LESSON Mastering GMing

Elle Joyner

Moop.
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  1. Male
  2. Primarily Prefer Female
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Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
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The Core Principles to GMing ||
How to be a Successful GM… or at least look like one.



Depending on who you are, the title GM could be one which entices riotous feeling of joy and excitement or it could be a dirty word that sends you fleeing for your comfy blanket fort. For me, it's admittedly a little of both and I'm going to use this guide to show you why… in the hopes that we can work together to bring about a positive change in the way gamemastery and roleplay in general are handled.

As always… my word is in no way law (unless you are my child…). These are only opinions and while I may phrase them strongly at times, I am by no means supposing my way is right and yours in wrong. Hopefully someone learns something helpful… but as always, these are just suggestions to help you with your RP that have worked for me along the way :)

Enjoy!
Before you begin

The most important step you should take, before you even post an interest check is to know your RP. Before you start, make sure you have a grasp on the content you’re putting forward for your players. Try not to go into anything blindly. While it might SEEM like a fun or interesting concept to dive in without a plot, it gets messy very quickly, and messy things have a tendency to fizzle out quickly. The only time I've seen NOT having a plot work is in a sandbox RP, and even there, without direction, they tend to die out fairly fast.

Another important step is to know your PLAYERS. Don’t make the mistake of assuming everyone who joins your RP read the rules or the lore or the other character sheets. You can ask a hundred times for them to review everything, even put in a secret 'password' in the hopes that this means they were diligent about reading, but chances are, most will only skim. If you want dedication, be sure you’re accepting players who will add to your project and not subtract from it. This means that YOU need to do the research - review their history, their site activity. Utilize systems like prompts or writing samples. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ if something feels off. There are players for every RP, but that doesn’t mean they’re right for yours.

BE FAIR and UNBIASED. Don’t allow your relationships OOCly with anyone affect how you treat the people in your RP. Treat people the way you’d want to be treated, and keep your nose out of disputes or disagreements. If so and so doesn’t like such and such? That’s fine… as long as they can keep things civil - but if you and so and so are friends, that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect such and such. Be the bigger person.

Keep it Simple. There is a HUGE temptation as a GM to go overboard. You get excited about an idea… a world… characters… etc, and all you want to do is throw it all at your players without mercy. But remember, roleplaying isn’t novel writing. Your players do not exist to fulfill your story for you. They want to write, too - be prepared, have a premise, but be ready to twist what you’re planning around your players. Be flexible and open to ideas. Nothing is more boring or kills an RP faster than a GM who moves his players around like puppets.

Don’t get hung up on ideas. Flexibility was already mentioned - but I’ll say it again. Do not be that GM that cannot let go of ideas. If you try too hard to make something work when it just isn’t going anywhere, it’ll drive the RP straight into a deadzone. Learn to let go of your precious plans and let the story move where it’s more organic, more natural.

For THIS reason I highly highly highly recommend that as a GM you DISCOURAGE your players from PRE PLANNING things like romance or over the top character twists (like their protagonist PC suddenly and inexplicably turning to the dark side without proper setup/motive). It will confuse the crap out of your players and it can MURDER an RP. Let things happen naturally - let chemistry dictate relationships. Same with twists - if it feels right, throw it in, but if it seems clunky, or like it will drive the RP away from the central plot or the other characters, say ‘no’.

Care. I know this sounds stupid and obvious, but you would be surprised by the amount of GMs who churn out products they have no real investment in themselves. Things that they get excited about, but then lose interest in, almost immediately, and this is a disaster waiting to happen. You need to be dedicated if you want your players to be, and for this, you need to LOOK dedicated, too.

It’s not imperative or necessary to know fancy coding tricks or to be a graphic design master. But there are plenty of resources available to make your RP look good… including people who will do it FOR you. At the very least, presenting an organized thread is key. Have a plan for the details and show them in your interest check - this lets your players know you care and aren’t just going to drive off on another plot when you get inevitably bored of the current one.


