My friends and I have had Tuesday as game nights for a few years, but I have never run a game. Ever. On any system.
After finding out about Epyllion, I got really excited. All the guys were interested in playing (I am the only female player), but seem a little wary about some of the world building aspects.
We’ve recently played Mage with a new DM and they have a style that makes me think I can do this.
I want my drakes to have the best experience possible.
Any advice to an older newbie that loves dragons?
Let the players drive the story. Take note of their conversations and interesting points and the decisions they make. Use them as plot-hooks down the line (as in maybe a few months).
My experience has been that worldbuilding in Epyllion is straight forward, especially compared to more traditional games, because player input is expected and encouraged. Creating the map as a group of players is really powerful both to build investment and give you ideas to play off of. Remember that players get to answer questions when you ask, but you (usually) get to choose those questions.
Epyllion’s text is pretty open about what goes on the map – I’m a big fan of asking players to tell me about a House Stronghold their dragons grew up in. This makes players think about a lot of things – The flavors of their House, the age hierarchy of dragons (Who bossed you around? Which older dragon did you befriend?) and go crazy and create the fantastic places in Dragonia (Crystal domes under the water, volcano forges, wild sand gardens etc)
I also think getting really familiar with the (slightly different)nature of Epyllion’s moves helps. Moves move the fiction forward pass or fail, keep those lists handy, think of examples so you’re not totally flat footed when people present a golden opportunity or roll miss on that crucial roll.
Lastly, I’d say don’t be stingy about reminding people to give gems (putting Virtues on name tents helps) or handing out shadow points. Everyone loves and fears being their shadowself once in awhile.