Looking for Advice on GMing (for Apocoloypse World)

I am a new player, new to tabletops and defiently new to GMing, so I just wanted some advice. Since I can't find a game of Apocolyspe World (Game I want to play right now) as a player here, or anywhere for that matter, I figured I'd try making one. I read the playbook and one of the things it says is to do is 'make maps like crazy' and this is a stumbling block for me because unlike some campaigns AW isn't super scripted, and a lot of it is just impromptu, so should I just make some general maps of important locales? just maps of general locations where there could be fights? maps that could be used anywhere? I want to have at least get some prep work done before I post something up to look for players, but I'm just a little stuck. Can anyone give me any general advice, or spesfic advice if you'ved GM'd an AW game?

"Make maps like crazy" seems pretty clear to me. Make a lot of maps and don't try to be smart or clever about it. Go with what seems cool and apocalyptic.

You're definitely jumping into the deep end of the pool! I've run a number of sessions of Apocalypse World and recently wrapped up a short campaign on Roll20. We kept the maps very simple and created them during play together with art tool and image gallery. The region, hardholds, factions, everything were noted as we went since they were created collaboratively during play. Between sessions, I'd clean them up a bit. I also invited the players to provide me with apocalyptic art they found cool that I could slap up on the splash page. If I was inspired and had a few minutes to sketch something out that "might" be used, I might do that. Certainly you draw them to keep on the same page in action scenes. Good luck - if you have additional questions about the game, let me know. Happy to help.

Headhunter Jones said: You're definitely jumping into the deep end of the pool! I've run a number of sessions of Apocalypse World and recently wrapped up a short campaign on Roll20. We kept the maps very simple and created them during play together with art tool and image gallery. The region, hardholds, factions, everything were noted as we went since they were created collaboratively during play. Between sessions, I'd clean them up a bit. I also invited the players to provide me with apocalyptic art they found cool that I could slap up on the splash page. If I was inspired and had a few minutes to sketch something out that "might" be used, I might do that. Certainly you draw them to keep on the same page in action scenes. Good luck - if you have additional questions about the game, let me know. Happy to help. I see... That's what I was thinking too, although I had a general idea of the region and a few key spots in mind.

I'd go with a map of the world what is ruins what is a resource. Then specific encounters for scenarios. It doesn't have to be complicated. what you are trying to convey is who is where, when so that players can make informed decisions.

Just wanted some feedback, I follwed James J advice of a general world map, and using that same map made two resource maps where food and water can/be. THe first map has the one of the Plot devices, the largest holding and the river and all ruins. I thought about having a couple of other big holdings but I wasn't sure so I didn't put them on the list. Second map is where wells can be (no surface water) and last map if Where there is animals. Is this too much (for general maps) not enough? I'll do smaller more encounter spesfic maps later but I just wanted some feedback from what I have so far.

The original gamma world 1st edition back in 1978, had a map of a flooded United States like that for laying out the locations of cities and towns, the places mountains were and the locations of ruins underwater. As long as you have a system that can show what is where for gaming purposes, it's a map, and people can use it. The key is deciding what scale to use and how much are you want to cover. the large scale map is typically used for strategy and long term planning while as you narrow the focus you get down to an adventure map for a specific adventure. In the case of Gamma World that would be an area around a specific ruins of city where the players could travel in the time in game of a day or two to a few days, showing the relationships between the survivor communities and distances involved plus areas where bad guy motorcycle gangs are. I don't know what your system is, never heard of it, so I can't really say what you'd need on that scale, but then down to a tactical map for a specific encounter. Where each square is 5 feet or similar for most rolepalying games, all those maps need to show are walls, doors, etc how thick are the walls will they stop bullets, etc. For what you have above, I'd say get an idea of how far your players can travel or influence in a few days time, and pick a start area. I'm a big fan of satellite maps, and zooming in to a google map of an area about 25 to 50 miles across and sketching out notes of communities. Good luck and welcome to the art of Cartography. Fun and relaxing. :)

