Getting feedback from players

[Doug McCrae]

I want to become a better GM. Responding to feedback seems like the best way of achieving this. But how to get it? Asking how the game's going or how it could be improved won't work, I think. If my players are anything like me when I'm a player then they'll just BS me to avoid hurting my feelings.

 

[EricNoah]

Let the players give you a mild electric shock every time you do something they don't like.

*zzapp!*

Ouch! I guess that's not a very helpful answer.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Let the players give you a mild electric shock every time you do something they don't like.

*zzapp!*

Ouch! I guess that's not a very helpful answer.

You know, that's a really, really creepy answer? Especially, because I just finished Ari's short story on the Wizards homepage?

Cheers, LT.

 

[Walt C]

I want to become a better GM. Responding to feedback seems like the best way of achieving this. But how to get it? Asking how the game's going or how it could be improved won't work, I think. If my players are anything like me when I'm a player then they'll just BS me to avoid hurting my feelings.

It's also a problem in the reverse. Many GMs look for affirmation that their hours of hard work and running the session paid off and get upset when players offer criticism.

I always look for non-verbal cues. Are the players engaged or flipping through other books? Is the normally reliable player suddenly missing sessions? Is there a general feeling of disappointment when you announce that the session is over? Stuff like that.

Walt

 

[Clueless]

I second the suggestion to watch the non-verbal responses, it works pretty well as a rough gauge.

You may also want to ask very specific questions - the idea is to make it feel safer for them as your friends to answer honestly. Not "Are you liking my game?" rather ask "What one thing can I improve upon for your enjoyment? And what one thing should I keep doing?"

Also prompt them for speculation, "What plot hook would you like to see for your character?" or "What do you think the bad guy is up to?" - you can judge their involvement by how actively they answer those sort of questions.

And in all cases, you may want to give them a headsup that you're looking for feedback. Cause if you suddenly start asking out of the blue when you've never done this before as a GM - they may wonder what pod person took you over - and that can make the answers not quite accurate.

My own game is to the point where the players are tattle-telling on each other "So and so is anticipating *this* next game, just to let you know..." Which tells me my game is good enough they're talking about it between sessions and anticipating my plot.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Yes. Limited, specific questions work well. Another option is to get an outside observer to question your players. You can also take notes while DMing about what they get excited about and what the points of confusion or question seem to be.

 

[Tewligan]

My old DM (Fathead here on the boards) periodically gave out questionaires for the players to fill out about the campaign and style of play. Some of the questions were a 1-to-10 type, rating the amount/quality of certain parts of the game, and others were short answer/paragraph types. I thought that was a good idea, and it was a really handy way to put your finger on what you liked and didn't like, both for your own benefit and for the DM's.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

This might be the first thread I bookmark.

I've never been successfull in any of my attempts to get more specific player feedback other than, "Fun game. See you next week." I'll definitely be reading to see if anyone else out there chips in with a helpful suggestion.

 

[bento]

I think its something you need to do individually rather than asking the group. How about going out to lunch with a different player once a month or so? They might be willing to open up more if its just you and them, rather than in front of the group.

 

[Shallown]

About every 6 months or so I handle out a paper with these request.

Name 3 things you like about the game, gm, time we play whatever...

Name 3 things you don't like or would change about the game, gm etc...

Name one thing you want to do or have your character do / experience.

I find this method works fairly well and opens up the dialouge more than actually tells me a great deal. This is the ice breaker to start a discussion on what is up in the game. It is a requirement to answer the questions as part of my social contract with the players. If they can't spit out 3 things than they aren't the players I want. Sounds harsh but I've never had trouble getting useful feedback.

I have to admit sometimes my answer to a thing they don't like is "sorry that's just my play style" but at least if I am aware of something like that I can self monitor and play like I want without crapping on anyone else's fun

later