Why do you enjoy GMing more than playing?


GM Discussion

The Exchange 5/5

If you're one of those people who enjoys GMing more than playing, would you care to share your reason(s)?

Do you enjoy GMing because you like having creative control? For instance, you like bringing the NPCs to life with unique voices and personality quirks?

Do you enjoy making maps and props for the game? Does it feel like you're unwrapping presents when you run the game?

When you play, do you find yourself thinking "I could do this better than the current GM"? In other words, are your standards so high that you are most comfortable doing it yourself?

Do you enjoy the recognition you get as the GM--being the center of attention?

Do you enjoy challenging players who otherwise steamroll over lesser GMs? Are you one of those GMs that players are directed to for a 'real challenge'?

What other reasons do you enjoy GMing rather than playing?

3/5

I enjoy being able to give my friends and collegues a good time at the table. Every character's story deserves to be told and if I can make that happen, even minimally, the society is better off for it.

I also enjoy prepping too much to keep track of only one character at a time. If I don't have to worry about multiple NPCs tactics, abilities, and motivations I drive myself crazy with inactivity.

~NPEH

5/5 *

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I think Doug, you hit on most of mine:

- Creative control - for sure. I don't do many voices per se, but I do some. Still, creative control encompasses a lot more than just characters.

- Maps and Props - I do love doing this. I have made some 3-d terrain before, I spruce up player handouts and try to get all the correct minis for my games.

- High standards - I'm not as much into this, but this has happened if I really did have a bad experience with a GM. I have scheduled myself to run a scenario before just to "redeem" that GM that I didn't have a good experience with. Has happened only twice though. I have also done this to myself, re-GMing a scenario only because I thought I didn't do such a great job the first time.

- GM recognition - I won't lie. I like recognition, although not exactly because being the center of attention. It really feels great when someone requests me as a GM for their game, or I hear their scenario XX which I ran was their greatest PFS experience. It's truly a boost to confidence when I overhear someone saying that.

- Challenging players - YES, although I try to leave this outside PFS. I run a homegame of Shattered Star, and I try to leave the encounter-crafting, playing-stomping fun to that.

Some other reasons I like GMing more: Having something do to at all times; getting to play with races, abilities and spells that PCs don't have access to; planning out monster tactics ahead of time; imagining what PCs will do in a given situation (and being surprised when they do something you never dreamed of).

Dark Archive

In gaming, I prize a world that makes sense, feels internally consistent, and lets whoever is playing just fall into it for a few hours. I am a pretty hardcore roleplayer, and I feel that it is this situation in which it is easiest to play one's character fully. To me a great gaming session is one in which, no matter how badly things went:

1. I feel like whatever happened is exactly what made sense to have happened in the game world

and

2. My character was absolutely true to himself. That is as true if he ends the session dead or dishonored as when it is a victorious ending.

I suppose that puts me squarely in the "GM snob/creative control freak" categories. Other GM's are often great at many things, but naturally they have their own priorities. So generally, the only way for me get my priorities central is to be the GM. Also, for the purposes of my enjoyment, playing my NPCs as fully themselves is just as satisfying as doing it for a PC of mine. So GMing is a good fit, and I have been our group's primary GM for many years.

In PFS specifically, the things that make GMing more fun for me are less available by design. Overall I would still vote GMing is more fun, though. You are in a better position as the GM to bring what you love into a PFS session and share it with the players you get. As a player, you can gently try to pry more of what you love about gaming out of a GM, but only to the level that they have it to give.

This is actually a real feature of occasional PFS play in my life. I have found when I GM for too many years without sitting on the other side of the table, I lose any sense of player perspective, and my ability to run a fun game decreases somewhat. PFS lets me play without much committment and regain that perspective.

To play more than once every week or two though, I'd have to GM. I am glad they exist, but I don't understand those who like to play more than that. This is about as much playing as this snob/control freak can take. ;)

Grand Lodge 2/5

Having a table of smiling people enjoying themselves. That's it.

The Exchange 5/5

Lanith wrote:
Having a table of smiling people enjoying themselves. That's it.

So you don't get that when you play?


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I agree with what the others have said above - I find a real satisfaction in seeing the players buy into the world or scenario that I have presented to them.

I enjoy being a PC, but as DM I'm responsible for ALL the players; it's just a different experience.

