Help Bayeux weave a better GM Tapestry...
Hi, my name is Born on the Bayeux and I want to be a better GM.
I've started around a dozen games on this board (and others on other boards) and they have usually started well but all cratered eventually. I don't blame myself too much, most forum games fail. It's a tough medium. But still I'd like to do better. I have disappointed some great players in the past and I want to minimize that in the future. So I have taken a few months off from running a game and done some deep thinking. Now I'd like to bounce my ideas off of y'all and get your feedback. I'm hoping that, in the discussion, you can get as much out of this thread as I hope to.
My ideas:
First of all, I should run only one game at a time. Experience has taught me that I don't have the time to run more than one game at a time.
Second, for the near future, I want to run a 'gamer lab' where we try out different approaches to the game as it continues. Players will know this going in. More on this later.
Third, while I am learning more, games should have simple rules systems and accessible settings.
Fourth, I will start a prologue with players playing essential bland and similar NPCs. This is similar to stories when something happens to a group of people so the stakes are raised when the PC heroes actually show up (usually to find out what Awful Thing happened to the first group). This lets players try out the game without the work of making a full character. And I get to see their ability to adapt to a random character and how persistent they are to keep to the game (in my experience, most players that drop out drop out the first few weeks).
Fifth, I am considering scheduling fixed times for GM IC posts (say, every Sunday and Thursday nights for example). This lets the players know when their replies are due. That said...
Sixth, I don't penalize players for non-participation. Some players don't post very much for various reasons. For a lot of GMs, their motto is a player must participate. But for me, I only ask that they don't distract from the game. Should a character not be posting for awhile, that character is simply written 'off-scene' with a few sentences, easily able to return to the action with just as few sentences.
Seventh, no secrets between players. If PC #1 is about to betray PC #2, both players know about it.
Eighth, a non-action scene can be expanded by some players into a complete and personal subplot. Example, the characters get a room at an inn, having business in town the next day. This is just a simple scene but two players want to carry on a romance between their PCs that would bore the other players. Those two players can have a separate subplot (told effectively in flashback) that they can fill in later while the game continues.
Ninth, after the prologue, when prospective players can make their own unique characters, I won't put a limit on the number of applications. I realize this will result in an overcrowded game at first and players will leave because of it. But my thinking is that the players that will remain in the end are the ones that want to be in the game the most. Besides, we've all felt the pain of making a heart-felt character conception that is rejected at the starting gate. Related, I don't force players to fight for game slots. The spaceship can have more than one pilot, medic, gunner, engineer, etc. and the game can adapt to it.
Whew! That's all I can think of for now. I will post this and see what interest it generates. Thanks in advance for reading and any feedback...
I've started around a dozen games on this board (and others on other boards) and they have usually started well but all cratered eventually. I don't blame myself too much, most forum games fail. It's a tough medium. But still I'd like to do better. I have disappointed some great players in the past and I want to minimize that in the future. So I have taken a few months off from running a game and done some deep thinking. Now I'd like to bounce my ideas off of y'all and get your feedback. I'm hoping that, in the discussion, you can get as much out of this thread as I hope to.
My ideas:
First of all, I should run only one game at a time. Experience has taught me that I don't have the time to run more than one game at a time.
Second, for the near future, I want to run a 'gamer lab' where we try out different approaches to the game as it continues. Players will know this going in. More on this later.
Third, while I am learning more, games should have simple rules systems and accessible settings.
Fourth, I will start a prologue with players playing essential bland and similar NPCs. This is similar to stories when something happens to a group of people so the stakes are raised when the PC heroes actually show up (usually to find out what Awful Thing happened to the first group). This lets players try out the game without the work of making a full character. And I get to see their ability to adapt to a random character and how persistent they are to keep to the game (in my experience, most players that drop out drop out the first few weeks).
Fifth, I am considering scheduling fixed times for GM IC posts (say, every Sunday and Thursday nights for example). This lets the players know when their replies are due. That said...
Sixth, I don't penalize players for non-participation. Some players don't post very much for various reasons. For a lot of GMs, their motto is a player must participate. But for me, I only ask that they don't distract from the game. Should a character not be posting for awhile, that character is simply written 'off-scene' with a few sentences, easily able to return to the action with just as few sentences.
Seventh, no secrets between players. If PC #1 is about to betray PC #2, both players know about it.
Eighth, a non-action scene can be expanded by some players into a complete and personal subplot. Example, the characters get a room at an inn, having business in town the next day. This is just a simple scene but two players want to carry on a romance between their PCs that would bore the other players. Those two players can have a separate subplot (told effectively in flashback) that they can fill in later while the game continues.
Ninth, after the prologue, when prospective players can make their own unique characters, I won't put a limit on the number of applications. I realize this will result in an overcrowded game at first and players will leave because of it. But my thinking is that the players that will remain in the end are the ones that want to be in the game the most. Besides, we've all felt the pain of making a heart-felt character conception that is rejected at the starting gate. Related, I don't force players to fight for game slots. The spaceship can have more than one pilot, medic, gunner, engineer, etc. and the game can adapt to it.
Whew! That's all I can think of for now. I will post this and see what interest it generates. Thanks in advance for reading and any feedback...