Players: Do you think about whether your GM is having a good time?


Gamer Life General Discussion

Silver Crusade

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I GM quite a bit, a lot more than I play. One of the first things any GM is taught is that the most important thing is that the players have fun, so every GM I know worries about it. People also talk about the game should be fun for GMs. Yet I’ve never seen this connected to the idea of the players working to make sure a GM has a good time. In fact, in games I play, I rarely think about whether the GM is having fun.

So do you, as players, try to make sure your GM has a good time? Is this something we as players should worry about?


I generally have a good time, and I think my players know it. I did have to tell a player to be quiet and me have my moment once while describing a scene when he said, "This is taking too long. Hurry up". Sure, I can be a little wordy when describing something, but it's usually because something important is in the works. But I looked at him and said, "It's my game, too, you know. If I'm not having fun, then you're not having fun. And if you're having fun you can leave." He stayed, but I could tell he wasn't really thrilled with the exchange.

But players should be considerate of whether or not the GM is enjoying him/herself. I'm just not always sure they are.


As a GM 70% of the time, yeah I try to make sure the GM is having fun when im a player. My experience probably gives me that perspective. Most of my group is pretty sympathetic, but ive played with a few players that dont respect the GM seat. Either way if its too much of a chore in either direction its time for a change; IMO.


Last times I gM'ed were not good, I had lost the holy fire, couldn't concentrate, and just generally made a hash of it.

there have been times when I had fun as a DM, maybe I'll find those again in the not too distant future

The Exchange

To be honest I don't really think about it. Yeah not nice of me...I know.

I feel GMs should set certain expectations before game, then I take the For Science attitude as I play my characters.

I may or may not be cheesing(also depending on what is defined as cheese), but my characters generally don't top DPS charts but are generally doing some weird stuff I'm trying to test theories on...


I find as a GM I can easily tell if the players are enjoying themselves but as a player I struggle to tell if my GM is enjoying himself.

I do make an effort to try and interact with the world he is making and have spent large portions of time outside of the game working with him to decide how to go about achieving things we both wanted to see in the game.

So I suppose I don't think about if he is having fun, but I do think I act in a way to try make sure everyone is enjoying themselves subconsciously.


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Not as much as I should. Perhaps that's why I tend to expect players to go along with the GM's vision for the game rather than feel all entitled to do and play whatever they want.

Liberty's Edge

I try to lighten my GM's chores as much as I can but I admit I can lose sight of his fun when in the middle of heated arguments (often but not always rules oriented).

I count on my GM to tell me if he is ever losing his fun at GMing so that I can do what is necessary for his fun to come back.

If my GM says nothing specific, I assume that he is having fun the way we are playing.


It depends. In general, I assume that the GM will be running something that they're looking forward to play. If they're running a certain type of game/system because another player really wants to play in one on the other hand, then yes, I tend to be more aware of whether or not they're having fun.

That being said, I always try to help curb behavior that can be frustrating for GMs (players who interrupt/talk over the GM and the like).


As both player and GM I like to take a final moment during a sessions to check in with everyone. My group has learned to be pretty open about how they feel. Anybody who wants to go into depth usually does so after session via email. If you are concerned about your GM/players it never hurts to ask.

Grand Lodge

In my experience, players don't give a crap about the GM, GM has to make his/her own fun. Can't say I really blame them, the game is centered around the players after all... heroes always get the spotlight.


Yes I try not to argue rules as I don't think many gms like that and try to make characters without things that go into things I think are gray areas of the rules.


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I try (but don't always succeed) to not annoy the GM and help them have fun, whether by running my character smoothly, helping settle rules debates quickly, make suggestions for ways to improve things, or just sometimes give my GM stuff they can roll with and have a lot of fun with. We're all there to have fun, not just the players, so making GMing a chore is the antithesis of this.


I don't think players should really think about the GM having a good time. The GM should enjoy seeing thier players running through their stories/dungeons/puzzles, if they don't then they're probably better suited to be a player. On the other hand, As a GM I get the most enjoyment when the session runs smoothly, so as a player I try to not to eat, go to the restroom or interrupt the GM in session.


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GMs are not trained monkeys for your amusement. I disagree with a lot of what's been posted. As I said before, the GM should have a good time, and the players should aid in this. Helping us have a good time includes knowing what your character can do at the level it's at, having at least a decent handle on the rules, be prepared when it's your turn rather than make people wait while you decide what your character is going to do, along with a list of other things.

Sure, it's the GM's job to see that the players are having fun. But given the amount of prep work a lot of GMs put into their adventures (especially homebrewers) the players should make sure he or she is having fun, as well.

In fact, I sent out an email to all of my players (including the ones who don't get to be here often) about this, and they unanimously agreed that the GM should be having fun, as well. Otherwise the whole game suffers.


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DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Helping us have a good time includes knowing what your character can do at the level it's at, having at least a decent handle on the rules, be prepared when it's your turn rather than make people wait while you decide what your character is going to do, along with a list of other things.

Being slow and not understanding your character mechanics are annoying to other players as much as they are to the GM.


I don't consider his feelings a lot, but I try not to be a pain in the a** as a player, support him with neutral arguments for rules discussions (so we can get past them more quickly) and I thank him shortly after each session. He occasionally gets offended by other players, but that's not serious enough to make me intervene.


I guess it's different with my group. We've been together decades, so mutual feelings that everyone should have fun is just natural for us.


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I GM more than I play, so I try to be considerate of other GMs when I'm a player. And I can say from personal experience that if the GM is not having fun, the game suffers.

I'm not really sure how much my players think about whether I'm having fun as GM. However, my wife (who I've GMed on and off for 20 years now) does make a habit of letting me know she's having fun and appreciates me running. And when I had to put my Pathfinder campaign on hiatus recently (due to a couple players moving away, and me and another player needing time to adapt to new jobs), one of my players responded that he would understand if I have to make changes to preserve my own fun when we finally resume.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

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Just to throw in another perspective here, when I've been the GM, I've never felt like I needed the players to do anything in particular in order for me to have fun. Any player behavior I can think of that might disrupt my fun as a GM is also something that disrupts my fun as a fellow player, so it's not GM-specific.

And speaking from my background in psychology, I think that if the players are having fun but the GM isn't, then that's probably a red flag that there's some sort of dysfunction in the relationship: maybe the GM and the players weren't on the same page about what kind of game it was going to be, or the GM didn't really want to be the GM in the first place, or maybe there's even been a misunderstanding of what the GM's role is supposed to be. Whatever the reason, if I see a table full of happy players and an unhappy GM, my reaction is that I want to ask the GM what they were expecting to go differently.


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I GM pretty much exclusively. The GM is also a player so while the GM wants his players to have a good time the other players SHOULD care if their GM is also having a good time running for them. To not do that or to ignore that part of the relationship, to me at least, means that your players are selfish d**ks.

My present players are not and I value them greatly because decent players are REALLY hard to come by. They're just GOOD people. I finally one group without a borderline sociopath or someone who's selfish to the detriment of everyone else. I've been running games off and on for about 30 years for both strangers and friends and most players are selfish and self-centered even when it concerns each other at the table.

Players who are giving at the table are a GIFT to a GM and makes him or her want to give in return. Which usually makes for a great group and a great game.

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