Pacing
Every group will have its own unique rhythm, but you can syncopate and adjust for effect. Since we're apparently still using music analogies, you should also consider variations of intensity — a crescendo works best when it starts pianissimo. If your entire game is hard and fast there's nowhere to go. Switching analogies, the long rush of the roller coaster diving down after the crest is made so much better by the slow, ratcheting, inexorable climb to the top before the reveal of finally seeing what's coming.
Story and Planning
Some people are just gifted, and can spin a good yarn from crackers and body odor. This is called "pantsing", as in, "flying by the seat of your pants." We all have to improvise some of the time, and it's a good skill to develop as much as you can, but some people are just better at it than others. The rest of us need to do a little work. There are several ways to do this, and you should use whichever works best for you. The good news is that people have been writing stories for a while now, so there's a lot of available literature on it. We'll discuss some tips in a bit, but the short version is that Hooks are your friend, and good players will carry the day for you, but don't get lazy.
The traditional old standby is to make an outline. Be careful not to script the PCs through a false "choose your own adventure" where all choices wind up at the same ending. You can fake the appearance of choice now and then, but if you do that too often your players will lose confidence in you.
The intermediate approach works very well — give yourself a basic direction, and expand details fractally as they become relevant.
Scenes
This is what's going on in the moment, the generally collected and connected events of a location — the real bread and butter of the game. A fight, a negotiation, an interrogation, investigation of an area, anything that has the players working in the moment to accomplish some goal, even if it's just enjoying each other's company in character. People and places and events are described, choices are made, and maybe dice hit the table.
When preparing a scene, even if it's an impromptu surprise, take a moment to consider a few basic questions.
- What are the characters trying to accomplish?
- How important is it to them? To the story? To the players?
- How hard is it going to be?
- Who or what stands to make it more difficult?
- Who or what might actually help?
- Is there something else that might steal the scene?
If the goal of the scene is something mundane ("Let's go to the market and restock supplies…") it's a great candidate for derailing. This is what Hooks are for! Every character should have at least one Hook triggered every session. A prejudiced guard harasses the half-orc, the thief sees a juicy target he just can't help but pickpocket, or the knight is petitioned by a damsel in distress, and mayhem ensues. When planning, always try to have some idea of random encounters for the player Hooks that you can drop into any scene that seems slow, but watch for opportunities you didn't anticipate — situations that spring up organically will feel more satisfying.
Sessions
At the start of a session it's usually a good idea to do a quick recap of where the characters are and what happened last time to give some sense of continuity and give everyone a chance to pick up the thread and get back into the groove (if there was a last time.) Unless one scene spans across sessions, such as a big fight (and maybe even if it does), this is a great moment to take stock and ask if anyone has any specific goals for the session, and changes in strategy, or anything else they'd like to get in front of the group before digging in.
Preparing for a session is more about pulling back to a higher viewpoint and figuring out the goal for the evening. As mentioned above, have a few ideas for triggering Plot Hooks of various characters, but remind players that they can and should point out moments when triggering a Hook is appropriate. Take them up on it when they do! Make sure it's actually worthy of the Karma, but if a player has the idea themselves, pay attention and use it as a template for future triggers; this is the kind of event they want and expect.
Does this session's goal move the game toward broader campaign goals? It doesn't have to — it's fine to have a session that is an "aside" from the usual fare, but pay attention to the group. Some will want to get back to the story, while others will be happy to diverge more often.
When planning conflicts for a session, remember that stakes don't have to be life and limb, but should still feel important. Try to include some that are easy and at least one that is not. If you don't have a minimum of one character recovering from a previous session's Injury, consider making your opposition a little tougher. If several are, then either give them a different sort of challenge while they heal, or take advantage of it to make them really nervous.
Campaigns
This is where some planning really shines, but you need to be able to adjust for player actions. Level One is designed so that you can literally improvise entire campaigns from a vague idea, some setting and a few Hooks, but the more time and thought you put into what's happening off-stage, and how and when that will affect the PCs, the better.
