Sir, How do I become a Game Master?
Posted by simone on 16:00 with No comments
That's a question that we've received on more than one occasion, with many players thinking that they need to undergo some form of 'test' or class in order to qualify as a GM. That's completely false! Anyone can be a GM, and in fact we have some PFS members that GM almost exclusively, as they seem to enjoy it more than playing.
Having said that, that doesn't necessarily mean you can waltz in without any preparation what so ever, there are a couple of things you might want to take note of in order to become a great GM.
1. Prepare!
With Pathfinder Society, your campaigns are pre-written for you. That doesn't mean you should run it cold (aka, without any preparation). Take an hour or two to read through the scenario and understand the goals of each character. Take time to rehearse hard-to-pronounce names (it's very distracting when you mispronounce an important NPC's name up to the point that players don't even know who it is!), look up stats before hand and jot down any notes you might need to take. Some monster stats might not be listed in the scenario requiring you to cross reference from the bestiary or NPCs might have spells that you don't often use, fumbling for information during game time not only looks unprofessional, its a big time waster. Knowing all these information at your fingertips is essential for a smooth game, also, it's important for one very big reason....
2. Dealing with Curved Balls.
Players don't do what you want them to do. In fact there are some players that crave the excitement in breaking your game. In one of the games I GM-ed, I had a group of players who decided they essentially wanted to skip the entire scenario and go find the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy/Gal) and kill her. You could always just say "sorry, that's not in the scope of this scenario" and drag the players on track, but they'll feel upset, cheated and very, very, railroaded (this is a free-form rpg, not a computer game with invisible walls). That's when proper preparation and a bit of quick thinking is imperative, how do you lead them back on track without seeming like it's too much of a railroad? In my case, the party wanted to hire some thugs to help them storm the mansion, so I threw in a random thug who happened to be part of the BBEG's crew and made off after accepting payment. Obviously no one lets thieves get away scot-free, and the party was led to the thug's headquarters instead of the BBEG's mansion, thus carrying on the story in a much neater way.
Another thing to remember is that this isn't a computer game, if players come up with creative ways to get past a problem, you should reward them, not shoot them down. Being a serpent-blooded sorcerer, one of our players wanted to charm the BBEG's pet basilisk and turn it against his owner. Well, why not? Not everything has to be dealt with with fire and explosions, rewarding crazy and risky antics makes for a more interesting game, and rest assured your players will try it again, and overall leading to good memories and fun times for everyone.
3. Listen, Listen, Listen.
The game is about your players, not about you. If your speech dominates more than 30% of the game, you're doing it wrong! You're there as a facilitator, let your players decide what to do. You'll be surprised at what they can come up with when you ask questions instead of just dictating what happens.
This is also important in ensuring everyone gets a fair share of the action. Some players are quiet and tend to be overpowered by other players, take note of them, and once in a while throw a "so what would you like to do" down their way. They usually come up with really good ideas, and once the rest of the group start noticing that their companion has stuff to contribute, they'll naturally include them in discussions.
4. Manage your time!
Most players play Pathfinder Society because they like the ease of dropping in and out of games. So watch out for time limits. Keep the tangents to yourself, and if your players are gently straying off track, lead them back to the mission at hand. Combat usually takes up the most of time, because players can't decide what to do, or because of 'hard math' as some may call it. What we like to suggest is employ is a semi-realistic time limit. When it's their turn, each player has 10 seconds to decide what to do, if they can't, we move on and they can jump back in anytime (aka, force Delay Action). Another way to speed up game is to make things happen real time. Say a party is taking too long to search the room, secretly roll perception checks for the guards in the next room, and the longer the party takes, the higher the chance of the guards hearing them and coming over to investigate. That's a surefire way to let your party know that things are going to move on with or without them!
Incidentally, some GMs also mentioned that rule-lawyering has led to many delays in games. As a GM you have the right to make a decision on an unclear rule. If the player is unhappy, you can take it up after the game, but try not to waste too much time. What we usually do is get the player to pull up the exact wording of the feat/skill/spell in question from a resource that he owns (ie. hardcopy or watermarked pdf). If he doesn't have either, then we just rule that as per Organized Play rules, he can't use that skill. If he does have it, the GM can take a quick read, make a ruling and move on. It's not fair on the others to slow the game because of one person. If you can't deal with the situation, you can always refer him to a Venture Officer for clarification.
5. Admit if you're wrong.
We're all human, and we've all been guilty of mistakes once in a while. If you make a mistake, apologize and move on. It's not the end of the world, and people tend to forgive you as long as you're not the proverbial ass.
