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I have started a new web series. I know, many of you are tired of seeing this stuff. It is called, "So You Think You Can GM?"
This series will be targeting new GMs as well as those struggling. I hope that experienced GMs will learn something, but also be willing to offer their support as well. I will be trying to stay broad in therms of RPG systems, but the advice will factor mostly into Pathfinder and D&D.
Part I is some of the "Before you begin" type of information that I think is overlooked when giving advice to new RPG gamemasters. I cover choosing a game system, knowing which rules to learn, picking an adventure, and the most important tip (IMHO) having fun.
Part II will cover "Tough Calls", or basically, the non-rule mechanic based decisions GMs are faced with. Part II should come out later this week (either Thursday or Friday).
If you have suggestions for GMs, or if there is something you want me to cover next, please comment.
Don't worry, this is a series I'm running. I don't want to scare anyone away with a novel right off the bat.
But thank you for reading and I'll definitely be getting to making adventures and available resources out there.
Again, thank you for taking a look and i am glad you agree with my favorite, most important tip.
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That's the most important rule in any game: it has to be fun or else what is the point?
Too many GMs can make the mistake of getting bogged down into being rules lawyers or trying to push the narrative they want onto the players. Just have fun.
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That's the most important rule in any game: it has to be fun or else what is the point?
Too many GMs can make the mistake of getting bogged down into being rules lawyers or trying to push the narrative they want onto the players. Just have fun.
Well, i admit that i can be a rules lawyer at times. Same with the story. Sometimes they can be necessary for balance and progression. But yes, we all need to take a step back and remember that we are there to have fun.
I'm not convinced 'have fun' is useful advice.
"I'm not in a mood for prepping for tomorrow's game. What should I do?"
"Have fun!"
"Gotcha. I'll play a video game today, and tomorrow I'll wing it when I get there."
"One of my players is annoying me. I'd really like to kill his character in a brutally unfair manner. What should I do?"
"Have fun!"
"Rocks fall! He dies!"
"I need to know if I should allow Dazing metamagic in my campaign."
"Have fun!"
"So... is that a yes or a no?"
"Have fun!"
"Great..."
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I think you missed the point of the tip. The have fun clause isn't an answer for any question. It is a reminder that you have a duty to ensure everyone in your gaming group is having fun. Everything you do in your group needs to focus on the fact that it is a game made to bring entertainment to a group of friends. Not a single individual.
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"Work hard to help other people have fun" and "have fun" sound like very different things to me.
"Work hard to help other people have fun" and "have fun" sound like very different things to me.
I thought it was rather inferred.
"Work hard to help other people have fun" and "have fun" sound like very different things to me.
I understand that being a GM isn't for everyone. I do hope that your gaming group has a gamemaster that understands and enjoys his role. If you are the GM, then I suggest you take some time to speak with your players about your sessions. If you and your group are enjoying your time together, then perhaps you will see that my advice has already slipped in without your notice.
"Work hard to help other people have fun". I know it isn't for everyone. Some people desire money, fame, or any other number of things from their work. Some just choose not to work hard at all. Believe it or not, there are many people out there that work hard to bring enjoyment to others. Many gamemasters fall into this last group. Some RPG systems actually call their GMs "Storytellers", crazy I know. The greatest storytellers out there are authors. Have you ever considered how many authors there are out there? Not all can be Stephen King, or Margret Weiss, or J.K. Rowling. Many authors work normal jobs because their books do not sale enough to create a reliable, stable income. They continue working hard and writing, crafting new stories, so that the readers they have (new and old), are able to find enjoyment from their hard work.
I remember my senior economics project from high school (going to date myself here) from 11 years ago. We had to interview an entrepreneur of our choosing and write a journalism-based article featuring our interview. I chose to speak with one of the owners for my favorite game shop.
I learned many things in that interview. The owner actually worked a second part-time job because some seasons were too slow to keep the shop and his personal bills paid. I asked him why did he work so hard (50+ hours every week at the shop, and another 20-30 hours at his part-time job), and he told me one of the most profound things I ever heard in high school. He told me, "I run this game shop not because it makes me money, or even because it pays the bills, because many times it does not. I work hard and run this shop because it makes me happy. I love coming in and showing someone a new game. I have stacks of games in the back that I use to sit down with people to introduce them to new games. I like sitting here on the weekends listening to everyone get excited over the card pack they just opened or how much fun they have playing in the tournaments. I like to listen in to the tabletop game sessions and relate them to those of my own group. I love the stories every person has that walks into my store. I work hard keeping this store open, because it makes me happy."
