How have you grown and/or changed as a GM over the years?

[steenan]

My GMing style changed several times since I started 24 years ago.

For the first few years I mostly ran CoC and WoD games. It was mostly about creating mood and taking the players through stories I created, with a lot of illusionism and other railroading techniques. Most of the time, I ignored rules because they got in my way. At some point, I realized that no matter which game we choose, I run it in the same way.

Then I tried D&D for the first time; 3e. I became fascinated with the number of options, with combos and tactical play. I started running games by the book, strictly according to the rules. I played in one campaign and ran another one, from level one to nearly epic. And it burned me hard. I needed to stop playing for several months and couldn't bring myself to return to any of the games I knew.

What saved me as an RPGer was Forge forums and various indie games. I learned that a group can create a dramatic story together instead of the GM imposing it. That metagame thinking needs not be detrimental and some amount of it is necessary to ensure everybody's enjoyment. That rules can focus play on the important themes instead of getting in the way.

It later transitioned smoothly into a fourth phase, when I moved towards more mainstream systems while keeping what I have learned from indies. I mainly run Fate currently, but also explore other games, from various PbtA to Mouse Guard to Pathfinder 2e. We discuss expectations, often customize games to fit our needs, but then keep to the rules we agreed on; we build stories together. I also put more effort in bringing new people into the hobby and playing different things with different people. I started a gaming group at my workplace and started playing with my daughter.

 

[Enrico Poli1]

More roleplay, less rollplay. Focus on story, not on combat. No power creep.
This means milestone advancement. Also, we only do important fights, the lesser ones are skipped entirely.
5e ruleset has helped us greatly to forge this type of game.

 

[cmad1977]

I don’t roll for things that don’t matter

 

[JeffB]

1) I have learned to become a fan of the PC's. I was never antagonistic, even as a kid in the 70s, but I was far more the Referee/Judge back then.

2) I improv more and prep less (if possible).

3) I'm much more open to player's helping to build the world/setting (though I establish themes and a top down view)

4) Canon be damned for any published setting.

EDIT- 5) I prefer not rolling dice, and just adjudicating results. I LOVE watching players cringe when they roll their own defenses (instead of me rolling attacks) , and especially damage against their own characters

 

[jasper]

I am less of di(beep) pill as a dm once I gain rules knowledge. I am less tolerant of jerk players at the table. But I am more open to off the wall behavior as long as no one is getting ticked off. I am more willing to say things sooner if things are bugging me.

 

[Starbrat]

The single biggest change in my style has been to fall out of love with my own creativity and creations.

OK, that sounds weird. I'll try to elucidate.

There was a time, a while ago, when I obsessed with prep. I loved the world-building aspect of being a GM, but it can get out of hand. It certainly did with me. I created all sorts of settings, obsessed over their details, agonized over self-imposed difficulties, fantasized dramatic scenes, and never ran anything in any of them. My efforts became, well, let's be polite and say "self-gratification exercises". It got so bad that I wasn't even running games any more, locked in a self-imposed isolation like some latter day anchorite.

And then, slowly, very slowly, I got better. Nowadays I only do bare bones prep (at least, by my own standards), I set up situations and let character decisions enable the game's progress. I don't plot complex narratives, I don't worry about the migratory patterns of fictional bird populations (yes, I did that), and instead just riff shamelessly off whatever the players come up with, at least as often as develop ideas of my own. Essentially, it's more like a clockwork mouse these days. I wind it up and let it go. I enable, I adjudicate, and enjoy.

 

[Henry]

So what are some of the more major changes you've had happen in your own gaming style as a GM?

1. I focus more on player satisfaction than my satisfaction with story consistency. If someone doesn’t have a natural jump point to bring them logically into the story I invent one as soon as possible. If they want to play a certain race or class, and it doesn’t seem unbalanced, I find a way to work it in.
2. I try to give players a chance to have a moment each where their character shines, going so far as to tailor things in the world where each player‘s “drive” is represented (as per Robin’s Laws of Good Gamemastery)
3. I try to work in more roleplay-specific and story-specific moments in the game if there aren’t many in pregen modules, because it’s the part I enjoy.
4. I try to take it in stride WHEN (not if) the players blow my expectations to Hell and come up with a course of action I never foresaw.

#1 I learned when one player wanted to play a character who was not from the party’s home city, and I stupidly for the sake of consistency had them pretty much spend the entire game session not playing because their PC wasn’t in scene. in other games, I’ve had players lose interest because their desired race or class wasn’t available in-setting. most of the time it isn’t an issue, but if they have their heart set I make it work.

#2 is because Robin Laws‘ works have totally changed my views on game mastering over the years.

#3 is because it’s my game and I have to make some concessions to keep MY interest, otherwise somebody else has to run (which is sometimes harder than it sounds.)

#4 is just learned from age and experience.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Over the years several things have happened, but I suppose they all revolve around one central aspect: I'm far more permissive. I very seldom give a flat 'no'. Instead, if the answer must be negative, I tend to go "No, but..."

This has open vast vistas of roleplaying as the player will throw out ideas that they never would have before to see where it goes. And, as such, my own responses have greatly expanded along with all the zany hi-jinx that come with it.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I first GMed back around 1975, and I'm pretty sure I was basically a typical DM, made a huge dungeon maze with geomorphs.
Spent years trying to find out how to run a game where character and story were the focus.
Tried 'more realistic', doesn't work, 2e's half-baked story focus, nope. Found that games like Toon, Gangster!, and Paranoia sort of had part of the answer.

Anyway, I went from high prep to almost full ad-lib and eventually developed an approach that mostly works. I still love to GM but the process is so different from the old days.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I've also learned not to hoard ideas: always lead with your best stuff.

Yup! Never hold out. Lead with Trump!