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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EarthsShadow" data-source="post: 486441" data-attributes="member: 3531">I will summarize then answer the above questions.  Depending on the game and how much preparation, I can be a really good GM, or a bad one.  My worst adventure, and also one of the funner ones that got into it, was when I attempted to play a star wars game by implementing elves and dwarves as spacefaring races that have their own unique kingdoms, and then set it in the Star Drive galaxy, so I had those races also.  I had a good concept down, of course wrote lots of notes, and my conversions of the races were pretty accurate to those in Alternity.  The fault I had was that I never explained the differences between the races in d&d and the races in stardrive, and needless to say the players played those races (those picked) as typical d&d races, and it ended up being a horrible session, and it was my fault as GM.  Most times, however, I do a good job, I can come up with awesome ideas for adventures, but sometimes its hard for me to implement them.  I am also the type of GM to feed off of character backgrounds and well developed characters, and when players don't create backgrounds and/or don't try to implement some kind of personality into their characters, its hard for me to run games for them.  In other words, I don't do hack-n-slash, at least as a preference.  I also smack of lacking in some physical descriptions, and although I know I shouldn't use monster names, I am so used to being in other groups that use 'orc' so much instead of describing them that its a bad habit I need to break out of.  My good points do include ad-libing NPC's, I love doing that and i have more fun playing npc's than playing a single character as a player.  When I am prepared my descriptions are pretty good, and I can play them pretty freeform and wing it if need be.  My overall stories are good, they add depth to all the characters (of course the more a player gets into their character, the easier this is).  Best example: I had one player play neutral evil wonderfully.  His character hated his hometown, and all he wanted to do is travel around, gain lots of gold and knowledge, and someday planned on going back home and taking it over and enslaving the rest of the villagers because he just didn't like them.  How did he do this?  He followed a God that didn't exist (there were no clerics in the group) to start, then actually followed Mask to alleviate some supsicions that were arising in the party.  He had convinced two other party members through roleplaying that this god has chosen them as his helpers (one a barbarian and the other a fighter) and that his overall goal was to help people in need.  He gained the trust of these players whom he used to his ends and they had no clue.  He failed in trying to control a woman, whom he insulted one to many times and turned him into the paladins in the city they were staying in, and he got hung.  Best games I ever had.Point of this: if a player had a good idea, go with it and allow him to succeed in due time, make it feel good for him/her to succeed, provide challenges and it will be more fun.  My other difference between most GM's and myself I have found out is that I roll all combat rolls in front of my players.  Both defence rolls (variant defense rule) and attack, all damage but I do hide healing points from spells and potions they may drink.  This way no player can say if I screwed him/her out of something during combat.  Personally, if I am a player I totally detest DM's that hide all their rolls, especially in combat.1) For me, to help get over my problems, I just read these message boards, think on what everyone else has said, the absolutely wonderful advice on these boards is awesome to read from all of you, each of you deserves lots of credit for replying to boards like this one.  I study my mistakes, like the star wars one, and now at the beginning of each campaign I type up a brief few pages of common knowledge all characters would probably know for the players, and if they create a good character, write up another one for just that player directed at his/her unique abilities and character concepts and perceptions.  This gets them into their characters.  And I let them play what they want, so if I end up with a group of three mages and two rogues, so be it.2) For female npc's, wow this is hard.  I just picture them mostly on pms for a while (nothing personal to any women reading this) and go from there.  It's hard for a guy to really roleplay a woman well because women are so vastly different in perceptions and outlooks on life.  Watch movies, read books on various time periods, study history.  How were women treated in the middle ages/victorian periods of history?  How did women view society?  if you can answers these, your on your way.3) As stated previously, talk to them, find out what is bugging you/everyone else.  4) SODA!!!!!!  CAFFEINE!!!!!!  CHIPS!!!!!!    PIZZA!!!!!!!! (on a seperate table) ummmmmmm......and I guess you could put cookies and anything else  that is easy to pick up with fingers on the list as well.5) This is much easier.  I prefer to stand and walk, allows me to react quicker and think easier.  I hate to sit behind a game screen, makes me feel like, well, uncomfortable.  I like the players to sit at a small table, close together so they can communicate easier, and I like a table for all my stuff myself.  I like to walk around them, point at them and roll a die, not tell them why, look at their character sheets, smile evily and continue.  I don't like to stand on just one side, if I can't move, my sessions are going to suck a whole lot more, plain and simple.  6) Know who you are, what kind of DM/GM you are, what kinds of players you like in your games, and seek like-minded individuals.  Nothing stinks more in a session where everyone but one person plays that way and that player ruins it only because he is different than everybody else.I have a question for anybody reading this who can publish books:  Why doesn't anybody write all these ideas down into a really easy to read book that is written in lamens terms for those like me, written in general terms, ya know what I mean?  Nothing to expensive, all our accumulate wisdoms and knowledge in a GMing guide book that anybody can pick up and go, "oooooooohhhhhhhhh, so that's what that means."</blockquote>

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