Whatever it is that you want out of your games or out of life in general, I hope it comes true. I mean that. I am not being sarcastic or facetious or anything of the sort. You don't have to work hard for others. If you make yourself happy, then go and do that. But to those out there like me and many others, keep working hard and help make the lives of others more enjoyable.
(I am half-considering converting this int my next post. Thank you for the inspiration!).
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I'm not trying to argue for or against work or fun - I was just trying to clarify what people mean by the snappy but (to me) uninformative statements like, "The most important thing is to have fun!"
This reminds me of, I think, an episode of the comedy-drama Ed from 15 years ago. The theme was charity. The protagonist had suddenly become aware that he was quite rich, and that if he sold, for example, his expensive watch and gave away all the money, he could actually help someone else significantly without inconveniencing himself much. He started doing a lot of charity work, using the philosophy, "Give until it hurts".
By the end of the episode, he had a change of heart, and adopted a philosophy of, "Give until it feels good."
I could never decide if that was clever, or vapid and selfish. If you decide in advance that generosity is going to hurt, it probably will become miserable. If you decide it's going to be fun, maybe you'll be more generous? But what if it doesn't feel good? Does that excuse you from doing good?
To take it back to RPGs, a GM might consider prepping for a game to be the hard work you have to do to help others enjoy themselves, or it might be something they find to be fun in its own right. The important thing is... to find something that works, I guess?
Hmm... I can see that, "find something that works." Fits a nice balance for those stuck in-between.
Thanks.
I think you missed the point of the tip. The have fun clause isn't an answer for any question. It is a reminder that you have a duty to ensure everyone in your gaming group is having fun. Everything you do in your group needs to focus on the fact that it is a game made to bring entertainment to a group of friends. Not a single individual.
Nope, that's not the point. The point "Have Fun" is that being a GM you need to have fun too. It's easy as GM to go into a game and not have fun. It become a chore not fun time.
The GM is included in the group. The GM needs to ensure that they, too, are having fun. I think the full paragraph the statement comes from (the blog) provides a clearer understanding.
Without reading the actual link, I will note that I feel that the title of the series and your stated intended audience seem a bit at odds with each other.
When I hear "So, you think you can GM?", I'm expecting something aimed at someone who is already rather confident in their abilities as a GM. I expect something about improving some of the finer points of the art.
If you're aiming this at newer or struggling GMs, I'd think a title more like "So, you'd like to GM?" would be a bit more appropriate.
Whether or not this is a big deal, I have no idea. But you may end up losing a few potential readers in your target audience because they expect something that's still above them.
The second (and soon to be out 3rd) part each target more experienced GMs. I do see your point. I should have put the New/Struggling GM tips into a separate category.
But, going beyond the title alone, the blog post poses the question as follows:
"First thing’s first: So you think you can GM? Really? You? Of course YOU! Well, frankly, yes you can. Anybody can." And moves along from there.
Thank you for your input. When I made the initial posts, I did not consider that the first post would be misleading. I will definitely think about my titles a little more carefully in the future. :)
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Those posts were a great read, especially the second! Since I am in fact a new GM, here is how I felt about the posts:
The first post I feel has some basic getting started advice for absolute beginners, though it wasn't that useful for me since it was mostly either stuff I already new or stuff that wasn't relevant to me. The advice to write down rulings was a handy tip to me, however.
The second post is fantastic on the other hand. You can never have too much advice on how to deal with people in my opinion, and the personal story at the end really makes it unique.
Some suggestions for future posts! You can take them or leave them c:
- Advice on making your own adventures and content, and maybe worldbuilding if you have experience with that.
- Advice on running a sandbox-style campaign, if you have experience with that. If not, that's totally fine.
- Advice on teaching new players how to play the game
- Advice on keeping a game running in a timely manner
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@Aniuś- Thanks, I am glad you liked the posts! I want to cover GMs of all systems and experience levels, so I will admit that some advice will not apply to every GM every time. I am glad that you were still able to get some useful advice from even the first post.
