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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8991329" data-attributes="member: 82106"><p>I think what is hard for people who don't do this sort of GMing is to grasp the power and importance of PRINCIPLES and AGENDA (not GNS agenda, just that which is particular to a given game). So, Torchbearer 2, I haven't read all of the thing in great detail because I haven't run it, but Dungeon World is a poster child for doing this VERY VERY explicitly. P 161 is a bullet list of the three agenda elements, and P 162 likewise the Principles. They are all explained well in that section &quot;The GM&quot; starting on P 159. It also describes the GM's 'moves' (which are really just techniques, DW even says they're not canonical in any way, and don't have any mechanics attached to them). In fact the GM doesn't really GET mechanics to do his job. He can EMPLOY the player-facing mechanics, etc. but there are no charts, tables, die rolls, etc. on the GM side of most of these sorts of games. You follow the agenda! You use the Principles! Whenever the GM in a DW (etc) game needs to do something, the game will tell you that, and there will be these guides to follow. Yes, GM's make decisions about the nature, pace, and significance of fiction in many cases, but this is NOT 'unclear', it is NOT 'arbitrary'. If you fail to Portray a Fantastic World, you are BREAKING THE RULES of Dungeon World! Just as surely as a classic D&amp;D GM who invents a trap and springs it on the thief when it wasn't marked there just to be mean.</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 8991329, member: 82106"] I think what is hard for people who don't do this sort of GMing is to grasp the power and importance of PRINCIPLES and AGENDA (not GNS agenda, just that which is particular to a given game). So, Torchbearer 2, I haven't read all of the thing in great detail because I haven't run it, but Dungeon World is a poster child for doing this VERY VERY explicitly. P 161 is a bullet list of the three agenda elements, and P 162 likewise the Principles. They are all explained well in that section "The GM" starting on P 159. It also describes the GM's 'moves' (which are really just techniques, DW even says they're not canonical in any way, and don't have any mechanics attached to them). In fact the GM doesn't really GET mechanics to do his job. He can EMPLOY the player-facing mechanics, etc. but there are no charts, tables, die rolls, etc. on the GM side of most of these sorts of games. You follow the agenda! You use the Principles! Whenever the GM in a DW (etc) game needs to do something, the game will tell you that, and there will be these guides to follow. Yes, GM's make decisions about the nature, pace, and significance of fiction in many cases, but this is NOT 'unclear', it is NOT 'arbitrary'. If you fail to Portray a Fantastic World, you are BREAKING THE RULES of Dungeon World! Just as surely as a classic D&D GM who invents a trap and springs it on the thief when it wasn't marked there just to be mean. [/QUOTE]

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