Grand Lodge 2/5

Doug Miles wrote:
Lanith wrote:
Having a table of smiling people enjoying themselves. That's it.
So you don't get that when you play?

All those smiling faces aren't looking to me for the fun, I enjoy the feeling that I'm the cause of those smiles.


For the most part, I may be a little less altruistic than the rest of you in my rationale.

I've grown to enjoy being a GM over being a PC because I've started disdaining all of my characters - to the point where I've tried to suicide nearly all of them - but being a GM grants me the ability to play the game without having to play my character.

Also, locally our tables seem to have a fair number of "glory-snatching" characters. As a player, I don't need to land the killing blow or make all the skill rolls, but I do want the table to be a group effort. Rarely has that happened lately, but the last time it did, the experience was so deadly and trying that it brought to life why acting as a team is better than having five people trying to solo a mission. As a GM, I have to co-ordinate an offensive force that operates within their given moral/stats and works together. It's more challenging, but it provides some semblance of a community I'd like to see (regarding character ethics) within the local PF scene.

And lastly, which I didn't notice until running several back-to-back tables of the same scenario, I love how some scenarios, even run by the same person, can go entirely different directions. The five I ran all went in divergent directions but still stayed true to the overall objective; as a player, I only get to see what my (usually less-than-creative) table comes up with.

In the end, being a GM is more relaxing and less antagonistic, especially because problems with a cohesive PC party aren't really my business. People don't have to sit together or at my table, and I can't force people to get along, although I can enforce diplomacy.

Scarab Sages

I enjoy GMing because it's the only way I can actually roleplay and encourage others to roleplay rather than 1. Sitting through another session of dice rolling or 2. Leaving/Not coming in the first place.

I enjoy Roleplaying, but Rollplaying, not so much.


When I'm a player, I very much try to get the "highest score" so to speak, making important skill checks and doing things that bring the party ahead (being the one to kill the strongest enemy, making the battle plans, etc.) Even if the other players are having a good time, I kind of feel like I'm not getting the most fun out of it unless I'm "winning".

When I GM, I don't have that "play-to-win" problem (because there's no victory or loss involved with being a neutral judge) and I get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing the players at the table have fun and knowing that I helped entertain them and made their time spent playing PFS worth it. Even if they aren't taking it seriously, or are steamrolling through combat, or using brute-force methods without any roleplay involved, they are still having fun doing it and to me that is what counts above all other things.

4/5

I enjoy supporting my fellow players in their fun.

I can do this with supporting characters, playing my bards, clerics, etc.

But the easiest way to do this is to GM.

I also find that the window a player gets into the game world is very small. As a GM, I know everything that is going on and am not frustrated by lack of information.

It's very hard going from Phenomenal Cosmic Power™ to itty-bitty player space.

Also, I get to PLAY ALL THE CHARACTERS!

3/5

When I play a game I do not enjoy. I look over it and see the work the author put into it and all the awesomeness that was left out.

Then I feel offended that, that stuff was missed so I want to make that adventure the fun it should have been for everyone else.

Edit* also when I play with a really good DM. I want to share and steal thier awesomeness for other people and spread that as well.

1/5 **

Doug, you hit most of my reasons in your OP, except for this bit:

Doug Miles wrote:
Do you enjoy challenging players who otherwise steamroll over lesser GMs? Are you one of those GMs that players are directed to for a 'real challenge'?

I can't say I feel this way. Although I like to pretend to be out to get the players, and believe scenarios should be a challenge, but something about this just seems a little...adversarial to me. Mechanics are a means to an end for me, not an end in themselves.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Yeah, you still haven't killed my character yet. Chris and I just met this weekend and HE killed my character. :P

1/5 **

TriOmegaZero wrote:
Yeah, you still haven't killed my character yet. Chris and I just met this weekend and HE killed my character. :P

Bah!

Spoiler:
The combats in Stolen Heir are pretty darn easy. I ran it again, and the other table wrecked the alchemist nearly as fast as you guys did.

One day I'm going to get a group to turn over Thalia. :P

Anyway, you guys were great, and I hope you had fun.

But I'll get you next time...

4/5 RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32

I love GMing PFS, for a variety of reasons, and a number of them are due to the fact that we're still working on growing PFS in our region. A lot of our players and GMs are new to the Pathfinder (or to RPGs in general), and I figure the best way to ensure they have a great PFS experience is to GM.

