A Not-So-Simple Question...

[Syberdwarf2]

I know that there are various resources online, not to mention articles in magazines about this subject. However, I just wanted to know what my fellow Herophiles thought; both for my own curiousity and for the benefit of relative newbies...
So here it goes...

What makes a good GM?

[TheEmerged]

Patience, organization, preparation, and the ability to entertain people. Not necessarily in that order.

[Evil Steve]

The ability to understand what someone wants out of a game and how to give it to them.

Some skill with crowd control. The GM must be able to focus the players without antagonizing them.

Reason and logic, but mainly for rules desisions.

Adaptability, for when players go off on a tangent.

[The Mad GM]

Enough organization to plan things out and the flexibility to change plans on the fly.

Fairness

Not ego-centric: even though you are the focus of everyones attention, you are just the MC, the players are the main act.

A thorough knowledge of the rules, and decisiveness about questions that come up.

Being mad helps :p

[Mark Taylor]

Robin D. Laws summed it up for me when he said, "If you and your players are having fun, you are a good GM" in his book Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering.

IMO, it doesn't matter how a GM achieves that, as long as he does. For example a couple of responses here mentioned planning / preparation as a necessary quality for a good GM. In my case, it doesn't work too well - I have a talent for improvising the games I run, in fact I'm far better at improvising than I am at executing even the best laid plans, and my games have improved no end (ie. everybody is having a lot more fun a lot more of the time) since I dropped the planning. Now my campaigns are about 90% improvised - the only planning which goes into them are a few 'seed' ideas which form the basis of whole campaigns, and a few more I dream up before (and sometimes during) individual game sessions. This works exceptionally well for me and my group, but it might prove to be a flop for others.

It's a matter of what works for you - maybe a good GM is just a GM who uses the methods which happen to work best for him and his group of players, no matter what they are.

[Syberdwarf2]

I've never heard of that book, but I'll make it a point to look it up. Personally, the idea of improvisation makes sense to me. The best laid plans are almost always foiled by the players. Not that's a bad thing. I don't really have a problem improvising. In addition to gaming, I also enjoy writing short stories and acting. Both I would consider useful assets for GMs and gamers in general. In fact, I think both, at least in my case, are natural outgrowths of my gaming.

Improv is easy, but is a learned skill as well. Any writer will tell you that ideas are cheap. When I'm stuck, I usually brainstorm for a second, throwing no ideas away, and go with whatever I come up with. Regardless of what I think of it at the time.

[Tasha]

To be able to make each PC feel important in his or her own special way.

To be fair and to remember that the Villian's plans are SUPPOSED to fail. That the PCs will always do what you didn't expect and be stubborn about doing it their way.

To make engaging stories that both neither rely constantly on combat nor constant talking.

They remember that the PCs are for the PLAYERS to play. That if you are role-playing for them, they aren't having much fun.

That no one likes to be railroaded into doing something. So keep anything that doesn't involve the players short. No one likes to be the spectator to their own game.

Also remembering that the NPCs are the bit players in a game. It is OK for there to be Powerful NPCs, just don't have them save the PCs constantly or have them take the glory too often.

Flexability, Knowlege about the game world, Knowledge about the players, The ability to entertain, The ability to keep the Ego small, Knowing that really winning is letting the players to have fun. Not stressing out about the rules. Making comprimises to keep the game fun. Knowing how to deal with rules lawering.

It is all about having fun. That is why we game. If it wasn't fun, it wouldn't be much of a hobby.

Tasha :)

[Mark Taylor]

Originally posted by Syberdwarf2
I've never heard of that book, but I'll make it a point to look it up.

It's published by SJ Games. Robin Laws is the designer responsible for creating Feng Shui among others and has contributed to quite a few game systems. IMO he's an excellent writer and desginer.

http://www.sjgames.com/robinslaws/

Back when I used to plan games in a lot more detail, I couldn't help but notice that those sessions where I ended up being forced to improvise for one reason or another (because I hadn't had time to plan, or because the players had 'skipped the tracks') ended up being the best sessions I ran - hence my motivation for cutting out much of the planning stages completely.

It works for me. It also adresses some of the points Tasha made in her response. It's easy to respond to the players and avoid 'railroading' them into anything, because an improvised style of play takes a lot of it's cues from the players themselves, responding to the motivations of the players and their characters. The game becomes more 'player oriented'.

