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Week 7 : A game master's guide to RPG

"Let's try playing God" - a game master's guide to RPG

So here we are at my last publication about pen and paper RPGs. So I introduced you somehow to RPGs in general and also gave a few guidelines in case you would like to take part in an RPG as a player. Although I believe that it is better to start your experience with this kind of entertainment as a player, some people may want to try being a game master immediately.
Before I start I must underline that in my opinion the GM and players are equally responsible for the outcome of the meeting and both need to make an equal effort so that everybody has a really good time. And believe me, I had some best times in my life with my friends during our RPG sessions. That said, the truth is a GM has lots more of preparations to do.
A player needs only to prepare their character, maybe think over some elements and/or factors that are beyond that single hero, but still concern him (Does he have any family? Maybe he has a pet?). When a GM prepares for the session, he has to think over ALL the rest.
The GM has to come up with a good scenario for the adventure, not necessarily original, but interesting enough so that the players actually want to push through to the end. Some twists, even simple ones, are usually a must have. Again, you don't have to prove you are better than Stephen King, but players always enjoy surprises.
You must have something we can call a "main quest", so the main storyline of the adventure. Also, for every obstacle you put in front of the players (a battle, a riddle, an investigation, basically anything that stops the players from progressing) you must come up with at least one solution to which you try to guide the heroes. As I like to say it, don't expect the players to come up with a solution, if you didn't come up with any.
On the other hand you must always keep in mind that this is not a computer game. So the characters are free to go wherever they are, do whatever they want. There's no decision they cannot make, no action they cannot try to do. That's the whole idea of RPG: do whatever you feel like, be whoever you want to be. So you must be prepared, that players will surprise you. Believe me, they will. Sometimes it's really amazing how much differently people reason. It happened to me some many times that the answer that appeared obvious in my opinion was the last thing my players would think of. And that's how it is. Personally I find it also as an advantage for the GM, because you don't need to be afraid that your scenario will end prematurely: the players will most often take the longest possible path to their goal, simply because for them it will be the most obvious.
Now, if you decide to prepare a scenario based on a rulebook, such as the World of Darkness, obviously you must learn the concept of the fictional world and its rules. However this is also a perfect occasion to find some inspiration for your adventure, if you don't have a clear idea of the setting you would like to use. RPG rulebooks have very rich descriptions precisely for that reason: to give people ideas about the type of adventure they would like to prepare for their players.
Usually rulebooks contain also so called mechanics, which means the infamous dice rolling. I say 'infamous' because that's what created the association between RPG and nerdy kids rolling dice and talking about their +2 swords. I am not a fan of so called dice-rolling, not too often anyway. The mechanics for rulebooks such as the World of Darkness or Dungeons and Dragons actually require a lot of dice rolling and calculation to establish the outcome of a test.
Dice can be very helpful. You see, when playing these games it's the GM's responsibility to decide the outcome of the actions taken by the heroes. So, will the hero land a good punch? Will he make that jump? Will he spot that clue? However dice have the enormous inconvenience of taking the focus from actual role playing and immersion in your character to the numerical results. In most case I prefer to resolve "conflicts" through storytelling and my own intuition, in life there is always some randomness so I also use a dice from time to time. Also when using a dice the players can't blame you if they fail! :D
Finally, my last piece of advice: it's all about fun! If you want to be a successful GM find out what the players like, what settings would be most enjoyable for them and realize all that. The scenario has to be about the heroes, not about you. As I like to say, put them in the spotlight, give every hero a chance to prove their worth, give them his or her 5 minutes of glory. Every player wants their hero to be special and that's how it should be. Look out for timid players who will be to intimidated to take any action. Encourage them to do something, to take part in an adventure. In the end, RPGs are all about having fun.
Ok, that's enough. I really can talk (or write for that matter) a lot about this.
Questions!
1. Have you ever written stories for your own satisfaction? (Even short ones!) If yes, what about? Share!