As a GM, not only can I strive to provide a fantastically memorable session to the players at my table, but it's a constant quest of self-improvement. I'm always looking to deliver my NPCs better; keep combat engaging, tense, and well-described; involve each PC individually and bring out the best roleplay from that player; increase the plausibility of the world by deepening my knowledge of Golarion; and so on.

Playing PFS can be a ton of fun, but it's not quite the same excitement as you get from knowing that you just gave some players an experience that they'll mark down as one of their best Pathfinder games (at least, until I do one better).

Plus, as a GM, it's my opportunity to not only market Pathfinder as a system (by being helpful in teaching players the rules, showing them the cool things their character can do, and enabling them in their own ideas of fun), but selling Golarion as a setting. Because that's part of what's going to keep them coming. There's other RPGs on the market, but there's only one Golarion.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
bugleyman wrote:
Anyway, you guys were great, and I hope you had fun.

I did, and you gave me a great demonstration to draw from for my run of it.

I hear Elven Entanglement is deadly, you should run that for us sometime.

Shadow Lodge 3/5

In PFS, sometimes I'll play through a scenario and think there are things that could've been done better, and it's great to demonstrate that quality to other players.

I'm guessing/hoping others want to do that with me as well, because I know I'm certainly not one of the best GMs out there (I've seen them before and they do an AMAZING job).

In non-PFS, it's actually a lot of fun trying to flesh out NPCs and areas and side-quests. It does feel like you're a player in the game, who has to abide by some rules, and gets to break others.

Paizo Employee 4/5 Developer

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I enjoy GMing because of the creative control, and as many players can attest, 4–5 hours is rarely long enough for me to finish a scenario and feel entirely satisfied. I like being able to describe an area or NPC in detail and allow the players to explore it, interact with it, and surprise me with their own queries. Inventing an NPC on the fly to answer the players' inquiry and having the players never know that the NPC was a complete fabrication is one of my favorite moments "behind the screen."

I enjoy the challenge of GMing. Even after 150+ games, I can't just go into autopilot because there are so many things that require my attention. I can't grow complacent in my knowledge of a scenario because inevitably some player will surprise me with a weird tactic. Having to adapt on the fly—to whatever degree—keeps me sharp and is fulfilling.

Sure, I enjoy being the center of attention, but that's because my outgoingness is tied to any feeling of being on stage. Feeling like I'm giving a performance just feels good and allows me to be louder and more audacious than I normally am otherwise. Part of this presentation feeds on the PCs trying audacious things and all of us collectively building tension and then rolling dice to figure out if the plan panned out.

Sometimes I find myself thinking, "yeah, I could probably run this better," when I'm a player, but that's both a challenge to myself to outdo my standards of presentation and a challenge to myself to be an even better player and make the table fun no matter the circumstances.

I don't particularly enjoy creating maps and the like, but I think that's a product of my not doing much to improve my map/prop-making habits. My games tend to be much more about the verbal and movement-based presentation and less about visuals. That said, borrowing others' cool maps is really fun.

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

I enjoy gming because I like giving back to the hobby that has provided me years and years of entertainment.

I originally started gming because nobody else wanted to. Then when it was someone elses turn to do so, they wouldnt. So It fell to me session after session. Finally someone else did and we all decided that he wasnt right for it and it had to be me.

Im not big on the attention, if that comes with gming then so be it. I feel it akin to perhaps going to a gaming convention just because I can experience gaming with brand new people (which I love) as opposed to going to get swag or the like.Im a fairly shy person, so perhaps being a gm is a way of breaking out of that.

I enjoy some voices and trying to make each npc slightly unique.

Im not big on map making myself so the shared drive is great for this. I do own a lot of flipmats but its actually remembering to bring them that I need to do :)

I loved to be surprised as a GM. When pcs go off script, coming up with a way to get them back of the boat sailing in the right direction is a good challenge which I enjoy.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/55/5 **

Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber

2 main reasons I enjoy Gming over Playing

Player Joy: The greatest Joy I get in PFS is when I run a great game that everyone leaves smiling and with stories they will have a long time.

Though that can happen as a player I have a lot less control over that

I am a terrible Player: Every time I play I always get those moments that I hate when I think to myself "GM that is not how it works!" or "GM you are F'ing up the story!" or Back seat GM thinking to myself "that is not how I would do it". Though I mostly keep that too myself unless it is a rule issue they are F'ing up that is messing with my PC, it drives me crazy! And that feeling makes me feel guilty, and I don't play PFS to feel guilty.

