How did you learn to GM?

[derbacher]

Self-taught, I've been GMing for 27 years. I never ever played in another game until three years ago under the 3.0 rules. No one else ever wanted to read the books/learn the rules/buy the stuff, so it was me or no gaming. I still learn new things constantly, and the internet (and EnWorld) are my very good friends now!

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The hard way.

I started by getting intrested in reading the Dragonlance Novels. Based on advertisements in the back sleeve of some of the books, and in the comic books I read at that time, I knew that the books were connected to a game of some sort.

So one day I saw the 2nd edition players hand book on a store shelf, and bought it. Followed later by the Monsterous Manual and the DM guide, and a set of dice. Then I actually read those books.

I discovered that being goofy enough to buy the books meant I was to become the defacto DM. From there I ran piddling 1 on 1 combats for a friend, which developed slowly into a real game at some point after I had obtained the Dragonlance box set.

To sum it up, I learned largely in isolation, and was entirely self taught. Unlike many others, I never first played in someone elses game.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Psion]

I pretty much just mimicked the existing GM at the time, and from there learned from experience.

 

[Thanee]

I went to a GMing seminar, where you got taught all the necessary skills, like basic math, rethorics, psychology, and so on.

Uhm... ok... I just jumped into the cold water and then tried to figure out how to swim, like everyone.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Poster Bard]

I learn more every day but since I began in pre-Internet days, I guess I mostly learned through trial and error and from a couple of friends who also took turns behind the screen. Picked up a few extra tips while at Gencon in the 70s and 80s.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Thrown in the deep end with no water-wings.

I'd gotten the boxed set for Christmas, and a couple days later was at spending the night at a friend's house. His brothers were all home for the holiday and we were bored, so I brought it over. Read the rules for the second time and DM'd my first adventure for the next 8 or 10 hours. Oddly enough, I never gamed with any of them again. The brothers had fun, but my friend thought it was stupid. As I got into it more and more, I saw him less and less.

Not too long after I met a couple other gamers at school, and we took turns. In retrospect, it was probably the best way to learn, as we all got exposed to different styles and types of games. I tended more to puzzle solving, another was all about combat, one was more into the roleplay. I think if I (or any of us) had DM'd all the time, I wouldn't have gotten to be very good at it.

 

[Wormwood]

Like so many others, I just started doing it in 1984.

It's been over 20 years, I think I'm getting worse every session.

 

[Erratic K]

Trial and error.

I was a player for a while first (a year maybe?) and then the DM wanted to play, so I DM'd.

I was terrible. I did learn from my mistakes (more slowly then, I was 10 or 11 or so).

Eventually during the next year, I got to begginer GM state- knowing the rules, and able to implement a prepared module.

I quit playing around 15 (discovered other hobbies- like girls and sports).

I started playing 2E many years later. I had to relearn to beginner GM state and graduated to intermediate GM- knowing the rules and implementing prepared modules with flavor, when the characters went off the track I could wing it. I could make my own scenarios, but they werent very balanced. I also had some problems with player problem resolution.

Then during 3E revival I feel like I finally made it to a full fledged gm. I know the rules, I can implement prepared modules, I can make my own, I can add flavor, I know how to resolve basic player problems, I can try to make sure everyone is engaged and having fun.

I would say the greatest tools for making it to each stage are:

Stage 1, beginner: reading the big three: PHB, DMG and MM- knowing the rules. Reading and running a couple of prepared adventures is excellent too.

Stage 2, intermediate: all of beginner stage, making up some scenes and scenarios, balancing tough parties, and practicing winging it. Reading things like Dungeon magazine and the dungeon craft articles are important. Also Robin's laws of good gamemastering or DMG 2 is good to read here. You should get some experience running games. Being able to produce stat blocks and adjudicate rulings on the fly is good here (prepared or on the fly is fine).

Stage 3, full GM: things to read here: any history books, how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie, review Robin's laws of good game mastering, and any kind of personal relations material- because at this point you've probably mastered the technical part, and it is all people skills and from here on out (besides maintaining your technical skills).

-E

 

[Jdvn1]

I observed GMs as a player and mimicked qualities I liked. I guess there wasn't much of a learning curve for me, but it's been a mix of trial-and-error and research since then.

 

[dvvega]

The year was 1982, 10 years of age, and I was in 6th grade.

We all had to prepare class presentations on a topic of our choosing. One guy did D&D (the old basic set). However I was sick that day so I missed it.

When I got back to school some friends were talking about it and so I went out and got the boxed set for myself. Then we gathered together. I suspect now that they invited me to play because no one wanted to DM. So it was up to me.

What fools! I loved DMing. Was a blast. I learnt on my own, used a lot of published modules at the start, stringing them together into a cohesive storyline (well as cohesive as I could).

Made some mistakes along the way as everyone has. But had fun doing it and that is what counts.

During this year I was reading a Dragon I got hold of and saw Advanced books int there. The whole catalog at the stage. My mother got her first big business trip to the US for her company and I begged her to get hold of these books. She came back with the PHB, DMG, MM1, Fiend Folio, and MM2 (Just released).

I tell you ... I started having more fun. So many rules, so many options. Of course I though a Lucern Hammer was legal for Clerics. We had polearm wielding holy men for a fair while.

D