Let’s play fill in the blank. The only restriction is that what you fill it in with needs to be gaming-related.
Every GM should __________ at least once.
What’s the first thing that pops into your head? What does that tell you about your experiences as a GM? And how would you fill in the blank after some reflection?
17 Comments To "Every GM Should…"
#1 Comment By buj On September 30, 2006 @ 7:26 am
… kill off a well-loved player character …
#2 Comment By Avlor On September 30, 2006 @ 7:42 am
1) … raise from the dead a well-loved player (to complete the quest) …
(Just had the death and resurrection last night. Very kind of my DM to raise one of my char’s 2 best friends. We know we’re close to the end. How could we start over with a new character then?)
2) … experiment and do something that puts them out of thier comfort zone …
(Cliche saying, but true. I felt so silly using stick puppets. But, it did add to the game and will probably do that again.)
#3 Comment By greywulf On September 30, 2006 @ 7:46 am
Every GM should LIE at least once.
Whether it’s to save a character’s ass, or to allow the Villain to get away, a good lie beats a dice roll every time. 🙂
#4 Comment By VV_GM On September 30, 2006 @ 10:57 am
Every GM should improvise an entire session at least once. It gives you a great idea of what you really need to prep for and what your talents will take care of naturally.
#5 Comment By Gospog On September 30, 2006 @ 6:21 pm
Every GM should kill off a favorite NPC at least once.
#6 Comment By Dylan Zimmerman On September 30, 2006 @ 6:49 pm
…laugh…and the sentence should end “at least once a session”. It’s so much nicer when your GM seems like a reasonable person.
#7 Comment By Kestral On September 30, 2006 @ 7:56 pm
Every GM should be willing to consider any given houserule at least once.
If the rules aren’t working, then the game’s probably not working.
#8 Comment By Ramza On October 1, 2006 @ 3:38 am
Every GM should play at least once.
Basic, I know.
#9 Comment By Sarlax On October 1, 2006 @ 11:04 am
Every GM should try using another GM’s style at least once.
#10 Comment By tsuyoshikentsu On October 1, 2006 @ 4:22 pm
I second Ramza. I played in a real game (I don’t really count PbPs or this one crazy one I’m in) for the first time in years yesterday. And oh, how it rocked.
#11 Comment By longcoat000 On October 2, 2006 @ 10:57 am
Every GM should finish a campaign at least once.
#12 Comment By ScottM On October 2, 2006 @ 4:33 pm
I nodded along with almost everyone’s answers. I particularly like the “improvise a session at least once” recommendation.
#13 Comment By wyerdo On October 3, 2006 @ 6:29 am
Every GM should collaborate with one or more other GM’s on a campaign at least once.
#14 Comment By Frank Filz On October 4, 2006 @ 9:48 am
While many of the suggestions above provide good learning opportunities, I don’t think it’s a good idea to set out to check off each item on this list…
Some comments on individual suggestions:
Killing off a well-loved PC: a good learning experience, but man, if I new my PC died because my GM saw this list of suggestions and decided he needed to gain that learning experience right now…
Raise from the dead a well loved player: Gee, I wish I could do this… I guess I’d be torn between one of my high school gaming buddies who died of cancer within a year or two of our graduating, or Glen Blacow who was such a mentor to me… Oh, you meant raise a well loved PC… Sure, as long as it fits the game and is not a deus ex machina (though using a dem would be a good learning experience).
GM lying: I assume you mean a lie at the player level, not a lie at the game level (NPCs should lie all the time). I’m not sure this is a necessary learning experience…
Improvising a session: as long as this suggestion allows for “run a game that allows for improvisation if you are running a high prep game.” Improvising, say Champions, to the extent that you don’t even have villains prepared, could be pretty painful for the players (please wait an hour while I stat up these villains to some minimal level…).
Killing off favored NPCs: sure, as long as it fits logically. See killing off a favored PC above…
Houserules: sure, though better would be to suggest every GM make an effort to find a game that really fits his players at least once.
Finish a campaign at least once: what do you mean by this? Depending on the game system, that may be hard to define. D&D really doesn’t have a defined end.
Collaboration: I’ve considered trying this several times. It might be a good thing to be open to, but finding someone who it would actually work with is a pretty hit or miss proposition. And you need a game that’s appropriate for this.
Frank
#15 Comment By Martin On October 5, 2006 @ 6:13 pm
Checking off everything on the list would be weird — I agree. But checking off the ones that jibe with your own style and experiences? That sounds pretty good to me. 🙂
#16 Comment By Telas On October 11, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
…follow the players…
I’ve gotten some amazing ideas from listening to the players shoot the bull over what’s coming up next. A few times, I’ve completely changed the adventure because their ideas were cooler than mine.
#17 Comment By Martin On October 17, 2006 @ 2:17 pm
Telas: Yep, that’d make the hypothetical checklist for me — following your players is always fun.