What Makes A Good GM, Thoughts and opinions Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Outline Switch to: Standard Switch to: Linear+

[TinkerGnome]

[Ezra]

Sunday Gamer and McQuillan are speaking sense.
I have a few points to add to their original posts.

1 - The Ali G Factor : Keep it real. Everyone at the table should be rooting for the players, the GM included. I work on a system of "Truth and Consequences". A player who decides to stand up to a group of vampires, take a pot-shot at a bunch of Red Samurai or just throw a finger at Frankie "The Trigger" Motola, had BEST have the ability to see things through. Realism makes the game more enjoyable, and in every one of the scenarios above, the player in question is going to have to deal with the results. Blindly running across 4 lanes of the interstate during rush-hour can (and has before) result in an 18 wheeler broadsiding you.
Conversly, what happens to the players also happens to the NPC's. Realism.

2 - Your NPC's: When your players say things like "Johnny would never do that." OR "Johnny would rather have the Roomsweeper, leave the Predator for Frankie" when Frankie and Johnny are your NPC's....then you have made it. Find a sounding board. I normally get my girlfriend to listen to my plans and my NPC's. Answer questions about them....where are they from?....what do they think about Renraku?.....blah blah. Shadowrun 2nd Ed had Twenty Questions to flesh out a PC.....my NPC's are made to that mould. Obviously, not ALL NPC's need that attention to detail. Generic Goon #1 is expendable fodder, and is created as such.

3 - Fade to Greys: Sunday Gamer's movie analogy rocks. Any good movie doesn't focus only on the good guy. It is pointless watching our heroes fight their way through the bad goons, unless we know that the bad guy and his nefarious sidekick have a nuclear bomb ticking away. Suddenly the tension is real, suddenly there is more at stake than the next karma award. I start every session with a review (Normally told in as a narrative) of the last session, read out to my players. This cuts through all the "I need to find a glass for my Coke" shit that happens. The players focus, and thoughts are drawn into character. Then I do the "Fade to Grey's" These are little scenes for PLAYER knowledge only. They divulge something of what is going on around them. This can take the form of a dialouge between the Bad Guy and his sidekick "Finally Sidekick, the players are stumbling into my death trap! Yes yes oh evil one.....if only they knew that the sentry guns are set to fire inwards!" This knowledge is for the players, not their characters. It adds to the roleplaying experience for all concerned. The players are rightfully nervous before the big hit.....and you have the satisfaction of knowing that the players appreciate your plot.

4 - Planning. There is no substitute. I really love GMing.....and I spend hours planning each session. I run a 4 hour session once a week. On average I will spend about 10 hours planning for that session. This includes prepping my fade to greys, typing the review of the last session, anticipating the player's actions (and reviewing the rules I am going to need to use for their actions. NO sense in stumbling through a hot-wiring proceedure of a VTOL in heavy rain......rather have the modifiers at hand.) and of course, plot and NPC development.
Before a final session, or a milestone session in the campaign, I will typically spend about 15 hours planning for it.

GMing is a lot of work. Or rather.....good GMing is a lot of work. Personally, I regard roleplaying as my hobby. Some people play golf....I plan shadowrun campaigns. The finest reward I have ever recieved was after the finale of a year-long campaign I had run for 3 players. I concluded the run with a fade to grey which incorporated the epilouge to the tale. I finished reading, and looked up, expecting smiles from the players who had succeeded in the campaign. INstead, two were actually crying, and the third was blinking back tears and had an obvious lump in his throat. They were so wrapped up in the story that the final sacrifice of one of their friend NPCs and the subsequent failure of the Bad Guy had proven to be very emotional.
I could have asked for no greater accolade. :)
(Still my favourite session.)