Game Master Lament

[Vondy]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Rights? no. Respect yes. If someone is such a flake that

watching a movie is within their definition of undesirable homework,

then they're not welcome in my game.

 

I've required novels to be read for some of my games.

 

and they're been read, cause I game with adults.

 

So, if a player has a wife, life, job, children, and other responsibilities, and cannot work an entire novel into their schedule on top of your game, they are not an adult?

[Peregrine]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

I think it depends on how many people are willing to run. The gamemaster needs to be inspired by the underlying game concept because of the amount of work that goes into running a game. On the other hand' date=' the players need to dig the idea, too. I think the GM should float proposals of the things he's willing to run and see which ones fly. I do not think it should be a pure democracy, though. Just as the players should not be steamrollered, neither should the GM be steamrollered. Since he's the one doing most of the heavy lifting he at least needs a veto, and really should be the one providing the options of what will and won't be run. I say this as someone who was the GM for a group of players who refused to run games themselves. And who refused to host the game. Always my house. Always me running the game. I'm not their indentured game-master. Its got to be something that resonates with me.[/quote']

 

 

Oh yeah; it's gotta be a whole-group cooperative effort.

 

IME, I've seen the "tyranny of the GM" a lot more than I've seen "tyranny of the players"; I reject both.

[Shadowheart]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

I've found that offering some sort of perk to my gamers for taking the extra time to do research like read a short story or book, watch this movie or those episodes of said show on tv or hulu tends to work. Advance notice and plenty of time to do so also goes a long way, as noted by others, life leaves us less and less time for gaming as we get older. Sometimes I look back and miss the halcyon days of starting a game on Friday night around 7pm and going until sometime Sunday evening. These days I am doing good to stay awake till midnight..lol.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

I'd probably suggest a "movie night", watching a couple of them. Other films that might be useful for capturing the "flavor" of the period might include Ridicule, The Man in the Iron Mask, Marie Antoinette, A Tale of Two cities, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Dangerous Liaisons, Casanova, the Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, the Princess Bride, Captain Blood, Scaramouche, and the Master of Ballantrae. There is some overlap between swashbuckler films and pirate films, so some of those might be useful, too.

 

They shouldn't have to watch any of them, but perhaps watching one every couple weeks would really help them get into the flow of the campaign setting and lead to some inspired character ideas.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

doing a lttle research wouldn't hurt them maybe if you'd mentioed the tv series"youmng musketeers"they may've been more interested

[LordGhee]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Well with an assembly of papers and a sly smirk on my face I respond to some of the replies on this thread.

 

Thanks to Mayapuppies for being first response. It warmed my heart that I was not a voice in the wilderness and my feelings were not unfounded.

 

Thanks to Ghost Angel you made me see that there is anther view.

 

Mostlyjoe, If I use a week to get characters together then I lose one of my weeks to play and my rotation will not come back for 2-3 months, that is why I am giving out information 6 week in advance.

 

Mr. Long, thanks for the post and I am running what was asked by the group and in particular what one of the complainers asked for. The group also invites you to play with us if you are ever in El Paso Texas. The reaction was “that’s cool”. And for all who state they would play in my Musketeer game, thank you for the kind words and come Play with us!

 

Jagged, see above and having a rant here has been most productive.

 

KA, thanks for the example and now I feel both way’s (sound of nug comes from audience). And you have not ask your player to speak Klingon? Doesn’t everyone speak Klingon?

 

Ninja-bear thanks for the thoughts and that is “IN The Body BAG”. LoL

 

Vondy thanks and thanks for the quote, “I guess my bottom line is: gamemasters are a rare breed. Uber-players who go all out for a game are just as rare. You have a right to expect players to put in some effort, but overall, keep the required effort to a minimum and give them plenty of time to work it into their schedules. The hard-core players will happily do extra credit on their own.” It where my feelings are headed.

 

Ghost Angel what Mayapuppies says next as a game master it is my job to see that the game runs smoothly and that one player dose not ruin the game for others. But ghost angels tone and hand holding we should get along is a better approach. LOL

 

Jagged they all GM in our group. It is why I belive that I game with the best group of people in the World.

