How did you learn to GM?
- Thread starter haiiro
- Start date
Glyfair
Explorer
Initially, trial and error. Shortly after that, I learned stuff by watching others run games.
Recently, I picked things up from articles (Dragon magazing, internet posts, etc.) Very little I didn't know recently. However, they often put things in a new perspective that helps me apply what I know better.
There is a local GM that used to hold classes on DMing, though. He's a top level GM, but I don't have his skill set to be that good (the improvisational actor background skills, in particular).
Recently, I picked things up from articles (Dragon magazing, internet posts, etc.) Very little I didn't know recently. However, they often put things in a new perspective that helps me apply what I know better.
There is a local GM that used to hold classes on DMing, though. He's a top level GM, but I don't have his skill set to be that good (the improvisational actor background skills, in particular).
Teflon Billy
Explorer
haiiro said:
1982
Trial and Error.
Zulithe
Explorer
As a young boy (7, 8, something) there was a store in the Mall near where I lived with all kinds of fanasy stuff. I remember seeing lots of pewter minis, fantasy magazines and stuff. Never bought anything there though. I was a big fan of He-Man so this was right up my alley.
Durring my first year in Middle School, I had a very boring Social Studies class and durring our spare time I talked with another kid in there. One day he brought in a D&D player's manual and we played in class. He DMed, I played. Looking back on it he did such a simplistic, horrible job but at the time it was totally a new experience to me and I loved it.
So we started playing a lot more (mostly OUT of class, hehehe). I met some other kids who lived near me and an Uncle had left some D&D books at their house. So, I saw the DMG and MM for the first time. I read through them, and started DMing for everyone. I never had a "real" DM to learn from, so like most people here I learned with a lot of trial-and-error and creative thinking.
Since then I've almost always been the DM, and one of my players is still that same kid who I met all those years ago in a boring Social Studies class. We're in our early 20s now.
Durring my first year in Middle School, I had a very boring Social Studies class and durring our spare time I talked with another kid in there. One day he brought in a D&D player's manual and we played in class. He DMed, I played. Looking back on it he did such a simplistic, horrible job but at the time it was totally a new experience to me and I loved it.
So we started playing a lot more (mostly OUT of class, hehehe). I met some other kids who lived near me and an Uncle had left some D&D books at their house. So, I saw the DMG and MM for the first time. I read through them, and started DMing for everyone. I never had a "real" DM to learn from, so like most people here I learned with a lot of trial-and-error and creative thinking.
Since then I've almost always been the DM, and one of my players is still that same kid who I met all those years ago in a boring Social Studies class. We're in our early 20s now.
Last edited:
DarrenGMiller
First Post
Oh, my indoctrination was January 1982. 6th grade. Age 11.
DM
DM
Graybeard
Explorer
I played in several different RPGs over the years including DC Heroes, Harnmaster, D&D 2e, etc. About 5 years ago, I decided to run my own Harnmaster game with some friends and a couple of guys I found on accessdenied.net. We played for about a year or so until it fell apart. Fast forward to this year and our current DM for a D&D 3.5 game decided he no longer wanted to run so I took over with my own homebrew. I learned from watching others and remembering what I did and did not like in those games. It helps that I know my players well as we have been playing together for a few years now. I also picked up some pointers here on the boards as well as other sites.
Chuck
Chuck
TroyXavier
First Post
I learned it from the seat of my pants. After my friend's rather....intersting DMing at first, I decided to take it over. I toned down the munchkinism and have been DMing ever since.
Wombat
First Post
In 1975 I got my Three Little Books
No one else in my group (or my wider community) had even heard of the game yet.
Since I owned the rules, I was the GM.
And that's pretty much the way it started...
I've watched a lot of other folks over the years, read some articles, read some pre-packaged adventures, gone to a couple of game cons, but in the end I rely primarily on my own feelings and how my group reacts to me.
No one else in my group (or my wider community) had even heard of the game yet.
Since I owned the rules, I was the GM.
And that's pretty much the way it started...
I've watched a lot of other folks over the years, read some articles, read some pre-packaged adventures, gone to a couple of game cons, but in the end I rely primarily on my own feelings and how my group reacts to me.
Arrgh! Mark!
First Post
It was a hot summers day in 1998ish. A friend had inhereted a bunch of D+D books.
We talked about it. I defeated Bargle. We talked about it. We talked about it.
I bought "The Adventure Begins Here!" and we never looked back. He GM'd to start with; I saw what I liked and what I didn't like. When the adventure finished, I ran my first game. I made several silly mistakes and tried not to make them again.
Like everyone, trial and error.
We talked about it. I defeated Bargle. We talked about it. We talked about it.
I bought "The Adventure Begins Here!" and we never looked back. He GM'd to start with; I saw what I liked and what I didn't like. When the adventure finished, I ran my first game. I made several silly mistakes and tried not to make them again.
Like everyone, trial and error.
