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On GM preparation: One of the reasons I don't GM more is that in my neck of the woods, most of the opportunities to do so are for "open" slots; that is, the mod is picked at the table day. I've GMed like that once, and ended up running a mod I had only skimmed. I was so disappointed with the experience I was able to provide that I've basically decided not to GM unless I know what I'm running in advance. Coupled with grad school, it means I don't get to GM nearly as much as I otherwise would, but such is life.
RPG Superstar 2013
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Hmmm. For those that care about such things, I'm a less-than-one star GM, so feel free to stop reading.
My philosophy as a GM is to do everything in my power to make my players believe they can die at any moment -- that I want them to die, even -- but then do everything I can (within reason) to avoid that outcome. I roll all my dice in the open when GMing organized play, so if you catch a greataxe crit at first level, you're probably going to die. That said, I intentionally have opponents do tactically sub-optimal things if it looks like I might get a TPK, especially with newer players. Of course I also take the intelligence and motivations of the enemies into account, but I generally try to err on the side of the players.
Just my $.02. :)
I think this is a good strategy: players have to be punished for mistakes, and in-character actions have in-character consequences. THe game is no fun if a player feels he's being coddled, even if he gets upset at experiencing trouble accomplishing his goals.
It's a thankless job, so I say kill 'em all and let Pharasma sort them out. But make it a memorable death.
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Hmmm. For those that care about such things, I'm a less-than-one star GM, so feel free to stop reading.
I know this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I hope everyone knows that having X-stars has nothing to do with the quality of the GM. I have seen a lot of great GM'ing from those who have no stars at all. Having a lot of stars just mean that you have sold your soul to Paizo and live your life in a game store or at conventions. :-)
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Hmmm. For those that care about such things, I'm a less-than-one star GM, so feel free to stop reading.I know this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I hope everyone knows that having X-stars has nothing to do with the quality of the GM. I have seen a lot of great GM'ing from those who have no stars at all. Having a lot of stars just mean that you have sold your soul to Paizo and live your life in a game store or at conventions. :-)
lol agreed...
*gets back in line*
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Is that a round about way of calling us star elitist or snobs? cause seriously??
*sigh*
I seem to have a knack for pissing people off.
All I meant was: I don't have a lot of PFS GMing experience, so for those that consider such things important, please bear that in mind.
Do I think the assumption that more starts == better GM is a little off? I sure do. But that is really beside the point.
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Is that a round about way of calling us star elitist or snobs? cause seriously??*sigh*
I seem to have a knack for pissing people off.
All I meant was: I don't have a lot of PFS GMing experience, so for those that consider such things important, please bear that in mind.
Do I think the assumption that more starts == better GM is a little off? I sure do. But that is really beside the point.
lol .. I was just teasing you .. take more than a post on the forums to piss me off..
I know that my person GM style isn't for everyone, I love the fact that Doug puts up with me GMing for him and hopefully I don't rub the wrong nerves all the time. I try to have fun and try to ensure that my players have fun.. I ask after each table if there is anything the players think I could have or should have done better or different. I know I'm still growing as a GM so any advice I get, to me, is invaluable and taken to heart.
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Is that a round about way of calling us star elitist or snobs? cause seriously??*sigh*
I seem to have a knack for pissing people off.
All I meant was: I don't have a lot of PFS GMing experience, so for those that consider such things important, please bear that in mind.
Do I think the assumption that more starts == better GM is a little off? I sure do. But that is really beside the point.
lol .. I was just teasing you .. take more than a post on the forums to piss me off..
I know that my person GM style isn't for everyone, I love the fact that Doug puts up with me GMing for him and hopefully I don't rub the wrong nerves all the time. I try to have fun and try to ensure that my players have fun.. I ask after each table if there is anything the players think I could have or should have done better or different. I know I'm still growing as a GM so any advice I get, to me, is invaluable and taken to heart.
