Running Your First Game

Running a game is pretty scary the first time you do it, especially if you haven't been gaming long. The first thing you need to do is get your players together. You're on your own there. After that you need to decide what system to play. If you've role-played before, you'll probably want to use one of the systems you know, especially if you already own the books for it. You'll be better able to teach any new players much faster because you've been through the system. If you've never role-played before, you're in a bit of a pickle. Assuming you have no access to any sort of game unless you buy it, you need to make a decision. What sort of game do you want to run? Do you want your players to carve into hordes of orcs on the field of valor, or stare down ancient evils beyond human ken? Now ask yourself what sort of game your players want to play. Do they want to be cybernetically enhanced swordsman, tearing into their enemies with blade and bullets, or do they want to be aged vampires, gliding through backroom intrigue and manipulating grudges centuries in the making. It's your game, but they don't have to play. And without players, you might as well just sit around playing with army men. No offense, wargamers.
As far as good starting games go, Dungeons and Dragons is a something of a staple. Most gamers cut their teeth on that, and the new edition is very user friendly, and would probably be ideal if you like sword and sorcery style gameplay. World of Darkness is also pretty simple, but it focuses more on supernatural horor and role playing, which is usually difficult even for experienced GMs. Stay away from HERO or GURPS, though. They're good systems, but there's a lot of math there you don't want to have to mess with while you're trying to make an adventure. You could try one of the free systems floating around on the internet, but I wouldn't recommend them. There's very little GM support with those, and you need support like an acrobat with double D's.
Speaking of support, I seriously recomend getting a premade adventure. DnD has loads, and WoD has at least a few. One of these will allow you to run a few sessions without spending much time writing. Fell free to modify the adventure, if you want. Your players probably won't notice, and if they do they won't freak out. You're doing this for fun, so if a few changes make it feel more like your game, then do it. Whether or not you use a premade, be sure to know the adventure. Don't just read it through, mark pages, write notes. Read the entry for all the monsters and traps that are in the adventure. The last thing you want to have happen is to reach the climax of your carefully crafted (or purchased) adventure, your players have just confronted the dread Lord Belron of the Guild of Immense Inconvenience, and suddenly the entire session comes to a grinding halt because you have to stop and look up the rules for his +5 girdle of horror.
Lastly, seriously consider getting someone else to do snack duty. It'll really help out your first time if all you have to do is prep the game. It'll also make someone else feel responsible for the success or failure of your game.
I haven't the space, time, or expertise to teach you everything you need to know to run a good game. As in most things, with GMing experience is the best teacher. Check out this series. Most of the articles are shorter than this post, but every one of them is extremely helpful.
That's it for this week. See you all Monday.