What do you want to do better as a GM?

[Quickleaf]

Remember NPC names. I can describe the NPCs I have created well, but I swear 10 minutes after the name comes out I've forgotten it!

One trick I've recently adopted is leaning into my players tendency to bastardize NPC names for cheap humor. So I'll intentionally put in NPCs like Ras T'fima who become "Rasta" to the players. That way, even if my players don't recall the actual name, one is likely to crack the joke, and that will help jump start my memory.

Personally, I'd like to become more confident at adjudicating the rules without turning to the books or scouring the web for Sage Advice or errata. I've been playing with savvy players who ask tough questions about the rules, and often times we face rules questions that the game is silent on. Often these are questions about spell interpretations (e.g. is a wall of force cover and thus blocks line of sight for spellcasting?). The time involved in tracking down an official answer irks me. I know I can rule however I want, but my sense of fair play often compels me to go after the official answer.

 

[Razjah]

I want to get better at a few things:
-Foreshadowing. I just want to improve at foreshadowing things which can help set mood better, drop hints, and add more mystery.
-Having more likable NPCs, my players seem to find most of my NPCs annoying. If I don't role play their personality then my players find it boring. If I do play out the character then my players seem to hate interacting with them.
-Bridging adventures, my transition sequences could use some work.
-Planning for my players better. They seem to always do the stuff I'm not prepared for. Or if I do plan for their escapades, the wrong PCs do things so the objectives seem to difficult.

I'm currently running Burning Wheel so a bunch of my stuff is leaning in that direction.

 

[pemerton]

-Having more likable NPCs, my players seem to find most of my NPCs annoying. If I don't role play their personality then my players find it boring. If I do play out the character then my players seem to hate interacting with them.

<snip>

I'm currently running Burning Wheel so a bunch of my stuff is leaning in that direction.

Are the NPCs ones that you introduce, or ones that the players bring into play via Circles? Do you think leaning more heavily on the latter would help your players connect better with the NPCs?

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Do a better job of writing down the stuff I make up on the fly...which is half the session some nights. thankfully the group keeps a log that reminds me of stuff.

 

[ART!]

Stepping into the persona of NPCs. My NPCs are not memorable. I know the techniques, but I never use them when it becomes actual game time. Whether it is speaking in first person, or adopting a voice or mannerism, I always forget to do it.

I wish I had better acting skills. I can't do accents, and like LordE above, my NPCs often fall short of the mark I would like to achieve.

One trick that might help: imagine an actor you like playing theNPC. You might find yourself mimicking that actor's deliver style, quirks, etc. without even trying.

Me, I need to care more about the PC's backstories. I mean, it's not that I don't care, but at the table I'm tracking too much to think about PC motivations, goals, etc. I think I need to bake the stuff into my session planning.

 

[uzirath]

I need to get better at pacing short games. For most of my gaming life, I ran long games that ran for 5+ hours (sometimes 10+). I got used to that format; it allows for lots of idle roleplaying, long debates about strategy, multiple major events, etc. Unfortunately, the various responsibilities of adulthood and parenting (and no longer enjoying staying up until near dawn) don't allow for that very often. Most of my games are now fixed at three-hour sessions. My goal is for every session to create real tension with some sort of dramatic climax (even if it is only part of the rising action of the adventure or campaign). When it works, it's fabulous. But often enough it doesn't work out and we end in the middle of a fight or just before the exciting event or something like that. The players don't complain, but it grates with my sense of gaming aesthetics.

 

[generic]

One trick that might help: imagine an actor you like playing theNPC. You might find yourself mimicking that actor's deliver style, quirks, etc. without even trying.

Me, I need to care more about the PC's backstories. I mean, it's not that I don't care, but at the table I'm tracking too much to think about PC motivations, goals, etc. I think I need to bake the stuff into my session planning.

Perhaps what I need to do to achieve this, which I struggle with as well, is just forgetting, for a moment, that I"m running an NPC, and doing an accent or imitation.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Razjah]

Are the NPCs ones that you introduce, or ones that the players bring into play via Circles? Do you think leaning more heavily on the latter would help your players connect better with the NPCs?

I need to have them roll for circles more to help with this. But the NPC problem came up in Forbidden Lands too. I'm not sure if it's chop busting or me being worse than I thought.

 

[pemerton]

@Razjah, I don't know Forbidden Lands. System? Supplement? Something else?

 

[delphonso]

The biggest game I've been in had 8 players. In DnD3.5, it was a nightmare. The biggest I've run has been maybe 5 players.

I'd love to learn how to run a game with over 6 players in a fun way. In some systems, I think it might be impossible.