Good! I certainly didn't mean to offend. That's just life for me, what with my low charisma... :-)
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TwilightKnight, please let your fiance' know that my rates are reasonable, my results guaranteed, and my services honorable and secure.
By the way, some GMs lick their d20's for luck, and I encourage you to consider this a whimsical and attractive pastime.
Hmmm, my dice have the faint taste of peppermint. Is that unusu...**thud**
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Why you would bring complaints to a public forum a week after the con instead of when I am available at the con is beyond me. If you had brought it to my attention at the time of the incident, I could have addressed it then.
th that said, both DMs were well prepared ahead of time. I am aware of one of the instances you mentioned and I know you are only giving a partial account. If you wish to discuss further, my email is mbrock@Georgiapfs.org.
As to the Saturday evening, you and your wife both played the special and no one died so I'm not sure what you are referring to.
I figured there was more to this story after reading the initial post.
Thoth, 30+ year Gamer/DM
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Bring her along. Nothing like going to the Chattanooga Choo Choo for a convention :)Love the offer (I'm actually free in May), but with my load of 11 conventions this year, if I add another one, I think my fiance' will take out a contract on me :-)Want a free room at Dicehead Siege in May?
make sure you take time to take her on a romantic carriage ride tho
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Hmmm, my dice have the faint taste of peppermint. Is that unusu...**thud**TwilightKnight, please let your fiance' know that my rates are reasonable, my results guaranteed, and my services honorable and secure.
By the way, some GMs lick their d20's for luck, and I encourage you to consider this a whimsical and attractive pastime.
yes my peppermint cyanide combo works....death with minty fresh breath, glad i bought that alchemy lab now. BWAHAHAHAHAHA
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Umm .. I've done Iowa to Tenn before .. nooooooooooooooo lolI know I'm still growing as a GM so any advice I get, to me, is invaluable and taken to heart.The more you DM at Dicehead Siege in May, the better DM you will be!
It isn't ... that ... bad. Just bring Kyle and Doug along for the ride. We still have 15 games that need DMs. 78 games are covered with DMs.
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Hello all!
I wanted to take an opportunity to voice my own opinions on this type of situation.
Less than a month ago, I had the opportunity to sit at one of Kyle's tables at Gamicon in Iowa City. I'd been told that Kyle was known as the 'tactical' GM, and that I should be fully prepared to part ways with my character. Needless to say, Vincent had made his peace ahead of time, and I had 2 new character builds already in mind.
To keep this as spoiler free as possible, let's just say someone wasn't happy their altar was decimated, and made it their task to destroy Vincent, ignoring everyone else around him. Had it not been for some particularly grapple-y summoned vipers keeping him from delivering his coup de grace (Thanks Kade), and an unconscious reflex save to avoid 1/2 of the death throes damage, Vincent would have been dead as of Friday night. Needless to say, I've begun to appreciate the lessons that 'tougher' GMs provide.
My point is, it is the times when we least expect to survive that make for the best stories. I'm already looking forward to Tau.
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It isn't ... that ... bad. Just bring Kyle and Doug along for the ride. We still have 15 games that need DMs. 78 games are covered with DMs.Umm .. I've done Iowa to Tenn before .. nooooooooooooooo lolI know I'm still growing as a GM so any advice I get, to me, is invaluable and taken to heart.The more you DM at Dicehead Siege in May, the better DM you will be!
Lol .. perhaps a caravan of sorts .. but yeah .. MI closer than IA, and out of the way for either of us to pick the other one up so....
wait .. what are the dates? craaaaapppppp
*feels the pull of her soul towards a convention*
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Lol .. perhaps a caravan of sorts .. but yeah .. MI closer than IA, and out of the way for either of us to pick the other one up so....wait .. what are the dates? craaaaapppppp
*feels the pull of her soul towards a convention*
You do not know the power of the dar.....oh, wait, wrong theme.
