I’m on vacation this week so I
thought I’d let another voice grace the pages of the CRB. Today’s article
contains some thoughts to share with a novice GM that come from a man who has
run many games for me; a friend since high school, a great gamer, and a fellow
writer. Without further ado I give you the words of V. Peter Collins:
TIPS FOR THE NOVICE GAME MASTER
by V. Peter Collins
“The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group,
cooperative experience.” – Gary Gygax
So says the heralded father of roleplaying. That group experience
is typically divided into two very specific, well, roles: the players,
they who inhabit the heroes within the game’s story, and the game master –
known as Dungeon Master, Storyteller, and half a dozen other game-specific
monikers – whose job it is to provide the foundation on which this group
experience is built. There are arguments for and against the GM being the more
important of the two jobs, but one thing is for certain, it’s the one that
requires the most diverse set of skills to pull off successfully. This can make
the learning curve pretty steep for some. What follows are seven tips to give
the first time or novice GM a leg up, and maybe help an experienced ‘master
improve their bag of tricks.
1 – Full Frontal Background
The
first stage in playing an RPG is deciding what to play, which includes what
system to use, such as Pathfinder, D&D, GURPS, or any of the multitudes of
gaming systems out there. This can be the GM’s choice alone, or a decision made
by the entire group. Once it’s time to create characters, it is essential that
the game master inform the players of the specifics of the story environment in
which they will be playing. Are there any house rules? Are there going to be
special exclusions or inclusions of any of the major components? Is there going
to be an augmentation to something previously established? Which source books
are allowed and which aren’t?
It’s
easy to tell a group “We’re playing Pathfinder, using Lands of Conflict” and
let them set off to make characters. But what if you decided to incorporate
aspects of other campaign settings, such as Aquatic Adventures? The players
will need to know that or you might end up tossing a group of land-lubbing
adventurers into the middle of an ocean battle that neither players nor
characters are prepared for. Or, if you decide that Elves were nearly extinct,
that information would be critical for anyone wanting to play an elf or a
character whose background is tightly interwoven into elven culture.
An
additional consideration is letting players know what sort of characters other
players have made. This is optional, certainly, but can come into play if two
players have made nearly identical characters. It can also come into play if
have built backgrounds that are diametrically opposed, creating in-game tension
that can potentially do more harm than good.
2 – “No” Is Not A Dirty Word
Before there is a party and players become invested in the wellbeing of other
characters, all players are out for themselves. This isn’t a bad thing; strong
focus by a player during character generation can lead to truly excellent
characters. However, sometimes players want something for their characters than
can cause an issue with the ‘Master’s overarching plan, doesn’t fit the feel or
genre of the game (such as a light sabre in a high-fantasy game), or the player
is a classic Min-Maxer, trying to milk every loophole and reinterpret rules to
grant their character an advantage that can jeopardize game balance. Sometimes,
the GM has to simply say ‘no’.
While
it is important to help players make characters that they are happy to play,
it’s ultimately more important to service the campaign as a whole. I once ran a
Mutants & Mastermind game in an sci-fi/space setting with a player whose
character could duplicate himself with a mental link between each duplicate and
also teleport vast distances. This very quickly led to a scenario where the
character was literally in all game-related places at once, upsetting the
balance of the game so that all of the other characters became unwitting
support for this one character. The players eventually complained that they all
felt bored and unnecessary in the game. Even though the rules technically
allowed for this, I should have imposed some sort of restriction on this
particular concert of abilities in order to retain game balance, which would
have allowed for a more positive experience for the rest of the players. This
directly ties into point 7 coming up.
On
the other side, try not to squelch the imagination of your players too hard.
There is a balance to be struck, a line where you have to decide if a player’s
desires during character generation will serve the one character at the expense
of the other players, or the story itself.
3 – Know Your PCs
A
typical Game Master spends a great deal of focus on the story being told and
the non-player characters involved in the telling. One classic oversight,
however, is not being fully cognizant of the player characters and the full
extent of their abilities. A rogue with a significant Charisma bonus against
minotaurs, for example, will change the way your players react to a minotaur
encounter, which can change the experience from what the game master intended.
