What I learn playing a GM.

[David Blue]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Early experiences in a campaign teach the players a lot.

 

Be sure you are teaching the players the right things. When in doubt, teach optimism and enterprise even at the risk or the cost of making the game too easy.

 

This came home to me in a solo campaign that never really took off, even though I put a silly amount of preparation into it, and even though I knew that that the player was a good one, a friend whose strong and weak points as a gamer I knew and intended to use.

 

My first scenario involved a darkness controller who would monster the hero in a few encounters till he worked out how her powers worked, and more importantly how they didn't work. The scenario failed, because he didn't keep trying: by the third encounter, the player had decided that the rules in this campaign included invincibility for darkness powers. The hero worked around problems by intimidating minions and so on, but he was no longer prepared to offer battle.

 

That player was unusually resolute, which I had been counting on. He was also alert in battle as well as resourceful: he could not have had two more fights with the darkness controller and not figured her out. If the "queen of darkness" scenario had been the fourth or fifth of the campaign, I have no doubt he would have chugged through it like a train.

 

And, he knew that while I play very differently in different campaigns, vigor had served him well with me before.

 

But I hadn't appreciated that in the first couple of sessions, when I thought I was simply challenging him, I had taught him how this campaign played - and I had taught him wrong.

 

I would suggest, do not start a game with an atypical session, unless it's atypically simple and easy. Try really hard to teach the players the right attitudes, and habits that will serve them well.

 

From session five on, fine, give it the gun. Likely you have great players, and you are itching for them to amaze you with their great roleplaying, willpower and resourcefulness.

 

But first, "let them read the manual" for the game, and make it clear. A first session player is not a fifth session player, no matter how good they are.

[Alibear]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Always let your players discuss what they think is going on in front of you...they just might come up with a better plot than you had planned.

[LordGhee]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Rep Alibear

 

wise you are

 

Lord Ghee

[Dust Raven]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Lucius is off his meds again

I think the "GM" he is looking for is "gab monkey".

 

 

The Dust Raven wonders why Lucius didn't make any references to General Motors or General Mills...

[Zeropoint]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Genetically Modified?

[ghost-angel]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Gargantuan Monkey!!!

[Dust Raven]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Gifted Madman.

[ghost-angel]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Gyrating Mysanthrope.

[Lucius]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Keep it coming, I'm taking notes...

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary notes that it's all Grist for the Mill

[Manic Typist]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

 

The palindromedary suggests Game Manager.

 

 

*DING DING DING* We have a winner!

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Awarding an extra point of XP each game to the player voted 'best roleplayer' increases the likelyhood of better roleplaying.

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

A good GM never kills a character. The player kills the character.

 

Gm: Yes, it's Medusa.

Player1: It's really Medusa?

Gm: Yes, it really is Medusa.

Player2: Did NPC2 just get turned to stone by Medusa?

Gm: Yes, that was Medusa that turned NPC2 to stone.

Player1: Ok fine, I charge.

Gm: Ok Player1, you get turned to stone.

[Dust Raven]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Awarding an extra point of XP each game to the player voted 'best roleplayer' increases the likelyhood of better roleplaying.

 

 

This is so repped! I might just start doing this in my game starting immediately!

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

This is so repped! I might just start doing this in my game starting immediately!

 

Do it, it has worked wonders in every game I've ever GM'ed - in any system.

[Dust Raven]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Do it' date=' it has worked wonders in every game I've ever GM'ed - in any system.[/quote']

I believe you.

 

I don't currently have any problems with getting my group to role-play rather than roll-play, but I love rewarding them for it. One thing this might do is help them pay more attention to each other as a group rather then focusing on certain individuals more often than others.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Awarding an extra point of XP each game to the player voted 'best roleplayer' increases the likelyhood of better roleplaying.

 

Only if you are prepared to evaluate each player on the merits of his own character. I find "good roleplaying" has a tendency to be interpreted as "most extroverted character played". SpiderMan is visible. A more introverted character is not as obvious in role playing, and easily overlooked.

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Only if you are prepared to evaluate each player on the merits of his own character. I find "good roleplaying" has a tendency to be interpreted as "most extroverted character played". SpiderMan is visible. A more introverted character is not as obvious in role playing' date=' and easily overlooked.[/quote']

 

Great advice addition Hugh. Of course in my case [studying acting myself] I look for the player that played his character the best/most appropriately, but others may not think that way and may vote for the 'character who took the stage the most.'

 

That's not to say that those things can't overlap either, just to say that the basis is not 'most extroverted character.'

[Korvar]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Only if you are prepared to evaluate each player on the merits of his own character. I find "good roleplaying" has a tendency to be interpreted as "most extroverted character played". SpiderMan is visible. A more introverted character is not as obvious in role playing' date=' and easily overlooked.[/quote']

 

Get the entire group to decide who gets the point. I find that fairest, in the long run.