May 20-22. More info HERE
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Lol .. perhaps a caravan of sorts .. but yeah .. MI closer than IA, and out of the way for either of us to pick the other one up so....wait .. what are the dates? craaaaapppppp
*feels the pull of her soul towards a convention*
You do not know the power of the dar.....oh, wait, wrong theme.
May 20-22. More info HERE
I make no promises, but apparently I've sold my soul and if I can do it I might ... of course I'll be dragging Twilight along as he's my driving partner lol....
*goes away to configure vacation time
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I make no promises, but apparently I've sold my soul and if I can do it I might ... of course I'll be dragging Twilight along as he's my driving partner lol....
*goes away to configure vacation time
Even better then! He can run some Midnight Mauler and I will treat you guys to brews at the Terminal Brewhouse! Hope it works out and you guys can make it.
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LOl .. remember no promises ... it's still a bit away yet ... but I will say I won't run throaty mermaid .. anything else grand lol
No promises, no worries. Who knows, we may have all of our DM slots filled by that time and you guys can come and just play :) Either way, we'll make it work if you can make it down.
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LOl .. remember no promises ... it's still a bit away yet ... but I will say I won't run throaty mermaid .. anything else grand lolNo promises, no worries. Who knows, we may have all of our DM slots filled by that time and you guys can come and just play :) Either way, we'll make it work if you can make it down.
no offense ... if I drive that far it's cause I'm a GM hooker and I'll want to run all weekend and not play ... but that's me
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no offense ... if I drive that far it's cause I'm a GM hooker and I'll want to run all weekend and not play ... but that's me
Excellent....Muhahahaha....the powers of the dark side are working my young apprentice. (Can you tell my 3 year old and I are watching her first time of Return of the Jedi :) Some of my current DMs who are scheduled to run 8-10 games are more than willing to give up 3-4 games so they can play some. We will be able to make it work if you are able to make your way down.
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Excellent....Muhahahaha....the powers of the dark side are working my young apprentice. (Can you tell my 3 year old and I are watching her first time of Return of the Jedi :)no offense ... if I drive that far it's cause I'm a GM hooker and I'll want to run all weekend and not play ... but that's me
Lol .. just don't drag the manacles out yet .. Doug still has them anyway
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waves fresh baked cookies...come join in the dork side
wait .. what are the dates? craaaaapppppp*feels the pull of her soul towards a convention*
Lol .. I'm mulling the details ..
homework/finals vs. vacation time vs. other summer conventions already slated for vs. cost of driving over flying vs. driving for 12-14 hours
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waves fresh baked cookies...come join in the dork side
Lol .. I'm mulling the details ..
homework/finals vs. vacation time vs. other summer conventions already slated for vs. cost of driving over flying vs. driving for 12-14 hours
whatever you do dont fly into chattanooga it will cost you at least 100 bucks extra
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whatever you do dont fly into chattanooga it will cost you at least 100 bucks extra
waves fresh baked cookies...come join in the dork side
Lol .. I'm mulling the details ..
homework/finals vs. vacation time vs. other summer conventions already slated for vs. cost of driving over flying vs. driving for 12-14 hours
same with flying out of the closest airport here .. if I can get two to ride with me, I'll drive it...
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Venture-Captain, Ireland—Belfast
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Hmmm. For those that care about such things, I'm a less-than-one star GM, so feel free to stop reading.
My philosophy as a GM is to do everything in my power to make my players believe they can die at any moment -- that I want them to die, even -- but then do everything I can (within reason) to avoid that outcome. I roll all my dice in the open when GMing organized play, so if you catch a greataxe crit at first level, you're probably going to die. That said, I intentionally have opponents do tactically sub-optimal things if it looks like I might get a TPK, especially with newer players. Of course I also take the intelligence and motivations of the enemies into account, but I generally try to err on the side of the players.
Just my $.02. :)
I'd just like to echo these sentiments. My £0.0123 so to speak
Generally in a home campaign a DM who takes the time to (falsely)convince their players that he/she is a borderline sociopath looking for any pretext to deliver the coup de grace (both figuratively or the actual game mechanic) to their beloved PCs will then find it all the easier to hide that he/she has fudged things when sheer bad luck pushes the PCs towards disaster. It also means that when the PCs emerge victorious it is all the sweeter for them.