I have played a Bunch and this happens every game I play in except for 3 GMs:

Eric Brittain
Mike Brock
Rob Silk

Liberty's Edge 5/5 **

When I'm DMing I don't have to be as picky about my tables. I can just do my thing and have fun with it - whatever it may be. If the table is full of characters that are optimized to the nth degree, it just means I get to clean up and go home sooner!

Sovereign Court 5/5 Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds

):

I can't contribute to this thread because I like playing and GMing equally (which is more than I like nearly anything else except cheesecake, coffee and beer, all of which make playing and GMing even MORE fun).

Silver Crusade 2/5

I like them about the same as well.

Silver Crusade 2/5

Dragnmoon wrote:

2 main reasons I enjoy Gming over Playing

Player Joy: The greatest Joy I get in PFS is when I run a great game that everyone leaves smiling and with stories they will have a long time.

Though that can happen as a player I have a lot less control over that

I am a terrible Player: Every time I play I always get those moments that I hate when I think to myself "GM that is not how it works!" or "GM you are F'ing up the story!" or Back seat GM thinking to myself "that is not how I would do it". Though I mostly keep that too myself unless it is a rule issue they are F'ing up that is messing with my PC, it drives me crazy! And that feeling makes me feel guilty, and I don't play PFS to feel guilty.

I have played a Bunch and this happens every game I play in except for 3 GMs:

Eric Brittain
Mike Brock
Rob Silk

I don't know if I'm terrible exactly, but basic mechanics mistakes from 3+ star GMs really, really irritates me.

Shadow Lodge 4/5 5/5 RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8

So I have an English degree because I want to do creative writing professionally. I wrote a dozen or so short stories and poems, got one published, and churned out a novel that will never see the light of day (my choice – it’s really hackneyed), but at the moment, I’m honestly just not very good at it. The best I can do right now is create cool stories with other people. I love GMing because it’s like creative writing on a team, while you’re hanging out with friends and killing dragons. How freaking cool is that?!

In PFS, I can take six random people, plop them down at a table, and in under 5 hours have created a unique version of a scenario that simultaneously fleshes out their PCs. It’s really like writing seven stories at once, with seven people all working together. The stories in threads like these only happens because people are so darn creative! They go off-script, they have different motivations, different play styles; so much so that no two games of Pathfinder are ever, ever, the same. As a GM I get to facilitate that.

I could say that I GM because I want players to have a good time, because that’s true too. But in the end my motives are a bit selfish. I love GMing because every time I get to run a table, it makes me a better writer and creative designer. I’m secretly storing all the character concepts, the dialogue, the plot decisions – all of it – so that I can come back and reference it for my own advantage later. Playing is fun, and sure, I enjoy it a bunch. But as a GM, I have much more courtvision, which makes for a greater selection of information gathering. I get to know the NPC motivations, setting development, plot themes, all of it in addition to what the players bring to the table. That’s a gold mine for anyone that’s interested in fantasy writing as far as I’m concerned.

3/5

I love this thread. Can we have this sticky'd? Please?

Sczarni 4/5

Do you enjoy GMing because you like having creative control? For instance, you like bringing the NPCs to life with unique voices and personality quirks?
- I admit I am slightly control freak, but regarding rules mostly.

Do you enjoy making maps and props for the game? Does it feel like you're unwrapping presents when you run the game?
- I do enjoy in some way. I made my own collection of pictures and plastic mini's which implement them. Several GM's were inspired by it and made their own also.

When you play, do you find yourself thinking "I could do this better than the current GM"? In other words, are your standards so high that you are most comfortable doing it yourself?
- Guilty as charge. While this feeling is melting and gone from the starts of my GMing carrier, it still hits in occasionally, so I prefer to GM here and there because some people don't get the grasp of game that easily. It's hard to explain, but in some words, it could be said that I have standards in my games. I expect it to be a game, not a beer drinking contest or casual chit chat.

Do you enjoy the recognition you get as the GM--being the center of attention?
- I do.

Do you enjoy challenging players who otherwise steamroll over lesser GMs? Are you one of those GMs that players are directed to for a 'real challenge'?
- I definitely do enjoy challenging players, because I feel that others don't have the courage to do the same.