The Ugly 'P' Word

The thing we know and hate, but cannot escape. It’s not dinner table talk, but it’s unavoidable, all the same. It’s Politics!

As the GM it is imperative that you avoid drama OOC. If you want to keep your RP rolling smoothly, try to resist the temptation to get involved in any dramatics that aren’t roleplay related. If someone is causing an issue or being obnoxious, take it to PMs and inform them to stop. Remember - YOU are in charge, and your other players will look to you to sort things out. Don’t get caught up, don’t be biased -end arguments swiftly as possible and move on. IF something is festering, or a player won’t let it go, it might be best to let that player go.

It’s okay to play favorites. I realize that this sounds like a cardinal sin in a guide about proper GMing - but let’s be real for a moment. We all have those people we RP with more than others. We’ve known them longer, written more with them, trust them more. In my opinion, it is totally okay to give those people a little more freedom with the reins. This doesn’t mean everyone you know and love gets to be a co-gm. Too many cooks makes for a messy broth. It simply means you hand important plot points and roles to more TRUSTED players. This can keep an RP from fizzling out a lot faster than a wild free-for-all. You never want to neglect any of your players, or make them feel like they’re on the outside of a clique - but utilizing those players you know will be dedicated and stick around is not necessarily a bad thing. This DOESN’T however, negate the rule about being unbiased OOCly. You still need to treat all of your players with equal levels of respect.

COMMUNICATE - I cannot stress this enough. You are responsible for keeping your RP alive. YOU and only you. Not your players. You need to be the one who reminds players to post, who tags them when new posts come, who encourages them to plot and discuss. You need to be on top of the slackers, cutting the fat if necessary. You need to police your OWN project. Never ever EVER ask anyone who is not a GM to handle something that you should be doing - be it reminding players to post, or dealing with an OOC or IC indiscretion. You will only stir up trouble and make people doubt your ability to lead. Have MANY veins and avenues of communications - PMs, Discord, OOC… It’s important that everyone know there is somewhere they can go to be involved - don’t leave anyone out, and try to avoid the trap of over-planning in private with other people. You never want to alienate a player… not for any reason.


Cliche is not a dirty word

No matter what the condescending and critical minded might suggest, cliches and tropes are NOT your enemy. Use your strengths, embrace the cliches and don’t try too hard to be original. So many GMs struggle with the need to be ‘unique’ - but in the end what you’ll find more often than not is a confusing, disorganized mess of ideas, poorly presented and ill explained. Remember that your players don’t live in your head. It’s better to put out an idea that we’ve seen a hundred thousand times, but put it out in a clever and well-presented manner, than try to write The Sixth Sense and end up with The Happening. I repeat, cliches and topes aren’t the enemy - using them to your advantage can actually make an RP work and run better - but if you use them, use them WELL.

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. Don’t try to be Stephen King if horror is not your jam. Don’t aim for Agatha Christie if you hate waiting for that mysterious reveal. This doesn’t mean you can’t try something new, but just know that if you’re inexperienced and not willing to do the research, it WILL show. And remember, if you do try something new, do the research - no one will take you seriously as an authority on something unless you ACTUALLY know what you’re talking about.


You are NOTHING without your players

Your players are not just a tool for your needs. USE THEM, but not as glorified NPCs. If you have a scene planned, wrap it around your players. Give them something to do/see/react to/fight/etc. It is okay to have NPCs involved as a GM, or even regular PCs, but don’t try to be the hero in your own writing - never ever ever ever try to overshadow your players characters. This will get dull for everyone involved. Every IC GM post should have something for each player involved… Collabs are also a handy tool to use, if you need to run through a scenario quickly/with shorter posts.

DO NOT GIVE UP. Even if you go from 25 players to 2… those two players are still important. I see way too many GMs cut their losses when only a few people have quit or disappeared, and the interested players get left in the dust as though they’re unimportant. If the RP isn’t dead, don’t bury it prematurely because it didn’t turn into the epic experience you were anticipating. Limit your expectations, allow room for drop-outs or people who flake. As long as you’re not the only one left, you can still tell a story!

