Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="payn" data-source="post: 9835182" data-attributes="member: 90374">You can lead a gamer to mountain dew, but you cant make them drink. Some folks simply do not want to drive the game. As much as folks complain about railroads, they are popular for a reason. People do like them and shockingly have a great time. Now, sometimes it isnt as black and white as that, perhaps the path isnt entirely linear, but the players are mostly reactive. That could be out of learned behavior or it could just be their preference.How do I tell which is which? In my experience, a player who wants an open world and wants to be proactive is trying to bust out. Conventional GMs are just as common as conventional players so they often struggle with that. Give them the right environment and they fully bloom. Knowing when a person is ready for it is difficult. We often try and come up with specific game pitches to try and narrow applicants to those who best fit. In my experience two things tend to happen that derail those game pitches. The first is many players are simply not as into this as hardcore hobbyists. They love games, they want to play them, but they dont spend time reading about them, posting in social media about them, talking about them, etc.. A lot of folks learn by doing. An idea might sound great at inception, but the experience teaches them something else. Sometimes a person thinks, but doesnt know. Secondly, folks just want to game. Everyone thinks they are ready for the next level. Few actually are. I hate to say it but a lot of folks want to join up hoping that everyone else does the heavy lifting. They want to game, but they have no time or desire to put into it beyond showing up once in awhile. This can occasionally have them saying yes to the concept, but really they are just saying yes to a game with an enthusiastic GM. I think a good GM is mindful of all that. They use their experiences not just with game material, but the players they game with. Im starting a Battletech campaign in a few weeks and I have 18 people interested! I know at least 6 of them are not gonna make it past session 2. I can temper my expectations around that. I am prepared for a soft launch knowing im gonna lose players. There are a few others that might not make it either, but im willing to give them the chance. When it comes to RPGs I have one fast rule. I never start a long term campaign with people I dont know. I always start with one shots so I can try before I buy. This is as much for me as it is for the other players. If im doing a player driven game, im going in with player driven ready players as best as I can. I also know that sometimes I gotta take a chance and be ready if a player or two doesnt work out.   Additionally, GMs need to remember the game is a back and fourth exercise. If you got a specific idea, you need to be flexible with it if the players take it in unexpected directions. Not all GMs are good with this. I've had a good number who shut down and call it quits if the players dont follow the path. Interesting enough, a number of "player driven campaign GMs" I know fall into thsi trap. They want their players to think their linear path is their idea. Its a give and take and you need to be ready to visualize what the compromise looks like. Dont let perfect be the enemy of the good. -cheers</blockquote>

Verification