Improvising IS easy, the hard part is improvising rapidly and staying consitent and 'on the ball' as you do it. As you said though, it's a learned skill, and I have the advantage of 10 years of experience. For a novice GM, a little more planning than I tend to do is probably necessary, until they 'find their feet' and become more confident with the improvisation.

With a detailed game system like HERO or GURPS, generating NPC stats 'on the fly' without slowing down the game probably takes a good bit of practice and knowledge of the game system too. It'll be interesting to see how I go with this when I start running my first HERO campaign.

(I have mostly being running GURPS, I recently obtained HERO 5th Ed. mainly because it 'scales up' to high-powered campaingns better than GURPS, and I have a particular campaign in mind to use it for...)

[Tasha]

Originally posted by Realms of Chaos
It's published by SJ Games. Robin Laws is the designer responsible for creating Feng Shui among others and has contributed to quite a few game systems. IMO he's an excellent writer and desginer.

http://www.sjgames.com/robinslaws/

Back when I used to plan games in a lot more detail, I couldn't help but notice that those sessions where I ended up being forced to improvise for one reason or another (because I hadn't had time to plan, or because the players had 'skipped the tracks') ended up being the best sessions I ran - hence my motivation for cutting out much of the planning stages completely.

It works for me. It also adresses some of the points Tasha made in her response. It's easy to respond to the players and avoid 'railroading' them into anything, because an improvised style of play takes a lot of it's cues from the players themselves, responding to the motivations of the players and their characters. The game becomes more 'player oriented'.

Improvising IS easy, the hard part is improvising rapidly and staying consitent and 'on the ball' as you do it. As you said though, it's a learned skill, and I have the advantage of 10 years of experience. For a novice GM, a little more planning than I tend to do is probably necessary, until they 'find their feet' and become more confident with the improvisation.

With a detailed game system like HERO or GURPS, generating NPC stats 'on the fly' without slowing down the game probably takes a good bit of practice and knowledge of the game system too. It'll be interesting to see how I go with this when I start running my first HERO campaign.

(I have mostly being running GURPS, I recently obtained HERO 5th Ed. mainly because it 'scales up' to high-powered campaingns better than GURPS, and I have a particular campaign in mind to use it for...)

I also run using "seat of the pants" GMing. I do try to write up all of the NPC's before the Game and make sure that the Speed chart is already created.

I can make NPCs on the fly, but I always write them up later.

I agree that my favorite sessions were when my players went off into left field and I had to improvise. Also the best games that I played in (as a PC) were when the GM had to go off Script.

Tasha :)

[Hermit]

Originally posted by Syberdwarf2


What makes a good GM?

SHAZAM
The Wisdom of Solomon
The Poetry of Homer (No, not Simpson)
The Knowledge of Aristotle
The Power of Zeus (Well, in game, smite carefully)
The Pioneer Spirit of Armstrong
and
The Patience of Methusalah

:)

Seriously...
1. Try to be fair to all your players.
2. Remember, they, and not you, are the stars of the show
3. There will be times you'll have to put your foot down, but don't make it personal.
4. No one is perfect. You and your players will make mistakes... and that's okay.
5. FUN is the goal... Don't lose sight of that.

[JohnTaber]

I call em the three F's...

Fair

Firm

Fun

[jtelson]

1. Enjoy being a GM - If you don't. stop being one.
2. Be fair
3. Keep good notes or have a great memory.
4. Make certain that every player has a chance to shine eventually.
5. Have fun.

[Peregrine]

The ability and willingness to subordinate your 'artistic' or 'literary' vision to the players' fun. Let them make the story, let them have their fun. If this takes away your fun, stop trying to GM and just write stories.

[MarkusDark]

Being able to come up with stuff on the fly. No matter how much you plan as a GM - your players will find that one facet that you never thought of.
Understand your player needs. Some want slugfests, some want detective work, some want to be the center of attention - work with them to satisfy their needs
Know when to take a break. Sometimes GM's burn out. Take a couple of weeks off. Read a book, play in another game, watch some movies - get your batteries recharged and go again. Trying to force your way through a game just to keep a schedule will result in ugliness for all.
Find the players who match your style. Although tough, don't be afraid to say, "You know, your style and mine just don't seem to mesh. Perhaps you'd be better off in another game." People trying to force themselves to play in a style they don't like usually result in the game dying out.
Have fun. If it starts to feel more like work than fun, you're doing it wrong. Stop, step back and try to remember why you started and if you still want to continue. Better to stop a good game than to continue running a bad one.

