Venture-Agent, Minnesota
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Let's revisit the idea of growing and recruiting new GMs.
I think much of it boils down to creating the right environment. If you can start a community from the get go where people are excited to play, and where game days are well-run and organized, you've created a good environment in which you can recruit other volunteers.
I’d like to share my experiences at Dreamers, one small venue in the very active Minneapolis-St. Paul Lodge. Because our lodge over all has a large player base (~400 active members), what works for us may not work in other locations. Still, I’d like to share my ideas and hear yours. How do you encourage new people to step up as GMs?
PASSIVE METHODS
Having a friendly and well-run venue
People greet you. They bother to learn your name. The games are fun, and the sessions are reported in a timely manner. All of this helps.
Having players see other players step up.
It takes time to build to this, but if you already have a bunch of people stepping up, it’s far more likely for a newcomer to make the leap. At my location, we’ve been blessed with having a core of 3 GMs from the very beginning who serve as regular rotating GMs, but we’ll step aside to make room for new GMs.
So... How do we get people to make the leap?
Using RSVP Questions
We make use of the custom questions that Meetup software allows. So everytime someone RSVPs for one of our events, they get the following questions:
1. Which scenario would you prefer?
2. What class and level character are you bringing?
3. Are you interested in GMing now or in the future??
4. What scenarios would you like us to host at Dreamers?
Notice question number 3? Bret and I put it there from the time we first started hosting at Dreamers. Every time someone RSVPs at Dreamers, there is that question, waiting. What I’ve noticed is that the answers to it change over time. So someone may start out as a blank answer or a “No” but a few weeks later shift to a “Not yet”, a “Maybe” or even a “Yes.”
FOLLOW-UP
Those who know me know that I am not shy. If someone answers with a “Yes” or a “Maybe”, I approach them during a break and ask them if there is a scenario that they would love to do. “We’d love to be your first PFS GMing experience, and try to provide as much support as we can to new GMs. What can we do to help?”
We’ll work together to find a scenario and get them on our calendar. When they do GM, we celebrate it. Everyone knows that it’s their first time GMing, and they offer to help out with odd rules that involve their characters. I often pick up a treat for the table to share like a small bag of M&Ms or something.
If they say no in their RSVP questions, and are a regular, I’ll ask them anyway after their fourth or fifth session with us. “Hey Bob*, you’re such a great player. You’re good with people, good with the rules, good with teamwork, I think you’d make an awesome GM. I know that you said you weren’t interested in GMing, but could we talk about that?” Most of the people I talk to admit that they were just a bit nervous about starting up, but after I’ve talked with them, they become more interested. Frequently, their responses to our questions shift.
It’s gotten so that half our players now say yes to GMing.
“Yes. It looks like I'll be able to start making Dreamers close to every week, and I would be happy to GM a low tier scenario about once a month or so.”
“sure”
“I plan to try to GM some this spring, once I get a bit more experience playing.”
“Just let me know with some advance time and I'd be more than happy to!”
So, that’s what’s worked for us so far. What works for you?
Hmm
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*Names have been changed. I currently have no 'Bob' in my regulars...
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Good advice!
Say "Thank You"
Encourage a culture of gratitude for your GMs, and the task will seem more appealing. Make sure your new players hear you tell your GMs what a great job they did. You don't need to be an organizer to do this. All of the players should be voicing their appreciation of their GMs.
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I find that the most effective way to get someone new to try GMing, is when the coordinator asks them personally. We're lucky, in that we have a lot of folks stepping up to GM, but in the times when that wasn't the case, I found that asking people I thought were ready really helped. Many people are fully capable of GMing but either don't think they are, or are worried about not knowing as much as X player/GM, and a personal vote of confidence from an experienced GM can go a long way.
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I GM'd for three different long-term campaigns in the past.
Due to certain political/personality conflicts and personal life/health issues, I had to stop, and my confidence as a GM since has been 'shaky' at best.
Which was part of the reason running a table of Confirmation at a local convention was both refreshing and a bit 'telling' as far as how much 'prep' I had put into it.
I had actually *over-prepared* (which was very good, because my copy of the scenario was missing a couple of pages and I was able to work past that with no loss of play or enjoyment...)
I think the biggest thing for me right now is that the 'evergreen' maps need to be released in a map pack of some sort. I spent almost seventy dollars on maps for the Confirmation because there were no flip-maps available, and I'm not strong on drawing maps anymore.
Things I learned:
-Having pictures of the opponents and key NPCs the players will be dealing with is important.
-Having maps ready rather than taking the time to draw them out 'in-play/during a break' is important.
-Printing out a 'cheat sheet' for each encounter with hard stats is very helpful.
-Being aware of player issues (such as sensory capabilities) is CRUCIAL.
-Taking time to ask for an after-scenario 'critique' from the players is helpful for future planning.
I haven't seen the option come up for it, but if there were someway to 'backbench' or 'run alongside' other GMs as they did scenarios, that might be helpful? Not quite running a scenario one's self (or alternatively, having a GM handy to help through any 'tough spots') could really help figure out pacing, what is and is not important to the scenario, etc.
While these things are written into most scenarios, written words don't always translate well to how a given table hears and understands them...
