PFS: Getting Players to GM. Finding new GM's. Always a chore. Solutions?


GM Discussion

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Dark Archive

Sior wrote:
Nimon wrote:
Sior wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

I try, but someone snatches the game I wanted to run 45 seconds before

Yeah ,it sucks when that happens doesn't it. I guess its easier to see when it happens to you.
Not at all. I'm glad we have enough GMs who want to step up like that. I was just saying it wasn't for lack of trying.

Maybe if it happens at the store you were planning and not an hour away.

3/5

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To encourage people to GM more often I run a monthly GM Appreciation game that won't be played anywhere else in regular rotation. This month it's Day of the Demon. Next month I plan to start working through Thornkeep with my GMs. The day I offered this I had 3 people step up to GM so they could get in before the end of the month.

Dark Archive

Anthony van Poppelen wrote:
To encourage people to GM more often I run a monthly GM Appreciation game that won't be played anywhere else in regular rotation. This month it's Day of the Demon. Next month I plan to start working through Thornkeep with my GMs. The day I offered this I had 3 people step up to GM so they could get in before the end of the month.

This is a good idea. I did have a good time at our local store the last GM appreciation day and I was pleasantly surprised as I did not know the day even existed before that.

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

How many of you guys use things like Warhorn to organise what you will be running and when? How long in advance to you schedule a game? A Month? 2 ?

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

Nimon wrote:
Drogon wrote:
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of excellent GMs in Nimon's area that GM for PFS. Dozens of them, in fact. I know because I live in his area and, as I mentioned above, I do not lack for GMs in any way. Very few stores in Colorado do, actually.

You do not live in Colorado Springs. You do however try to take our players from the springs when you can, and even though our GMs go to Denver, rarely have I seen them come to the springs. Everrett is constantly looking for GMs in the Springs. So do not try to call me out like that.

This is the kind of stuff Drogon pulls in our area. Instead of being able to go to the local store 5mins away, he uses his influence to cancel that event so that his is full, which is an hour both ways for us in the Springs.

You're a hoot, Michael. I wasn't calling you out; I was correcting someone's misconception that we have issues with GMs in Colorado. And, despite your claims to the contrary, we don't. Not even in Springs, which has seen explosive growth, lately. If, on the other hand, you think Everett has problems then do him a favor and reach out to him to help.

As for influence and canceling, I'm pretty sure that, if you check with Everett, you'll find we coordinated that months ahead of time. I'm sorry if you felt put out by a one-time event.

Wait, to be put out by it you'd have had to actually be participating in the Colorado community. Seeing as you don't, I guess it's not really an issue for you, is it?

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

Robert Duncan wrote:

Nimon, Drogon:

Quote:
So do not try to call me out like that.
Quote:
This is the kind of stuff Drogon pulls in our area
Shiny footprints, guys..

I don't fight with people, Robert. I'll certainly correct misconceptions, but I won't carry arguments any further.

You'll find out when you defect (-;

Scarab Sages 4/5 *

Wow!!! Weird to see my name mentioned in a post like this.

I want to make sure that I clarify that we are not having a major GM problem in Colorado Springs and Enchanted Grounds is not stealing players from Colorado Springs on a regular basis to go up to Denver to play.

With that said, we are growing at a huge rate at several of our locations. I had one week I had to turn away 4 players(they did not sign up in advance)that wanted to play because I did not have a GM to run an extra table. By the next week, I had a volunteer for every week until the end of the month to fix that issue. It seems that I am having one or two new GM's a month who are stepping up to run games either because they see that we need the help or they want to attend our special GM Only night we have once a month.

I have an awesome core of GM's and they are always there for me every month to help out. Sometimes I am telling them not to sign up to GM yet for certain games so that others have a chance to volunteer, which I find amusing.

Although, I do have GM's that travel to Denver to volunteer to GM, they also volunteer at our games here in Colorado Springs on a regular basis. I have also had GM's from Denver come down to help me in a pinch when I needed them recently...Thanks Martin and Ryan who recently helped out.

I also want to say that I have had several players from Denver coming down to Colorado Springs to play at our tables.

This is possible because, I try to make sure I am not over lapping with game days in Denver so that our players have the maximum opportunities to play where they want.