 

Ikerensky thanks for the input see Mostlyjoe above.

 

Mudpyr8, thanks for the thoughts and bribery is for the wife and kids. (hahaha)

 

Hugh Nelson and Crosshiarcollie I did plan a movie night, we did a movie night and most where to busy to come. And if a 2 hour movie and reading 5-6 pages of Material is to much work then you should go back to playing D---- wait I did not really mean that, Mr Long put the gun down. Buy lots of Hero products. . . . (bang- “that really hurts")

 

More to come

 

Lord Ghee

[LordGhee]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Sean Waters, I remember games like that, well some of them sort of. Such is life that when the drinking interfered with the game or the game interfered with the drinking we parted company. A lot of our games are player dependent that I really dislike that as a steady diet as it leads to a lack of depth (in our group at least).

 

Oh and this thread has go me started on a glossary.

 

Player dependent – a game that player set the tone and direction. ( I trying really)

 

Ghost Angel the 1973 and 1974 version with Michael York and Charlton Heston are the classic. Next you will be telling us that Sheen, Sutherland and O’Donnell (Platt and Curry did alright with a bad script) where French. Of course Mornay and Anwar, no wrong could they do.

 

Sean Waters I was surprised as you are. That the rub.

 

Bunny thanks for the reply, (about all the prep that get lol)

 

Ghost stretch your self put more into gaming, you know you get what you give

 

It took me 3 summers of running my star wars game to get to the point of getting two of my players to the point of trying to decide if they where going to kill each other ( 18 minutes and you could hear the clock tick and the sweat trickle)

 

Vondy our group is now pretty tight but we have had people we just game with and are always looking for more.

 

Ballbanto thanks for the well-worded post and back slap.

 

Sean cool planning my trip to the UK now, and I bring my hat. Sword tabard . . . . .. beer, cooler for the beer and more beer

 

Blacksword thanks for the post see above.

 

Ice9 that is what I been saying. Oh that reminds me I need to do some pregen characters so I am not guilty as charge.

 

Treb, home work is not a bad word just a fact of life.

 

Egyptoid we can build great Pyramids together (just move to west Texas).

 

Treb my Lunch buddy. The players who wined about the homework are in your group also. He who live in glass houses should . . . . . . . .

 

Ninja bear got nothing thanks for the posts

 

Cross you have got a point, the surprise in our group is that there are players that do not read or do movies and at times they feel out of the loop.

Bunneh we make time for what we love.

 

Crosshaircollie that would work.

 

Balabanto I think no ticket not shirt need to go on my GM Screen. LOL

 

Tsandman, thanks for the post and one reason we rotate GM is for style differences and we do vote with our feet and every one seem to take it in stride. ( and yes some of my games players have not played in)

 

Casualplayer come play anytime we really need some one throw the wrong punch, pursue the dangerous beauty or make the misstep that leads to glory . (on the other flap of my GM screen)

 

Lemming, what is campaign assassination?

 

For the glossary please

 

Zilla thanks for the post.

 

Vondy thanks for Indentured Game Master.

 

Peregrine thanks for tyranny of the Players and tyranny or the Game Master

 

Shadowheart thanks for the post and the perk is able to play in the game. (1 pts)

 

Megaplayboy. Just finished watching Douglas Fairbanks in the man in the Iron Mask (1925) it was good.

 

And Kahuna’s bro do not know where to get that show, and the most popular series in the late 1970’s in Russia was the Three Musketeers (musical version). It was a culture Icon.

 

Lord Ghee

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Sean Waters, I remember games like that, well some of them sort of. Such is life that when the drinking interfered with the game or the game interfered with the drinking we parted company. A lot of our games are player dependent that I really dislike that as a steady diet as it leads to a lack of depth (in our group at least).

 

Oh and this thread has go me started on a glossary.

 

Player dependent – a game that player set the tone and direction. ( I trying really)

 

Ghost Angel the 1973 and 1974 version with Michael York and Charlton Heston are the classic. Next you will be telling us that Sheen, Sutherland and O’Donnell (Platt and Curry did alright with a bad script) where French. Of course Mornay and Anwar, no wrong could they do.

