What do you want to do better as a GM?

[doctorbadwolf]

So, the main thing I often end up wishing i had done better, is describing interesting elements of a scene that help paint the scenario. Things like what the food smells like, how the locals are dressed, the type of coastline when they arrive at the island where the tower rests, what sort of birds circle above, etc.

I will often have a specific vision in my head, but I’ll only impart some of that data. Part of that is that if I get interrupted I lose track of what I was gonna say, so I just move on to moving things forward.

I really need to manage player attention and cross talk better.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I'm trying to get better at adding interesting details to scenes. I'm good at providing solid, broad strokes descriptions. Enough for the players to work with and just let their imaginations fill in the rest.

However, a friend and fellow GM is amazing at coming up with these fascinating little details that he drops into scenes that add so much depth and color; you feel as though you're really there.

In general, his level of GMing aptitude has been what I've been working towards ever since we started gaming together about 2 decades ago. I'm not there yet, but I feel that I'm a lot closer than when I started. Of course, it doesn't help that his skills have improved significantly over time too.

 

[MNblockhead]

I'm good at improvising NPC backgrounds, motivations, and side plots on the fly, but I would like to improve on character acting and improvising scene descriptions.

 

[delphonso]

(snip)
I really need to manage player attention and cross talk better.

You might find a balance here by having scenes collaboratively designed. One of my players loves the idea of acrobatic stunts, so whenever we describe a scene together, he always adds stuff he can jump off of or swing on. It really gets him into the scene and eager for the next event.

I'm trying to get better at adding interesting details to scenes. (Snip)

Remember that loose ends are forgotten but closed circles make a big impact. You can add little details and just see what interests your players. The others will be forgotten and don't need to be worked on.

I'm good at improvising NPC backgrounds, motivations, and side plots on the fly, but I would like to improve on character acting and improvising scene descriptions.

I find myself relying too heavily on the improv aspect with my groups. It's an important part of the game, but can lead to skimming over details.

 

[Arnwolf666]

Plot twists. Sometimes I get them sometimes I don’t.

 

[Shiroiken]

Immersion. I tend to get ahead of myself and try to rush to the action (combat, exploration, or social encounters) without setting the proper mood and description. This can be really important, since knowing the description before a combat might open up tactics, hint at a secret door/compartment during exploration, or give the players a route to convince/deceive the NPCs. I used to be pretty good at this, but the skill has atrophied quite a bit lately.

 

[pogre]

The fact I am struggling to answer this reveals I need to work on my self-reflection.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I’ll be picking up my long running 5E campaign soon, after taking a break for a while to play some other games. What I’m hoping to do is bring some of the cool elements of other games into my 5E game.

I’m going to try and use some more player based narration, and partial success for skill checks. And I’m going to use Inspiration as a more team based element...try to promote more collaborative play.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I'm getting back into the hobby after nearly a decade away, so the primary DMing skill I'll be honing in coming months will be... umm... recruiting a few good players!

 

[Fanaelialae]

Remember that loose ends are forgotten but closed circles make a big impact. You can add little details and just see what interests your players. The others will be forgotten and don't need to be worked on.

That's probably true in a general sense, and good advice. However, as a player who remembers and appreciates those loose threads, I can say with certainty that they have an impact on at least some players.

Closed circles I'm reasonably proficient with. I make ready use of relevant details and foreshadowing.

What I want to be better at are the irrelevant details, which I actually have a much harder time with. That might sound silly, and it can certainly be overdone, but in the right amount they add this beautiful layer of immersion to the game. Where it's less like you're imagining the scene and closer to actually being there. At least for me.