After Action Reports

[Hussar]

Was just listening to Fear the Boot and they were talking about bad DM's and how to recognize if you are one. Usual mix of stuff. But something that caught my attention was the idea of the after action report.

Back when I had lots of time, after a game, we'd sit around and dissect the session as a group and talk about what was good and what was bad. Usually over a beverage of choice sitting in a comfy chair. This could take almost as much time as the session itself sometimes.

Nowadays I don't have that kind of time, and, because I game online, I don't have the face to face contact with my players that would allow me to do this kind of thing. But, I do want honest and hopefully constructive feedback on the game. Particularly because I play online, it can be really, really hard to judge how successful a session was since, like a forum, you only have written words to judge things by.

So, I was thinking, since I have a forum for my campaign (go go proboards ) , how could I ask my players for feedback? What questions can I ask to elicit useful criticisms for the game? I'm kind of looking for a sort of questionaire format that I can put out there for the players to answer so that I can judge how well, or how badly, I'm doing.

Anyone got some ideas?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Back when I had lots of time, after a game, we'd sit around and dissect the session as a group and talk about what was good and what was bad. Usually over a beverage of choice sitting in a comfy chair. This could take almost as much time as the session itself sometimes.

We're doing the same, mostly. Discuss what went wrong, what went well. Sometimes, the DM explains some background information ("What should have happened if you hadn't derailed the plot" or "The original adventure suggested X, but that was obviously not working or better done with Y"). I always find this interesting, even if it of course often reveals the "inner workings" of the adventure and background and might hurt immersion in the campaign.

So, I was thinking, since I have a forum for my campaign (go go proboards ) , how could I ask my players for feedback? What questions can I ask to elicit useful criticisms for the game? I'm kind of looking for a sort of questionaire format that I can put out there for the players to answer so that I can judge how well, or how badly, I'm doing.

Anyone got some ideas?

What did you like?
What did you not like?
What do you think would have gone better in a different way?

You might not want a generic questionaire. Maybe something concrete - did you try out a new mechanic? Ask how it was received. Did you make a surprising plot twist - ask if it was really surprising and if it was liked.
Ask what the players think of the story and where it will lead them (inspiration for later, or warning that you might go in a wrong direction)

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, perhaps specific is the way to go. Focus on one thing then another then come back to the first thing later to see if there is a different response.

 

[Jack99]

I do this routinely. Some questions are asked in plenum after the game, others are asked between games.

Mostly I ask about the following:

- Do you feel your character is getting enough spot-light?
- Do you enjoy playing your character?
- How was last session? What did and didn't you like?
- What kind of action that you would see more off, do you feel my game is lacking ATM? Do you want more encounters, more intrigue, more exploration, more role-play, more loot, etc..
- How do you feel about the encounters tonight? Were they fun? If yes, what did you like about them, if not, what didn't you like?

Cheers

 

[Hussar]

That's a good list Jack99.

I also wonder if sliding in a few quiz questions about the events in the game might spark discussion too. For example, if you have an NPC tagging along, you might ask what the players think about the NPC. Describe him or her. Things like that. That way it lets the DM know if he's getting across what he wants to get across.