 

Sean Waters I was surprised as you are. That the rub.

 

Bunny thanks for the reply, (about all the prep that get lol)

 

Ghost stretch your self put more into gaming, you know you get what you give

 

It took me 3 summers of running my star wars game to get to the point of getting two of my players to the point of trying to decide if they where going to kill each other ( 18 minutes and you could hear the clock tick and the sweat trickle)

 

Vondy our group is now pretty tight but we have had people we just game with and are always looking for more.

 

Ballbanto thanks for the well-worded post and back slap.

 

Sean cool planning my trip to the UK now, and I bring my hat. Sword tabard . . . . .. beer, cooler for the beer and more beer

 

Blacksword thanks for the post see above.

 

Ice9 that is what I been saying. Oh that reminds me I need to do some pregen characters so I am not guilty as charge.

 

Treb, home work is not a bad word just a fact of life.

 

Egyptoid we can build great Pyramids together (just move to west Texas).

 

Treb my Lunch buddy. The players who wined about the homework are in your group also. He who live in glass houses should . . . . . . . .

 

Ninja bear got nothing thanks for the posts

 

Cross you have got a point, the surprise in our group is that there are players that do not read or do movies and at times they feel out of the loop.

Bunneh we make time for what we love.

 

Crosshaircollie that would work.

 

Balabanto I think no ticket not shirt need to go on my GM Screen. LOL

 

Tsandman, thanks for the post and one reason we rotate GM is for style differences and we do vote with our feet and every one seem to take it in stride. ( and yes some of my games players have not played in)

 

Casualplayer come play anytime we really need some one throw the wrong punch, pursue the dangerous beauty or make the misstep that leads to glory . (on the other flap of my GM screen)

 

Lemming, what is campaign assassination?

 

For the glossary please

 

Zilla thanks for the post.

 

Vondy thanks for Indentured Game Master.

 

Peregrine thanks for tyranny of the Players and tyranny or the Game Master

 

Shadowheart thanks for the post and the perk is able to play in the game. (1 pts)

 

Megaplayboy. Just finished watching Douglas Fairbanks in the man in the Iron Mask (1925) it was good.

 

And Kahuna’s bro do not know where to get that show, and the most popular series in the late 1970’s in Russia was the Three Musketeers (musical version). It was a culture Icon.

 

Lord Ghee

itb was on the now defunct PAX NETWORK thevshow was about the son of d'artanian and his fellow musketteers one of them a woman in disguise

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Mostlyjoe, If I use a week to get characters together then I lose one of my weeks to play and my rotation will not come back for 2-3 months, that is why I am giving out information 6 week in advance.

 

Hugh Nelson and Crosshiarcollie I did plan a movie night, we did a movie night and most where to busy to come. And if a 2 hour movie and reading 5-6 pages of Material is to much work then you should go back to playing D---- wait I did not really mean that, Mr Long put the gun down. Buy lots of Hero products. . . . (bang- “that really hurts")

 

There seems to be some doubt as to the value of the movie time, then. Most of the players are too busy to come to a movie night but, of course, will not be too busy to watch the movie before game night. Or will they show up on game night and tel you they were too busy to watch the movie - let's play! After all, it's now play or lose your place in the rotation, which won't come back up for 2 - 3 months, right?

 

How is it that it's unacceptable for a 2 hour movie and 6 pages of background material to be too much, but it's OK that most of the players can't make time for movie night?

 

As a number of posters have noted, some players struggle to make the time to put their characters together and be free on game night. Asking for another evening for game prep may actually be "too much to ask". Most/all your players also GM? Maybe that evening has to come out of time to prepare their games, and they don't want to give that up.

 

You can certainly decide that the prerequisites to your game are more important than having a larger playing group and ask those players who can't free up the time to sit out of the game. But be prepared to accepts a smaller playing group, or the group saying "forget it, someone else can run that night". Or some players saying "If we didn't understand the genre, why would we have asked you to run a game in it?" Maybe it would be better to start y asking them what kind of source material they have in mind for the game - perhaos there is homework you need to do to meet their expectations.