Jeff and I work together to coordinate for special events and we have a good working relationship. I respect Jeff's thoughts and his ideas and he has earned that respect due to his continued success that he has coordinating games at his store. I would be crazy not to seek him out for counsel on things pertaining to coordinating games.

I have to say, I have great store owners here in Colorado Springs who want to see PFS grow at their stores and they are stepping up to GM in some cases and they are inviting new players from other events they are having at their stores. I have not attended a game lately that did not have a new player that attended and has shown interest in continued involvement in our community.

With the recent developments in 4E, we have a rich opportunity to grow the attendance at our events and I am looking forward to the future for PFS. The scenarios are better than ever and our players have more options to play then they ever have. All I see is enthusiasm when I go to game days, there is no need for negativity.

Dark Archive

Well I am glad to hear it, though in person I hear other things. You have done very good in the springs Everett we all know it, and you have had an uphill battle. I participate in the community, I might not do PFS anymore, but I do Pathfinder and I do help out new people in COLORADO SPRINGS, which isn't Denver.

The OP asked why is GMing considered a chore by some, and as I clarified in my original post I typed some in BOLD[ because I knew some nay-sayer was going to try and correct me, find that the inflexibility of the modules make it unappealing. You wanted to then say There is not shortage in Colorado blah blah. Which doens't help the original poster at all it just severed some odd feeling that you needed to correct me, when what I said is in fact the Offical PFS position that modules are to be run as written.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Hey Colorado Crew, I think this has gotten off topic. It sounds to me like you guys might want to get together and chat about these issues you may be having privately and not on our forums.

And I think we should focus on the main mission which is: Judge Recruitment and tips on helping with that.

Here in Northern California, we utilize the great laws of Master Painlord and his tenets on Judge Recruitment.. The link is here: Judge Recruitment

Hope some of that will help!


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Lady Ophelia wrote:

Hey Colorado Crew, I think this has gotten off topic. It sounds to me like you guys might want to get together and chat about these issues you may be having privately and not on our forums.

And I think we should focus on the main mission which is: Judge Recruitment and tips on helping with that.

Here in Northern California, we utilize the great laws of Master Painlord and his tenets on Judge Recruitment.. The link is here: Judge Recruitment

Hope some of that will help!

I love Ophelia's directness. ^_^

Painlord's thread should have been one of the first things we all talked about -- he's said all the key things, and probably better than I would.

The things that tipped me into being a VC and GMing locally?

1) My players asked me to do it.
2) They gave me good feedback on what they liked and what I did well.
3) There are scenarios that fit what I like to play (I love hamming it up with NPCs and voice acting. I especially like doing a crazy "Mark Hamill as Joker" for the Sczarni VC that pops up in First Steps..)
4) I got great help from Jon Cary and everybody on the forum about prepping stuff.
5) I got Warhorn to schedule things.

The easiest game to run is one you ran as a player, so Angra et al's advice about (1) running somebody through the scenario (2) letting them GM it to a peer group (3) letting them GM it with somebody close by to help and (4) running it solo is really good.

It's really the same as being a teacher or professor in some ways:
1) You learn the material.
2) You teach it back with some help.
3) You teach it back on your own.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Robert Duncan wrote:

I love Ophelia's directness. ^_^

Painlord's thread should have been one of the first things we all talked about -- he's said all the key things, and probably better than I would.

The things that tipped me into being a VC and GMing locally?

1) My players asked me to do it.
2) They gave me good feedback on what they liked and what I did well.
3) There are scenarios that fit what I like to play (I love hamming it up with NPCs and voice acting. I especially like doing a crazy "Mark Hamill as Joker" for the Sczarni VC that pops up in First Steps..)
4) I got great help from Jon Cary and everybody on the forum about prepping stuff.
5) I got Warhorn to schedule things.

Thanks Robert! Better to be honest and direct than dodge things.

I think that it is important that a player choose to GM adventures that fit their style. For example: I am not a big combat person. So I choose adventures to GM where I get to showcase what I do best and that is roleplay and act out scenes with people. I know a lot of people don't like my style cause they are waiting for that combat, but they still have a lot of fun because they keep waiting and waiting, but I put them through so much roleplay, then when the time comes for combat, they're bummed that we had to stop roleplaying.

