wedgeski
Adventurer
In a recent effort to write more thorough journals I started recording our weekly d20 Modern sessions. I would like to share the following journey that I have taken through those recordings:
[1] The cringing phase. Not only do I dislike my voice at the best of times (doesn't everyone?) but I started picking up on a whole host of verbal mannerisms which I didn't even know I was using. Some of them are, by all accounts, unavoidably 'me' and I wouldn't want to change them, but other bad habits, like waiting too long after the talking stops to continue with the game, or over-using certain slang, or any number of other things, I'm trying to eradicate. I was also able to take an objective look at my own roleplaying and immediately found specific areas for improvement; in fact I was much worse at certain aspects of the game than I honestly thought I was, which came as a bit of an eye-opener.
[2] The utility phase. Picking up on things that were said at the table that I didn't previously notice. For example, I'm a big proponent of using the players' brainstorming as a source of inspiration for the game, and I've already caught a couple of cracking plot hooks simply by being able to concentrate on their discussions instead of rifling through my notes. In terms of the original reason for recording the sessions, the journals have now not only become more accurate, but can correctly convey the feel and tone of the game at any one point in time. The journals themselves are now much better at evoking the session as a whole rather than just the shenannigans of the PC's.
[3] The laugh-out-loud phase. Once you get over phase [1] (can take some time), you get to enjoy the session all over again. Far from being uninteresting, it shockingly turns out that the jokes being thrown around the table are funny the second time round too.
[4] The posterity phase. These recordings are being archived. I can only imagine how fun it's going to be to listen to them in 40 or 50 years.
If this post has a point, it is that, in the same way that writers are encouraged to read their prose out loud, I recommend every DM out there to try to record at least one of their sessions and use it as a tool to improve their game. If you can get over phase [1] and actually objectively listen to yourself, it's amazing the impact it can have on your DM'ing repertoire.
[1] The cringing phase. Not only do I dislike my voice at the best of times (doesn't everyone?) but I started picking up on a whole host of verbal mannerisms which I didn't even know I was using. Some of them are, by all accounts, unavoidably 'me' and I wouldn't want to change them, but other bad habits, like waiting too long after the talking stops to continue with the game, or over-using certain slang, or any number of other things, I'm trying to eradicate. I was also able to take an objective look at my own roleplaying and immediately found specific areas for improvement; in fact I was much worse at certain aspects of the game than I honestly thought I was, which came as a bit of an eye-opener.
[2] The utility phase. Picking up on things that were said at the table that I didn't previously notice. For example, I'm a big proponent of using the players' brainstorming as a source of inspiration for the game, and I've already caught a couple of cracking plot hooks simply by being able to concentrate on their discussions instead of rifling through my notes. In terms of the original reason for recording the sessions, the journals have now not only become more accurate, but can correctly convey the feel and tone of the game at any one point in time. The journals themselves are now much better at evoking the session as a whole rather than just the shenannigans of the PC's.
[3] The laugh-out-loud phase. Once you get over phase [1] (can take some time), you get to enjoy the session all over again. Far from being uninteresting, it shockingly turns out that the jokes being thrown around the table are funny the second time round too.
[4] The posterity phase. These recordings are being archived. I can only imagine how fun it's going to be to listen to them in 40 or 50 years.
If this post has a point, it is that, in the same way that writers are encouraged to read their prose out loud, I recommend every DM out there to try to record at least one of their sessions and use it as a tool to improve their game. If you can get over phase [1] and actually objectively listen to yourself, it's amazing the impact it can have on your DM'ing repertoire.