What other reasons do you enjoy GMing rather than playing?
- Most of the questions already hit the answer, but one. Sometimes I can't stand to watch new GMs who are only "trying" to GM because "they have to". I feel that these games tend to be wierd and lose every feeling of the game while several new GM's that GM-ed for first time in their life, did awesome job in doing it. In short, I hate when people prepare badly.

Shadow Lodge 4/5 5/5 *

There are plenty of reasons why I enjoy GMing, but I think for me the biggest one is the sense of... giving? I just FEEL good GMing for my local lodge. We are a newer lodge and have on hand 3 GMs, but one can end up busy (military) so it is up to the two of us to give our players entertained. Any given week we will have between 10-16 players show up, so unfortunately some have to get turned away. So when I GM, not only am I having a good time but I know I am giving everything I can to these guys before I transfer schools.

I guess it can sound pretty self centered, "If I weren't here over half of your players wouldn't get to play, muahahaha!" but that's not what does it. It's knowing that not only do my players get to have a good time but my doing so matters so very much. I love my group of locals, no matter how crazy some of them may be, so it's great to know that I can provide them the opportunity to game regularly. Hopefully I will have trained up a person (or two) by the time I am ready to leave so that I can leave them better than I found them.

5/5

I really suck as a player. I suck less at GMing.

Shadow Lodge 5/5

I love the taste of tears.

Sovereign Court 5/5

I'm the best GM there is. Why would I let that go to waste?

Grand Lodge 5/5

Sometimes Garble needs a nap.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, West Virginia—Charleston

I'm sort of a complicated case...I greatly prefer GMming over playing, but I'm trying to force myself to play more so that I can improve on both fronts. My motivation has also somewhat shifted from when I started.

Initially:
I had a couple of negative experiences when I first started playing. I wanted to give players better opportunities.
I love acting, and when running a scenario, you can play not just one character, but 5-6.
I enjoy getting into the lore of the game world and working it into scenarios.
If I'm the GM, I can determine how much role-playing and flavor goes into a scenario - some GMs tend to gloss over those things.

The following have been reasons to GM that have been added on as I've continued GMming:
I enjoy being part of a community that needs me. Our region has seen explosive growth, so we're kinda short on GMs.
I enjoy meeting new players and interacting with a wide variety of people.
I like being able to run a scenario efficiently, as I seem to be able to handle high-level combat without slowing the game down too much.
I really hate playing characters before they've had that first chronicle. Without the 500 gp and Wand of CLW, I feel that a character is completely gimped.
I really like giving people unique things from scenarios. There's this fake artifact that I've sold a good 7 times, and it ends up on a lot of characters' chronicles. I keep waiting for two of them to be at the same table. ("Your broken, burnt scimitar was the one that Sarenrae used in the Qadiran/Taldan war? MY broken, burnt scimitar was the one Sarenrae used in that war, not yours!")

Liberty's Edge 2/5

This thread is very interesting to me. I'm a pretty new GM, and pretty rough around the edges. I'm sure I'm not the best.

I do a mix of in-person and play-by-post games. For in-person, I like playing about 5x better than GMing. I can't stand GMing for munchkins and other irritating types (like the paladin who is just waiting for a chance to kill something). Maybe with practice I'll get over myself. The less I think of it as a contest between me and the players, the better I like GMing. Too often a player does something that makes it seem like just such a contest, though.

As for PBP I like GMing about 10x as much as playing. I set the pace and the tone. I have plenty of time to look up rules and if I need to flip through the scenario, it's right there.

I don't like acting and having creative control doesn't do much for me. I even feel a little guilty putting a GM chronicle on a character (though I can forgo this). I don't mind being the center of attention and I do enjoy having something to do the whole time.

I guess for me what enjoyment I get out of GMing is the feel of being in control/in charge. It seems kind of petty to say it, but there it is. And not worrying about my own PC is nice too.


Malag wrote:
Guilty as charge. While this feeling is melting and gone from the starts of my GMing carrier, it still hits in occasionally, so I prefer to GM here and there because some people don't get the grasp of game that easily... Sometimes I can't stand to watch new GMs who are only "trying" to GM because "they have to". I feel that these games tend to be wierd and lose every feeling of the game while several new GM's that GM-ed for first time in their life, did awesome job in doing it. In short, I hate when people prepare badly.

You and several people have made similar statements. I'm only picking on you because I need someone to quote and you're the most recent one to do so.

