How to be a Better GM

[Larnievc]

I think this indirectly brings up a point that gets missed when there are discussions about railroading and adventure planning. If players have signed up for an adventure they usually want to complete the adventure and for want of a better word "win" at the end so they want to stick to the path. They usually want it to be clear what direction they should be taking next what players don't usually want is their immediate actions to be nerfed or blocked when they are dealing with the how.
I think of it like a cruise, the players know the main ports of call are decided barring something dramatic and have signed up for that what they do want is the freedom to do what they want at each stop and not be stuck on a coach for a guided sightseeing tour planned by the GM.

Yeah, the folk I run games for manly want to be carried along on a rollicking adventure rather than explore their backstories or just see what’s out there.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Yeah, the folk I run games for manly want to be carried along on a rollicking adventure rather than explore their backstories or just see what’s out there.

My crowd also, There are more of us around than the impression one would get reading the forums. Or the online DM advice. It is something to establish at the beginning. I suspect that this is why prewritten adventures sell so well, despite all the advice to the contrary.

 

[pemerton]

My crowd also, There are more of us around than the impression one would get reading the forums. Or the online DM advice. It is something to establish at the beginning. I suspect that this is why prewritten adventures sell so well, despite all the advice to the contrary.

My view is that GM advice written for those who want the game to work in that way should be up front, for instance about when the players are or are not expected to make choices.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

My view is that GM advice written for those who want the game to work in that way should be up front, for instance about when the players are or are not expected to make choices.

Agreed, DM advice should establish the styles of games and audience the advice is intended for.
Any given piece of advice may not be appropriate to a given DM of for a particular group.
Ginny Di has a video out there where when she started Dm'ing a lot of the advice was "Lazy DM" minimal prep type advice. She found, she could not cope running the game that way and needed to do a lot more preparation.

I have read a lot of advice over the years and most of it generally disses the pre-writen adventure. The attitude is "Well! why would you want to do that. You will have to rewrite half of it to make it your own."
Which is true if you are running a certain type of game but precious little use in actually running the adventure.
It does not help that much of the advice around running a specific adventure again assumes a certain style(s) and is written by people that have not actually run the adventure.

 

[aco175]

I feel that something more could be said in the Session 0 part on the first page. I find most games have some session 0 and start to play the actual game after an hour or two or character building and discussion. A new DM/group may not come back if one says "Come over and play X game". Then all everyone does is sit around talking about character and what will happen the next time we meet for a few hours. Most new people will want some sort of actual play.

 

[Lanefan]

I feel that something more could be said in the Session 0 part on the first page. I find most games have some session 0 and start to play the actual game after an hour or two or character building and discussion. A new DM/group may not come back if one says "Come over and play X game". Then all everyone does is sit around talking about character and what will happen the next time we meet for a few hours. Most new people will want some sort of actual play.

Depending on the time available for that first session, getting to actual play may or may not be possible; particularly with a lot of new players and-or when everyone is jumping into a new system.

Hell, with some systems char-gen can take most of an evening even if you know what you're doing.

That said, perhaps a good bit of GM advice might be, if possible for the group, to schedule the first two sessions for back-to-back nights (or days) such that all that bureaucracy and bookkeeping can get done the first night and - with all of it still fairly fresh in mind - you can jump right into play on the second night. And if you actually get as far as dropping the puck on the first night, even better.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Have you read "Your Best Game Ever" by Monte Cook?

 

[Darth Solo]

Have you read "Your Best Game Ever" by Monte Cook?

Sure did as Cook's something of a TTRPG celeb, but I was fairly disappointed. Most of the advice leans into the "Storygaming/Narrativist" sphere of the hobby which, if done, could easily rub certain players the wrong way. Some players actually engage TTRPGs to play a game, rather than walking their way through the GM's semi-screenplay. I have this theory that the infamous "Murderhobo" emerged in the hobby in direct opposition to DMs trying to railroad the party with their inescapable story, but it's just a theory. I will say the GM's story is nothing compared to the choices the players make with their characters because proper role-playing is grounded in the players finding themselves within their characters. That's true immersion.

 

[Clint_L]

In the context of my reply to @Sacrosanct, my advice would tell the players what the PCs are required to do in order for the planned story to work. Don't pretend that the range of action declarations from A to Z is open, if in fact anything but A, B or C will break the planned story.

I agree...if you are running a story, like a pre-written adventure. I avoid storylines of that nature, so that the story is a result of player choices and can't really be broken.

Mostly this just means avoiding story hooks that are written like Hollywood blockbusters, where if the characters fail it is the end of everything that matters. Unless you really are open to ending that campaign and setting. So I guess my third piece of advice is: don't threaten what you can't deliver (incidentally, these are all pieces of advice I give to student teachers, as well).

 

[MichaelSomething]

Sure did as Cook's something of a TTRPG celeb, but I was fairly disappointed. Most of the advice leans into the "Storygaming/Narrativist" sphere of the hobby which, if done, could easily rub certain players the wrong way. Some players actually engage TTRPGs to play a game, rather than walking their way through the GM's semi-screenplay. I have this theory that the infamous "Murderhobo" emerged in the hobby in direct opposition to DMs trying to railroad the party with their inescapable story, but it's just a theory. I will say the GM's story is nothing compared to the choices the players make with their characters because proper role-playing is grounded in the players finding themselves within their characters. That's true immersion.

Then maybe "So You Want to Be a Game Master?" would be more up your sleeve??

So You Want to Be a Game Master

"I wish I had Justin's book when I was 15. It would have made me a better DM, like it will make you a better DM."- Matthew ColvilleHave you ever wanted to step into your favori

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