To put it in an even geekier way the GM is really supposed to be Lawful Neutral but hides the fact that he/she is really Lawful Good by acting Lawful evil
Back in the early 1990's I had two almost identical 20 sided dice one an old style D10 the other a normal D20. It was not unknown for me to palm the D20 and roll the D10 to allow PC a another chance when I felt they deserved it. I also kept 4 D6s to hand to players when their PC was in hot water (that was the dice used to roll a new PC back then...)
The one fly in the ointment is when the player does something that leads to their PCs death. Something that all the generous GMing inth the world cannot prevent. In a home game you can put game structures in place to soften the blow in a Living campaign it is tougher.
Mind you I still want the players to feel that I am out to get them using every ethical trick in the book and that when they overcome a challenge they did on their own merits....even if that isn't really the case :)
W
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heck at last years gen con i ran LFR (hangs my head in shame) free gaming and got 2 newbies and 3 regulars at my table, it was a late night game and i wanted to give the newcommers a fun experience. unfortunatly my dice were hot that night so i fudged a bit of rolls in their favor much to the vetrens grins and giggles. then of course i had the new guys reroll some bad rolls by using my "i didnt see that rolled in front of me" much to their confusion and the vets saying take the cookie and kool aid while he offers it. I told them straight up its supposed to be fun and enjoy it . low level mods are realtivly easy and the curve gets steeper as much as you go. end of the story they all had a blast and we got 2 new happy players
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heck at last years gen con i ran LFR (hangs my head in shame) free gaming and got 2 newbies and 3 regulars at my table, it was a late night game and i wanted to give the newcommers a fun experience. unfortunatly my dice were hot that night so i fudged a bit of rolls in their favor much to the vetrens grins and giggles. then of course i had the new guys reroll some bad rolls by using my "i didnt see that rolled in front of me" much to their confusion and the vets saying take the cookie and kool aid while he offers it. I told them straight up its supposed to be fun and enjoy it . low level mods are realtivly easy and the curve gets steeper as much as you go. end of the story they all had a blast and we got 2 new happy players
Lol .. at Ucon last November I had a table with dads and their daughters, the daughters were just kind of getting into playing. There was one that couldn't roll anything decent to get to do anything with her character.. handed her the 20 that was rolling awesome for me. She crited 3 times in a row.. I think she wanted to keep that die lol.
I've been known to hand out GM re-rolls when people just aren't able to catch a break and offer them one of my dice to see if it'll work better
The game is supposed to be fun and it's not when your dice are totally against you and you're trying to learn the game. I feel it's part of the GMs responsibility to make sure they're having fun even if it means fudging just a smidge.
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Hello all!
I wanted to take an opportunity to voice my own opinions on this type of situation.
Less than a month ago, I had the opportunity to sit at one of Kyle's tables at Gamicon in Iowa City. I'd been told that Kyle was known as the 'tactical' GM, and that I should be fully prepared to part ways with my character. Needless to say, Vincent had made his peace ahead of time, and I had 2 new character builds already in mind.
To keep this as spoiler free as possible, let's just say someone wasn't happy their altar was decimated, and made it their task to destroy Vincent, ignoring everyone else around him. Had it not been for some particularly grapple-y summoned vipers keeping him from delivering his coup de grace (Thanks Kade), and an unconscious reflex save to avoid 1/2 of the death throes damage, Vincent would have been dead as of Friday night. Needless to say, I've begun to appreciate the lessons that 'tougher' GMs provide.
My point is, it is the times when we least expect to survive that make for the best stories. I'm already looking forward to Tau.
I'm glad you had a good time at Gamicon! Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm sure Kyle had as much fun judging that encounter as you did playing it.
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Hello all!
I wanted to take an opportunity to voice my own opinions on this type of situation.
