I think while I agree with most of this, being highly experienced GMing one particular game also gives you an advantage when you're GMing a different game. While the mechanics aren't the same, people - and they're who you interact with as much as rules - are. Gaining sufficient confidence to handle a difficult situation in one game would increase the chance that you'll apply that confidence in a different game.
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Do "old school" RPGers have an advantage?
- Thread starter RoryN
- Start date
I think while I agree with most of this, being highly experienced GMing one particular game also gives you an advantage when you're GMing a different game. While the mechanics aren't the same, people - and they're who you interact with as much as rules - are. Gaining sufficient confidence to handle a difficult situation in one game would increase the chance that you'll apply that confidence in a different game.
Dice4Hire
First Post
Well, experience always helps, and experience with different systems (And I call the different kinds of D&D systems here) helps even more. You see how things can be done, and what works with different groups of players using different kinds of rules.
Rolemaster got me off deadly crits, for example.
But still, it is the talent of the DM. Some people will never be good or even competent, because they just plain do not want to be, or do not have the right mindset. Some people are born to be players and some DMs.
Nothing wrong with it.
But merely having started in the 80s or so is not the single indicator of competence.
Rolemaster got me off deadly crits, for example.
But still, it is the talent of the DM. Some people will never be good or even competent, because they just plain do not want to be, or do not have the right mindset. Some people are born to be players and some DMs.
Nothing wrong with it.
But merely having started in the 80s or so is not the single indicator of competence.
Crazy Jerome
First Post
Getting the opportunity to learn from your mistakes is one potential advantage, as much from changing attitudes about mistakes and widespread communication of them, than from any "school" or amount of experience, though.
For example, it is one thing to know not to run pure hack and slash when you want more, not to be a killer DM, etc. when you've been encouraged not to. It's another, deeper understanding to avoid those things because you once did not--and thus really know exactly what the problems were. And you've also got a bit of insight into why they were their own kind of fun, too.
My favorite college professor used to say that a problem in "modern America" (as he called it) was that we didn't let people make those mistakes and learn from them. We are too quick to come down on them, demand the "good grade", etc. Whereas, real learning comes from pushing yourself, and that automatically means mistakes.
How do you be a successful DM? Get experience. How you get experience? You fail some as a DM.
Now, to the extent that one can learn from other peoples' mistakes, then you don't have to inflict your DM learning curve on your poor players. But my experience is that most people develop severe blind spots when they don't learn at least a little from their own mistakes.
For example, it is one thing to know not to run pure hack and slash when you want more, not to be a killer DM, etc. when you've been encouraged not to. It's another, deeper understanding to avoid those things because you once did not--and thus really know exactly what the problems were. And you've also got a bit of insight into why they were their own kind of fun, too.
My favorite college professor used to say that a problem in "modern America" (as he called it) was that we didn't let people make those mistakes and learn from them. We are too quick to come down on them, demand the "good grade", etc. Whereas, real learning comes from pushing yourself, and that automatically means mistakes.
How do you be a successful DM? Get experience. How you get experience? You fail some as a DM.
Now, to the extent that one can learn from other peoples' mistakes, then you don't have to inflict your DM learning curve on your poor players. But my experience is that most people develop severe blind spots when they don't learn at least a little from their own mistakes.
Agreed. At least around here, "old school" is supposed to be a style, and that style is typically associated with a pretty small collection of related rule sets. One would probably expect that being a focused devotee of that limited style would put one at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of understanding other rules and styles, rather than giving you breadth.
There are certainly folks out there who have played RPGs for a long time, and played many different games, and if they haven't gotten stuck in any particular rut, or one "best way to play" they might have an easier time picking up a new game, group, or style.
Mind you, I think that's different from being able to come up with good campaign or character ideas, as mentioned in the OP. New and older gamers alike can come up with good ideas.
