Post by Paul on Nov 8, 2010 23:32:21 GMT -6
The Monolog
There are times when you are running a game, and you set up the great encounter facing the big bad evil guy and the guy is about to spill the beans on his master plans. Cliché to the max but it happens. Ok there is always one smart ass player that will want to shoot him before he is done. As a rule of thumb just ask to not attack until after the monolog. This will solve a lot of issues.
Your feelings as a GM will be run through the ringer on many occasions. Just let it slide. You spend all your time working on an encounter just to have someone say or do something stupid. Let it go. There WILL be a time when the players will put you in a situation where you are not prepared. They will ask you a question and you will just spit out the first answer that comes into your head. What type of mine are we in? A steel mine? For real? Laugh it off as just a mistake and change it to something else. Or leave it steel and have them figure out how that is possible. Don’t take it personal, don’t attack the players IC and OOC for a simple slip. Just let it go. Another example is you just create this big bad ass and decided to name him Ajax. Mythologically Ajax was considered the second greatest warrior after Achilles, but it is also a cleanser. The players might play on that and start calling him toilet bowl or A sucks etc. Just let it go. This also brings me to my next point.
You have to know when to put your foot down. If the toilet bowl comments are starting to really bother you then remind the players enough is enough and let’s play. You need to find a nice way to do this. If you start being abusive you will lose your players fast. Don’t be a drama queen about it, be an adult. If your players are provoking you constantly then get new players, ask them to behave or leave. You as the GM need to have fun too.
Leadership is rather important quality as GM. You are the one solely responsible for the GAME. You are the teacher, the leader, the god but that doesn’t mean you need to be a spiteful god or a giving god. Finding the correct balance takes a lot of time and practice, the best advice I can give for this entire rant is to check your ego at the door. The GM needs the players as much as the players need the GM. If you spend time working together, you will have more fun playing the games.
There are times when you are running a game, and you set up the great encounter facing the big bad evil guy and the guy is about to spill the beans on his master plans. Cliché to the max but it happens. Ok there is always one smart ass player that will want to shoot him before he is done. As a rule of thumb just ask to not attack until after the monolog. This will solve a lot of issues.
Your feelings as a GM will be run through the ringer on many occasions. Just let it slide. You spend all your time working on an encounter just to have someone say or do something stupid. Let it go. There WILL be a time when the players will put you in a situation where you are not prepared. They will ask you a question and you will just spit out the first answer that comes into your head. What type of mine are we in? A steel mine? For real? Laugh it off as just a mistake and change it to something else. Or leave it steel and have them figure out how that is possible. Don’t take it personal, don’t attack the players IC and OOC for a simple slip. Just let it go. Another example is you just create this big bad ass and decided to name him Ajax. Mythologically Ajax was considered the second greatest warrior after Achilles, but it is also a cleanser. The players might play on that and start calling him toilet bowl or A sucks etc. Just let it go. This also brings me to my next point.
You have to know when to put your foot down. If the toilet bowl comments are starting to really bother you then remind the players enough is enough and let’s play. You need to find a nice way to do this. If you start being abusive you will lose your players fast. Don’t be a drama queen about it, be an adult. If your players are provoking you constantly then get new players, ask them to behave or leave. You as the GM need to have fun too.
Leadership is rather important quality as GM. You are the one solely responsible for the GAME. You are the teacher, the leader, the god but that doesn’t mean you need to be a spiteful god or a giving god. Finding the correct balance takes a lot of time and practice, the best advice I can give for this entire rant is to check your ego at the door. The GM needs the players as much as the players need the GM. If you spend time working together, you will have more fun playing the games.