2. If you could make your own movie and were given unlimited funds, what would the movie be about?

Comments

Sylwia said…
I don't remember writing a story for my own. I do not like writing and creating stories, so probably all written by me was school homeworks and so.

The movie would have been a mix of action and fantasy containg also a lot of high technology. The action would have taken place in modern life on Earth and other planets. It would be no alien invasion on Earth, but only exploring other civilizations, their culture, biology and knowlegde. Of course some local conflicts, threats and fights would have taken place.
I’ve never wrote Any story for my own entertainment. I’m just not the creative type. I like reading these written by others. I also don’t think that I would be able to make any movie. I think that it must be very complicated thing even with the unlimited founds.

I don’t want it to sound like I don’t have any imagination. I just like to create something that is useful to someone, that solves some problem, I that case it’s simple. It works or it doesn’t. when you are writing a story or create any other form of art it’s not that simple. I started to write something in the pas a couple of times. But whenever I stopped and came back to it in couple of days I come to the conclusion that it is not good enough and I had to start from the beginning. It’s quite frustrating. So after a couple of attempts I decided that it’s just something not for me and I gave up.
Unknown said…
I'd like very much to become a movie director. I have written several different stories. I hope one day you will see them in a cinema. However, there is one story, I'd to share with you now. Last semester, we had to write a scenario for a game. My game was called “3xP” and took place in Paris. (You might wonder what “3xP” means? Hold on a second I explain it later.) It was about Pierre, a retired detective. Pierre finished his career and moved from Paris to a country side. He was leading a quite life there when his best friend was kidnapped. He decided to conduct his private investigation. He discovered that the kidnaper was a serial killer who murdered many women before. The killer used to put wigs on heads of dead bodies. That was the reason he got his famous nickname “A Wig Maker”. The story has a lot of plots but I won't be writing about all of them, because it would take 4 pages, at least. Now, let's move to the end of the story. Unfortunately, Pierre was killed by “A Wig Maker” too. Pierre couldn't reconcile with the fact that he failed, so he continued the search as a ghost. And eventually he succeeded, God bless! Although, it sounds a bit messy, it's very exiting. If anyone would like to read it, I can send it to you :)

P.S. “3xP” stands for Paris, Pierre and Perukarz (a wig maker).
armandstanczak said…
Hey, isn't it exactly like a computer game. Wow this just blew my mind. Once there was this game where all your characters would meet, like in a band camp or something but then the bears would attack... It was a weird game, but it was exactly as You wrote.
On the related note, I don't write for pleasure, there are people that do so. But if I had an unlimited amount of money I would make a movie about.... Hey, why would I make a movie? I'm rich! Just kidding just kidding. I would make a movie about robots, like extremely big ones, fighting aliens - something like Pacific Rim but without inner storyline. Just fighting. I would be goooooood.....
Cheers
Unknown said…
1. Have you ever written stories for your own satisfaction? (Even short ones!) If yes, what about? Share!
I never tried to write stories for myself and if I must write something longer than 4 sentences it is disaster. I prefer to find and read good stories. I don’t know why but writing is really not interesting for me.

2. If you could make your own movie and were given unlimited funds, what would the movie be about?
You all know this Hollywood movies about USA being attacked or destroyed by zombies, cataclysm etc. right? So my movie would be about Poland invaded by aliens then destroyed by tsunami after which zombie will control whole country. At the end people who survived will run away to USA. Great idea I tell you. I can add Godzilla between aliens and tsunami :d
Unknown said…
1. Do you have a favorite character? It can be any person, fictional or real, from any movie, book, game, etc.
My favorite character right now is Frank Underwood from House of Cards. You know this guy from BZWBK commercials nowadays? I really recommend to watch this series.

2. Why him/her? If you don't have a favorite character I don't believe you and go back to question 1 :P
Why him? I think that is just effect of watching new TV series :D He is such great layer and his comments about other people are just priceless. Mind tricks, politics, blackmails this is what he does.

