|
Post by alverant on Aug 21, 2016 12:28:14 GMT -8
Do you think the GM should publish their session notes to the players? Here is the context for my question. In my gaming group I have taken it upon myself, as a player, to take notes and after each session type them up in a cohesive email that is sent to everyone else. But last year when I started GMing I did not send such an email of the sessions I ran.
I didn't do it for several reasons. First was that the GM in our main campaign is not a good note-taker so I was picking up the slack for him so there wasn't the same kind as need in my own campaign. Second, I didn't want to mix my GM-only notes with what the players did. In other words, I felt the notes should be what the players experienced not what the GM thinks they experienced. Finally, GMing takes a lot of effort and I wanted someone else to do the extra work.
So my question to you is, who should be sharing their notes with the group?
|
|
fredrix
Master Douchebag
Posts: 2,142
Preferred Game Systems: Fate, L5R, Pendragon, Gumshoe, Feng Shui
Currently Playing: Pendragon, Song of Ice and Fire, L5R, Feng Shui, Traveller
Currently Running: Fate, Coriolis, Nights Black Agents
Favorite Species of Monkey: 1970's NTV, dubbed by the BBC (though The Water Margin beats it)
|
Post by fredrix on Aug 21, 2016 12:37:06 GMT -8
Your reasons are very sound. As GM I do not publish my notes. I want to hear what the players thought happened.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 14:27:28 GMT -8
As a GM, I don't really take notes, aside from keeping records of where in the world the party is on any given date; and a short list of NPCs who might come up again.
If I did take notes, then I'm not sure that I would share them with the players, because I don't want to dictate to them what I think is important.
|
|
|
Post by Forresst on Aug 21, 2016 17:06:38 GMT -8
Nope. I did all the legwork making that shit up, they can do the legwork remembering it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 22:09:53 GMT -8
It's a GMs job to set the scene in a game. That's hard to do when no one remembers what is going on. This is why many multi episode Tv shows have a 'last time on blah blah blah' recap. Many GMs worry about doing the recap because it may color their players memories of the events of the game. My take on it is thus:
The gumshoe directive: gumshoe tells you to give any essential clues to the players. This means they need that info, thus you can't willingly let them forget it. You need to make sure essential info gets recapped, even if you have to do it yourself.
You need to figure you the level of commitment you expect from your players and if you are willing to let them fail/stall. The gumshoe method is your best chance for the players to succeed. If you expect them to take notes and they don't, then you acknowledge that you let them fail by staying quiet. You are punishing them in character for out of character lack of action. Your game will not be more fun by forcing your players to take notes or possibly fail. What little damage is caused by your coloring of the past is outstripped by the failure in the present. Further, you can use the opportunity to perform the recap to add a subtle bump of direction to the game in order to keep in running smoothly.
In short, if you'd punish your players for not showing up with dice or otherwise unprepared, than you will probably not recap for your players. Your interests lie more in reforming their behaviors through negative enforcement. If you are more concerned about running a fun game, you will probably share dice and recap as needed.
|
|
|
Post by alverant on Aug 22, 2016 18:20:55 GMT -8
stevensw, I hear what you're saying and I don't want to punish the players. When it's my turn to GM I do give a recap. What I don't do is email a summary of the session to everyone. I want someone else to do that when I GM.
Honestly I wouldn't mind if every player did a summary explaining what happened from their character's POV, but some members of the group hardly even check their email, much less have the time to put the effort into making one.
|
|
|
Post by jazzisblues on Aug 27, 2016 5:44:07 GMT -8
Different game systems take different views of keeping secrets from the players, as do different gm's. The real question in my mind though is, is it necessary or desirable to keep secrets from the players.
Consider the following scenario: The pc's are making their way down a corridor, at the end of the corridor around a corner a group of assassins lurk in ambush.
Now, we could have the players roll one or more notice / perception checks to see if they realize there's a problem.
We could use a passive perception system to decide if they realize there's a problem.
