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<blockquote data-quote="Desdichado" data-source="post: 5682173" data-attributes="member: 2205"><p>I haven't really been around all that much lately, but I couldn't find any hint anywhere that this has been posted here. That seems odd since it's been all over the RPG blogosphere. <a href="http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2011/08/gm-merit-badges.html" target="_blank">GM Merit badges</a>. You pick the ones that best describe your GMing style, or at least what you aspire for your game to be like, and then presto! you've got a handy visualization of what your gaming style is like. Great shorthand when looking for online gamers, I'd imagine, and like I said, it's been fun for folks all over the blogosphere to pick the ones that they like.</p><p></p><p>The link posted above has <em>most</em> of them, but he added two more to his cafe press store.</p><p></p><p>Here's mine:</p><p></p><p><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_RdktF-MrZc/Tm-PXqNlL3I/AAAAAAAABkU/D5h-2c_e0eg/s1600/GM+badges.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Story.</strong> I prefer that my games tell an interesting story. This isn't a pre-written story, by any means, but I greatly prefer an interesting story to be the product of the game. Otherwise, I'm keenly disappointed.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scary.</strong> I don't really run traditional fantasy, but rather a hybrid of fantasy and horror, with a strong emphasis on the mood and tone of horror.</p><p></p><p><strong>Player vs. Player.</strong> While I don't necessarily encourage this, I certainly do not discourage it either. In fact, I think a lot of inter-party suspicion is crucial to developing and maintaining the horror ambiance.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mirror.</strong> I'm perfectly happy taking player ideas and integrating them into the game. Especially if, as is often the case, their ideas are better than mine anyway. Be careful what you speculate about amongst yourselves at the table; you may find you worst case scenario speculations coming back to haunt you.</p><p></p><p><strong>GM is in charge.</strong> Rule zero all the way, baby. If something isn't working right, I'll fix it on the fly. If I don't have a rule handy, I'll making a ruling on the fly and move on. By the book is for computer RPGs. Having a human adjudicator in the GM's seat is the primary advantage of an old fashioned "analog" RPG.</p><p></p><p><strong>Improvisation.</strong> I'm a strong believer in underplanning and working with what comes to the table. I don't literally make the whole game up on the fly of course (unless the players do something so totally unexpected that I have to) but the game clearly will morph around what the players bring, where they want to go and what they want to do.</p><p></p><p><strong>Cloak & Dagger.</strong> Intrigue, espionage, organized crime, skullduggery--all strong elements of all my games. By default every urban location in my setting is a Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy.</p><p></p><p><strong>Dice in the Open.</strong> I don't literally roll all dice out in the open, but I usually do, and I don't really like fudging dice rolls.</p><p></p><p><strong>Disturbing Content.</strong> You've been warned. My games are maybe not quite rated R, but they skirt that line routinely--they're definitely at least a "hard PG-13" and I don't recommend them for children or the sensitive.</p><p></p><p><strong>Characters and Drama.</strong> Every good story is the story of people. The PC's are at the heart of every good game. While PC's may die, and unexpected things may happen to them, I also don't expect my PCs to be disposible. The game is, after all, centered around them, their backgrounds, their goals and their personalities.</p><p></p><p><strong>Run Away!</strong> In my campaigns, you may routinely come across encounters that you are not meant to win. Act accordingly.</p><p></p><p><strong>Tinker.</strong> I tinker with the rules. A lot. It's a defining feature of my gaming that it's heavily house-ruled.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Desdichado, post: 5682173, member: 2205"] I haven't really been around all that much lately, but I couldn't find any hint anywhere that this has been posted here. That seems odd since it's been all over the RPG blogosphere. [URL="http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2011/08/gm-merit-badges.html"]GM Merit badges[/URL]. You pick the ones that best describe your GMing style, or at least what you aspire for your game to be like, and then presto! you've got a handy visualization of what your gaming style is like. Great shorthand when looking for online gamers, I'd imagine, and like I said, it's been fun for folks all over the blogosphere to pick the ones that they like. The link posted above has [I]most[/I] of them, but he added two more to his cafe press store. Here's mine: [IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_RdktF-MrZc/Tm-PXqNlL3I/AAAAAAAABkU/D5h-2c_e0eg/s1600/GM+badges.JPG[/IMG] [B]Story.[/B] I prefer that my games tell an interesting story. This isn't a pre-written story, by any means, but I greatly prefer an interesting story to be the product of the game. Otherwise, I'm keenly disappointed. [B]Scary.[/B] I don't really run traditional fantasy, but rather a hybrid of fantasy and horror, with a strong emphasis on the mood and tone of horror. [B]Player vs. Player.[/B] While I don't necessarily encourage this, I certainly do not discourage it either. In fact, I think a lot of inter-party suspicion is crucial to developing and maintaining the horror ambiance. [B]Mirror.[/B] I'm perfectly happy taking player ideas and integrating them into the game. Especially if, as is often the case, their ideas are better than mine anyway. Be careful what you speculate about amongst yourselves at the table; you may find you worst case scenario speculations coming back to haunt you. [B]GM is in charge.[/B] Rule zero all the way, baby. If something isn't working right, I'll fix it on the fly. If I don't have a rule handy, I'll making a ruling on the fly and move on. By the book is for computer RPGs. Having a human adjudicator in the GM's seat is the primary advantage of an old fashioned "analog" RPG. [B]Improvisation.[/B] I'm a strong believer in underplanning and working with what comes to the table. I don't literally make the whole game up on the fly of course (unless the players do something so totally unexpected that I have to) but the game clearly will morph around what the players bring, where they want to go and what they want to do. [B]Cloak & Dagger.[/B] Intrigue, espionage, organized crime, skullduggery--all strong elements of all my games. By default every urban location in my setting is a Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy. [B]Dice in the Open.[/B] I don't literally roll all dice out in the open, but I usually do, and I don't really like fudging dice rolls. [B]Disturbing Content.[/B] You've been warned. My games are maybe not quite rated R, but they skirt that line routinely--they're definitely at least a "hard PG-13" and I don't recommend them for children or the sensitive. [B]Characters and Drama.[/B] Every good story is the story of people. The PC's are at the heart of every good game. While PC's may die, and unexpected things may happen to them, I also don't expect my PCs to be disposible. The game is, after all, centered around them, their backgrounds, their goals and their personalities. [B]Run Away![/B] In my campaigns, you may routinely come across encounters that you are not meant to win. Act accordingly. [B]Tinker.[/B] I tinker with the rules. A lot. It's a defining feature of my gaming that it's heavily house-ruled. [/QUOTE]
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