Less than a month ago, I had the opportunity to sit at one of Kyle's tables at Gamicon in Iowa City. I'd been told that Kyle was known as the 'tactical' GM, and that I should be fully prepared to part ways with my character. Needless to say, Vincent had made his peace ahead of time, and I had 2 new character builds already in mind.
To keep this as spoiler free as possible, let's just say someone wasn't happy their altar was decimated, and made it their task to destroy Vincent, ignoring everyone else around him. Had it not been for some particularly grapple-y summoned vipers keeping him from delivering his coup de grace (Thanks Kade), and an unconscious reflex save to avoid 1/2 of the death throes damage, Vincent would have been dead as of Friday night. Needless to say, I've begun to appreciate the lessons that 'tougher' GMs provide.
My point is, it is the times when we least expect to survive that make for the best stories. I'm already looking forward to Tau.
Stupid snakes. I hate snakes!
Me: As the last viper sinks its teeth into the mysterious creature that stands before it, a giant ball of flame erupts, engulfing the entire alcove! Reflex saves everyone! *evil GM laugh*
Vincent: But I'm unconcious...
Me: Well you still get one, but are at zero Dex.
Vincent: *sigh*
ME: Hey, you could always roll a Nat 20.
Vincent: *rolls*
Vincent: NAT 20!
Me: ...*blink*blink*
Believe it or not, that happened a second time at Gamicon! There must be something in the water out in Iowa.
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Hello all!
I wanted to take an opportunity to voice my own opinions on this type of situation.
Less than a month ago, I had the opportunity to sit at one of Kyle's tables at Gamicon in Iowa City. I'd been told that Kyle was known as the 'tactical' GM, and that I should be fully prepared to part ways with my character. Needless to say, Vincent had made his peace ahead of time, and I had 2 new character builds already in mind.
To keep this as spoiler free as possible, let's just say someone wasn't happy their altar was decimated, and made it their task to destroy Vincent, ignoring everyone else around him. Had it not been for some particularly grapple-y summoned vipers keeping him from delivering his coup de grace (Thanks Kade), and an unconscious reflex save to avoid 1/2 of the death throes damage, Vincent would have been dead as of Friday night. Needless to say, I've begun to appreciate the lessons that 'tougher' GMs provide.
My point is, it is the times when we least expect to survive that make for the best stories. I'm already looking forward to Tau.
Stupid snakes. I hate snakes!
Me: As the last viper sinks its teeth into the mysterious creature that stands before it, a giant ball of flame erupts, engulfing the entire alcove! Reflex saves everyone! *evil GM laugh*
Vincent: But I'm unconcious...
Me: Well you still get one, but are at zero Dex.
Vincent: *sigh*
ME: Hey, you could always roll a Nat 20.
Vincent: *rolls*
Vincent: NAT 20!
Me: ...*blink*blink*
Believe it or not, that happened a second time at Gamicon! There must be something in the water out in Iowa.
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muahahahaha it's cuase I stole a "Kyle Baird Dice of Doom" at Gamicon evil evil little gnome...come to the seige and ill buy ya a beer...two if ya grab another one of his dice BWAHAHAHAHA
Lol .. we'll see what happens at WYC lol...
Somehow I doubt I'll be there in May .. but crazier things have happened... seriously tho .. I better get a whole case for making that long of a drive .. jut saying
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Venture-Agent, Indiana—Lafayette
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same with flying out of the closest airport here .. if I can get two to ride with me, I'll drive it...whatever you do dont fly into chattanooga it will cost you at least 100 bucks extra
waves fresh baked cookies...come join in the dork side
Lol .. I'm mulling the details ..
homework/finals vs. vacation time vs. other summer conventions already slated for vs. cost of driving over flying vs. driving for 12-14 hours
Here's an idea for GMs north of central Indiana wishing to attend Diceahead, Meet in the Indy area and link caravans.
Not sure if i will be able to swing this convention, but it thought it was an idea worth mentioning.