You will be excited to know that your suggestions are already planned for future posts (except the sandbox-style games, I will definitely add that to my list to cover).
I have been playing tabletop RPGs for over 20 years now and can say that I have experienced making my own worlds, campagins of many styles (horror, sandbox, epic, apocalypse, post-apocalypse, modern, etc.), and and taught loads of players one-on-one and in groups of all ages. I will make sure to post links as the others come online.
Thank you for your input and I hope that I can keep bringing you enjoyable reads and good advice. Good luck on your GMing, and that fact that you are looking for advice as a new GM shows that you will be great at it!
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As a rule, I tend to play RAI vs. RAW. There will be exceptions of course and we can't always tell what RAI is supposed to be. More importantly, I may change a rule now and then for the story, the story is what is important, the story that the players and I are writing together. If the story conflicts with a rule now and then i'm likely to modify or ignore the rule for that instance. However, the rules are there so we all know what to expect out of the environment, so it will not happen with any frequency
This is what I believe only phrased much better than I by GM Evilan
For more great advice check out this Great Thread I know it says PbP but alot of this can be applied to FtF games as well
I will definitely give that thread a read. I enjoy seeing what is important to other GMs and find out what they have learned from their experience. We all have had different experiences. No matter how great of a GM we think we are, there is always more that can be learned from others.
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Currently working on Part IV (along with two conversion classes from The Iron Kingdoms). For those that do not wish to go searching, here are the links for the first three parts:
GM Tips Part I: Getting Started as a New GM
GM Tips Part II: Making Tough Calls
GM Tips Part III: Making an Adventure (Storycrafting)
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That's pretty good stuff, a piece of advice that works for me is to steal relentlessly. If you see something that is working in a game you are playing in, reading online, watching at a con, whatever take the idea and run with it.
Thanks! I am glad that there are people out finding the posts helpful, or at least enjoyable. Still a long way to go with the series. I really need to finish up part IV here soon.
I know it has been a long time (took a long break from October through February), but I'm back!
Currently up to Part VI in my GM Tips series (I know, I'll get back on track with the "Making an Adventure" portion). Please check it out and share!
As always, feel free to send me any questions you have!
I remember my first DMing session in PF. I brought a module that basically outlined a million details for a massive city, with tons of factions and rules for city building, as well as countless hooks for different adventures. I was overwhelmed. Both my players and I found ourselves bogged down by countless mini-plots going on at once.
The next session, I focused on a single plot from an idea offered in that book. I had them take on a simple task to investigate a village that may have stolen a cornucopia, which in addition to producing delicious fruit, also guaranteed a seat on the city's High Council. Were they doing it for the food, for a third party, to secure the recognition of the council? It was a great opener to introduce some of the mechanics of politics in the city as well as provide some clout to bring their names to those in power. I needed to learn focus, and if they showed interest in another aspect of the world, be it a mercenary company or a convent of healers, I could bring it up organically.
I must say, very, VERY great job! You learned a lesson some GMs/DMs take years to learn (and at times forget, including myself). Focus is a very important skill to have as a GM.
Amazing work! I am glad your players showed interest in other aspects allowing you all to branch out slowly.
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Great read. I will recommend it to the player in my group who is about to DM for the first time.
In my first DM session i was describing a busy common room but hadn't properly read and digested the module i was running. I said how there was "a prim looking noble woman sitting stiffly by the window with her bored looking maid and scowling bodyguard. A foppish rake with overly elborate clothes plays dice with several wagoneers near the stairs and three cultists lean against the bar...
... My players looked at me quizzically
... I looked at them.
... My mind went blank, and couldn't think of a way out ... I had just ruined the entire premise of the adventure by revealing that the coachmen (which is what I had intended to say) were really cultists abducting travellers.
... I started a new adventure. Lol
Great read. I will recommend it to the player in my group who is about to DM for the first time.
In my first DM session...
... My mind went blank, and couldn't think of a way out ... I had just ruined the entire premise of the adventure by revealing that the coachmen (which is what I had intended to say) were really cultists abducting travellers.
... I started a new adventure. Lol
Thanks. And oh man I hate when I slip and give away a secret like that. Best of luck to your player prepping to DM and I hope you find yourself in a very enjoyable game because of it.