Just be careful not to prep too much or to spend time creating things that aren't based on direct collaboration with your players. This really isn't like Gamma World or D&D where the GM creates a world for the PCs to explore. This is a story-game, a collaboration in the narrativist style, and MCing the game is a strict discipline. There is no real canon. The world and everything in it are created by playing and collaborating. Be sure to read and reread the Agenda and Principles section and "Always Say." It's very, very clear on what you role is and is not. Pass any prep you're doing through that lens and you should know if it's something you should be doing. As well, the first session in particular is run in a particular way (check out the chapters on this) and you don't even start making Fronts until after that session. So I wouldn't bother making any maps until the first session is done - you and your players haven't created the world yet. Important words from Dungeon World , a hack of Apocalypse World that spells it out cleanly and is the same in intent as AW: "Everything you say and do at the table (and away from the table, too) exists to accomplish these three goals and no others. Things that aren’t on this list aren’t your goals. You’re not trying to beat the players or test their ability to solve complex traps. You’re not here to give the players a chance to explore your finely crafted setting. You’re not trying to kill the players (though monsters might be). You’re most certainly not here to tell everyone a planned-out story."

Headhunter Jones said: Just be careful not to prep too much or to spend time creating things that aren't based on direct collaboration with your players. This really isn't like Gamma World or D&D where the GM creates a world for the PCs to explore. This is a story-game, a collaboration in the narrativist style, and MCing the game is a strict discipline. There is no real canon. The world and everything in it are created by playing and collaborating. Be sure to read and reread the Agenda and Principles section and "Always Say." It's very, very clear on what you role is and is not. Pass any prep you're doing through that lens and you should know if it's something you should be doing. As well, the first session in particular is run in a particular way (check out the chapters on this) and you don't even start making Fronts until after that session. So I wouldn't bother making any maps until the first session is done - you and your players haven't created the world yet. Important words from Dungeon World , a hack of Apocalypse World that spells it out cleanly and is the same in intent as AW: "Everything you say and do at the table (and away from the table, too) exists to accomplish these three goals and no others. Things that aren’t on this list aren’t your goals. You’re not trying to beat the players or test their ability to solve complex traps. You’re not here to give the players a chance to explore your finely crafted setting. You’re not trying to kill the players (though monsters might be). You’re most certainly not here to tell everyone a planned-out story." Thanks, you weren't joking about jumping into the deep end cause this goes against everything in my nature as just an author in general not to plan shit out. D: I'm still looking to enter as a player (hopefully I'll find something soon enough) so I can get an idea of what to do when I GM but tis difficult. In the meantime I'll go over what i have and see what I can do to not end up prepping too much, gonna have to bite the bullet on this one lol

There's a pretty good actual play here , on the Jankcast blog. There also a link to a mini-wiki they did, so you can have an idea of the basic setting and the cast (they didn't record the first session about setting and character's creation, alas!). It will really help you see how different Apocalypse World is from traditional D&D. It may not be as helpful as actually play it, but it'll give you a good idea of what to expect from the game, I think. I did my first Dungeon World game with only the GM and myself (he helped me figure specific mechanics and the broad feeling of the game), but I did not play Apocalypse World yet. this means I won't be able to help much beyond that link I gave you. I hope you'll have fun though! :)

Cody R. said: Thanks, you weren't joking about jumping into the deep end cause this goes against everything in my nature as just an author in general not to plan shit out. D: I'm still looking to enter as a player (hopefully I'll find something soon enough) so I can get an idea of what to do when I GM but tis difficult. In the meantime I'll go over what i have and see what I can do to not end up prepping too much, gonna have to bite the bullet on this one lol Totally. In fact, the rules of the game will fight you if you try to plan out a storyline or force particular outcomes. The game also requires the players to be very proactive. If the players expect to sit back and experience a story being told to them, the game won't work because they need to be pursuing goals and taking actions to trigger moves which, in part, determine some of the reality of the story and world you're creating as you play. It is night-and-day different from traditional RPGs like D&D where you can sometimes get away with playing an author role as GM (with player buy-in, of course). A good thing to remember is to always be looking for an angle to complicate the characters' lives in a way that is interesting. If they want to do X and X isn't triggering a move they have (or a basic move), then you should respond with a soft move of your own, either a general move or a move from a Front. They must respond to the moves you make or else your soft moves turn into hard moves. Do this and things will snowball into action naturally and you can just play to find out what happens.