FASA Games, Inc.

One question I thought I would pose to gamemasters in general: When you open the GM Guide for a game, what information do you WANT to be in there for you?

Information on and stats for various major NPCs (major Nobles, Guild, and Church officials, for instance), stats for various generic NPCs (such as your average Hawkwood soldier), stats and info on a variety of creatures (monsters, native animal life, etc), items and other goodies that might not be readily available to characters but the GM can choose to throw their way or use for NPCs, detailed info on and ideas for using various NPC factions (such as Vau and Symbiots) in a game, in setting conspiracy theories and such to glean ideas from, and at least a handful of adventure ideas (not necessarily fully plotted out, more like what the Adventure Frameworks for Earthdawn were).

"If it has stats you can kill it"
I like the idea of standard NPC grunts like they did in Shadowrun 4e. It makes it very easy for me as a GM to throw in opposition when (not if!) my players chose a COMPLETELY different approach than I had thought they would.

Also I'd like a section for Antimony, Sathra cults, Symbiots, The Vau and perhaps a few glimpses of some more Annunaki leftovers. And other nefarious threats not for the eyes of mere mortal players.
Plot seeds are great too but I don't like having them fleshed out too much. I'm also not a fan of too much Canon material plotwise but that has never really been an issue with FS I think.
That's why writing such sections is tricky since putting something on paper removes the mystery. Dorothy should never have looked behind the curtain and seen the wizard! The whole of Oz got dull after that.
Some things are just not meant to be known. That's why plot seed are great but IMO it has to be left vague and ambiguous.

Stuff best kept secret from players when building a campaign, like history, metaphysics, major politics & intrigues. No stats.

Stats for major NPCs IMO are a waste of space.

If players decide to deal with major NPCs it should not be a question of what some sourcebook says. A sourcebook cannot take player characters into consideration nd some would likely become much more powerful than any canonozed set of stats for NPCs. It's a question of keeping players guessing so they don't come whining about it when Emperor Alexius suddenly has to be beefed up because they decide to take him on because they know they can.

It's quite different with generic NPCs like grunts or critters.
Ultimately I suppose it's a question of preference more than anything.

More info on the various threats in the universe and the fractions etc. would be great. Rules for Antimony and some more esoteric Psi paths would be nice too. It's great to be able to throw players a curveball now and then without having to invent a lot from scratch.

A GM screen would be awesome as well. Both for keeping players in the dark but also for having the much used tables ready at hand. Lastly some nice art on a screen can help bring the proper mood to the table as well. Having a wall between the GM and the players also reminds them that sometimes they have to strain themselves a bit

Realistically, I think a GM book must contain a mix of different things and styles. What is useful for one GM/gaming group won’t necessarily work for another, so a little bit of everything is probably the way to go. Some would like more rules and chapter after chapter with stats, while others want more fluff, and yet others want only expanded setting material. As an example, I once saw a similar discussion as this for another game where one GM insisted that the only material that would be useful for him was a book of only conceptual artwork… not text, just pictures.

Having something for everyone is probably the direction we need to take.

Oh, and I would love to put my Antinomy writing into the FSR GM Guide, but I doubt there will be room for that monster. Instead, I see an Antinomy book project in my future

I recall a Sci-Fi game (Staers Without Number i think it was called) that actually had a Faction Interaction ruleset, that could tell you how the different factions powers changed. It had things like ciber ninjas (for the subtle types), strike teams, military fleets and corporate takeovers. It was nice because if the players actually destroyed the frigate or saved the baron and killed the ciberninja you could see the faction becoming effectively weaker because of the lost asset. Anyway, it would be very interesting, with FS being a game of multiple factions, this would help with book keeping and having a realistic developing world without putting that much thought.