We could roll for them to see if they realize there's a problem
We could also say, "Roll perception to see the ninjas around the corner."
In either the 1st or 4th options the players know that something is up, the question is does it matter that they know?
In PbtA games and in Fate we don't bother to keep such secrets, it's fine that the players can see behind the curtain because the games assume a certain amount of collaboration in the creation of the story. In the past I've always advocated keeping the mystery alive and real for the players, but I'm not so sure that's the right answer, or that it's the right answer for every game and every group.
I'm not sure there is a single clear answer to this question, only the right answer for the group or the game at hand.
as always just my 2 krupplenicks worth, your mileage may of course vary.
JiB
|
|
|
Post by weaselcreature on Aug 29, 2016 10:00:44 GMT -8
I don't think the GM should disseminate notes.
When I'm a player, I take fairly thorough notes (not as point-for-point as Sam does), and what I write is from my characters point of view. I am also often the one who does the recapping, which means the recap comes from my point of view, and I also don't take notes (MAYBE a blurb or two) if my character wasn't there.
While a general recap is good for the entire table, players should be responsible for the stuff important to their character. If a player forgets/doesn't take notes and as the GM I'm about to toss in the wrench they forgot about, I'll often give some sort of memory roll (usually INT), or sometimes just give it to them, especially if it's been big gap between sessions, as a reminder.
When I GM, I take very few notes; I'm more concentrated on the game. I very much appreciate a player who takes decent notes and can do a good recap the following session.
|
|
|
Post by ericfromnj on Aug 29, 2016 10:28:03 GMT -8
Depends how often we play. If it is only once a month I will give out notes. Very dry notes where players did x and y. Otherwise we spend the first hour trying to remember what the hell we did.
If it is more episodic or we play more often I let the players handle remembering what happened.
|
|
tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
Posts: 1,438
Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
|
Post by tomes on Aug 29, 2016 13:17:20 GMT -8
This reminds me... one thing I did with limited success was to have the players do a recap at the beginning of each session. Not the characters, just the players chatting for about 10 minutes or so after I ask "What happened last session?" Obviously its pretty fun because they grab those elements that they are most attracted to.
Only problem is it's just before play time, so you as a GM can't really use this to "plan", unless you are an off-the-cuff sort of GM, I s'pose.
In theory you could record this too, or take quick notes as the GM, while they're chatting, to help with a future session (?)
|
|
|
Post by ironnikki on Aug 31, 2016 12:45:10 GMT -8
I take notes for my personal use the day after the session. The parts that stick out most vibrantly in my memory I figure are also parts that the players will recall. The parts that I have to strain for a little bit are parts that they will probably forget entirely.
I then review those notes, and determine if anything I had to strain to remember is important for the players to know going into the next session. From there, I assemble a short recap to send out along with the next event invitation (we play weekly over Roll20 and use a Facebook group for event planning and the occasional in-character interaction). By short, I mean no more than a paragraph or 5-6 bullet points.
I also ensure to seed one or two events into the recap that is unlikely to have little bearing on the story. I do this because I want the players to decide what's important, rather than my own bias. That occasionally engenders an interesting side story, and otherwise keeps the players guessing as to what's important in the mystery event they're trying to figure out.
At the beginning of each session, I ask the players to remind the group what happened last time. Again, this prevents me from injecting too much bias (though I will remind them if something important or interesting is missed), and it tells me what stood out the most to them in the last game.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2016 22:18:44 GMT -8
I don't think the GM should disseminate notes. When I'm a player, I take fairly thorough notes (not as point-for-point as Sam does), and what I write is from my characters point of view. I am also often the one who does the recapping, which means the recap comes from my point of view, and I also don't take notes (MAYBE a blurb or two) if my character wasn't there. While a general recap is good for the entire table, players should be responsible for the stuff important to their character. If a player forgets/doesn't take notes and as the GM I'm about to toss in the wrench they forgot about, I'll often give some sort of memory roll (usually INT), or sometimes just give it to them, especially if it's been big gap between sessions, as a reminder. When I GM, I take very few notes; I'm more concentrated on the game. I very much appreciate a player who takes decent notes and can do a good recap the following session. So, I take it you are cool with your players crashing and burning based on the whims of a single dice roll? That memory check there is either useless (in the case that once offered to enough people, someone is likely to succeed), or a bottleneck waiting to sodomize your players. "Hey guys, here is the important thing you must remember to complete the mission. Too bad, you failed the roll." At which point the mercy is just to call it a session, because allowing people to throw themselves and at an issue they have no chance of solving is just sadistic. Perhaps there are multiple paths so it hasn't destroyed a session for you yet, but the potential exists for just that. Word to the wise: If there is any important piece of info or clue the players need to find, do not let a roll be the factor that tanks the game. While randomness is an essential part to most games, turning the dice into a game of Russian roulette is almost never what the players signed up for.
