good clues and details, and, again, have vital statistics written down.
he is against others. He also likes to make the big score and enjoys E) Relax and have fun. Let the adventure unfold. Listen to the
showing off just how dangerous and smart he is. That said, another players and their characters, get ideas form them, and run with the
similar character might pretend to be less savvy and deadly. He or stuff you like. If you listen, your players (often through the words
she may like to manipulate and trick people, and let his henchmen of their characters or conversations between themselves) will give
do his dirty work. This cretin attacks from the shadows and betrays you plenty of ideas you can use to spice up the game or tailor to
allies when it is to his advantage. I know if the villain loves magic their fears and needs or desires. Trust us, this is fun.
items (making characters with such magic a potential target) or Tip Number Four – Be Flexible. Nothing in your adventure
dislikes magic. I know if he hates Juicers, has something to prove, should be written in stone. We can not stress flexibility enough.
drinks too much, has a soft spot for the ladies, or likes to kill, or Even with the adventure presented here, different groups are likely
hates to get blood on his hands, or secretly works for the Coalition to react and play it, or portions of it, in very different ways. We
States. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. All of this may know our friends well, but you can never completely see the
helps me know how this NPC (Non-Player Character) is going to future or predict how each person will react, or anticipate every-
react to the player characters and any given situation, anywhere. thing that is likely to unfold in a game. And that, by the way, is
And that means I can introduce them and drop them in anywhere, one of the fun things about being the Game Master: the surprises
at any time. your players hand you – some good, some bad, always interesting.
Before I start my game for the night, I like to make a list of the That’s why you need to be flexible, improvise and run with any
players’ real names on a lined legal pad. Next to each name, I write given situation. You may be sitting there and thinking, “What the
the name of their character, the character’s O.C.C. (Occupational ...! I can’t believe so and so just said or did that!” But as the Game