DM vs Player

[Doc_Jones]

Not sure if this is completely the right place for this, but I have been thinking about this for a bit.

For every DM, there is 10 people who want to play. I have no data to back this up, and the disparity is likely less than that, but this is how it feels to me.

DM'ing takes time and effort. It can be enjoyable, but it can also burn you out on gaming. Many a time I have started as the DM in a group, where it was agreed that after a campaign someone else in the group would DM a campaign. Once the campaign was over, I was left with a choice. I could DM another campaign, or watch the group disperse since nobody would step up. I've found this to be a regular trend over the course of two decades of tabletop RPG's, and it's found in every product.

Players. Take a chance. Especially if you have some extra time between games. There are a TON of video resources that can show you how to build a campaign in FG. I'm very partial to the scan / ocr / copy / paste method myself. Once you give it a try, you might find that you enjoy running a game just as much as you do playing. With FG, the cumbersome box of books is no longer. The tedious cartography a thing of the past. I'm currently working on converting an old Pathfinder module to 5E. I wish there was a way to legally share the module with others so they could have an easy way to test the waters. LMoP is a great starting point, however I do not doubt that soon so many people will be familiar with the module it may be unplayable by all but the newest players.

Anyway, that's my take on it. If this should be in another place and one of the mods can move it I would greatly appreciate it. I hope I have given some of you something to consider. Not everyone is cut out to be a DM, but I am convinced that there are more great DM's out there that have no idea just how awesome they could be.

[JohnD]

Agree completely. Another take; it would be great functionality if DMs could get discounts on content or have people gift them DLC, either in whole or donate a % of the cost and when that reaches 100% the DLC is granted.

But, DMing and seeing people enjoy your scenarios is great fun and reward in and of itself.

[Doc_Jones]

Agree completely. Another take; it would be great functionality if DMs could get discounts on content or have people gift them DLC, either in whole or donate a % of the cost and when that reaches 100% the DLC is granted.

But, DMing and seeing people enjoy your scenarios is great fun and reward in and of itself.

Just after I purchased my ultimate license, one of my players actually sent me some money through pay pal, totally unsolicited. I was very happy about that.

[Ferrin]

A few experienced GMs could do a how to seminar or two. Focus on the actual things it takes to design and run a game. Not a this is what fantasy grounds can do for you. There are tons of those already on YouTube. But a workshop about everything it takes to be GM. Make it a regular event for anyone interested. You will see the ranks of gms grow. As most players are just intimidated by the perceived difficulty of GMing.

[Old Man Trouble]

I'd like to agree with Doc here. DMing/GMing/whatever-you-call-it can be quite enjoyable. Lately, I've been running purchased APs, though in the past I've made my own content. It's always interesting to see what the group will try to overcome obstacles. In my experience, I've found that there are two, possibly 3 common barriers to GMing.

First, is you need to be able to concentrate on multiple players, what's going on in the game, rules, FG mechanics and a myriad of other things in order to be successful. This is probably the thing I've heard the most. I just can't keep up with everything I need to do to run a game.

Second is the preparation time and commitment. Let's face it. It takes a long time to get things ready. Using a premade adventure, AP, or other content certainly helps. There are multiple walk-throughs and help guides about how to enter these into FG. It would be fantastic if we could simply purchase content and import it into FG with the click of a button, but that's generally not available. I consider myself pretty decent, and it still takes me 24-48 hours to enter a full AP book into FG. That's a significant time commitment. There's also much more pressure for a GM to show up prepared. A player can just hop on and go. Not so for the GM. I've heard many players say they don't want to GM because it's like having a second job.

Third is coordination, or what I like to call: Herding Cats. Generally speaking, players are like cats. They're independent, want to do their own thing, want it now, and don't necessarily play well with others whose goals differ from their own. In RL gaming sessions, I've found liberal doses of alcohol and/or cookies to be a great solution. I need someone to write an extension for that, please. Seriously, though, don't let this stop you from GMing. Yes, it happens sometimes, but I find that it fades as the RP miles pass by.

So after saying all of that, I don't know whether I've helped or not. Hopefully I haven't scared everyone away. I do find all of it worth it, or I wouldn't continue to GM. And I've been doing it for about 20 years. Give it a shot. I would especially encourage you to start with people you already know you like. Find a small group, 3-5 people, and make everyone responsible for running one game a month in a round-robin style. You may not get a cohesive story, but it's amazing how small stories can build up into fun times. Everyone gets a character, it's just when you're the GM, your character becomes an NPC. And for heaven's sake, don't drop loot for yourself. 8p

[Nylanfs]

Third is coordination, or what I like to call: Herding Cats. Generally speaking, players are like cats. They're independent, want to do their own thing, want it now, and don't necessarily play well with others whose goals differ from their own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SmgLtg1Izw

[Doc_Jones]

A few experienced GMs could do a how to seminar or two. Focus on the actual things it takes to design and run a game. Not a this is what fantasy grounds can do for you. There are tons of those already on YouTube. But a workshop about everything it takes to be GM. Make it a regular event for anyone interested. You will see the ranks of gms grow. As most players are just intimidated by the perceived difficulty of GMing.

This actually sounds like an amazing idea Ferrin. I wouldn't consider myself an experienced DM, but I would be very willing to participate in something like this.

