As a GM, are you playing with the party or against them? Is it your job to challenge and frustrate the party and to keep them from "winning", or are you trying to challenge the party with a dangerous game-world where there is a real chance of failure?
Is it your game or their game or our game?
Let's say you're considering running a Paizo AP, how does that work? Do you present an AP as the one you are running, or do you ask your players if there is an AP they'd like to play in? How does that work? Who gets "their" way?
For me, whether I play or run the game, I'm all about the people at the table. It's our game and the world is dangerous and they can fail. But I'm not out to get them, I want them to succeed and have a good time. I'm not interested in limiting the players or dictating what they can and can't do. I work within the framework of the game. When we make changes to the rules, its because everyone at the table had a say.
In short, for the game I play in, there needs to be mutual respect for everyone at the table.
Sounds like you and I are in complete agreement then loaba (I think that's happened before on these boards :D). Whenever I run a game, my top priority is everyone at the table having fun (this does include me). Underneath that I've found that some secondary priorities that help shore up the first are: to let the players have as much freedom to play their character the way they want, as much as possible; creating a challenging environment, where failure is a real possibility; celebrating the group's successes with them, but knowing when to antagonize them as well, to create that legitimate feeling of "them vs. me." Also, discussing any new options with the entire group and getting a consensus is paramount. Whether that's what adventure we're doing, or instituting a tweak to the way critical rolls work, it is an "all of us united" decision.
So to answer the questions:
As a GM, are you playing with the party or against them? Both, depends on what's needed. Is it your job to challenge and frustrate the party and to keep them from "winning", or are you trying to challenge the party with a dangerous game-world where there is a real chance of failure? Again, could be a little of both, depending on what the group is looking for from their GM.
Is it your game or their game or our game? Definitely ours.
Let's say you're considering running a Paizo AP, how does that work? Do you present an AP as the one you are running, or do you ask your players if there is an AP they'd like to play in? How does that work? Who gets "their" way? I make suggestions. They make suggestions. We discuss, and in the end we all agree or we don't move forward.
well im new to ttrpgs and have only gm'd. after 12-14 sessions i can say that i dont try to kill my players, but i dont try not to kill them either. i like playing pathfinder so i make it as fun for them as i can, if they have fun i have fun and get to keep playing. the game is everyone's.
As a GM, are you playing with the party or against them? Is it your job to challenge and frustrate the party and to keep them from "winning", or are you trying to challenge the party with a dangerous game-world where there is a real chance of failure?
as a GM I am with the party...but when I am in the mind set of the NPC I am completely against them. IE if I think the villain will do x...he wil do x...no matter how devastrating it is to the party. Though I am not doing this out of sense of 'winning'. I do it to provide a challenge for my players and to stay true to the NPC and the world.
But also as a GM I will let players know if a option is less the optiminal for their characters...or use the famous lines "Are you sure you want to do that?". Also if there are missing something I'll point it out. I do this even when I am in the NPC head thinking of ways to kill them.
Is it your game or their game or our game?
It our game of course.
Let's say you're considering running a Paizo AP, how does that work? Do you present an AP as the one you are running, or do you ask your players if there is an AP they'd like to play in? How does that work? Who gets "their" way?
When I do run APs...or even just my own stuff...I let the players have a say. If they don't want to do it...I'll figure something else out.
Conversly if a player says they want a x type of campaign...or play in x AP I have no trouble doing so...as long I will enjoy it as well.
For me, whether I play or run the game, I'm all about the people at the table. It's our game and the world is dangerous and they can fail. But I'm not out to get them, I want them to succeed and have a good time. I'm not interested in limiting the players or dictating what they can and can't do. I work within the framework of the game. When we make changes to the rules, its because everyone at the table had a say.
I think we are probably very close. Though sometimes failure can lead to as much fun...so I don't mind so much if the succeed or fail...as long as they are having fun
In short, for the game I play in, there needs to be mutual respect for everyone at the table.
I agree with you 100%. Any type off GM from adversial to care bear GMs or any type of player to Drama queens to hard core min/maxers powergamers can get along just fine and play the same game...as long as they have mutual respect and can communicate in a calm fashion.
Whether its published or homebrew, in my group the dm advertises the game they want to play. 'Hey I was thinking of running Kingmaker [info on kingmaker with links to players guide] are you guys interested?'. The others look, give their opinion, ask questions, and if they are interested, we move forward to creation of characters and back story.
The same goes for homebrew campaigns, someone will send an email 'Hey I am looking to run a homebrew campaign based on Steven Brusts' Taltos novels, [info, and possibly links to pages on the setting]. And we follow the same process. We have several people in our group who dm, and sometimes ideas falter because of a lack of interest, but that is part of the process. Personally I want my players to be excited about a game I run rather then feel like I am dragging them into it. If they arent interested in the kind of game i am looking at, I will look at something different. And usually even if an idea falls through there is still a game going on in my group since we have 6 people willing to dm.