When a GM runs an adventure that may not be their primary style, it leads to a lot of unfun for them, and burn out in the longer run. Granted, there may not be times where GM's get their pick but if you have your schedule up, then GM's have time to choose the adventures they like to run.

What also helps, is from time to time, I will chat with the GM's and ask them what kind of adventures they like run/play. If they are combat heavy gamers, I'll pull a few and put them on the schedule. For those of us who like the RP, I'll put a few flavor rich adventures on the schedule as well.

You gotta gauge your GM's in style and desire to play. This will help with recruiting GM's and keeping your GM's as well.


Lady Ophelia wrote:
Robert Duncan wrote:

I love Ophelia's directness. ^_^

Painlord's thread should have been one of the first things we all talked about -- he's said all the key things, and probably better than I would.

The things that tipped me into being a VC and GMing locally?

1) My players asked me to do it.
2) They gave me good feedback on what they liked and what I did well.
3) There are scenarios that fit what I like to play (I love hamming it up with NPCs and voice acting. I especially like doing a crazy "Mark Hamill as Joker" for the Sczarni VC that pops up in First Steps..)
4) I got great help from Jon Cary and everybody on the forum about prepping stuff.
5) I got Warhorn to schedule things.

Thanks Robert! Better to be honest and direct than dodge things.

I think that it is important that a player choose to GM adventures that fit their style. For example: I am not a big combat person. So I choose adventures to GM where I get to showcase what I do best and that is roleplay and act out scenes with people. I know a lot of people don't like my style cause they are waiting for that combat, but they still have a lot of fun because they keep waiting and waiting, but I put them through so much roleplay, then when the time comes for combat, they're bummed that we had to stop roleplaying.

When a GM runs an adventure that may not be their primary style, it leads to a lot of unfun for them, and burn out in the longer run. Granted, there may not be times where GM's get their pick but if you have your schedule up, then GM's have time to choose the adventures they like to run.

What also helps, is from time to time, I will chat with the GM's and ask them what kind of adventures they like run/play. If they are combat heavy gamers, I'll pull a few and put them on the schedule. For those of us who like the RP, I'll put a few flavor rich adventures on the schedule as well.

You gotta gauge your GM's in style and desire to play. This will help with recruiting GM's and keeping your GM's as well.

I think the First Steps series is a useful tool for discerning GM style.

Spoiler:

Part I - /lots/ of roleplay and skill checks. This is my favorite.
Part II - straight up dungeon crawl. My least favorite.
Part III - Some survival, some intrigue, some creepy moments in the woods. My second favorite. (I like Torch and the panther.)

For me, I like open-ended RP-heavy "mystery" type adventures.

My personal favorite is Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment.

When I GM scenarios I like, I enjoy them more. ^_^

3/5

Honestly the highest motivatoring you are going to have for people is shame.

They did a study with daycare places for parents having problems with people being late to pick up their kids. So they put a fine up for everyone that forgot their kids thinking this would help the problem. This made the problem worse. The people now felt they could pay the shame away by paying a fine.

So what I do for players is guilt them into DMing. I DM my fair share and people that I know are capable of it I allude to how everyone should DM so everyone has a chance to play.

I hate turning away people because I can not take a table of 8 or more because the 8 other people at my table refuse to DM. I have turned that agaisnt my other players saying does everyone want to hog a spot and refuse this guy a table to play at?

I feel that you should DM around 1 in 6 sessions. That is not too much. If you play once a week it is less than once a month.

5/5

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I don't think that guilting someone into GMing is the correct stance. As I said before, there are people who are not cut out to GM and in the end players will end up walking away if they feel that they "have" to GM in order to participate

3/5

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I never said had to. But they should feel ashamed all the effort everyone else puts in and they do nothing but show up. I come early to every game, I give people rides and I often bring food. I go the extra mile to make sure it is a good experience. If they do not think they should DM then the shame should encourage them to assist in ways they can provide otehr support.

