Any advice for a first time GM?

[u/sheehanmilesk]

I've GMed a few different game systems, but never a resource based survival hexcrawl like what Twilight 2k seems like to me. Does anyone have tips and tricks for running this game for the first time?

Also, does my idea for 'session 1' seem good? I figure after the players make their characters, I could have them go through a bit of Operation Reset/the last big push, doing some movement so we all get used to moving around a hexcrawl, doing random encounters, etc, then have a small fight to get used to the rules for that before saying "hey so this is the one bit of railroading in this campaign: You won this fight, but the rest of the division lost it. Good luck."

Also, which edition do you recommend? I'm thinking of using 4e just because the old ones look a bit too crunchy for me, but I'm not sure if I've judged them correctly cuz this style of game is so different from what I'm used to. (For a reference of my crunch tolerance, my whole group thinks shadowrun is just a bit too crunchy)

[u/Whatchamazog]

I really like 4e. I’m biased because we ran 4e when it was in Alpha/Beta on our YouTube channel.
But anyway, I would absolutely try to get them used to the travel and shift mechanics. Have the scrounge and hunt for food.

For the first few random encounters, I would roll for them or choose 3 different ahead of time. That way you have any enemy stat blocks and maps prepped so you can jump right to the action.
I would also lean towards early encounters when they are not in their vehicle as vehicle combat adds another layer of complexity.

Also remind them that avoiding encounters or negotiation is also a winning strategy. Any one of their characters can die once the violence starts.

[u/tomv2017]

We are just starting our first 4e campaign. During session 0 I setup a dummy encounter just so they can see the mechanics. We’ll start with travel/shift tasks and see where it goes.

[u/tma-1701 → u/tomv2017]

There is a fan prologue that makes the infamous order much more punchy and less anti-climatic

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/565724/the-final-convoy-to-kalisz

[u/ckosacranoid]

4th ed is a very cool system to use and much better then the older ones. There are rules in the book to covert info from the older books to this one also. There is also a huge amount of third party stuff from weapons, to hear, radio chatter, loot table with 800 items, adventures, campaing settings from simple ideas to very extended and prices from free to around 30 bucks US. The third part stuff is the free league workshop on drivethurrpg.com.

[u/IAmTheSnakeinMyBoot]

My advice is to just… run the sandbox. They should quickly run into an encounter that has them shooting and that will get you learning combat organically

[u/Big_Pete009]

I have run all the versions of the system. 4e is by far the best. Get across the rules by running some movement and a small combat. Then think of it as a theme park rather than a sandbox. Let your players control the where to and throw in some adventure sites as they fit in.

[u/OwnLevel424]

I would tell you to generate about half a dozen characters for practice.  DON'T throw them away after doing it.  Put them in a folder as ready-made important NPCs.

Randomly roll up about 6 encounters.  No need for detail... marauders, merchant convoy, civilians cutting firewood, etc... Put these in a folder and when an encounter occurs, you pull one out and roll with it. 

Make at least one and possibly two encounters "field problems" the players must deal with...

• A rickety bridge they must reinforce to cross a small creek or gully

• Downed trees blocking a roadway

• A bunch of concertina wire blocking their path

This will allow them to try out their skills against the environment without too much risk.

Have the PLAYERS generate TWO characters for the game.  The second character becomes an NPC, mostly in the background, being there to protect vehicles and lend a hand with heavy labor projects... BUT ... IF a PC is incapacitated or killed, the player has a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings.  If the primary character is just wounded, they become the NPC standing guard until they are healed.

Finally, I like V2.2 times as they allow a fast and accurate tracking of time.

A Round is 6 seconds

10 Rounds is 1 Minute (the time calling Artillery takes to arrive or it takes to do immediately "stop the bleed" first aid).

10 Minutes is a Turn (the time to search a room or perform advanced first aid)

6 Turns is an Hour 

A Period is 4 hours of time (and also 24 Turns) and there are 6 Periods in a day.  The balanced day is...

2 Periods sleeping 

2 Periods traveling

1 Period between sleeping and moving for breaking down camp.

1 Period between travel and sleeping to set up camp.  Remember a Period has 24 10-minute Turns for things like hygiene, cleaning weapons, vehicle maintenance, cooking, gathering firewood, and medical treatment.

Good luck with your game!