05-17-2014, 07:39 PM
Many agreements with everything Jess said.
Keeping yourself to a limited amount of players is a very good idea when you're just starting out. Although I will say that I think each ST has their own individual capacity for multi-tasking and group management, so you'll probably be the best judge of what you can handle and what you can't. I know STs who can manage as many as 8 players without even breaking a sweat. (Sadly, I am not one of those people.) My recommendation would be to run a few simple one-shots for just one or two characters at a time, and then work your way up from there as you get more comfortable. It's good to keep things simple plot-wise, as well. Particularly if you aren't that comfortable with the system yet. My most successful early scenes were those that involved fun narrative flourishes without a lot of dice.
And yeah, be clear and up-front about what players can expect from the scene and what you need from them in order to keep things running smoothly (if anything.) I have at times gotten a bit lazy about the latter part, and I usually end up regretting it. Clear communication is a good thing.
Also, the resources section on the Mage Wiki is totally an ST's best friend.
Keeping yourself to a limited amount of players is a very good idea when you're just starting out. Although I will say that I think each ST has their own individual capacity for multi-tasking and group management, so you'll probably be the best judge of what you can handle and what you can't. I know STs who can manage as many as 8 players without even breaking a sweat. (Sadly, I am not one of those people.) My recommendation would be to run a few simple one-shots for just one or two characters at a time, and then work your way up from there as you get more comfortable. It's good to keep things simple plot-wise, as well. Particularly if you aren't that comfortable with the system yet. My most successful early scenes were those that involved fun narrative flourishes without a lot of dice.
And yeah, be clear and up-front about what players can expect from the scene and what you need from them in order to keep things running smoothly (if anything.) I have at times gotten a bit lazy about the latter part, and I usually end up regretting it. Clear communication is a good thing.
Also, the resources section on the Mage Wiki is totally an ST's best friend.