I'll freely admit that I don't know a lot of the rules because I joined the vast tabletop RPG community at the end of January 2013. I GMed my first table in June. I get rules wrong, and I know it. Being a GM has required me to learn many rulings I wouldn't otherwise know, and I'm thankful for that. As a question and request to the people who think "Those aren't the rules; I could run this better," and who are typically known to be a font for rules/rulings, why not politely take the GM aside and say, "Swarms provoke when they pass through a player's square," or "The next time you set up an ambush, players get an opposed perception check to act in the surprise round," et cetera? This could easily lead to better GMs and fewer painful sessions.


This is probably not going to make me any friends, but it has been something that's been on my mind a lot recently, so...

I have a temper. A rather bad one, actually. Things that upset it include many of the personality traits that are, unfortunately, woefully common in tabletop gamers. I don't like powergaming. I don't like the murderhobo theme that is common in organized play. Rules-lawyering is another thing that really annoys me. Lack of hygiene, etc. etc. etc. All of these things set off this temper of mine.

You'd probably never know it, though. I'm strongly anti-drama and conflict-avoidant. Instead of confronting these sorts of things, I just stop playing with the people who cause me issues. Especially with the advent of virtual tabletops like roll20, the pool of available players has never been larger. I'd rather not be the one person who ruins everyone's fun by complaining. I just move on to find new people to play with.

I GM so I can be more selective about who I play with. I have a lot more fun when I play with people I know and like than I do when I play with random people. In essence, it's a self-serving decision to have more fun. I suppose that's why we're all here, though, so perhaps it's not too horrible.

Liberty's Edge 5/5 **

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It's not by any means. Pathfinder Society has zero mechanics to protect you from a bad experience so it's on us as individuals to do what we have to do to protect our own interests. If DMing is your way of shielding yourself from a bad experience, have at it.

Sczarni 4/5

downerbeautiful wrote:


You and several people have made similar statements. I'm only picking on you because I need someone to quote and you're the most recent one to do so.

I'll freely admit that I don't know a lot of the rules because I joined the vast tabletop RPG community at the end of January 2013. I GMed my first table in June. I get rules wrong, and I know it. Being a GM has required me to learn many rulings I wouldn't otherwise know, and I'm thankful for that. As a question and request to the people who think "Those aren't the rules; I could run this better," and who are typically known to be a font for rules/rulings, why not politely take the GM aside and say, "Swarms provoke when they pass through a player's square," or "The next time you set up an ambush, players get an opposed perception check to act in the surprise round," et cetera? This could easily lead to better GMs and fewer painful sessions.

It's not about the rules, it's about several GMs not caring to improve themselves and preparing badly because they are lazy. My experience isn't extensive that much tho. I met maybe 30-40 players in total. I can name each and every player who is taking the game seriously and who isn't. At least, this is in my case.

Adam


Feral wrote:
It's not by any means. Pathfinder Society has zero mechanics to protect you from a bad experience so it's on us as individuals to do what we have to do to protect our own interests. If DMing is your way of shielding yourself from a bad experience, have at it.

That's not entirely true. Neither the players nor the GM should feel obligated to continue playing/running a bad table. Moreover, players and GMs are encouraged to report either bad players or improperly run tables so that they can be handled in an appropriate manner. Also, Warhorn and other sign-up mechanisms seem to be gaining popularity, especially because they allow both players and GMs to manipulate their tables to their advantage. If I don't like player or GM X, I won't play or run where X is signed up.

But that [irritating players/GMs] is one of the main reasons why the small, some Society campaign is appealing. There's a reliable table, and as one of the GMs, trusting the players will be easier, too.

Malag wrote:

It's not about the rules, it's about several GMs not caring to improve themselves and preparing badly because they are lazy. My experience isn't extensive that much tho. I met maybe 30-40 players in total. I can name each and every player who is taking the game seriously and who isn't. At least, this is in my case.

Adam

We have both situations, new GMs and lazy GMs, but at least in our area, no one seems to want to have constructive conversations with the "offending" GMs, which makes it difficult for anyone to improve. I've had to start telling people to correct me mid-game if I make a legit mistake (such as forgetting that SLAs are standard actions, oops...) as no one would have said anything otherwise.

I still think, at least locally for me, that if less-than-perfect GMs were treated with more respect, they'd be more apt to improve. We have a tendency to gossip behind their backs and then yell at them when they make mistakes (and at other players, too). It makes it hard to want to improve when the audience starts as unfriendly at best.

