![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Jun. 3rd, 2013
Advice from a novice GM (and my response)
Jun. 3rd, 2013 06:53 pmFrom ellipsesobsessed on Tumblr [x-posted from my Tumblr]
I’m going to have to reblog this to post a decent length answer aren’t I?
This is great advice from the horse’s mouth (so to speak) for anyone in the position of encouraging a new GM, and it’s advice that holds true for anyone taking up a new role. They need reassurance not expectation. Encouragement not interrogation. Space to develop their own style (or styles) of GMing.
GMing is a skillset and like any other it takes practise.
Eli: Now you said above that support like “you’ll be awesome” makes you feel under pressure. I want to tell you that what I heard and saw from your game today bore out my (mostly unexpressed) opinion that you are a natural and starting from “Good” you will be an awesome GM in relatively short order. But I also want to make it clear that I’m still talking about a timespan measured in years before you reach that point - although others are certainly going to be convinced you have reached it before you yourself are. There’s is no pressure intended here :)
You’ve also been fortunate to have exposure to some of the best GMs I know :) Not everyone starts with that talent or example (anyone you inspire will at least have the latter ;) ) The type of players in your first few games can also have a huge impact. Time permitting I always seriously consider joining games being offered by novice GMs - there is a lot an experienced and careful player can do to lighten the load simply by setting a good example for other players (sometimes extending to taking other difficult players in hand) and being able to offer supportive and positive feedback if it is desired. All the usual advice about *how* to provide good feedback applies.
OTOH sometimes it’s best to steer clear. I have also been in the position of being asked *not* to join a game because the novice felt intimidated by my experience and that they would feel under pressure to run a good game because of it. I thought it was great that they were confident enough to express this to me and take charge of the kind of group they were running, and they were still happy to come to me for advice about things they were having trouble with in their game. These people have invariably gone on to become successful GMs.
… that got a lot longer than I intended. This is a topic I am very passionate about. In conclusion then:
Game on!
Argh… I’m on the fence I sort of want to run a short one off dungeon world session tomorrow at buckets. (Tabletop roleplaying game)
But at the same time I am absolutely terrified. Sometimes when I mention it people are like “yeah go for it, give it a shot,” and I feel sort of good about it. Other people people are like “you would be AWESOME!” and then holy crap pressure. Still others are like “Oh yeah are you doing X, Y, Z? How are you handling A, B, and C? Oh and have you read J and K?” and I’m like I DON’T KNOW!?!
All categories of people are trying to be supportive… but some of the methods just don’t really work on me. If you tell me I’m going to do awesome, sure, that is a nice complement but at the same time I feel like there is now all that expectation and I have to be awesome, but it would be my first/second time running something. And the other category just makes me feel like I’m woefully unprepared and need to go read 5 million books, read a bunch of posts, and be an educated expert in everything before running anything.
*Sigh*
I’m going to have to reblog this to post a decent length answer aren’t I?
This is great advice from the horse’s mouth (so to speak) for anyone in the position of encouraging a new GM, and it’s advice that holds true for anyone taking up a new role. They need reassurance not expectation. Encouragement not interrogation. Space to develop their own style (or styles) of GMing.
GMing is a skillset and like any other it takes practise.
Eli: Now you said above that support like “you’ll be awesome” makes you feel under pressure. I want to tell you that what I heard and saw from your game today bore out my (mostly unexpressed) opinion that you are a natural and starting from “Good” you will be an awesome GM in relatively short order. But I also want to make it clear that I’m still talking about a timespan measured in years before you reach that point - although others are certainly going to be convinced you have reached it before you yourself are. There’s is no pressure intended here :)
You’ve also been fortunate to have exposure to some of the best GMs I know :) Not everyone starts with that talent or example (anyone you inspire will at least have the latter ;) ) The type of players in your first few games can also have a huge impact. Time permitting I always seriously consider joining games being offered by novice GMs - there is a lot an experienced and careful player can do to lighten the load simply by setting a good example for other players (sometimes extending to taking other difficult players in hand) and being able to offer supportive and positive feedback if it is desired. All the usual advice about *how* to provide good feedback applies.
OTOH sometimes it’s best to steer clear. I have also been in the position of being asked *not* to join a game because the novice felt intimidated by my experience and that they would feel under pressure to run a good game because of it. I thought it was great that they were confident enough to express this to me and take charge of the kind of group they were running, and they were still happy to come to me for advice about things they were having trouble with in their game. These people have invariably gone on to become successful GMs.
… that got a lot longer than I intended. This is a topic I am very passionate about. In conclusion then:
Game on!
