Composer99
Hero
My guiding principle is that I as GM am a facilitator of an enjoyable and fun gameplay experience (by the standards of hobby gaming) for myself and for the other players, according to my aesthetics of play and their aesthetics of play. Everyone is responsible for this to some lesser or greater extent, but - and especially in GM-centric games such as D&D - this responsibility falls heavier upon me than upon the other players.
At a broader level, it means knowing what I want out of TTRPG gameplay and what the players want (or seem to want), and then using a system that seems to best match what the table as a whole wants.
For some specifics of how I might approach things:
At a broader level, it means knowing what I want out of TTRPG gameplay and what the players want (or seem to want), and then using a system that seems to best match what the table as a whole wants.
For some specifics of how I might approach things:
- If it's been an hour and a half since the last fight and I have a player or two who are getting bored and antsy, it's time for a fight!
- If I'm running a game for players who are interested in enacting a power fantasy, I'm going to find ways to enable them to feel awesome - landing a killing blow on a monster that would otherwise have 1-2 hp left after their damage, for instance.
- If I have a player who really appreciates atmosphere and setting, I'll make sure to add narrative flourishes of description here and there for them to enjoy.
- If I'm running a game for players who enjoy "purity of procedure" in an old-school-style game, then I'll be a stickler for things like die rolls, careful exploration of the environment, dungeoncrawling/hexcrawling procedures, and the like.