If you are reading this stickie, then good for you! This is a short guide of what to know when taking the role of Game Master, or GM for short.

If you decide that you think you have what it takes to GM over a scenario, then continue reading. If not, well...this guide will give you some insight on what a GM actually does. GMing is only advised for expecienced role players.

1. Define Your Rules, and Make Your World: being the GM means you get to call the shots, but that also means you have to set the game up for everyone else. You can define the rules however you please, although for simplicity I recommend using either the D20 system or the D10 and D100.

Whether you base it off of an anime, a game, or create it yourself, creating a convincing world is something that a GM is expected to do. The world has to live and breathe, meaning you'll be doing more than voice-overs and controlling the baddies. You have to create many different personas for the many different characters, beit bland and boring or energetic and spontaneous. Characters will be buying goods through you, interacting through you, befriending and forging alliances through you, and fighting both along-side and against you.

2. Your Word is Law: when playing as the GM, you will basically have the omnicient view of a diety or as a author of a book. What you say and what you set up is set in stone, but don't abuse this power. If you walk yourself into a knot the players will notice the paradox and you'll have a hard time keeping the group and getting yourself unwound.

3. Mini-mod: as GM, you are responsible for keeping the game moving steadily and making sure that everyone is entertained. Make sure to keep balance between the characters, favoring one over the others only when the situation demands it. Keep players from acting up and ruining the experience for others. Penalties will usually work, but should that not be the case, remember that you call the shots. Take his turns when he leaves and write him out of the game when you get the chance. Also, you always have the purple lightning of death, which the other characters will simply not notice untill the hapless victim falls over dead.

4. Be Prepared, or not Prepared at all: if you want to GM sucessfully, you need to know how to improvise with what's given to you. It's very possible to plan for weeks on an adventure, only to have players turn away from it for something else that they find more interesting, despite the well laid tracks you set. Adapting on the fly is a skill nessisary to GM successfully, and is actually a preffered style of play over planning for some GMs.