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Get the entire group to decide who gets the point. I find that fairest' date=' in the long run.[/quote']

 

Yes, that's the 'vote' part of it.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Get the entire group to decide who gets the point. I find that fairest' date=' in the long run.[/quote']

 

This assumes everyone in the group knows how every other character SHOULD be role played.

 

"Well, I'm not voting for Wonder Man, since he hung back from combat and contributed little in non-combat."

 

Wonder Man has the psych's "Shy and nervous", "lacks confidence in own abilities" and "Hesitant in combat", so he was very well role played. It's just not the role you WANTED him to play, or thought he should play. I don't like every player reading the personality sketch and character sheet of all the PC's, since I believe most of these issues should come out in play, not by some invisible narrator.

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

This assumes everyone in the group knows how every other character SHOULD be role played.

 

"Well, I'm not voting for Wonder Man, since he hung back from combat and contributed little in non-combat."

 

Wonder Man has the psych's "Shy and nervous", "lacks confidence in own abilities" and "Hesitant in combat", so he was very well role played. It's just not the role you WANTED him to play, or thought he should play. I don't like every player reading the personality sketch and character sheet of all the PC's, since I believe most of these issues should come out in play, not by some invisible narrator.

 

I think you're stuck on making this more difficult than it is.

 

This is about who role-played his character the best, not 'Most Valuable Player' - it's not who contributed most to the advancement of the story, but who played his character the most appropriately - believability is the key.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Awarding an extra point of XP each game to the player voted 'best roleplayer' increases the likelyhood of better roleplaying.

Does this work with a small group, too?

 

I currently have a pool of 3 players. Josh is one of them, and he's playing his character excellently. He has yet to behave as "Josh" in-game; all of his actions are fully in character, taking PsychLims into account.

 

I have another player who's been playing the same character he always seems to play (based on experience in the game Josh is running). He's given me no background, and, the session before last, had to be reminded of a PsychLim after violating it minorly 3 times, and was about to commit a gross violation of his honor code.

 

The third player is . . . well, she tries, but I suspect she'd be hurt by the realization that she isn't roleplaying well. And I wouldn't be comfortable giving the XP award to her if the current pattern continues because, well . . . Her character's goal is to be the sort of hero they talk about in stories, but so far all she's behaved as is a selfish, spoiled brat who stomps her foot and sulks at anyone not ALREADY treating her like the hero she believes herself to be. She has alienated every single one of the NPCs I inserted to help her in this quest (a bard to tell her story, elves to remember her deeds, the McGuffin she has to protect), and uses just one attack in combat (though she has about half a dozen other things she could do).

 

So, um, unless there was a huge turnaround in the way the game's been going, I think this method would only lead to resentments and sour grapes as Josh collected the XP bonus every single game.

 

I am working through these problems in my own way, so maybe it'll be moot in a couple of months, and I'll use it then. I do think this is an excellent rule, in general, but I'm really reluctant to use it in my own game, at least for the moment.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Oh, and what I've learned so far? It's HARD, being on the other side of the table. It looks so freakin' easy, as a player . . .

[radioKAOS]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

Does this work with a small group, too?

 

I currently have a pool of 3 players. Josh is one of them, and he's playing his character excellently. He has yet to behave as "Josh" in-game; all of his actions are fully in character, taking PsychLims into account.

 

I have another player who's been playing the same character he always seems to play (based on experience in the game Josh is running). He's given me no background, and, the session before last, had to be reminded of a PsychLim after violating it minorly 3 times, and was about to commit a gross violation of his honor code.

 

The third player is . . . well, she tries, but I suspect she'd be hurt by the realization that she isn't roleplaying well. And I wouldn't be comfortable giving the XP award to her if the current pattern continues because, well . . . Her character's goal is to be the sort of hero they talk about in stories, but so far all she's behaved as is a selfish, spoiled brat who stomps her foot and sulks at anyone not ALREADY treating her like the hero she believes herself to be. She has alienated every single one of the NPCs I inserted to help her in this quest (a bard to tell her story, elves to remember her deeds, the McGuffin she has to protect), and uses just one attack in combat (though she has about half a dozen other things she could do).

 

So, um, unless there was a huge turnaround in the way the game's been going, I think this method would only lead to resentments and sour grapes as Josh collected the XP bonus every single game.

 

I am working through these problems in my own way, so maybe it'll be moot in a couple of months, and I'll use it then. I do think this is an excellent rule, in general, but I'm really reluctant to use it in my own game, at least for the moment.

 

Well my Post Apoc group usually has around 3 players, and it certainly 'ups the bar' when it comes to role-playing.

 

Sounds like you need to sit down with those players and reconfigure their lims to better suit the characters they are playing.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: What I learn playing a GM.

 

That's the problem with player #2, certainly, but player #3 THINKS she's roleplaying her character well.

 

*sigh* Maybe I should just make her roll EGO every time she wants to behave in a way that's counter-productive to being regarded as a hero. Surely she'd get the idea after the fourth or fifth time?