Liberty's Edge 5/5 **

downerbeautiful wrote:

That's not entirely true. Neither the players nor the GM should feel obligated to continue playing/running a bad table. Moreover, players and GMs are encouraged to report either bad players or improperly run tables so that they can be handled in an appropriate manner. Also, Warhorn and other sign-up mechanisms seem to be gaining popularity, especially because they allow both players and GMs to manipulate their tables to their advantage. If I don't like player or GM X, I won't play or run where X is signed up.

But that [irritating players/GMs] is one of the main reasons why the small, some Society campaign is appealing. There's a reliable table, and as one of the GMs, trusting the players will be easier, too.

But that is precisely what I mean. It's on individuals to protect themselves. There's nothing the system does to protect people from a bad experience. There's no option to take zero credit from a game that you sat out because the optimized wizard one-shot all the encounters, there's no option to replay a scenario when the DM blatantly cheats to TPK the party, and there's even mechanics in place to punish players for dropping out after the game's been started.


Feral wrote:
But that is precisely what I mean. It's on individuals to protect themselves. There's nothing the system does to protect people from a bad experience. There's no option to take zero credit from a game that you sat out because the optimized wizard one-shot all the encounters, there's no option to replay a scenario when the DM blatantly cheats to TPK the party, and there's even mechanics in place to punish players for dropping out after the game's been started.

Then I misunderstood your meaning; and I'm sorry for the redundancy.

At least as a GM, some of those problems aren't an issue. Optimized or over-optimized players should pick-and-choose their battles. Not through gaming the system I have an optimized grappling character; against normal enemies he has a 5% fail chance. It shuts down combat, and that's no fun for anyone else at the table. I didn't realize this until two GMs complained about grappling in general, so now it's saved for the "final encounter" or "last resort" situations. That's considerable less fun for me, but now people aren't just walking the encounter. People need to speak up.

There's only the opportunity to talk to a VC with cheating, but there should be more recourse than that. It's also why, especially in/for PFS, I think die rolls that are not opposed (stealth/perception, bluff/sense motive, et cetera) should be open. It limits some of the "Oh I crit for max damage" all the time, every time, die rolls. I know there are people who disagree, and sometimes I enjoy private rolls, but when there aren't too many measures to protect players, a little bit can go a long way.

Sczarni 4/5

downerbeautiful wrote:


We have both situations, new GMs and lazy GMs, but at least in our area, no one seems to want to have constructive conversations with the "offending" GMs, which makes it difficult for anyone to improve. I've had to start telling people to correct me mid-game if I make a legit mistake (such as forgetting that SLAs are standard actions, oops...) as no one would have said anything otherwise.

I still think, at least locally for me, that if less-than-perfect GMs were treated with more respect, they'd be more apt to improve. We have a tendency to gossip behind their backs and then yell at them when they make mistakes (and at other players, too). It makes it...

Maybe you are right in some way, I will give you that. We tend to shove away people that we don't like. Altho I have no problems with these less-than-perfect GMs as players alone, I expect them to come prepared when they GM regardless. So if they want respect, only thing they have to do is prepare and there is plenty of help offered to do it in our area at least. We even had several GM workshops to introduce GMing and how to do it.

Dark Archive 5/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps Subscriber
John Compton wrote:


I enjoy the challenge of GMing. Even after 150+ games, I can't just go into autopilot because there are so many things that require my attention. I can't grow complacent in my knowledge of a scenario because inevitably some player will surprise me with a weird tactic. Having to adapt on the fly—to whatever degree—keeps me sharp and is fulfilling.

and ...

John Compton wrote:


Part of this presentation feeds on the PCs trying audacious things and all of us collectively building tension and then rolling dice to figure out if the plan panned out.

The two of these combine with the can't be repeated enough players having fun is the whole damn point of playing ... and come out as the reason I enjoy GMing so much (Sign me up for as much as you need at GenCon, Mike!):

If I present the same event several times to disparate groups(three or more is about where I start to be happy about this outcome), I get to see three probably different approaches to the same story (Feast of Sigils? Only getting to see how two tables handle that (one for running, one for playing) doesn't seem like NEARLY enough chances to enjoy the multiple paths through the scenario).

How do the players derail your plot? How well do you shine the light on the rails without them looking like a train ride? How do they survive Horrifying Thing K?

