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Message: <blockquote data-quote="bento" data-source="post: 3377768" data-attributes="member: 36597">That's right - they're people just like you with a lot invested in the game.  Put yourself on the other side of the screen.  What would YOU want the GM to do if you changed places? Probably have a heart-to-heart talk about the underlying friction in the game.Something I instituted in my games is finishing up a few minutes early and spending ten to fifteen minutes in a de-briefing.  Allow players to give you feedback on what they liked, disliked, would change and wants more of.  Just be sure to let them talk and you listen - I mean by this is not interrupting them with "but" or other interjections.  You build trust by letting them air their opinions without fear of getting beat down for it.Part of this time should be a discussion on group communications.  Does everyone at the table have the same committment?  Is someone joking too much?  Is there a minority of the group that's being a little too whiny?  This debriefing is also your opportunity to bring up your concerns.  Just be sure to put it in a way that's not picking.  Frame it in a way of "I think I could kick it up a notch as a GM if we could agree to ___.  That would help me focus on making ____ more fun by not worrying over ____."Another thing you might find out is some players might have their energy flagging halfway through and gets cranky due to lack of food or little sleep the night before.  You'll discover quite a few things at these talks that people wouldn't usually bring up at the beginning of the night.I'm also a firm believer in having a <a href="http://www.treasuretables.org/2006/06/social-contracts-for-rpg-groups" target="_blank">Social Contract </a> in place.  If you've been playing for a while this may be a little hard to do so I'd think hard about it before doing, but its something to consider next time.</blockquote>

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