[Mark Taylor]

Originally posted by MarkusDark
Although tough, don't be afraid to say, "You know, your style and mine just don't seem to mesh. Perhaps you'd be better off in another game."

Fortunately, I haven't had to do that in a very long time :D But there is quite a good and fairly 'mature' gaming scene here. In places which lack potential players, finding ones who work togther well in a group can be really hard. If I ever moved back to where my parents live, I think I'd be looking at a virtually impossible task to put a decent group together. *shudder* :(

[Supreme]

Originally posted by TheEmerged
Patience, organization, preparation, and the ability to entertain people. Not necessarily in that order.
Excellent and concise. The only thing I would ad is a paraphrased quote from Joss Whedon, "Don't give them what they want. Give them what they need."

[Hitchhiker]

For my personal career as a GM, the most important indicator was the reaction of players to my behaviour.

When you describe the world, a given situation, anything important, they should be hanging at your lips. If they start yawning or drawing little figures on their notebooks, you should think about making your speech more dramatic and interesting.

When you play a NPC, the players should not be talking to you, but the character. If you play a NPC who has only simple knowledge of the PCs language, speak like he would do. Don't forget that you are the ONLY link between the world in your head (and on your sheets) and the PCs.

And most importantly: Have fun. By all means, have fun. Show them that you loved creating the campaign, that you love seeing them get lost in your world, make them feel that you want to entertain them, not be a fast guide through the campaign.

Be fair, but don't show them the door. Let them do what they want, not what you expect.

So far, I haven't had any complaints from my PCs...:D

[keithcurtis]

In addition to all the good advice so far, might I suggest:

The GM's Bill of Rights at http://www.xeromag.com/html/gms_bill.html

and the Player's Bill of Rights at http://www.xeromag.com/html/players_bill.html

Also, look at places like RPGWorld.net, Pyrmid Online and our very own Digital Hero. Many of these places are crammed with essays on GameMastering.

Keith "Will GM for food" Curtis

[Storn]

Passion.

Without it, you've got nothing in a GM.

[Checkmate]

I agree with the basics Fair, Firm, Entertaining, but what I've found to be the difference in an 'All right' and an 'Awesome ' game is notes. They are my key to all successful games. For example if the heroes meet at Mel's Dinner across from Stimpy's Used Cars, remember that Mel's is always across from Stimpy's. Next time you need a used car salesman NPC, make him work at Stimpy's. When he tells the heroes what happend have him say

"Wells ya see it's kinda like this: I was on my lunch break and decided to walk across the street to Mel's, they got a great BLT..."

Next time the heroes meet at Mel's around lunch time have that NPC in there eating a BLT. Maybe the next time the Heroes get a call that there is a hostage situation at Mel's the used car salesman got laid off...

Taking notes like this makes your world seem alive and really engrosses the players.

[Mark Taylor]

I don't take many notes, but I have a good memory for detail, stuff like this sticks in my memory. You might argue that I DO take notes, only they're mental notes. Stuff like this goes on in my current fantasy campaign all the time so I would agree with your post, only I would change it to... notes OR a good memory for detail.

The effect is interesting when I introduce a little detail that seemed insignificant at the time into the plot 10 or 20 game sessions later (this campaign has been running for nearly 18 months now) and you see the players faces light up as they remember that little piece of detail that was passed over as insignificant at the time. It does engage the players, especially when they realise they have overlooked something important and the oversight returns to haunt them multiple game sessions later (hehe).

[Checkmate]

I stand corrected, I have a mind like a steel trap, unfortuately it never closes so things just sort of wander away, I HAVE to take notes.

Yes I do love the faces of the players. I don't penalize them as half the time I improved the detail anyway and didn't really mean to say it.

I am different than most, as I love to plan everything. I am able to improvise enough to get them back a long my plan without feeling like I forced them there. I have found that when others do strictly improve, the NPC's seem to have EXACTLY what is needed at a point when there is no other option.

