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Chris ran his 300th game this past weekend at our convention in Milwaukee. Please join me in congratulating him on this huge accomplishment.
Chris, thanks again for driving up to Milwaukee and helping with our convention. But, also thanks for the other 299 games you have ran in the past that has helped the Pathfinder Society grow at the conventions that you travel to throughout the Midwest.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Sweet mercy! Well played, Chris.
Can you tell us something you learned from 300 sessions?
(laugh)
Well, I've gotten better at time management, at guessing when to let players have fun and when to get the storyline moving. (Hint: just ask the players what they want.)
Honestly, I learn more from playing than GMing.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Thanks, Doug. You got to see me just when I was starting out. (Ezren? Still dead.)
Yeah, I can do voices. (Hint: listen to books on tape.) The trick is to know when and why to do voices. At least for me, the goal is to get the players immersed enough so that they can talk to the NPCs in character. Ever' so often, I catch myself trying to speak in odd voices just to entertain the players. That's not so good.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Majuba, oh, heavens, yes. (Starting with "Mists of Mwangi". I'd like to read through and prep that some day.)
I'm on the record as saying that I'm a lot better GM for running a limited number of scenarios, over and over again, rather than twice as many titles, each half as often. Last Gen Con, when I reached 150, it was pretty dicey as to whether I'd in fact GMed 50 different adventures. (I had, but juuuust barely.)
Congrats Chris!
Never have had the honor to play at your table, but I hope I get the opportunity to do so one these days. :)
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** spoiler omitted **
I have no evidence to point to, but I think for a lot of 5-Stars there's a general 'drive' to 150 sessions and then a 'coast' afterwards. I bet there aren't more than 6 GMs out there who have hit 300 sessions. Past a milestone like the 5th Star, there aren't many ways stand out. I think Chris is exceptional because he has both longevity and principles. He's been a PFS member since the outset and he's always been committed to not only improving himself, but encouraging others to do the same. So I see Michael's point about 'Are we really starting to celebrate the post-Five-Star milestones?' On the other hand, it's inspiring to see who's out there walking the walk--even if the scoreboard is frozen.
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Congratulations Chris.
I absolutely agree - you are a lot better as GM if you run a scenario multiple times. Funny therefore that you haven't done Mist of the Mwangi yet. The first three Blackros scenarios Mist, Void, Penumbral are the ones that I have run again and again and why I can say how true this is. But you just assume these are then the ones others run again and again as well ...
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Congratulations, Chris, that's quite some achievement.
I have no evidence to point to, but I think for a lot of 5-Stars there's a general 'drive' to 150 sessions and then a 'coast' afterwards. I bet there aren't more than 6 GMs out there who have hit 300 sessions. Past a milestone like the 5th Star, there aren't many ways to stand out. I think Chris is exceptional because he has both longevity and principles. He's been a PFS member since the outset and he's always been committed to not only improving himself, but encouraging others to do the same. So I see Michael's point about 'Are we really starting to celebrate the post-Five-Star milestones?' On the other hand, it's inspiring to see who's out there walking the walk--even if the scoreboard is frozen.
While I don't think I'm "coasting", I think a few things happen once you pass 150 games (or 230 games) that you're now part of a much larger community with more gamedays, conventions, travel, tables, players and GMs to coordinate. Some of these GMs have aspirations of their own. Many times now, I've wanted to run a favourite scenario for a group of new players, but thought, you know what? let GM Fred run this one, he's keen and he'll enjoy it! :-)
I'm still GMing far more than I play, and GMs like Chris definitely inspire me to aim towards 300, but helping other GMs reach their potential and sometimes handing the script to someone new also has its own rewards.
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Yeah, I can do voices. (Hint: listen to books on tape.)
Hint: watching United States of Tara. Toni Collette is awesome in her portrayal of multiple personalities. Note how her speech, body language, posture, where she holds her hands, and other mannerisms change for each personality she portrays. You can pick up a lot from watching a few episodes of Tara.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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I have no evidence to point to, but I think for a lot of 5-Stars there's a general 'drive' to 150 sessions and then a 'coast' afterwards. I bet there aren't more than 6 GMs out there who have hit 300 sessions. Past a milestone like the 5th Star, there aren't many ways stand out. I think Chris is exceptional because he has both longevity and principles. He's been a PFS member since the outset and he's always been committed to not only improving himself, but encouraging others to do the same. So I see Michael's point about 'Are we really starting to celebrate the post-Five-Star milestones?' On the other hand, it's inspiring to see who's out there walking the walk--even if the scoreboard is frozen.
Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that we shouldn't do it, just that I thought I could give myself a bit of a breather after reaching five stars. Now I have entire new benchmarks to reach, and thinking about it makes me tired! :)
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Kristie, my job keeps threatening to send me to work down in Florida. If it ever does, I'll look you up for a game.
Congrats Chris! Here's to many more! I'm catching up to ya! 215 so far! I'll have to sit at one of your tables soon.
Back at you, Nathan. I've heard nothing but great reports about your GMing talents. (You know, I've never actually played Thornkeep...)