[Von Stalhein]

i remember once having a fear of GMing. But it's jumping at shadows! GMing can be a lot of work, but there are so many ways of lessening the load, and often the easier routes produce paradoxically better outcomes. For example, the best sessions in my experience tend to be those where I've not "prepped a session" but "prepped to improvise" a session. The former takes forever and ends up producing a load of unused stuff (or a railroad, which the players hate). The latter sticks the PCs on the ground, asks them, "what next?", and has the tools to provide exciting responses to their answer.

What is true is that the experience of GMing is very, very intense (at least on this approach). During the game your APM is going to be up there! But for me, that's part of the joy of it: this intense creative frenzy where the outcome of the story and the players' emotional states (in virtue of their investment in their characters) hangs in the balance.

Anyway, to anyone reading who hasn't GMed: don't be scared! The best hung about being a GM is that it's your game, so you can decide what constitutes a good session. ;)

And I reckon some workshops and/or other "new GM" materials could well help - but potential GMs: don't think you need any such training before you give it a shot! Your imagination and some (in this case virtual) dice are all anyone has ever needed.

[Trenloe]

A few experienced GMs could do a how to seminar or two. Focus on the actual things it takes to design and run a game. Not a this is what fantasy grounds can do for you. There are tons of those already on YouTube.
I'm confused by this statement - are you suggesting a general "How to GM" seminar, or a "how to GM in FG" seminar? From this statement it looks like you're asking for the former? In which case there are literally hundreds of articles, videos, eBooks, etc. available on how to be a GM as this is a general topic with RPGs as a whole, not just Fantasy Grounds.

Simply use your chosen search engine and enter how to gm for example: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+gm

But beware, like every player has a preferred style, every GM will have their own style too - and it might not match with the first (or second, or third...) group you run for. This can also be a very difficult part of GMing - finding a style that you enjoy that also matches what your players are looking for. If you're playing face-to-face with good friends you'll have to work this out with your group (as I assume you want to keep playing with them), but using a VTT over the internet you might want to be a bit more brutal and end a game that isn't working due to a clash between your preferred style of play and your players. But don't give up, re-advertise and be clear up-front what you're looking for.

Therefore, based off your (and your chosen group of players) preferred style, some GM tips/tricks might not be completely relevant to you. As will the style of game you play - if you play a Fantasy d20 based game that is heavy on combat then you'll need to concentrate on preparing the combat side and not on having an in depth investigation type game (or wasting your time fleshing out a bunch of NPC background and motivations when the first thing your players will do when they encounter them is roll for initiative).

This is why you will very often see a GM, when they are advertising for their game, be very specific of the type of game they're running. This avoid clashes/disappointment/poor gaming sessions by setting the expectation up front. A big thing with GMing is don't feel insulted if a player doesn't like you style of GMing and leaves your game - that's fine, we all look for different things in our gaming. Sure, work with them a little bit to see if you have similar styles and can make things enjoyable, but if there is a big difference in what you're looking for in your gaming then don't flog a dead horse, let the player leave and look for a new player to fill the ranks.

What you look for in your gaming can change over time too. For example, when I first started RPGing I loved dungeon crawls - now, as a GM, I don't enjoy running them; it takes a very special session/scenario/group of players for me to enjoy running a dungeon crawl. Sometimes it happens, but more often than not I get a flat feeling running a dungeon crawl.

[Doc_Jones]

Some very good points Trenloe. Having a good idea of the kind of game you want to run ahead of time is without a doubt a very important starting point. I found when I first started to do games that starting off with a hack and slash kind of game to break in was good. Then you can look for modules or write an adventure that slowly starts to rely on varied plot hooks and storyline until you find where your comfort level is balance wise. I think one of the hardest things I've found running games, is that many players and GM's alike forget about self preservation. When you remove the individual danger to self from the equation, many will charge headlong into the fray, instead of contemplating an alternative solution. Those alternative solutions can bring about some of the most interesting situations.

[Minty23185Fresh]

Doc_Jones. I'm relatively new to FG, and started as our group's DM. But I love both sides of the table (from my early paper days), and this morning the idea of round robin DMing popped into my head. From your original post, I'm guessing you were exploring the possibility of forming a group with rotating DMs. If so did that ever come to fruition? And again, if so, how is it working out?

[JerryRig]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SmgLtg1Izw


/cackle

[JerryRig]

I'm available to help mentor on the FG DM/GM tools. If I'm on Teamspeak I'm usually their even if marked AFK ...I play CoD4 loudly so if I don't answer back right away I might not of heard you ...just send me a poke.

I play mostly Pathfinder but it's nearly identical to Dungeons and Dragons DM'n on FG (90-95% the same) so if you learn it one way the other is not to hard to figure out the nuances/differences.

[keeperofsouls]

The most successful ways I have found to introduce a player into GM roll is to partner a game with them. I do this by being kinda of a CO-GM I'll be there to help them create a session. Make sure you let them come up with an idea of something they want to run. Then help them by showing them where to find information they will need and give them strategies on how to run scenarios just anything that mite help them. I will often talk about the core of a roll-playing games and show them just how much control they have over out comes. Then when that are ready to run I will play as a players and help them from that side. So far those games have gone very well. Tho you have to play more like a NPC really you get the joy of watching a new GM run there first game and the players live in it.