Purple Fluffy CatBunnyGnome I think we will always disagree. Sorry =(

5/5

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There is no reason, ever, to bring shame into the gaming arena. In this instance we will always disagree. I see no reason to force someone to do something that they cannot or do not want to do. There are other ways they can help out and simply asking them to help out in some way is miles better than shaming them into doing something.

A nicely asked question is way better than shame any day. Besides, a GM whose heart isn't into is going to do a lousy job, I'd rather have someone that wants to do it and has the heart to do it vs. someone who feels they have to GM in order to participate in society.

My personal opinions is that you are't doing the society any good by doing that, you're only hurting it.

3/5

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I disagree again. The only reason I DM is because I would be ashamed of myslef if I took without contributing. I am not saying to call everyone out and force them to do it. I never once said that which you are stuck on. If I had my perfect world I would only play. Although when I am smart enough to see when two people are stuck DMing every time I shame myself. Some people are not this astute. Some people need to be made aware that the same people DM every week and want to play. Asking someone with my attitude towards play nicely would get a nicely answered no in return. Alerting that same person politely that it is not fair and that you would appreicate them contributing(using shame).

I am not saying to publicly flog or or beat people. But make them aware they are being selfish.

So I think you are hurting you DM slaves in my opinion. Maybe you are one of them, maybe you do not care. Either way if the Dm slaves in your area do care you are hurting society as they will leave.

5/5

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Lol ... we are certainly never going to see eye to eye on much I can see that now.

I think there are GMs that do it because they enjoy it for one reason for another. I'm one of those that prefers to GM vs play since I'm honestly (and unashamedly) picky about who I sit down at a table with. I don't consider myself a slave, I consider myself a dedicated GM.

Long story short, if people are tired of GMing they will take the time off they need, if they are tired of it and choose not to take time away from the GM screen, that is completely on them. While I will agree that as a community we should be giving back, I will say that there are many ways to give back to the community that don't involve GMing, perhaps you could suggest one of those (GM treats are awesome in my opinion) vs. "suggesting" they GM. That is all I'm saying.

3/5

I agree on that. that players should contribute. I make it a point that any game I do not pay for I pay for the DMs food. But it is still shame that drives me to do that.

I still think shame is a powerful tool to get people to DM more. If someone is not DM worthy they should feel the need to encourage others to DM for them. You do not have to be direct about it. But people should know they are in the priveledge place to have someone print out the mods and spend 4 times as much time playing as drawing maps and preparing the game for the players.

3/5

Maybe I am explaining my point poorly.

Everyone is offering good ideas to get people to DM. But how to encourage an environment where everyone DMs I feel we should use shame to keep people contributing to people being DMs. They are often not given the respect they deserve for the effort they put in. I feel that shame keeps people in line in this manner and be aware of it. Hence my reference to the daycare. I did not mean it as an attack on someone.

5/5

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Again, that is where we are going to differ in opinion, I don't think people should have to feel privileged to sit at a table. They should be able to sit at a table and have a fun experience regardless of how much time the GM put into it -- money time or prep time.

While I hope people have fun at my tables, I don't want to force a feeling of privilege on them.

3/5

Purple Fluffy CatBunnyGnome wrote:
I'm honestly (and unashamedly) picky about who I sit down at a table with. I don't consider myself a slave, I consider myself a dedicated GM.

I would consider it a privelage that I allowed to play at your table with you saying this.

Sovereign Court 4/5

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I don't think shame should be the thing felt if someone is GMing and you're not. Appreciation, definitely, but not shame. Two totally different things. Realizing that if they stopped, you may well not have a game to play, that's appreciation, not shame.

Shame should be felt if (and only if) there are NO GMs and you still don't step up, meaning no one gets to play.

3/5

So you should not feel ashamed when someone start purposely being a horrible DM because he is conned into DMing for the past month and no one else will do it?

How about when there are 10 people and only one DM so the others can not play?

These are two situations I have seen since I started in July.

Silver Crusade 5/5

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I agree that shame is a poor motivator for a variety of reasons.

The first is that some people just don't feel shame; these are the people that will take take take and never give back, and sometimes they will continue to do this even after it's been pointed out to them.

The second is that someone shamed into judging is likely not going to do their best, nor are they going to want to judge "more than the minimum" that they feel they have to.

