#games mastering

Good times.

I have been involved in tabletop roleplaying games for something like 15 years now. It's a staggering thing to think about given my humble roots as a fighter player that didn't understand why wielding a longsword in two hands was not as great as I thought it was. Simpler times. Over the years, I have run games more often than I have played in them and when I've not been running games, I've been thinking about the best way to do so.

In this time, I've developed a few ideas which I believe are key to running a successful and enjoyable game. Whether you're new to the whole GM thing or if your a regular veteran of the Old Guard, I hope this advice helps you enrich your games!

Ask Your Players What They'd Like To Play

Sometimes the best way to engage with your player is to simply ask them what they want in a game. Some players are happy to just play whatever you'd like to run and that's great! But some players are looking for something more specific in game. They might particularly enjoy a certain kind of genre or game system. There's nothing wrong with having your vision, but this information can really help tailor your game to your players tastes. Or who knows, you might find inspiration in their suggestions!

Work With Your Players

Roleplaying is a group experience. A collaborative effort between the players and the GM to craft a story. Some GMs see it more as a competitive experience, wherein they must do everything they can to obstruct and defeat their players. Some playgroups can really get into this style of play, but it is a rather niche attitude. In most cases, this can be a stifling and frustrating environment play in.

Try not to feel you need to fight your players over every action. I recommend working with them rather than against them. Focus more on making the story enjoyble, listen to their ideas, play with their expectations.

Ensure Your Protagonists Are Protagonists

As is true in writing, is true in roleplaying games. Your protagonists should be the most interesting characters in the story. For us, that's the Player Characters. Not everything needs to be about them, but they ought to be the ones pushing the story forward as events unfold around them. Ensure that your player characters are the ones who need to take action. On whom the crisis depends!

An easy trap to fall into is to include NPCs who are powerful, skilled, interesting and vital  to the plot. Everyone wants to have interesting NPCs, but if they overshadow the Player Characters, the question immediately becomes, why isn't the story about them?

If you're having trouble creating NPCs that don't overshadow the Player Characters, ask yourself first if these characters are absolutely necessary. Then ask yourself if the roles they play in your story would be better performed by a player character. Finally, perhaps think on how the Player Characters could be brought up to their level.

Avoid Railroading

The dreaded railroading is a loaded word in roleplaying games. But what is and isn't railroaded is not always terribly clear. Railroading, simply put, is making your players do what you want them to do. Which is an odd statement to make, because you generally always want your players to do what you want them to do. I mean... That's why you're running the game. But the problem emerges when you only let your players do exactly what you want them to do and punish them if they diverge from your plan in any way.

I think the issue stems from GMs worrying that they're players aren't going to want to follow their plotline. They fear that if they allow them any slack, their players will just run roughshod over their plot and ruin anything. With a good set of players this is an irrational fear. Players will usually want to follow your story. Indeed, trying to unduly restrict them might result in them trying to rebel out of frustration.

To avoid this, seek ways to put your players into the position where they want to follow your plotline. Ideally, with as little prompting by you as a GM as possible. Play to the motivations of their characters or look to their history. A team of righteous heroes would be pleased to step in where innocents are suffering. A band of ruthless mercenaries may desire little more than a generous reward. Rumours of ancient treasures. Sightings of long-lost family. Tantalising mysteries and secrets. A chance to seek vengeance on an old nemesis. Whatever happens, it also helps to make clear that there is no one else with the means or opportunity to complete the quest.

Reward Your Players

Players can be pretty resourceful and they like to feel like the heroes of the story. Sometimes your players will come up with creative solutions to a problem or even outright outsmart you and come up with something you never even considered! While your first instinct might be to frantically think of something to obstruct their efforts, don't be afraid to reward them for their ingenuity! This also applies when their characters play to their strengths. Let them succeed. Let them be the skilled, daring and outright badasses of the story!

Having said that...

Challenge Your Players

Once your players have gotten a taste of being awesome, that's the time to blind-side them. Throw them a problem that doesn't match their skill-set. Have them face unusually organised and well-prepared enemies. Make them take risks. But always give them an out. If you cannot think of at least one way the players can overcome an obstacle, they're not going to either. Impossible scenarios swiftly become tedious.

Moral dilemmas are also useful tools in your arsenal, when well used. But use them sparingly and to great effect. Put the players in situations in which they have a choice between betraying their values or personally profiting. The tone of these dilemmas will depend on the tone of the game in general but try to keep the morality ambiguous to one extent or another. Life isn't black and white, a little grey will spice up your game!

Antagonists

Antagonists are tricky beasts at the best of times. You need them to be challenging and daunting to your players but it can be difficult to know where to draw the line. Players need to be able to recognise antagonists, perceive what they can do and work to counter it. But this cannot be done with an enemy whose capabilities are determined only by the whim of the GM. As soon as you introduce an antagonist, you must determine their motives, resources, skills and methods. Once you have what they can do established, keep it as consistent as possible. You don't have to let your players know what they can do, of course. They can always have tricks up their sleeve...

It is also important to keep your antagonists surmountable. All-powerful foes might sound fun in theory, but they are dreadfully boring and, frankly, lazy. Antagonists who are smart, devious, unpredictable and resourceful are infinitely more interesting. They might be harder to run but I assure you, the extra work will be worth it.

Consequences

Actions have consequences. This is an indisputable fact of life. Reflecting this in your game is the best way to give players that feeling that their choices have a tangible effect on your game world. If the PCs protect a poor family in a small village, they might find the villagers offer them free drinks in the inn and toast to their name. If the PCs are spotted fleeing the scene of a murder, they might find their faces plastered on wanted posters in the town square.

But these consequences must always be logical and consistent. Though, that does not mean the players need know every factor in play. If you stick to this rule, players will soon come realise that their actions matter and with that realisation, they will become invested in those actions. They'll put more thought into the actions they take, consider different scenarios and become concerned about making the right choice.

Clear Goals

Not knowing what the GM expects you to do in a given situation can not only be an aggravating experience, but can really grind the game to a halt. Make sure your players know what they're fighting for. Ensure that their goals are clear and tangible. The moment your players start asking themselves “What is the point of all this?”, you've lost the essential gravity that drives a story and it can be a struggle to get it back.

The key to avoiding this effect is to keep the game concise with periodic, story-appropriate, reminders about what's at stake. Don't let your players get complacent. Another good method to keep your game on point, is to break down the adventure into multiple ever-evolving objectives. This has the added bonus of giving your players a sense of accomplishment every few sessions rather than once at the end of the campaign.