[lemming]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Lemming, what is campaign assassination?

 

Something (usually player initiated) happens in a game that just kills the campaign. Not always willful and sometimes it just throws the campaign down a path that the GM wasn't expecting.

[Vondy]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

There seems to be some doubt as to the value of the movie time' date=' then. Most of the players are too busy to come to a movie night but, of course, will not be too busy to watch the movie before game night.[/quote']

 

If it were me, I'd rather the GM said we were going to watch the movie and make characters in lieu of a regular game-session. Call it a prep session. Then no one can say they didn't have time, and its not on top of the usual game-night. It also doesn't require more time than the game normally does.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

If it were me' date=' I'd rather the GM said we were going to watch the movie and make characters in lieu of a regular game-session. Call it a prep session. Then no one can say they didn't have time, and its not on top of the usual game-night. It also doesn't require more time than the game normally does.[/quote']

 

That would be my preferred approach as well. If viewing the movie is important enough to capturing the feeling of the game, it's important enough to take up a chunk of game time to watch it. And this way, the players are all here to get excited about the upcoming game, and the GM can see the players' reaction to various tropes of the specific subgenre to known what will be well received in game, and should be emphasized.

[SteveZilla]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Lemming' date=' what is campaign assassination?[/quote']

Something (usually player initiated) happens in a game that just kills the campaign. Not always willful and sometimes it just throws the campaign down a path that the GM wasn't expecting.

 

Something like this:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34257[/ATTACH]

 

Oh, and thanks for the thanks, LordGhee.

[LordGhee]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

That awsome, now I get Rocks fall everyone dies. LOL

 

 

Lord Ghee

[Vondy]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Something like this:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34257[/ATTACH]

 

Oh, and thanks for the thanks, LordGhee.

 

Most awesome.

[DusterBoy]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Re SteveZilla's link: Yeah, sometimes that's all you can do in that situation, especially with a player like that. However, I would have a precision strike against her PC with a single rock. Players got no right to keep that kind of secret from the GM and then use it as an excuse to kill the campaign.

 

Actually, if I was the GM on that campaign, Aubridawn would have been killed by the King's Guards for attacking the King and I'd've told the player Aubrey "You're out of the campaign. Pack your stuff and leave. You're gone. Now. You got no right to pull that kind of stunt." Only more strongly phrased. People like Aubrey really hack me off.

[Ninja-Bear]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Thanks for all the commets I will post a more detail response as today is very busy.

• I asked the group if this was alright as it was going to be historical and to my surprise got a postive response
  

Lord Ghee

 

I just wanted to say I think I can see why there might be confusion with the "homework". Even though you asked if it being historical would be alright, unfortunately, how much work involved is different for each person. Hopefully this example will explain what I'm trying to say. Lord Ghee, if you told me the above information, I would assume, (and we know what that means!) the following

 

• You want to have heroic normal characters
  
• Characters should have reasonable backgrounds prior to being a musketeer, no ninjas!
  
• Martial Arts are to be appropriate to the genre, Fencing definately, I would assume we mighthhave to take even proper schools, obviously French unless I can convince you otherwise, such as my character was raised in Italy by the church, so maybe Italian school, but again no Kenjutsu!
  
• And again I would not take manuevers to be like the New musketeer movie wich was like a wuxia movie (Can't remeber the title)
  

You see I wouldn't though assume I would have to do further homework. I might watch the movie because you suggested it. If during play I made an error, I would change to act more to the part. But told I have to do so much extra in order to play? Well enough said. I hope this might shed some light on the subject.

 

P.s. I apologize that some of my earlier comments weren't more helpful, I should have stayed on task,

[SteveZilla]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Re SteveZilla's link: Yeah, sometimes that's all you can do in that situation, especially with a player like that. However, I would have a precision strike against her PC with a single rock. Players got no right to keep that kind of secret from the GM and then use it as an excuse to kill the campaign.

 

Actually, if I was the GM on that campaign, Aubridawn would have been killed by the King's Guards for attacking the King and I'd've told the player Aubrey "You're out of the campaign. Pack your stuff and leave. You're gone. Now. You got no right to pull that kind of stunt." Only more strongly phrased. People like Aubrey really hack me off.

