A Note to New Free-Form GMs
I'll be the first to say it: Free-form is a lot easier to GM than something like DnD. Posts are more like the narrative in a story, and if that's your thing, then free-form is a good choice for you. I find that it's also a great segway into other gaming systems. Despite the fact that it's easier, however, I have learned from experience some important things that greatly affect your GM experience as well as that of your players.
I've compiled a list of the more important things that I've learned, but there's still plenty of other things that you'll only learn from taking that first step and hosting a game.
1. Don't do more work than you have to. Being a GM is a lot of work. No, really, it's A LOT of work. You shouldn't boggle yourself down by doing more than you have to, especially when a lot of it won't be used. This includes map creation. If you want to write up descriptions for your new location threads ahead of time, that's fine. If you're not planning on using it soon though, don't write it up because there's a big chance that it'll get forgotten about.
2.Keep your work organized and backed up. Don't keep all of your location and player files in rpol. As wonderful as the website is, it's just not meant for keeping everything organized (as a neat freak, this is one of the first things that I've noticed). Whether you have a flash drive full of microsoft word documents or have a few folders in google drive (my personal favorite), make sure rpol isn't the only place where you're keeping things.
3. Know what sort of game you're running and make sure your players know. If you have a plot all drawn out and there has to be a certain order to things, make sure that your players know what they're getting into. If they join expecting to have a lot of room to do whatever they want, expect to have a lot of people who aren't posting. On the other side of this, make sure that you know what you're doing. As the GM, you're expected to know what's going on and if you're jumping around between plot and sandbox, people are sure to get confused.
4. Understand your limitations as GM. Despite what a lot of "outsiders" (people who have never played a role playing game in their life) might say, a GM is NOT the god of whatever world they're running. I like to think of them as the peacekeeper. They're somebody who makes sure that everyone is going down the right path and is having a good time playing. Don't become that guy who plays player favorites and isn't fair when it comes down to decision making.
5. Enforce your rules. The above rule being said, you have rules for a reason. As long as you've properly informed your players about your rules and policies before they join, you have every right to (fairly) enforce them. If you specifically said for players to use a text color when speaking and somebody isn't doing that, you're allowed to ask them to do so, give warnings, etc. Note: This doesn't mean be a jerk about it. People make mistakes and if you crack down hard on the little things, you won't have many players.
6. Give your players choice. If your players want to skip over the important clue that you left for them outside of a tavern, let them. They'll feel the heat for it later, so don't sweat it. In the end, it's the players who are playing, not you.
7. Give players options. This is something that I've learned helps to keep players interested. Every now and then, it's good to have a change of mood in the game, even if it's for a short period of time. Giving players a side mission or event that either lightens or darkens the mood is a good way to keep up the energy for the game.
8. If things slow down, do something. Taking a break from the game for a while is fine, but make sure that everyone knows that there's a break going on. If they don't, the air around the game starts to get stale and people aren't as willing to post. If it's a player who's holding up the group, either NPC them for a post or two or use your mystical GM abilities to continue on the conversation without them. If you let the game slow down too much, you lose players to the common "Things have gotten a lot more busy for me lately" phrase.
9. Don't over NPC. You're going to use NPC characters. This much is true. It's going to happen sooner or later. Unless the NPC is a main character and significantly important to the plot, there's no need for them to have their own character. Having an NPC named "Character" gives you the freedom to have them do or be whatever is necessary for the situation.
10. Properly describe the setting. You may think that your two sentence talking about the mountains are helpful, but they aren't. Believe me, I know. If you have a hard time with a detailed description (including the layout of the buildings, weather, time, and anything else notable) then use a lot of pictures. This helps prevent a lot of confusion.
11. Pictures are incredibly valuable. If you're ever describing a monster, NPC, building, or anything else, try to find a picture for it. Not only does it help with player visualization, but it can also give hints on where players should attack/adventure/explore. Sometimes you won't be able to find a picture that is just right. If that's the case, make sure to include a written description that's accurate. Players will hold the written description in higher esteem than the image.
12. Don't leave players hanging with introductions. When you're moving players to a certain location or introducing them for the first time, tell them why they're there. So long as your reasoning meshes well with their backstory, it helps them out with their motives, etc. For example, if you have a character who is a thief, you can explain him being in the tavern because he was hiding from a few guards. This, once again, helps eliminate confusion. It can also be a sneaky way of advancing the plot.
13. It's okay to ask for help.If you've spent countless hours trying to figure out how to get the characters from point 'A' to point 'B' but you just can't seem to get it, don't be afraid to ask. I find that asking my friends helps because they aren't involved in the game so they can look at the setting with fresh eyes. If your friends and family are no good, use the rpol forums. They're there for a reason and there are plenty of GMs who are willing to lend you a hand. You can even turn to the players in your game, on some occasions.
I guess I'll stop at lucky 13. I wish you the best of luck with your game. Despite how much work it can be sometimes, GMing a game is fun and amazingly rewarding when you find the right players to work with.