The third is that, frankly, there are some people out there that will make lousy judges, or haven't played long enough to make good judges. There ARE other ways to contribute other than judging; you mentioned one, buying the judge dinner. There's also helping out with coordination (I've one guy who always brings pregens so I don't have to worry about it for example).

There are plenty of benefits to judging already out there, and if they aren't enough to get people to judge, sometimes the coordinator has to go to a little extra effort. Rather than shame people into judging for me, I go the extra mile for them. For example, several people that judge regularly in our area have only a few scenarios left to play. I make sure one of those gets on the schedule from time to time. I also run private zeros, so people get the chance to play the scenario prior to running the same game at a game day.

I believe these sorts of things, and not shame, builds a community. In the long run, a building a community through mutual respect will last longer than trying to build a community through shame.

Sovereign Court 4/5

+1 to Katie. Positive reinforcement always wins out over negative reinforcement.

For Finlanderboy's examples:
If the GM is becoming bitter, and it is affecting their ability to run the game, they should not be GM. Regardless of if there's a backup. I've been there, except that was after a year of weekly games, not a month. If ANYONE should feel shame, it's the GM, because they are failing themselves and failing others. The players should feel empowered, emboldened, and encouraged to step up and replace the grumpy GM.

If there are too many players and not enough GMs, the players should, again, feel empowered, emboldened, and encouraged by themselves and others. The solo GM should offer POSITIVE encouragement to players to run a table.

Not everyone is meant to be a GM. If you find yourself running a shotty game, stop. No game is better than a game the players are ready to walk away from.

3/5

Just wanna make sure this is right then.

So if I am DMing and players shun new people say so they can play and not DM another table(I had extra maps a mod and chronicles). I should say great you should feel awesome about yourself for being rude to new people so they never come again to guarantee yourself a spot.(from my example above)

Or hey I should not feel bad about this guy DMing every month and just continue play. If his games are garbage I am still playing.

I should also never tell anyone the cost and time of DMing so they think get this for free. After all no one should feel ashamed for taking advantage of me and never contributing. I should lie and say nice things to keep doing something in hopes I find someone that would prefer the burden.

Now off my sarcasm rant.

There are communities and we duties to keep our communities running. We do our duty for many different reasons. I would be ashamed if I knew I was failing my duty and someone else suffered for it. Shame is a powerful emotion. Most people use shame all the time. Think the last time you saw someone do something rude and you pointed it out. You applied shame to provoke in them the proper community duty they should adapt to.

I am not saying shun people. There is a wrong way to do the right thing. But make people that do not EVER contribute should be made aware of it. As I tell the community I DM for. I do this for you because you guys let me play.

Sovereign Court 4/5

You can relay those exact messages without talking down to your players, and that's exactly what you're talking about. And, as a community, that should be a no fly zone. Always.

Point out that because no one else has stepped in to GM, others can't play. Don't point fingers.

You cannot MAKE people feel ashamed without pushing them away.

The cost and effort should be told up front, but also said it will be worth it. And if you have the materials for them to use, then their cost is only the time and effort to do it. They still get PFS credit.

People use shame. But they should use pride. I know it sounds odd. Make them want to do it. The most brilliant leaders of military history have not made people do things, they have brought them to WANT TO do it. Of all the GMs I can think of around here, every one of them WANT to GM. We volunteer every month to do so. And we try to get the players to WANT to GM as well. We should not ever MAKE them. You've tried the stick, now try to use the carrot.

3/5

And if no ones does it out of pride. No one should play?

I DM for my community mostly to avoid shame. The fact that if I did not do it no one would do it. Although pride makes me do the best job I can. You are very wrong about military leaders. They use whatever tool is needed to win. Come back on your shield or with it.

Sovereign Court 4/5

If no one steps up, the players will not be able to use that excuse to not step up. They will still make excuses up, but it's one less.

Am I? Hitler inspired his troops and citizens to want to do the things, atrocious as they were, in the Third Reich. American propaganda had wartime laws but presented them in a way that made people WANT to do it. "Rationing fuel is a knockout blow to Hitler". "Every stock and bond you buy is a bullet in the barrel of our best boy's gun". (Sorry for the Cap. America reference...) Rosie the Riveter "We Can Do It!". The famous quote "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." It gives them a sense of empowerment, not a sense of entitlement. Where am I wrong?