NPC: "Oh yeah, I have a miniature cutting torch to get us out of the bank vault we were trapped in by the bad guy

PC: So why didn't you use the cutting torch torch as a weapon when the villian had us powerless to begin with?

That is a bad example but you get the idea.

[The Mad GM]

This may be off topic, but one of the reasons improvised games tend to be so enjoyable is that the creativity is sparked by the people and mood around you. If a player does something cool, you respond by doing something cool as well. It is also tailored to the mood of the group.

It's like brainstorming a story idea, inside the structure of a gaming system. It's the reason artist tend to share studio space and musicians like to jam.

I usually make preparations and take notes just to keep things consistent. My steel trap mind's trigger rusted some time ago, and the small details slip through too easily.

[Mark Taylor]

I think stuff like giving NPCs whatever they need to get out of any situation even if they didn't have it before is just bad GMing... whether the GM is improvising or not. Basically my NPCs don't pack a cutting torch unless they would reasonably have known they would need one (and had the time to obtain it) beforehand. It just requires the application of a little logic is all. If I did this kind of thing my players would roast me alive anyway (they expect better).

[Mark Taylor]

As I side note, I would never maintain that improvisation is THE BEST way to run an RPG, regardless... only that it is the style which happens to work best for me as a GM, and for my particular group of players.

Most of my posts on this thread were intended to point out that certain things that are sometimes assumed to be absolutes of good GMing are actually only really absolutes of a particular style or method of good GMing.

IMO, good GMing is about doing what works best for you and your group, and there are fewer absolutes than many people assume, simply because the assumptions are often based on the individual GMs' own experience of gaming, which tends to be centered around their own styles of play and those of the groups with which they have played. And even this, like everything else, is only an opinion...

[Catacomb]

The absolute worst thing a GM can do is play the B.A. me vs. them game.

[Mark Taylor]

Originally posted by Catacomb
The absolute worst thing a GM can do is play the B.A. me vs. them game.

Except, of course, if the game is Paranoia...

And even then, the GM should at least try to make it FUN for the players to have their characters mercilessly beaten into a soggy red clearance pulp.

But in any other game, yes, it is bad news.

[MoonHunter]

Gming require confidence, performance skills, a sense of narrative, and people management skills, in addition to a full understanding of the game rules being used.

The GM is:
World Builder--The Creator of the setting
Story Teller--The creator of Drama
Oracle--The eyes and ears of the players
Judge--The keeper of balance
However, the gamemaster's primary role is that of Entertainer. If the GM's story and adventures are not entertaining, then the rest of the players will do other things that are.

I have also generated a listing of abou 800+ GMing tips, tools, and techniques, at www.openroleplaying.org in the tips section. You can look at them randomly, or you can use the search function to find things you need. Focus your search on "GM", "It is just a story" (for story/ plot/ presentation advice), "Ruler and some tape" (World Building), "Capes and Cowls" (SuperHeroing), "Herd the Cats" (Troupe management), and "Tools". Another good search is "Land war in Asia", which wil pull up the 10 most common GM Blunders.

[Syberdwarf2]

Wow. I've gotten a lot more response than I expected. My thanx to all of you have replied. However, since I started this thread for the benefit of others, here's my two cred-chips...

I haven't had much experience GMing myself, but I try to follow a few basic 'rules'.
1: Stay organized. IMHO, there is nothing worse than a GM who is constantly making references to something in a book or binder which he cannot find.
2: Be consistant. Players hate favoritism.
3: Make the game fun. That's why (presumably) everybody including yourself is there.
4: Know the rules... And also when to bend the rules (see #3) 'Nuff said.
5: Don't try too hard. Many well meaning GMs (myself included) that show potential to be really good at what they do try so hard to impress everyone with how clever or original they are that they never focus on improvisational skills or actual game conduct. Instead, they tend to create overly elaborate settings that become restrictive to a new GM simply due to the sheer amount of material written prior to game play.

[Hitchhiker]

Yep. Point 5 is very very important and often forgotten. Of course, the game is created and directed by the GM, but hell, what fun is it when nobody can use his/her skills? Most of the "bad" campaigns I know consist of countless battles, while the storyline and the non-combat skills/powers of the PCs are left behind.

Balance is the magic word. And damned hard to achieve.