 

I agree. IMO there should be no reason to kill a campagin when killing the offending PC coupled with a small "OK, That Didn't Happen." would be better. That way, the other players who are innocent of the sabotage don't have their fun trampled on.

[LordGhee]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Ninja-Bear, all your post are appreciated. Please keep posting,

 

The Movie is for tone and some framework on the time (modes of travel etc).

 

the other work is the campaign rules and two or three pages on the Musketeers, nobility and a little history so the player just do not get arrested out right.

 

There are 3 video's on You tube to watch total 10 min as some players do not know what a musket is or the difference from an Arquebuse.

 

this is so they understand how the basics work.

 

luckily this group fenced in collage, took Martial arts, started a medieval larp and are really sharp, so really not much prep is need to get right tone.

 

I found out from my star wars game that people have a really different view on the Jedi and even when told in a campaign hand out that eh Jedi had the power of life and death rejected this resonability. This view really complicated their game but at least they were warned, if not accepting in the interpretation.

 

Lord Ghee

[Balabanto]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Lord Ghee, You're Welcome.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Bit off topic - and I did enjoy the 'rocks fall' cartoon - but I've actually GM'd some really interesting games where 'everybody dies' - or most do - and I never plan for everyone to die. Character death is rare enough in my games that if it happens people will remember it.

 

If you think of a game as a sort of TV series, or even an extended movie, then, quite often, there is a conclusion where a lot of characters die. Sometimes all of them. We rarely if ever think of doing that in RPGs.

 

It can make for a memorable game. I agree if one person decides to try and assassinate a game unilaterally then it can hack everyone off, but sometimes the consensus mood is right to have it all end in flames, and, as a GM I'd rather have that happen - and everyone enjoy it and spend the next 6 months talking about it - than drag it on thought the next three episodes to the conclusion I thought would work best.

 

Judgment can be a fine art, but I've been lucky so far.

[Vondy]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Ninja-Bear, all your post are appreciated. Please keep posting,

 

The Movie is for tone and some framework on the time (modes of travel etc).

 

the other work is the campaign rules and two or three pages on the Musketeers, nobility and a little history so the player just do not get arrested out right.

 

There are 3 video's on You tube to watch total 10 min as some players do not know what a musket is or the difference from an Arquebuse.

 

this is so they understand how the basics work.

 

luckily this group fenced in collage, took Martial arts, started a medieval larp and are really sharp, so really not much prep is need to get right tone.

 

If it were me, and you gave me a two week heads up, none of this would be a problem. But then, I would probably do some independent reading if I thought I needed to shore up any self-perceived blind spots.

[Ninja-Bear]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

Ninja-Bear, all your post are appreciated. Please keep posting,

 

The Movie is for tone and some framework on the time (modes of travel etc).

 

the other work is the campaign rules and two or three pages on the Musketeers, nobility and a little history so the player just do not get arrested out right.

 

There are 3 video's on You tube to watch total 10 min as some players do not know what a musket is or the difference from an Arquebuse.

 

this is so they understand how the basics work.

 

luckily this group fenced in collage, took Martial arts, started a medieval larp and are really sharp, so really not much prep is need to get right tone.

 

I found out from my star wars game that people have a really different view on the Jedi and even when told in a campaign hand out that eh Jedi had the power of life and death rejected this resonability. This view really complicated their game but at least they were warned, if not accepting in the interpretation.

 

Lord Ghee

 

Oh If that what is called homework, then now I see that there isn't that much of a problem. Shoot I can work that around kids, diapers and bathtime. You see when the word homework was mentioned, I assumed you meant a whole lot more! This kinda proves my point about assuming.

 

Good luck on the game.

[LordGhee]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

I want to thank everyone who posted to this thread as this was really helpful.

 

ran the first game and have pictures of the encounter at the dancing pig.

 

 

thanks

 

Lord Ghee

[Sean Waters]

Re: Game Master Lament

 

May it be a long time before you need Rocks need to Fall!