Now, regardless of the fact that we don't agree on how to draw players in, perhaps if your tactic is not working, it's time to chance a different tactic?

3/5

Yes you are very wrong. Every military had a means of shaming soldiers. Even GIs.

I do not disagree pride. Pride should be used as well.

Plenty of people come, few contribute. Someone even implied I skip work to DM for them, because someone else will not.

We send people home because capable people shame others to go instead of DMing. I am all about turning it back on them.

5/5

Finlanderboy, I honestly feel sorry for the people of your area if you are truly the way you say you are.

We are never going to see eye to eye on how to build a community. I wish you luck, however, I soon feel that you will be talking on the boards about how you no longer have a PFS community in your area.

3/5

How does is help the debate? You have no idea the means I apply my tactics. If you wish to make me look like a disease just say it. If I am so bad a person why do I have to turn people away because I can not run a table of 8+. Why do I have to call in favors so everyone can play? You can be honest with me and say I should quit society.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Hold on a minute everyone! Lets take a second and step back.

Findlanderboy I am going to PM you and lets chat privately about this. GMing should never feel like or even be compared to military service. If that is what is happening, then you need more support, and I am happy to help privately and give you tips on helping with that.

5/5

Finlanderboy -- I don't consider this a debate, I can take an educated guess at your tactics simply by what you have said here.

I have never said you are a disease, you did.

I never said you were a bad person, you did.

I never said you should quit the society, you did.

3/5

Purple Fluffy CatBunnyGnome wrote:

Finlanderboy -- I don't consider this a debate, I can take an educated guess at your tactics simply by what you have said here.

I have never said you are a disease, you did.

I never said you were a bad person, you did.

I never said you should quit the society, you did.

I never said any of this, but I strongly feel you imply it. Maybe I am wrong, but I see it as a subtle means to attack me with what you quoted above.

Silver Crusade 4/5

To the rest of our Society:

I have to admit, that sometimes shame does play in the growth of a community.

I have had days, where I had 10 players, no extra GM's and I had to draw 6 names from a hat and send the other 4 gamers home. Immediately after this happens however, I recieve emails from others asking what they can do to not let that happen ever again.

But in the same respect, at no time, do we shame other players into becoming GM's. That not only is not cool, but it doesn't grow the game. What you do in these cases, are that you remind people to RSVP, and if we don't have any GM's step up, make sure that they understand the consequences. Many times, people won't step up, because they don't know how. And that's where we organizers/VL's and VC's have to step up and in to help them out in anyway we can.

This is the point of the thread. Let's remember that as we chat okay?

5/5

Lady Ophelia ... I've seen that happen here as well, I'm not sure it's necessarily shame tho, perhaps is that the need of a GM wasn't widely known and once people see gamers turned away they realize.

I now for me personally, that I stepped up to GM because I wanted to add another dimension to my gaming world. Other people may not feel that or even if they do don't have the confidence to step up and GM. There are other ways to give back to the community vs. GM.

I think that showing your GM that you're happy and thankful that they are taking their game time to give them a good gaming experience. There is no shame involved, there is no coercion to GM, there is only good times.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Purple Fluffy CatBunnyGnome wrote:
Lady Ophelia ... I've seen that happen here as well, I'm not sure it's necessarily shame tho, perhaps is that the need of a GM wasn't widely known and once people see gamers turned away they realize.

As much as we don't wish to accept that as a form of shame/guilt, it unfortunately is. I feel guilty as an organizer, when I take a seat from a new player, even though I've already GM'ed and had my seat secured as a thank-you gift. It's one of those subtle things, that creeps up on you, and you don't realize it until after the deed is done.

Our mission with this thread, is to try and figure out ways to encourage more GM's to take on the job without feeling like they have no other choice. We need more incentives, thanks gifts, and other goodies. And that's what we have to focus on in this thread.

One of the newer things I've done, is that I have custom ordered some thank you gifts for my regular GM's. Here is one of them:

DICE BAGS OF WIN!

