And as with any influx of new blood, there is bound to be a resurgence of old arguments. Harrowed from their dread barrows, these timeless sources of rage and logical fallacies descend on the unwashed masses. But fear not, brave newcomer to these slightly unhygienic lands, a dashing paragon has appeared to guide you! Me.
Please stop crying.
This blog will focus on some of the broad points regarding the function of the Game Master and some practical advice on how to make it easier to run a roleplaying game. The purpose of these articles is to help improve your game, because I've spent decades playing make-pretend and I'll be damned if it goes to waste.
Note that these posts will assume certain things from the reader (hi mom!); first, that they already know the basics and broad-strokes of how roleplaying games generally function, and second, that they are interested in improving or just trying out the role of Game Master.
What Does A Game Master Do?
At first pass this is an easy one-- most roleplaying games will define the purview of the Game Master somewhere in their pages. They are a referee, a book might say. They are an arbiter, another chimes in. Indisputably, a Game Master needs to be familiar with the rules of the game they play. I recently had the displeasure of looking back at a game of FATE I ran for my own group where I had not adequately boned up on the rules.
It was an absolute mess. Anarchy reigned. Widows wept and rent sackcloth in twain.
Okay, But What Does A Game Master Do?
You're asking the hard questions. The Game Master is not a robotic referee, which is to say, they do not unthinkingly apply the rules as they are unilaterally. And this is where I diverge from some of the published material out there-- I believe the larger part of being a Game Master is, in fact, not applying rules. The maths-machine of many roleplaying games was designed as a kind of one-size-fits-all, and it is the function of the Game Master to attenuate rules to fit the needs of their particular group.
Below are three basic tenants of this GMing philosophy.
Rules To Live By Or At Least Just Guidelines Really I'm Not Your Boss After All
1) Have A Reason To Ignore A Rule: While it might be easy to intuit this, the application can sometimes be harder. "I don't like it" may not be a good reason to ignore a rule. Unsurprisingly "my players don't like it" may not be a good reason either. Players, after all, tend to dislike rules which disadvantage them-- that doesn't make those rules bad or ill-suited.
Game Master David Duchovny is considering throwing out a rule in D&D 5th Edition, namely, the encumbrance rules. Even though Game Master Patrick Stewart swears by them, Game Master David Duchovny decides that the consequences of an over-encumbered character are not really that interesting-- and compared to the bookkeeping they entail, don't seem worth it for his group of players.
On the other hand, Game Master Stephen Fry is going to ban the Warlock class. After thinking about it, he realizes he only wants to do so because one of his players--Alex Rodriguez from the New York Yankees--won't play anything else and Game Master Stephen Fry finds that tiresome. Since banning Warlocks for everyone seems harsh when his issue is only with Alex Rodriguez, Game Master Stephen Fry instead opts to talk to Alex Rodriguez and explain that he should consider a different class for variety's sake.
2) Think About The Impact Of The Rule: The more fundamental the rule--that is to say, the larger the cog in the maths-machine of a game--the more consequences there will be if it is ignored. This is perhaps one of the best indications that you may have picked an inappropriate system for your group. If you find yourself changing many of the core mechanics of a game--for which the ramifications may be broad--then perhaps a different system is called for entirely.
Game Master Daniel Radcliffe wants to replace the use of 2d6 with 1d12 as the core resolution mechanic in Dungeon World. It doesn't impact things like how modifiers are added, how damage is rolled, or other mechanisms of the game system. Game Master Daniel Radcliffe is probably alright swapping out the dice if he is willing to do the work necessary to account for the change in probability it represents.
On the other hand, Game Master Sir Arthuer Wellesley Duke of Wellington wants to remove Fate Points from a game of FATE, believing that one's ultimate destiny is the work of God Almighty and not some game mechanic. Since Fate Points are the major currency by which players can affect the game world, and interact so often with other core mechanics like Aspects and Skills, perhaps Game Master Sir Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington should look at a different system than FATE.
3) Be Ready To Ignore The Rule Again: This hearkens to something implicit in #1; the need for consistency. Consistency is what players crave, because so many of their decisions rely on previous interactions with you. When a Game Master is not consistent the world they are ostensibly ushering into their players' head is fickle. And fickle rhymes with pickle and not everyone likes those.
Game Master Sally Struthers did not make one of her players roll an Arcana skill check to identify a magic item, figuring that the player's character would be familiar with items made by her own tribe. Game Master Sally Struthers is prepared to allow that character to identify ALL such magic items without a roll, so long as they were produced by her tribe.
On the other hand, Game Master Ric Flair did not require an attack roll when one of his players attacked a sleeping Goblin. Later, the same player feels uncomfortable and annoyed when Game Master Ric Flair requires an attack roll against the Goblin King (who had been subjected to a Sleep spell). From now on, Game Master Ric Flair's players may not know what to expect when attempting to attack sleeping NPC's.
There, three guidelines with the easy mnemonic "HARTIARTATIOTRBRETITRA".
Ultimately, all these guidelines are driving at the same point. The major advantage tabletop roleplaying games enjoy over media like boardgames and videogames is that they are privy to all the creativity, foibles, and nonsense that human nature drags with it, at the ground floor. The Game Master is using rules, not enacting them and therein lies the rub. Roleplaying gmaes don't just want you to get some friends together to make a game-- they want you to get some friends together and make a game yours.
I'm out.
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