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> What Makes A Good GM, Thoughts and opinions
TinkerGnome
post Apr 10 2004, 03:50 PM
Post #1


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QUOTE (Red Mage)
What makes a good GM? An intense hatred for other people and a desire to do them harm but tempered with a fear of not getting caught. Someone with a desk job where they can devote a lot of time to painting miniatures and designing campaigns, security officers fill these requirements perfectly.

I was reading some 8-bit theater and I checked to see if there were any Red Mage articles I hadn't read. There were and I found this line as an answer to the first question. It's obviously in jest, but it does bring to light the age old question of what does it take to be a good GM. I like to think that I'm at least a descent GM (not great by any stretch), but what qualities take someone from descent to good or even to great?

[edit] This goes for Shadowrun in particular and relates to the recent thread on powergamed starting characters. For instance, does a good GM keep the power level balance by limiting cyber and 'ware? Does he let in everything? How about during play, does he enforce real world consequences (the troll with the assault cannon walking down the street, for instance) or let a lot slide to make the player's lives easier? [/edit]

I'd make this a poll, but there are too many possible answers.
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Posts in this topic
- TinkerGnome   What Makes A Good GM   Apr 10 2004, 03:50 PM
- - Phaeton   For one thing, not pissing off the players. I...   Apr 10 2004, 04:23 PM
- - Austere Emancipator   I have no idea. If I did, I wouldn't be as suc...   Apr 10 2004, 04:41 PM
- - Apathy   A good GM figures out what the players want to do,...   Apr 10 2004, 04:58 PM
- - Veracusse   A GM that just plays what the players want to play...   Apr 10 2004, 05:11 PM
- - L.D   A good GM must do one major thing: Make sure that ...   Apr 10 2004, 05:26 PM
- - Phaeton   QUOTE (Apathy) A good GM figures out what the play...   Apr 10 2004, 05:50 PM
- - BishopMcQ   I'll let my players decide, but I'd say I...   Apr 10 2004, 05:56 PM
- - blakkie   Good taste in snackfood.   Apr 10 2004, 06:01 PM
- - A Clockwork Lime   In my opinion, the only thing it takes to be a goo...   Apr 10 2004, 06:01 PM
- - Talia Invierno   I wish I could comment further on this, but as thi...   Apr 10 2004, 06:54 PM
- - Zazen   I see a good number of replies saying "don...   Apr 10 2004, 06:56 PM
- - CountZero   Don't over-nerf the characters, especially in ...   Apr 10 2004, 08:16 PM
- - Veracusse   I really agree with McQuillan, he seems to have a ...   Apr 10 2004, 08:31 PM
- - kerensky   To start with, create a narrative depicting a worl...   Apr 10 2004, 09:25 PM
- - TinkerGnome   Interesting comments, guys. I've been thinkin...   Apr 10 2004, 11:45 PM
- - Phaeton   QUOTE (TinkerGnome) Interesting comments, guys. I...   Apr 10 2004, 11:52 PM
- - Sunday_Gamer   I'm not big on blowing my own horn but since e...   Apr 11 2004, 03:59 AM
- - Phaeton   QUOTE (Sunday_Gamer) I'm not big on blowing my...   Apr 11 2004, 06:24 PM
- - Zazen   QUOTE (Sunday_Gamer @ Apr 10 2004, 10:59 PM) ...   Apr 12 2004, 04:04 AM
- - mfb   me. i make a good GM. if you're not me, make i...   Apr 12 2004, 04:19 AM
- - Stumps   QUOTE What Makes A Good GM Sex. Sex makes people....   Apr 12 2004, 06:39 AM
- - Arethusa   Man, so many jokes about 'Jesus saves...'   Apr 12 2004, 06:41 AM
- - Sunday_Gamer   In terms of note taking, I feel your pain. I...   Apr 12 2004, 07:10 AM
- - Zazen   Hmm, can you give me an example of a thread-based ...   Apr 12 2004, 07:39 AM
- - Arethusa   Basically, for ever solitary plot thread, you take...   Apr 12 2004, 09:54 AM
- - Sunday_Gamer   Arethusa pretty much has it, here I found an old n...   Apr 12 2004, 04:22 PM
- - Zazen   Ahh, I dig it. Thanks for the example   Apr 12 2004, 05:00 PM
- - Ezra   Sunday Gamer and McQuillan are speaking sense. I ...   Apr 12 2004, 05:31 PM
- - MrSandman666   You have achieved what I believe to be every GMs d...   Apr 12 2004, 06:07 PM
- - shadd4d   Planning time is probably one of the big problems....   Apr 12 2004, 06:16 PM
- - Sunday_Gamer   I will confess... I'm a free form ad lib ninja...   Apr 12 2004, 06:46 PM
- - lspahn72   QUOTE (Sunday_Gamer) 1) Think of it as a movie...   Apr 12 2004, 07:21 PM


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