3. If you were to create your own character, who would he/she be? And in what setting would you place that character?
As I mentioned in “Week 7 : A game master's guide to RPG” I am not really into creating that kind of stuff so I will not even try to think about it.
Unknown said…
Sure! I was a game master few times. It's great fun! But to be honest, it's was a while ago and now i cannot remember a single one. I've once tried to write a book on my own. I've stopped after like 4 maybe 5 pages. It was about to be a story of a Dark Elf called Menshi. But i will not spoil the rest. Maybe i will be able to finish it one day :) With unlimited funds i would just make the green lantern movie the way it should be done, or the third batman movie.
Have you ever played/watched Final Fantasy? :D
Hey, sounds quite cool actually! It seems a quite "typical" detective-crime story up till the moment Pierre continues the investigation post mortem. I like that kind of small twists or little surprises in a story. I hope to see the movie one day, so I can base on it a scenario for my friends some :D
P.S.: Would the movie be placed in 1940 Paris? Like a noir movie? Cause I think it would be fit it greatly :P
Actually sometimes I play (or prepare) scenarios that are all about combat :P It's acutally nice to play once in a while a action packed story. Most of my friends like to feel like Bruce Willis in Die Hard xD
Sounds like a cool movie bro! Maybe send the script to Tarantino! xD
I'll definitely check out the series, it sounds nice. BTW I think you should move this post to the previous publication :P
Sylwia said…
No, I haven't.
elos said…
Yes, I wrote a story in primary school, It was a comics. I cant share with you because it was about my friends and probably it was funny only for them.

My movie... Because I am not best in making movies I would give all funds for better than me like Sacha Baron Cohen, I like his ideas, so for sure I would not be dissapointed.
Natalia said…
I have written some stories, but most of their endings are still in my head. Most of them were about post apocalyptic stuff or thrillers, nothing specialy new or worth to mention. I would create a better adaptation of wiedźmin, in my opinion every adaptation would be better from this one which we already have, so it wouldn't be hard. Besides thanks for such interesting presentations!
Seisyll said…
1. Never wrote anything, I don't have any talent and every story I thought of only consisted of few cool/funny moments.
2. Couldn't be a single movie, rather few movies or a TV series depicting history of characters of my RPG team. It would be too hard to select a single story to make a movie about it, because of soo many great moments our characters had.
Tomek Niezgoda said…
If I had to create a world for players it would probably be based on one of three ideas: humans embracing deep space exploration, alternative 50s with futuristic technologies or some cyberpunk setting (like Deus Ex). I’m fed up with medieval times with added sorcerers, goblins and whatever else.
alt_pl said…
1. I wrote many supplements for RPG games like Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Cyberpunk 2020 and Old World of Darkness settings. I have lots of papers in my drawers but I never used it :)

2. I would make movie based on Diablo II. Really, story is great and lots of blood and killing demonic spawn included :)
lukasz-anwajler said…
1. Have you ever written stories for your own satisfaction? (Even short ones!) If yes, what about? Share!

Not really. I wrote some stuff, but only to practise my writing skills :)

2. If you could make your own movie and were given unlimited funds, what would the movie be about?

I'd make William Gibson's Neuromancer. But for sure I wouldn't be the director :) I'd take one like Christopher Nolan or David Fincher with crazy ideas of Wachowsky brothers... I'm very surprised (and maybe a bit relieved too) that this book hasn't been filmed yet.
Well, you could write down their misadventures in a series of novels! :D
Yeah, I actually quite often hear that people are fed up with ordinary fantasy. Check out diesel punk, that actually is the name for the second theme you mentioned! Also you could check out Shadowrun Returns (it's a cRPG). The setting is quite interesting and unique :D
Hey, you're welcome, I'm happy you find them interesting. Also I believe stories don't need to be new to be good. I've played many scenarios and seen many character stories that indeed were "new" but also were illogical and not immersive. Just saying that I don't like it when people think that something new and original is enough to make a compelling story.

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