Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Gaming Group Struggles
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 7803567" data-attributes="member: 16586"><p>Yeah. This idea that to be a GM you have to always have a handle on everything, never have an off night, perfectly manage the game, and never get stuck just does not jive with my experience of gaming or any other human endeavor. Game Masters are human. As humans we all have times where we do not bring our A Games. We all make mistakes and are occasionally stuck.</p><p></p><p>Running a game is a skill that we all develop over time. Sometimes we will have good nights and sometimes we will have bad nights. We learn from both and try to do better next time.</p><p></p><p>We also are not wholly responsible for the quality of any game session. We are just one player out of many. Sure we have different responsibilities than the other players, but it is up to them to bring their A Games as well. Gaming is all about the relationships we build with our players over time and how well we are all able to work together to have an enjoyable experience.</p><p></p><p>Finally this idea that the other players at the table are obstacles to a quality game session rather than like the part that makes this thing we do worthwhile seems crazy to me. That part where a player does something unexpected that completely alters the direction of the game - that is the fun part! It's the part where we get to collaborate and find out what happens! This is the entire reason I play these games.</p><p></p><p>I find that when you respect and value the contributions everyone brings to the table you do not have to be in this alone and it alright to not be perfect all the time. If you are stuck you can own up to it and the group can work it out together. If you are having an off night the other players can definitely step up in a big way. If you need a couple minutes or need to call things early you can just say that.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Campbell, post: 7803567, member: 16586"] Yeah. This idea that to be a GM you have to always have a handle on everything, never have an off night, perfectly manage the game, and never get stuck just does not jive with my experience of gaming or any other human endeavor. Game Masters are human. As humans we all have times where we do not bring our A Games. We all make mistakes and are occasionally stuck. Running a game is a skill that we all develop over time. Sometimes we will have good nights and sometimes we will have bad nights. We learn from both and try to do better next time. We also are not wholly responsible for the quality of any game session. We are just one player out of many. Sure we have different responsibilities than the other players, but it is up to them to bring their A Games as well. Gaming is all about the relationships we build with our players over time and how well we are all able to work together to have an enjoyable experience. Finally this idea that the other players at the table are obstacles to a quality game session rather than like the part that makes this thing we do worthwhile seems crazy to me. That part where a player does something unexpected that completely alters the direction of the game - that is the fun part! It's the part where we get to collaborate and find out what happens! This is the entire reason I play these games. I find that when you respect and value the contributions everyone brings to the table you do not have to be in this alone and it alright to not be perfect all the time. If you are stuck you can own up to it and the group can work it out together. If you are having an off night the other players can definitely step up in a big way. If you need a couple minutes or need to call things early you can just say that. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Gaming Group Struggles
Top