Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2012 4:18:33 GMT -8
I have had a thought rattling about my skull for some time, and after relistening to the con podcast about Tappy's game, I have decided it is time to start a thread and see where it goes.
As game masters we all have our own styles. Some are better at planning and world building...some are better at improvising...some have a grasp of the system that keeps them from ever having to consult a rulebook...others have the skill of prose.
I would like to discuss the qualities that make a good GM and see if we can come up with some way to analyzing them. Some may be related, others may be mutually exclusive.
To start this off, I would classify the skills as falling into two major groups, mechanical and psychological
Mechanical -rules knowledge -setting knowledge -session planning
psychological -storytelling -improvisation -reading players
Let's round table this a bit and see what we get.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2012 10:45:46 GMT -8
I'd break it down somewhat differently; more by application than type.
Mechanical: You need it to play the game otherwise just write a book. - Rules memorization (knowing the rules as written) - Rules understanding (understanding the core rules and what they accomplish for the game/setting)
Narrative: You need it for the game to make sense otherwise just roll on random encounter tables for a few hours. - Narrative form (intro, rise, climax, decline; the elements that make a campaign seem like more than slogging from one session to another) - Setting knowledge (knowing the background and cohesive pseudo-physics of the world so it isn't an obvious set piece; think of the immersion when watching Harry Potter movies versus some guy in a bathrobe with a stick yelling mangled latin) - Improvisation (reacting to player character actions by applying rational thought with setting knowledge to determine what happens next)
Psychological: You need it to keep the game fun for everyone - Reading the players (adjusting the narrative to enhance player enjoyment; similar to improvisation except it relates to the players and not their characters) - Diplomacy (diffusing a tense situation between players by directly addressing it) - Distraction (diffusing a tense situation between players by changing the situation in the game)
Logistical: It makes the game easier to play or reduces in-game stress on the GM. - Session planning (pre-made NPCs, town locations, reading up on character backgrounds and abilities, etc) - Secondary supplies (floor plans, miniatures, NPC pictures, notes, etc) - Tertiary supplies (mood lighting, music, food) - Quaternary supplies (Amber Diceless, a cheeseburger)
And the GM's best friend: Delegating (specifically setting knowledge and rules memorization). Making a player responsible for knowing how their character fits into everything. An example for each type: Setting knowledge - A player wants her character to be a samurai type character in a setting otherwise devoid of them. I'll work with her to make it happen but the burden of figuring out why her character is a samurai and adventuring with a bunch of mage-knights is on her. She's free to expand the setting as part of it but then she'll be the group expert on her new country and is responsible for answering other players's questions about it. Rules memorization - A player is a new class in an established system (Cavalier in Pathfinder). The player is responsible for knowing how his new class features work.
My opinion is rules understanding, setting knowledge, improvisation, and reading the table are the most important skills. Distraction (because it ties neatly into reading the table) is next and then diplomacy (though you could delegate that to a player if at least one tends to be impartial).
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HyveMynd
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Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
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Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Apr 17, 2012 16:58:14 GMT -8
What about this one?
Tonal/Emotional: You want your game/story to evoke some kind of mood, feeling, reaction, or emotional response in your players.
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