GM Tools

[Volar the Healer]

Give the characters recognition 'in game'. We had a con man - always looking for an angle - decide to issue Heroes of the Rebellion collectable cards. (two small boys on Chandrilla: "I'll trade you two Simeon les Cartes' for one Xone". "There's no way one shapeshifter is worth two smugglers".) While the team was sneaking through the starport on Chandrilla, they slipped past security checkpoints, random civil police patrols, and bounty hunters when two small boys walk up to them and said "Excuse me Mrs. Schmidt. Will you autograph my card? It says on the back you can fly an X-wing, Y-wing, and an A-wing. Is that true? Golly." The players loved it.

There were a couple of times when Team Aurek was identified and the Imperials turned and ran. The team heard the leader cry "Retreat! the enemy is superior!" The bounty hunter yelled after them "And you'd better keep running!" while the Jedi sighed "just let them go." That sort of NPC reactions told the players their characters were feared.

You can't put a character point or credit value on what that did for the players. (Well, maybe on their wanted posters...)
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[Loc Taal]

LOL! I agree Volar, recognition like that in the game is very cool! My character once yelled to Grand Admiral Thrawn over the ship's com (before the ship he was on jumped to hyperspace): "Thrawn, I'm going to cut your head off and **** down your neck!!!" It was cool that Grand Admiral Thrawn knew who my character was and knew that he'd be back...
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"Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." --Yoda

The original RANCOR PIT archive

[Volar the Healer]

A very simple and often overlooked tool is the movies themselves. I like to add the characters to the movies (they've fought in the speeders on Hoth, they blew up a commo tower on Endor while Han & company blew up the Death Star shield generator dish). Just before the big fight scene, I play that scene for them. I ensured it was rewound to that spot before they arrived to play.
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Volar the Healer]

During our big space battle against the Grand Admiral, my Jedi saw to it his shield operator heard Thrawn's voice come over the speaker box ordering him to lower the shields because Thrawn "had something special planned". We put a lot of damage on his ship until he had the shield operator shot and the shield raised back up.
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Volar the Healer]

As director, I sometimes tell a player privately before the game "at some point X may happen. If it does, your character should do this..."

I base their actions upon what their character would do in that situation. I always phrase it as if the director is giving the player some help, but really I'm setting up the group for what happens next ("You know about the rivalry between the Neimiodians and the Corellians, but your family once...") or exposing some secret they don't know about (Unknown to you or anyone else, your character has a phobia of...").

Sometimes a character (not the Jedi) just knows something he can't possibly know. Or upon hearing the NPC's name one of the characters recognizes him. ("You know Senator Bel Iblis?" "For years! But to me he was just Uncle B."

A line like that can open a whole new direction in a campaign.
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Loc Taal]

I like the idea of talking to a player to plan something before a gaming session. I think that, combined with passing the players cards with info just for them, can really help you develop a players' character without the rest of the group fully understanding how/why. One thing I always hated was when a player wanted to do/plan something and the whole group found out about it. That makes it tough when the players know something that their characters would have absolutely no way of knowing.
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"Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." --Yoda

The original RANCOR PIT archive

[Volar the Healer]

That's what the "secret director's conference" is for. Just remember to do the "secret director's conference" with several people sequencially, so the one player you talk to doesn't have the whole group staring at him when he sits back down. I usually begin mine with "There is a disturbance in the force."
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Hellstorm]

[garhkal]

The 3x5 index cards is a staple i have seen elsewhere, though mostly to do with spells and ad&d.... One i have used, is poker chips. Every time they have a FP active, that can be maintained, they place one under their character (we alternate red, white, blue). White is a single Force skill power (like danger sense), red is a Double skill power (like lightsaber combat), blue is a three skill power... Not many come to my mind that are upkeepable.....
So lets say someone had a pair of whites, and a single red, that would be 4 force skills in use so automattically 3d off all his others. So if he only did one action in the roundl, he would be at -4d total.
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[KageRyu]

The tools of a Jedi...errr Gm are many, and vast. In my long career of GMing for many different games and styles, i have found several useful and indispensible tools and styles. I often adapt these for new games, new campaigns, and whatnot. Below is a small sampling, some of which have been mentioned:
• 3x5 inch index cards - These are absolutely indispensible, and their versatility is boundless. I use these most often to keep track of important events, encounters, major NPCs, stock NPCs, Location descriptions, vehicles, weapons, and any number of other items. The most important thing to keep in mind, especially when using these for as wide and varried purposes as I do, is to have an organisation system. A small Index Organizer with seperators works, or Swatch the upper corners of the cards different colors for different uses.
• CDs and Music - CDs and background music can be indespensible in setting the mood and tone of a game, and adventure, or even a given scene. Two game systems I have GMed recomend this, and I have since adopted it as general practice. I often create custom mix CDs for a given campaign, or game theme, I select an Opening theme (which tells the players to stop kibitzing about, the games about to start), and often let my players pick a suiteable theme for their characters (which will be played at dramatic moments for the character...such as when he burns a force point, or does something incredible).
• Video Clips - Thes, when available, can be extremely invaluable as well, often saving time and energy by directing the players attention to the screen and showing them. I am lucky in that I once did freelance 3D animation and video editting, and so can create many custom clips when I feel motivated. For those not so lucky, I suggest raiding available movies, TV shows, and even stock footage libraries. A nice panoramic view of a valley can really help establish your setting (called an Establishing shot in actual production for a reason).
• Artwork/Imagery - Lacking access to video clips, your next best friends is good images or artwork of various elements in game. This really insure the players see things the way you intend, and can help players get a better feeling for the situation.
• Maps & Floor Plans - Maps & floor plans for important locations can be critical to determining how the action unfolds. Especially useful for locations that are reuseable. Hey, these can even by jotted in small details on 3x5 notecards (oooh, there you go, modular maps ).
• Notepads - Small notepads or pocket notebooks, not just for the GM but for players, can be an indespensible tool. This will help you keep track of important events and effects that may alter your campaign, or establish historical continuity later on. This is especially nescessary when GMin by the seat of your pants.
• Props & Models - As with artwork, images, and video clips, props and models can really help set the feel for the games, and put players into the setting. In some ways, these can be better than images, because the players can see and feel them (they are real objects) making things seem more real for some. This category can include miniatures, masks, costumes, and a number of other items.
• Handouts - Handouts of important events and information, journal entries, datafaxes, and such really enhance a game. Posting a wanted poster of a Player's character on the gaming room wall with a bounty helps him get the idea he's a wanted man.
• Sound Effects - Sound effects for blasters, lightsabers, aliens, droids, etc can help establish mood as well. This can be a little trickier than music, as constantly fiddling with an SFX cd can bog things down. I used to have a small, hand held device that sampled a number of sounds and played them back with specific buttons...indespensible.
• Markers - Such as poker chips, counters, or some other way to mark effects. This is somewhat mentioned earlier with the "poker chip for force powers", but can be expanded to cover other situations too. Markers for illness, disease, injury, use of a force point, etc.
• Imagination - This is by far the most important tool for any GM!
• Patience - The second most important tool!

Other things that come in handy include reference materials, internet access, a local hobby shop for books and ideas. The list could go on forever.
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"There's a set way to gain new Force Points and it represents a very nice system, where you're rewarded for heroism, not for being a poor conductor to electricity." ~Jachra