Having said that, that doesn't necessarily mean you can waltz in without any preparation what so ever, there are a couple of things you might want to take note of in order to become a great GM.
 |
| Our GM (VC Richard) was very hard at work to prepare the awesome maps and minis for this epic battle in our Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path. |
With Pathfinder Society, your campaigns are pre-written for you. That doesn't mean you should run it cold (aka, without any preparation). Take an hour or two to read through the scenario and understand the goals of each character. Take time to rehearse hard-to-pronounce names (it's very distracting when you mispronounce an important NPC's name up to the point that players don't even know who it is!), look up stats before hand and jot down any notes you might need to take. Some monster stats might not be listed in the scenario requiring you to cross reference from the bestiary or NPCs might have spells that you don't often use, fumbling for information during game time not only looks unprofessional, its a big time waster. Knowing all these information at your fingertips is essential for a smooth game, also, it's important for one very big reason....
2. Dealing with Curved Balls.
Players don't do what you want them to do. In fact there are some players that crave the excitement in breaking your game. In one of the games I GM-ed, I had a group of players who decided they essentially wanted to skip the entire scenario and go find the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy/Gal) and kill her. You could always just say "sorry, that's not in the scope of this scenario" and drag the players on track, but they'll feel upset, cheated and very, very, railroaded (this is a free-form rpg, not a computer game with invisible walls). That's when proper preparation and a bit of quick thinking is imperative, how do you lead them back on track without seeming like it's too much of a railroad? In my case, the party wanted to hire some thugs to help them storm the mansion, so I threw in a random thug who happened to be part of the BBEG's crew and made off after accepting payment. Obviously no one lets thieves get away scot-free, and the party was led to the thug's headquarters instead of the BBEG's mansion, thus carrying on the story in a much neater way.
Another thing to remember is that this isn't a computer game, if players come up with creative ways to get past a problem, you should reward them, not shoot them down. Being a serpent-blooded sorcerer, one of our players wanted to charm the BBEG's pet basilisk and turn it against his owner. Well, why not? Not everything has to be dealt with with fire and explosions, rewarding crazy and risky antics makes for a more interesting game, and rest assured your players will try it again, and overall leading to good memories and fun times for everyone.
 |
| Handouts are useful and add a layer of realism and interactivity |
3. Listen, Listen, Listen.
The game is about your players, not about you. If your speech dominates more than 30% of the game, you're doing it wrong! You're there as a facilitator, let your players decide what to do. You'll be surprised at what they can come up with when you ask questions instead of just dictating what happens.
This is also important in ensuring everyone gets a fair share of the action. Some players are quiet and tend to be overpowered by other players, take note of them, and once in a while throw a "so what would you like to do" down their way. They usually come up with really good ideas, and once the rest of the group start noticing that their companion has stuff to contribute, they'll naturally include them in discussions.
 |
| Pathfinder's Game Mastery cards are great for players to keep track of consumables and scenario-only use items. Feel free to create your own! |
4. Manage your time!
Most players play Pathfinder Society because they like the ease of dropping in and out of games. So watch out for time limits. Keep the tangents to yourself, and if your players are gently straying off track, lead them back to the mission at hand. Combat usually takes up the most of time, because players can't decide what to do, or because of 'hard math' as some may call it. What we like to suggest is employ is a semi-realistic time limit. When it's their turn, each player has 10 seconds to decide what to do, if they can't, we move on and they can jump back in anytime (aka, force Delay Action). Another way to speed up game is to make things happen real time. Say a party is taking too long to search the room, secretly roll perception checks for the guards in the next room, and the longer the party takes, the higher the chance of the guards hearing them and coming over to investigate. That's a surefire way to let your party know that things are going to move on with or without them!
Incidentally, some GMs also mentioned that rule-lawyering has led to many delays in games. As a GM you have the right to make a decision on an unclear rule. If the player is unhappy, you can take it up after the game, but try not to waste too much time. What we usually do is get the player to pull up the exact wording of the feat/skill/spell in question from a resource that he owns (ie. hardcopy or watermarked pdf). If he doesn't have either, then we just rule that as per Organized Play rules, he can't use that skill. If he does have it, the GM can take a quick read, make a ruling and move on. It's not fair on the others to slow the game because of one person. If you can't deal with the situation, you can always refer him to a Venture Officer for clarification.
5. Admit if you're wrong.
We're all human, and we've all been guilty of mistakes once in a while. If you make a mistake, apologize and move on. It's not the end of the world, and people tend to forgive you as long as you're not the proverbial ass.
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