The clearer your picture of what's happening elsewhere in the world and what challenges you eventually want the group to face, the easier it will be to retroactively tie what seemed like random events from earlier sessions into a cohesive thread later. Did the characters encounter bandits? Were there rumors of war? Those were bands of deserters, living off the land, and now the war is getting closer. Were there necromancers among them? Remember that cult that was outlawed in the neighboring kingdom? They have been stirring up conflicts and rebellion, and are doing it here now.
Guide the story to where you want it by bringing together those earlier details. Seed in those little details wherever you can, even if you don't know what they are for. If and when you manage to tie them in later you will look like a genius, and your players will start wondering what some of those other random, unexplained bits were all about. Sometimes their speculation will be better than anything you had in mind; don't be shy to let them be right.
Campaign Considerations
As characters advance, higher levels become expensive. A Level 15 character needs 16 Karma just to reach Level 16. This naturally encourages diversification into cheaper roles and abilities, but also makes players more likely to spend Karma on automatic successes rather than saving for advancement.
This is by design. If your group settles into a comfortable power level and starts using Karma tactically rather than for advancement, you've found your sweet spot. You can focus on the game and stop worrying about Leveling. There comes a point where you have created the character you wanted all along, and more stuff would just be unnecessary baggage.
Enjoy the extra guaranteed successes — with a pocket full of Luck Tokens and the freedom to spend your Karma on successes, you should be really awesome, and at that point the GM is going to be using his Tokens to interfere a LOT, so you may need those Karma successes. ELs will outstrip Level more and more, and even the Staggered rule will not protect you from one-hit takedowns forever.
In short campaigns, spend that Karma freely! Be awesome while you can — you might never play these characters again. In long campaigns the natural Karma economy should find its own balance between advancement and tactical spending. Make sure the players understand that no matter how much they Level up you can always do better; the focus should be on making the character, and then on being awesome.
Advancement
Did the characters start at Level 1 with no initial Karma? Then you get to expose them to whatever will inspire them to take up the Roles that interest the players, and a lot of the early session planning will be about how they survive to grow. This is a great way to start a "market street orphans" game.
Did they start with 5 karma? You might have a Level 1 character with 5 Roles, a Jack of Trades that covers a wide range of situations competently. You might have a Level 2 with three Roles, or a Role at rank 2 and another at 1. You might even have a character at Level 3 with no Roles at all. It's fine to have a mix! The Level 3 character is going to be tougher, but the Level 2 Warrior 2 with Swords 2 who spent his other Karma on a bonus Maneuver of Armor 1 is going to be a lot harder to hit and be able to deal out more damage, fighting skillfully at EL6 or 7 instead of just brawling at EL3. This is a group you can hit a lot harder right off the bat.
Different groups will have different playstyles; some will concentrate on Leveling up, getting stronger! Others will be pretty happy with the way starting characters play and might never bother, spending all their Karma on tactical successes. Both are fine! The most difficult part of running the game is going to be balancing the two when players in the same group don't agree on which they prefer. It usually won't be a problem, but make sure you discuss it with them and know which way they prefer the game to play, then plan accordingly.
You may have to occasionally provide a little deus ex machina to bring them together, but it's ok to have the big bad monster target the tank instead of the bard; if the bard is the one whose overall power is getting away from the group, make the social battles bigger but leave the physical conflicts in the range of the combat players. Remember that the GM can earmark Karma awarded when appropriate, but you should only do this when it makes sense.
Karma awarded for an Extreme roll can be allocated directly to the Role or even the Maneuver used, but if you do that the Karma is spent and has to be tracked, and it doesn't count against the maximum number they can bank. If a player insists on spending too much of their Karma on guaranteed successes when other members of the party are increasing rank and Level, allocate all Karma for attendance directly to Level; they are accumulating experience. It will underscore the problem, and hopefully prompt them to address it.