dm4hire
Explorer
An idea I’ve been mulling over for a long time is similar to the concept of GM Day only a little more extravagant than offering discounts on products and saying thanks. The GM Summit as I imagine calling it would be an entire convention focused on improving game mastering skills. Publishers throughout the industry that attend the convention would offer seminars on different aspects of running their games, covering important aspects both common to all games and unique to their specific game(s). Part of the convention would also be gaming but from the unique aspect of running the game and not just playing it. Imagine sitting at a game where not only are you playing but discussing how it’s ran as your focus is learning techniques from an industry leader such as Monte Cook or some other designer of games.
Gaming has evolved since D&D first emerged on the scene launching an industry that’s become as diversified as the players who enjoy the hobby. As I’ve mentioned in another post the proportion of players to GMs is irrefutably skewed toward players. Gamemastering can be very intimidating and though appreciated there has always been very little to assist for a gamemaster beyond basic guide books associated to the game and occasional seminars at major conventions, but nothing that really delves into the heart of the subject so that prospective or current GMs can get firsthand experience over an extended period. The GM Summit would offer that experience so that over the course of a weekend or maybe longer gamemasters would learn multiple aspects to their side of the hobby to improve their technique and GMing skills.
There are quite a few subjects that seminars could covered at the GM Summit, such as: how to organize for you game, dealing with different players, designing adventures and challenges, customizing monsters or adventures, incorporating storytelling methods into your game sessions, and even using the internet for research just to name a few. Seminars could even include breakout sessions where attendees could then put what they’ve learned to use or see what was discussed put to use first hand. Question and answer seminars are also a definite inclusion so that GMs could ask questions and get answers back from a straight GM perspective. Admittedly there is a lot that could be covered at a convention of this type that would only begin to touch the surface, but as long as I’ve been playing I have never seen anything specifically dedicated to the GM.
So what is everyone else’s thoughts concerning my idea?
Gaming has evolved since D&D first emerged on the scene launching an industry that’s become as diversified as the players who enjoy the hobby. As I’ve mentioned in another post the proportion of players to GMs is irrefutably skewed toward players. Gamemastering can be very intimidating and though appreciated there has always been very little to assist for a gamemaster beyond basic guide books associated to the game and occasional seminars at major conventions, but nothing that really delves into the heart of the subject so that prospective or current GMs can get firsthand experience over an extended period. The GM Summit would offer that experience so that over the course of a weekend or maybe longer gamemasters would learn multiple aspects to their side of the hobby to improve their technique and GMing skills.
There are quite a few subjects that seminars could covered at the GM Summit, such as: how to organize for you game, dealing with different players, designing adventures and challenges, customizing monsters or adventures, incorporating storytelling methods into your game sessions, and even using the internet for research just to name a few. Seminars could even include breakout sessions where attendees could then put what they’ve learned to use or see what was discussed put to use first hand. Question and answer seminars are also a definite inclusion so that GMs could ask questions and get answers back from a straight GM perspective. Admittedly there is a lot that could be covered at a convention of this type that would only begin to touch the surface, but as long as I’ve been playing I have never seen anything specifically dedicated to the GM.
So what is everyone else’s thoughts concerning my idea?
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