Comments on: The Virgin DM Monologues: e as DM?

By: Centurion

Centurion — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:13:34 +0000

I DM all the time and have done so for a long time. I prefer to wing it. i have a very general concept of and adventure and i let the charactors do what ever they feel they want to do. most stay towards the path of adventure. a few weeks ago i had a rogue that wanted to talk his way into a Zhenterium outpost and well he did a good job until he made it to the main Zhent that called his bluff and the rogue got roughed up thrown outside the rest of us milling about were surrounded and his unconcious butt and us recieved a trip to the dungeon. without our weapons and other trinkets.

I like freedom, sure you have to think on the fly, but when i write stuff down it feels like im giving them a script to an already decided movie. i like improv on everyones part.getting them all imprisoned wasnt even in any small incklings of my mind. we escape death and disebowlment so what the heck.

when explaining something use the senses. smell, sight, sound, and feel. added mental senses, like paranoia and figments of their imagination.

I had one adventure when they went into a old home for shelter from a storm and to the adventurers it looked like time was paused and a family was sitting still from a dinner. on closer inspection their was only skeletal remains at the table and the food that looked hot and just cooked was actually rotted from months of vacancy. unexplained illusions. could be for many reasons, but puts to question everything they see. paranoid. its fun.

DM runs the show. take them on a trip. just make it interesting.

By: Milarky

Milarky — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:46:20 +0000

keep the game moving dont dwell on the boaring bits e.g shopping, traveling, long goodbyes.. sat in the taven telling stuiped jokes..

think of it like a tv episode, speed up long dull combats, brute in new 4th seem dull to me after the pc are no longer in danger and theres no movement going on
minionize or drop the ac reflex etc..,
e.g you land a crushing blow and his damaged armour fails he rips i off in a rage..
or the rain of blow youve landed makes the quickjump thing look slowed and groggy now..

and i love funny voices for NPCs every pc is allways

and im also loveing the short 3-4 hour games the RPGA produce but be sure to read them before had as soe of them lack fluff and there maps are dull..

By: e

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:13:40 +0000

@ Hybban – You are too gracious. The posts about Saturday’s game (pre and post) will be going up later in the week for all the curious readers.

By: Hybban

Hybban — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:10:11 +0000

To all of her fans, I must admit that e did a great job for her first mastering, and she had a very difficult group to deal with. She’s the best

By: Kiashu

Kiashu — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:26:05 +0000

* player smarts should be more important than character skill
* GM rulings should be more important than system rules
* I master the game, the game does not master me.
* Step on up or step on out.
* Momentum over perfection.
* Complications more’n obstacles
* The game must go on!

By: e

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:07:22 +0000

@ Khorboth – I’m pretty good at improv since that’s what I do most of the day as a music teacher. Screw lesson plans, I hear things and then I fix them. That’s my lesson plan! (Administrators hate that, so I have a fake lesson plan that looks fancy and uses edumacational buzzwords so they get off my back and think I’m awesome. Which I am, but that’s besides the point…)

Either way, I usually think fairly well on my feet if I’ve had enough sleep. Which reminds me, I should get some now…

By: Khorboth

Khorboth — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:00:10 +0000

There is lots of good advice out there. Some will apply to you, and some won’t. The basics for me boil down to two sometimes contradictory things.

1) Learn your strengths and play to them. i.e. If you’re good at plot, but not characters, focus more on plot.

2) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Going out on a limb is the only way to improve, and fear of mistakes will paralyze you.

By: e

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:05:23 +0000

I’m getting ready! Thanks for all the advice – and keep it coming! I can reference the advice when I’m trying to convince myself I’m not crazy for trying DMing.

I have been reading my module and working out ideas about how far we’ll get into it. Got my ideas, got my NPCs, got my minis… eek!

By: LokyCat

LokyCat — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:43:41 +0000

Preperation is good but always remember…is the player’s job to F#%* UP the GM’s plan, so be ready for the unexpected.

Like Sandrinnad said…HAVE FUN!!!
Your players only have as mush fun are you. If you don’t have fun running the game I guarantee you, your players are also not having fun, If you are having a blast, your players are having the time of there life.

By: Mhoram

Mhoram — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:00:53 +0000

Don’t hide too much in the stuff on the table (minis, maps, etc). Remember this job is about leading the fun, not managing minis.

Read a couple of GM centered books like “Robin’s Laws of game mastering” and “Play Dirty.” These will give you information about the job of Game Mastering.

Make sure you have a distinctive “voice” and mannerisms for your NPC’s as much as you can. My players generally know who they are talking to by the way I speak.

Robin’s laws spends time on learning what player types you have and how to make use of that. It helps you to define the kind of game the players want and how to give it to them.

Play Dirty will spend time on how to make the players wish they were dead without ever killing them. Make them squirm sometimes, to make it fun for them.

Remember, your job is not about Monsters or Statistics. It is about fun. If you get caught up in all the details, it can bog things down. If you are not having fun, do something else!

Remember the rules:
1) There are no rules
2) Cheat anyway.

Good Luck! I know you will do well. And write about it so we know what happens!