So we all have to find our small ways of giving to those who give. Let's come up with some other ideas shall we?

Grand Lodge 4/5

Here's a relevant question - Is it the responsibility of the region organisers to ensure that there are enough GM's for the number of regular players? If so, what is the ratio?

Let's say I organise a region with 24 regular players. Do I have a responsibility to ensure that I have around six capable GMs on hand? Is it up to me to actively train those GMs, or do I need to wait for them to put their hand up?

Just wondering what people's strategy/experience has been on this?

Shadow Lodge 4/5 Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West

I don't see it as a matter of shaming as much as I consider it to be simply informing the player base of the facts of the situation.

We've now got 14 or 15 players turning up looking to play at each of the two local game stores in my neighbourhood (and that's with another six or seven stores within an hour's drive of here).

The players need to be informed that they can't just rely on the same few people acting as GM week in, week out. So sometimes a game doesn't happen because nobody signs up to judge the game. That's the way it is - the players can either accept the fact that they might not get to play, or they need to step up occasionally.

We use Warhorn for signups, so they know who will get seated at a table; there's no lottery involved. If people were getting turned away regularly I'm sure that those who do GM would get priority seating, but so far that hasn't proved to be necessary.

It's not the coordinator's responsibility to provide the GMs (although I know that they do, in fact, try to find somebody in the event of a last-minute emergency). But the coordinator (and/or the local VOs) should provide support, encouragement, and training for anyone who wants to run a table.

Silver Crusade 4/5

KestlerGunner wrote:

Here's a relevant question - Is it the responsibility of the region organisers to ensure that there are enough GM's for the number of regular players? If so, what is the ratio?

Let's say I organise a region with 24 regular players. Do I have a responsibility to ensure that I have around six capable GMs on hand? Is it up to me to actively train those GMs, or do I need to wait for them to put their hand up?

Just wondering what people's strategy/experience has been on this?

Officially, no. But here is a food for thought: I have a 25-30 weekly society, and an even bigger special society event turnout. Our big thing is that we like to have a 1:4 GM/Player ratio and it is something we like to keep. The big reason for this, is that we are a heavy playing area, that likes to run random games in the week if we want to get an additional game or two up.

I like to have a relationship and know the style of every GM in my area. Being a GM is a lot like being a leader, and as we all know we GM's are the face of Pathfinder Society. If I think someone needs some work with something, or perhaps is lacking in a certain area, it's something that I personally as a coordinator want to be able to know and keep tabs on. In the same respect, if a GM is doing well and things are going well, then it's important to praise and reward that hard work.

Waiting for hands to go up, isn't always a good thing as it encourages those who have selfish tendencies, to keep their hands down. What I do with my list, is that I rotate it, and make sure that all those who GM, get the play time they deserve and vise-versa.

Sovereign Court 4/5

Lady Ophelia wrote:
What I do with my list, is that I rotate it, and make sure that all those who GM, get the play time they deserve and vise-versa.

I have seen GMs sign up to run games before the players sign up, and being offered first dibs at a player seat for each table they run that month just so they still get to play. Thinking about it now, I'm not sure every GM takes the play slot, but I know most do. Seems to be both this and your's are very good working methods.

Lady Ophelia:
Haha, you linked to the pic at Solano/Yolo PFS. Interestingly enough, it was a Wordpress article from there which got me geared up to play a bard. Was wondering if there were going to be more such articles beyond just Barbarian and Bard, or if I was just looking in the wrong spot.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Sior wrote:
Haha, you linked to the pic at Solano/Yolo PFS. Interestingly enough, it was a Wordpress article from there which got me geared up to play a bard. Was wondering if there were going to be more such articles beyond just Barbarian and Bard, or if I was just looking in the wrong spot.

You are correct! And the blog posts in question for those who are curious is here: Solano/Yolo Wordpress Blog

I do plan on doing so. But frankly, I plan on video blogging future entries. My non-Society gigs are what usually take up my typing time. But since I am trying to get used to doing video chats, for interviews and for writers/publishers meetings, I am thinking of continuing the series online via video. As well as talk about other things such as topics like this one.

So short version: Yes, and soon :D

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