Plus, Tersha helps me out with awesome as hell maps and terrain, and showing those off at cons so I can give her ego boo about them is a lot of fun (It looked like people enjoyed the Storval Stairs at GenCon, even if it's not Myron's corner-dominating effect).

My only moments of "I know I could run this better" is when I see people doing things like monotone readings of box text or having no idea how core rules work (combat maneuvers especially) that are used by the NPCs they are running (it's called preparation for a reason).

Also, I have developed a real dislike for running scenarios cold, or playing a cold-run scenario. I'd rather sit out the slot or go visit a dealer room or whatever. Even those who're good at doing it can really mess up the flow of an event if they haven't had an opportunity to prep it.

Sczarni 5/5 * Venture-Lieutenant, Washington—Pullman

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Kyle Baird wrote:
I really suck as a player. I suck less at GMing.

YMMV

The Exchange 1/5

Mites. I RP them like they have sad sad souls. I make my players feel bad for killing them. then I see the smiles on players faces when that one heroic mite finally pokes a player... and has class levels in rogue. also the standard action dc 10 DOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM.

Silver Crusade 4/5

The TL;DR Version:

I love to GM because I not only get to tell a story, but for a few hours I get to have a relationship with the people at my table and their characters.

The Longer Version:

I have always been a storyteller. But go figure, I get into a profession where creativity is not a thing you are allowed to have much of. So RPG's and gaming in general, gave me the outlet to be creative and not be the "boring medical professional" without having to turn to alcohol or excessive partying.

When I run a table, I don't care if you have an AC 100. I ask them at the start of the game, to tell me a bit about their character and I find ways to integrate their introductions into the story. At the end of the adventure, I try to leave little notes on their chronicles (THANKS MIKE AND JOHN!) so that they can remember the event and any of the fun or insane things that may have happened.

But for me, the best part about running games, is that for the four or so hours that I am running the game, I learn about the people at my table. Many of whom are already friends or acquaintances, and sometimes strangers. But for me, I get a chance to get to know people and develop a relationship. Now what kind, depends on what happens, but I do the best I can to leave everyone in a positive outlook.

These relationships, in the past two, going on three years, (YIKES!) have developed into friendships that I would not trade for ANYTHING. I have had adventures and memories with people, that I would have never met had it not been for gaming and GMing PFS. Haters can hate on me, and people can criticize me and say that I am not "this" or "that", in other realms of PFS. But at the end of the day, so long as my players leave happy, I am content, and to heck with all the rest.

The Exchange 5/5

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The past three years (2010-2012) I averaged GMing 7 games for every 1 that I played. This year I have tried to play more, and I'm at 2:1. For a long time it has been about the session count, grinding out scenario after scenario like a machine. It greatly helps to get out on the other side of the screen and see it from the player's perspective. Like Kyle, I feel I am better as a GM than I am as a player. However, what I find most interesting as a player (outside of combat) is when the NPCs interact with my character. Like many of you, I want my character to be relevant. That's part of what makes Lady Ophelia a cool GM; she gets it.

Large-sized tables (6-7 players) create a time/attention crunch. It funnels the game into a mechanical process to run the encounters and hand out Chronicles. I really enjoy playing at 4 player tables because it makes everyone's actions relevant--even the bad guys who get a chance to use more of their abilities. I don't mind my characters being threatened or killed, but that seems to go against the power-gamer mindset.

One of the other reasons that I think I enjoy GMing more than playing is that it is difficult to find the right conditions to make the game worthwhile as a player. I like 4 player tables. I like GMs who have run the scenario multiple times before I play under them. I like GMs who do prep work, pre-draw maps, use appropriate minis, describe the battlefield, role-play the NPCs, get enough sleep the night before and in general know what the hell they are doing. That's why I enjoy GMing more than playing, because I can't get what I want as a player. In other words, because I'm a Pathfinder snob ;)

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

Given that I'm in my late 30's I think that it's a great way to give back to a pastime that has given so much to me. Our local society is rarely short on players, and I would hate to see prospective player's not being able to get a seat at the table.

With that, I like my Saturday GM slot, it gives me a week to prep the scenario (Combat Manager and maps). If people are spending money and time to play, I should be giving them the best table possible. First impressions go a long way with new players and keeps the community as whole looking good. Nobody likes playing under a unprepared GM.

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