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I'm not sure there's such a thing as "over-prepared" if it allows you to tell a more compelling story and feel more comfortable doing it. :-)
I think a big thing is establishing the right store culture, like Hmm said upfront. I'm regularly at one of the other Minnesota lodge stores and we routinely run 3-4 tables. A couple things I've noticed that makes the GM search a lot easier:
- GM Prep Time: We have an expectation that the GMs come a little early to assist with table musters, but it also lets us talk through any rough areas in the scenarios we're running.
- GMing is the introduction to an inclusive club: It's no secret at YMB (the store) that the GMs chat a lot with each other. We do each other favors. GMs get to determine the schedule to some extent. The only entry requirement? Come GM. That part is no secret, either.
- Determine your schedule in advance: Can't stress this enough. Seriously. YMB's scenario schedule is planned into June currently. When players who want to step up look at the Meetup events 3 weeks in advance, they can see exactly what's coming up and get that RSVP question poke right away. If they're concerned about their performance, this gives them a TON of time to prepare the scenario.
- GMs make a point of saying why they GM: It's fun. It's rewarding. It's a contribution to the community. Whatever the reason, I've found that people don't seem to make the leap until they have a reason and the easiest reasons are the ones that the other GMs have. My publicly stated reason to GM for many scenarios is that I refuse to let tables fall through if I can avoid it. It makes the game a shared responsibility.
From there, it's just a matter of publicly having fun. That's the goal anyway, so it shouldn't be that hard! Laughing while GMing and sharing that fun with the players is encouraging to anyone who is on the cusp.
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Venture-Agent, Minnesota
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I haven't seen the option come up for it, but if there were someway to 'backbench' or 'run alongside' other GMs as they did scenarios, that might be helpful? Not quite running a scenario one's self (or alternatively, having a GM handy to help through any 'tough spots') could really help figure out pacing, what is and is not important to the scenario, etc.
We do it by making sure we're either playing at the table the newbie is GMing, or offering to answer questions if they come up while sitting at an adjacent table. You really should GM your first scenario yourself, but there's no reason you can't ask for advice or help.
BTW, it sounds like you did great! Congratulations on stepping up to GM, Wei Ji!
Many cool things
Someday, I have to get down to YMB! I've heard so many cool things about your venue's games. The downside of being an event host is that it's harder to find time to visit all the other locations now.
Hmm
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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I think the biggest thing for me right now is that the 'evergreen' maps need to be released in a map pack of some sort. I spent almost seventy dollars on maps for the Confirmation because there were no flip-maps available, and I'm not strong on drawing maps anymore.
I strongly agree that these maps should be available more easily. Especially in the case of the Confirmation, those are some really good flip-mats if you can get them, but they're the most sold out of all.
That said, I recently made my own as well, and it took me only about 25 euros. Which is still a lot, but already much more reasonable. It's still time-consuming but the result is pretty nice; laminated foldable maps. And bonus: the final map of the Confirmation is not actually an official flip-mat, but now I have one :)
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I offer to sit behind someone and shadow DM for them.
This where i sit behind a player not ready to dm and whisper things to them while they DM. At the store that gives store credit to DMs they often get excited about this.
I will have all the materials and preparation done usually well ahead of time. So the new Dm will have maps and minis and evertything they should need.
I also sit with the play and go over the scenario before the game and go over things that will be most helpful in giving a fun experience.
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Venture-Agent, Minnesota
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Oh, Tindalen, that does sound tempting!
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Back to topic:
It might also be interesting to hear from GMs here about what encouraged them to step up. In my case, I had a couple of reasons. The first was altruistic. I wanted to give back to a community that had given me a lot of entertainment and friendship. The second was selfish. I wanted to rebuild character wealth while Bret's and my characters were in a fragile state after liquidating near all our resources to pay for a resurrection. I figured that I would need to GM Zahra for an entire level to get her in a place where she could be playable again.
I contacted Andy Christian, and he was very supportive.
He:
As a nascent GM, he didn't want me to overdo things. He wanted me to have a chance to alternate play and GM opportunities, and he let me grow as a GM. He also told me not to "allow male players to give me guff over being a female GM."
Amusingly, that is something I haven't yet experienced in PFS. Players are eager to help me out. They explain any intricacies of the character of which I may not yet be aware, and they go out of their way to tell me how much they enjoy my tables. GMing is super fun. I think I've found a good balance between playing and GMing, and I love both.
Other VOs have offered similar support. Jon, Keith, Jack: you all are beyond awesome.
Everyone, what got you started on the path to GMing? Who encouraged you, or did you step up on your own?
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My older sister, actually, is the one that got me into GMing. I was just starting to actually get interested in Pathfinder for the first time (as opposed to reading news articles while the rest of the party played Curse of the Crimson Throne in Roll20) and was interested in giving it a shot. She:
- Suggested a scenario that fit my interests (Darklands-related - I ran The Darkest Vengeance as my first game)
- Arranged a private table with her and a few of my friends
- Helped me out by sending me the information for PFS GM Shared Prep when it was still a Google Drive Folder
- Let me borrow maps, Bestiary pawns, a GM screen and a initiative tracking board
Basically, she made it easy for me to start GMing and gave me the ability to access the supplies needed, rather than having me thrown out to the wolves to do it on my own. As an organizer, I'm still trying to find the right balance of supporting new GMs, but I try to follow her lead. It must've been a good lead, as it's a little over two years laters and I'm a VL, a four-star GM and running my own campaigns.