- Stu’s Rules of GM-ing
In the fall of 1978, as a seventh grader in junior high
school, I was introduced to the world of Fantasy Role
Playing when a friend bought the D&D Beginners Set.
It came with a basic rule book and some cardboard chits
in place of dice. We played through the sample adventure,
and I was hooked. Within a week or two I was creating my
own dungeons, and running players through them. From
there I went on to Traveller, and finally in my first
year in college, I discovered GURPS. Now at Thirty, I
look back at nearly 20 years of GM-ing, and I think,
"Wow, I’m some geek!" But I also remember how
many people were entertained by my games.
I would like to enumerate some basic points to GM-ing I
have come up with over the years for those who care to
read them.
A disclaimer: The following hints are from my own
experiences. The ideas I present have worked for me, but
they may not work for you.
Always Be Prepared. Before your GURPS session begins.
Have your adventure ready. Always know what’s going to
happen after you have all sat down and finished with the
small talk. If the players have things they want to do
from the beginning, let them, but keep YOUR game moving.
Very often I have been caught by surprise when there’s
a knock on the door: "We’re playing today?" I
say. Oops. Well if you have a couple of adventure seeds
in reserve, that’s the time to bring them out. When I
have a creative itch, it tends to last for a while, so I
write a few adventure seeds -- just a couple of
paragraphs to jog my memory and get things started. If
the players solve an adventure sooner than I expect, I
have another adventure to begin right away. An unprepared
GM is death to a gaming session. Always be ready.
Have the Right Attitude. For the players, the measure of
a successful gaming session is easy to identify: Did I
have fun? Did we accomplish the tasks we set out to do?
Great, a success! GMs, on the other hand, have to have a
different attitude. The GM is god, divine rule maker,
grand antagonist. But more importantly, the GM is the
entertainer. You are there to provide the players with a
good, challenging, and fun gaming session. Always
remember this! Yes, you are the chief antagonist, but
don’t lose sight of what your truly are, a partner in
fun. If you find yourself resenting the players for
beating your unbeatable foe, solving your unsolvable
riddle, you need to step back and take a real reality
check. Your purpose as a GM is not to "beat"
the players at the game your playing. That’s way too
easy. You make the rules. Instead, strive to confound the
players, challenge their problem-solving skills, stretch
their role-playing skills by putting their characters in
new unfamiliar situations. Make the players want to solve
your adventure. And if they going to succeed, let them!
After all, they deserve it. Only in role-playing games
can you explore the possibilities of worlds and people
that will only exist in your mind. It is a wonderful,
nearly mystic endeavor. Let your players enjoy the
richness of the worlds and situations you have created.
When Designing Problems or Puzzles, don’t determine the
solution. When I create GURPS adventures, I come up with
situations and problems, but I usually give little or no
thought to solutions to those problems. I do this for two
reasons. Firstly, I don’t want a preconceived notion as
to how the game must go. If I have a solution in mind, I
may subconsciously lead the players toward that
conclusion. I want my players to have free reign in my
worlds, I don’t want them to feel like they are being
lead. Secondly, if I don’t have any solutions in my
mind, whatever they come up with will probably be a
surprise. I love it when my players surprise me. In fact,
I encourage them to keep their plans secret until the
time of execution. Such an arrangement keeps me on my
toes and makes me a better GM.
Keep Notes! As the players move through my game visiting
shops, meeting people, they often ask for the name of the
person, place, business. As you make these up, jot down
the name and a brief description. That way if they end up
in the same area, things will remain consistent.
Don’t Let Combat Bog You Down. Well, I should say,
"Don’t let combat bog you down, unless you want it
to." My games are always heavy on role-playing and
character-interaction, not combat. If you dig combat,
have at it. But if you are looking for a more cerebral
game -- a game that doesn’t emphasize combat, don’t
let the combat slow you down. If you don’t know a
particular rule, don’t look it up, guess, make
something up, keep the game moving. The only caveat is
that you should make sure your players know you’re
going to run this type of game. Some players are
rules-lawyers, and they spend time studying rules, and
take pride in their knowledge of them. These sorts of
players may be taken aback by a GM who makes up rules on
the fly.
Don’t Give Hints! If you’ve presented the players
with a problem, and they are genuinely stumped, GREAT!
That’s your job. Watch them flounder. Enjoy the puzzled
looks. Just keep the game moving. If they can’t figure
out what to do, let them move on to something else.
Whatever you do, don’t just hand them the answer. Make
them earn it.
Well, that’s about it for now. Basically I see the GM
as much of a player of the game as the players. Always
have fun.
Stu.