|
|
fredrix
Master Douchebag
Posts: 2,142
Preferred Game Systems: Fate, L5R, Pendragon, Gumshoe, Feng Shui
Currently Playing: Pendragon, Song of Ice and Fire, L5R, Feng Shui, Traveller
Currently Running: Fate, Coriolis, Nights Black Agents
Favorite Species of Monkey: 1970's NTV, dubbed by the BBC (though The Water Margin beats it)
|
Post by fredrix on Aug 31, 2016 23:26:41 GMT -8
This reminds me... one thing I did with limited success was to have the players do a recap at the beginning of each session. Not the characters, just the players chatting for about 10 minutes or so after I ask "What happened last session?" Obviously its pretty fun because they grab those elements that they are most attracted to. Only problem is it's just before play time, so you as a GM can't really use this to "plan", unless you are an off-the-cuff sort of GM, I s'pose. In theory you could record this too, or take quick notes as the GM, while they're chatting, to help with a future session (?) That's pretty much what I do.
|
|
|
Post by weaselcreature on Sept 1, 2016 7:17:03 GMT -8
I don't think the GM should disseminate notes. When I'm a player, I take fairly thorough notes (not as point-for-point as Sam does), and what I write is from my characters point of view. I am also often the one who does the recapping, which means the recap comes from my point of view, and I also don't take notes (MAYBE a blurb or two) if my character wasn't there. While a general recap is good for the entire table, players should be responsible for the stuff important to their character. If a player forgets/doesn't take notes and as the GM I'm about to toss in the wrench they forgot about, I'll often give some sort of memory roll (usually INT), or sometimes just give it to them, especially if it's been big gap between sessions, as a reminder. When I GM, I take very few notes; I'm more concentrated on the game. I very much appreciate a player who takes decent notes and can do a good recap the following session. So, I take it you are cool with your players crashing and burning based on the whims of a single dice roll? That memory check there is either useless (in the case that once offered to enough people, someone is likely to succeed), or a bottleneck waiting to sodomize your players. "Hey guys, here is the important thing you must remember to complete the mission. Too bad, you failed the roll." At which point the mercy is just to call it a session, because allowing people to throw themselves and at an issue they have no chance of solving is just sadistic. Perhaps there are multiple paths so it hasn't destroyed a session for you yet, but the potential exists for just that. Word to the wise: If there is any important piece of info or clue the players need to find, do not let a roll be the factor that tanks the game. While randomness is an essential part to most games, turning the dice into a game of Russian roulette is almost never what the players signed up for. I don't recall where I said I'd leave out pertinent information. That was part of the "or sometimes just give it to them" I said. "...in the case that once offered to enough people, someone is likely to succeed..." What I said prior to bringing up the roll was: "While a general recap is good for the entire table, players should be responsible for the stuff important to their character. If a player forgets/doesn't take notes..." So, I don't do a table-wide "roll to see what everyone remembers, and I don't do the roll for the main recap or for major plot points. The roll may determine just how much they remember. Things pertinent to the story or so important it would lead to a "crash and burn" would be brought up. But something minor but "D'OH!" inducing can be amusing (for the players as well; this has been used when I play, also).
|
|