Conversely, not being aware that a paladin is acutely weak against druidic
magic can put that paladin in an unfair disadvantage and diminish that player’s
enjoyment of the game should they find themselves alone against some
ne’er-do-well druids.
On
the other side of it, some players will try to get away with using skills,
abilities, and the like that simply do not appear on their character sheet.
Sometimes this happens by accident, such as if a player conflates two separate
characters of theirs, and sometimes it’s a conscious choice of a player trying
to gain an unfair advantage.
The
best way to avoid these types of situations is to review your player
character’s sheets prior to each session. Also, take copious notes as the
campaign progress. This awareness on the part of the game master can be
critical for everyone’s enjoyment of the game.
4 – Flexibility
The
game master’s story, be it a pre-written module or one hand crafted by the GM, is
the driving force for any given RPG session and campaign. That doesn’t mean
players will stay on the page. In fact, it is a frequent occurrence that the
tighter a game is plotted, the more divergent the players can take things.
Unless you’re a mind-reader, have a PhD in psychology, or have some other means
of predicting your player’s choices 100% of the time, it’s imperative for the
game master to be mentally prepared for the eventuality that the players will
take the game off the page.
This was
perhaps the first lesson I learned as a fledgling Game Master. For the very
first game I ran, I wrote a highly detailed story and series of interactions
that were going to lead the players through a mystery and into an exciting
confrontation with the antagonists. The game never made it to the second
paragraph. Once they party had formed, they decided to go in a completely
different direction from what I had planned yet was completely legitimate
within the bounds of the game and the story. I spent the rest of that session
ad-libbing.
Ask
any seasoned role player or game master and they will tell you stories of how
modules – pre-written and GM-created – were played out of sequence, sections
bypassed, and whole chains of events mangled because the players fell on a play
that simply bypassed what was anticipated.
Another example of this is puzzle-solving. Just because there is a dungeon with
a single door in and out doesn’t mean the players are going to go through it.
If the alchemist of the party uses acid on the hinges, bypassing the trap on
the lock all together, or the party decides they’d rather dig a tunnel beneath
or around the door, just roll with it. This sort of spontaneity can often lead
to exciting moments enjoyed by players and game masters alike.
5 – Respect The Dice
This
is an offshoot of point 4 above. If you’re playing a game that uses dice (and
there are quite a few that don’t), then both the GM and players have made an
agreement to respect the outcomes dictated by the rolls of those dice. This
includes quick and final defeats of major antagonists like a dungeon boss
(frequently to the GM’s anguish), or character death. Dice will change, break,
or create pathways during a game just as readily as any player’s decision, and
with a suddenness and unpredictability that is often shocking. These can lead
to great moments – like rolling a critical success when attempting to save the
life of another character, or moments of tragedy – like rolling a critical
failure on a reflex save when you’re down to your last hit point and need to
avoid an explosion. These types of moments are remembered and talked about long
after the campaign is over, and are, as often as possible, best left to play
out organically.
6 – Player As GM
If
you’re an experienced player and are trying your hand at sitting at the
proverbial head of the table, one easy guideline is to remember the negative
experiences you’ve had that were caused by poor choices of a game master, and
choosing to avoid making those choices. Everyone’s metaphorical mileage will
vary, but ultimately your insights as a player will give you a strong base from
which to learn the craft of game mastering.
7 – It’s Just A Game
At
the end of the day, the goal of gathering with a small cadre of people over
food, drinks, and character sheets is to have fun and enjoy the day and each
other’s company.
Game
Masters can become deeply invested in their stories and NPC’s. Players can
become emotionally attached to their own characters as well as other PCs and
non-player characters alike, especially deep into a years long campaign.
Interpersonal situations outside of the game can shape how players role play
character interactions. Disagreements over rule judgements can – and will –
occur. These all have the potential for creating truly intense moments.
If it’s clear that everyone involved in a gaming session - or more
importantly a campaign - is not enjoying themselves, then it might be time to
reevaluate things.
Relax, enjoy yourself, the company, and have fun.
-----
Usually I give my spiel here about contributing to my patreon and
what not but these words are not mine so we’ll skip that. Mr. Collins doesn’t
have any current work for me to pimp but you can find him on twitter.
You can also find the CRB on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.
