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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RenleyRenfield" data-source="post: 9455133" data-attributes="member: 7044197">You should. Ok, so lots of talk on here about this or that game not working well with players.  Or games failing because GM set up X and players ended doing Y and never caring about X.   There are discussion about GMs making plots or setting areas that didn't work well with players.  And talks of players who did things that were not bad, but not compatible with other players' characters.   And the list goes on. So why aren't you using C.A.T.S.? C.A.T.S.This can be used for any RPG of any type... Before playing a game, there needs to be a conversation at the table to set expectations.A game runs smoothly when all players (including the GM) understand what the group is striving for.This guided set of questions will allow the facilitator to hit four essential topics quickly and easily, and eliminate almost all issues of group or game incompatibility. Just start from the top.ConceptAt a high-level, what’s it about?  What is the system?  What are the most common things character do in this game?   Be honest.  (for example: Some groups are made up of players who never read the rules, and so systems that require players to dig into the rules are not a good fit!)AimExplain what the players are trying to accomplish. Can someone win? Can everyone lose? Are we trying to tell a specific type of story?  Again, be honest.  (for example: D&D and OSR is mostly combat.  Sure they can have roleplay, but it's not the same as Vampire the Masquerade, so talk about that...) ToneHave a quick conversation about the tone of the game. What is the default? Are there different options for gameplay? Come to a consensus on what the group wants. ( for example: Serious vs. Gonzo, Action vs. Drama, driven adventure or sandbox city,  etc, etc.). Subject matterExplain what ideas might be explored during gameplay.  Is there a lot of bookkeeping?  Does the game require players to "buy into" certain plots?  Does any of the subjects of the game make anyone uncomfortable? Discuss what boundaries need to be set, if any. (for example: Call of Cthulhu investigators are often assumed to be always willing to investigate deeper despite the dangers.)My own 2c- Don't try and force the system or the game.  If it seems like the group is more interested in something the system does not provide out of the box easily, then look at other game systems.  Same for settings... same for characters... - Don't think of just the one character and double down on it, despite how poorly it fits the others.   Have two or three ideas that excite you and tweak the one that best fits to be even better for group play.  .......Now this is a discussion, so I am interested to hear what people think about this.  Cheers!   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> source: <a href="https://200wordrpg.github.io/2016/supplement/2016/04/12/CATS.html" target="_blank">original article here = (link)</a></blockquote>

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