Do not be ‘that guy’ who wants to be so edgy and dark and shocking that you ruin your entire plot. These are gimmicks that will leave your players feeling used and unimportant. It’s not okay to kill anyone’s characters. Period. Without their permission is a HUGE ‘no-no’, but unless they specifically come to you and so ‘Yo! I need out of this RP for ‘some reason’. I want an epic death scene’, then don’t push them into a position to kill of their character. If a player’s character dies, it’s fair to surmise that they’ll then have nothing left to do in the RP. You lose a player, and that stands to reason that you aren’t running a successful RP. If you DO decide to kill characters, or your player comes to you with the desire, make sure it fits the plot. Character deaths need to have impact. They need to have purpose - even NPCs, but especially PCs. You run the risk of dragging down the environment in an RP if you get kill happy, and this can tarnish your image for future RPs.


The Ghost in the Machine (Spoiler: It’s you)

The secret to a successful RP, sometimes, is just to have something that actually SOUNDS fun and well maintained. Make your world interesting. You don’t necessarily need to have 298630296 species or crazy, wild tundras to explore, but the world should be something that players can interact with and imagine - something that has some element of interest. Even if it’s just plain old regular earth - add in locations, give them some NPCs to react to or interact with… Big or small, it should be a world that players can immerse themselves in, easily and effectively.

Never ever ever ever ever hold your lore hostage. Your players are in this WITH you. They WANT to write and they want to be a part of your world, immersed in it to the fullest possibility. Don’t try to be ‘sneaky’ to get that ‘shock’ value… don’t try to toss in twists just to surprise your players. OOC is NOT the same as IC and if you try too hard to be vague and tight lipped OOCly to protect the IC reaction, your players will get bored and move on. Following in line with Keeping it Simple. Keep your lore understandable and brief - No one wants to read 300 pages of lore just to join an RP. Don’t write a textbook. Write enough that they can make a character and follow the story - but if there are questions later on ANSWER THEM! Do not try to be mysterious. It’s just frustrating and drives players away.

It’s important in a roleplay that you offer choices. Even if those choices don’t really alter the plot behind the scenes, you want to give your players the illusion of feeling as though they have in some way directed the story. Fail at a task? Have REAL consequences. Succeed? Make sure they know it. Given them a few doors to go through, instead of one bright red obvious option.

Tavern Scenes are Where RPs go to Die: Structure is your friend. RPs should have at least SOME semblance of motion at all times - That said, character development relies on SOME down time, but make sure it’s well placed and makes sense, and never let it drag on too long.

Stick to a Schedule- Ugh. Deadlines. I know, right? But they are SO SO SO importantly crucial to keep an RP from dying. Players need limits - this is why we have character sheets and rules like “no godmodding” and such. But one of the most important ‘limits’ is a time limit. Allowing for infinite amounts of time between posts is a REALLY quick way to watch your RP tank. Be diligent - post when you say you’re going to. But the best way to make sure of this is to literally SET A DATE. If you’re like me and you suck at knowing one minute from the next in life, you can just say “Sometime THIS week” (this is why most of my RPs run on a bi-monthly GM post) - but the BEST way to ensure your players know how much time they have is to set a specific date “I plan to post 7/15” or even “I will post another IC GM post every THURSDAY” - Boom. Your players now know they have exactly THAT many days to get their own posts up? They don’t make it? Skip them. It seems unfair but at the end of the day this is the only way you will ensure your other players don’t get bored and move along. You have to keep things going forward. Plus, let’s be honest… the idea of an RP is to write. So… if your players aren’t willing to do that, are they really the best players to have, anyway?


Establish Rules for YOURSELF, too

Share the load. I know that this goes against the very definition of the word ‘master’ but GMing is NOT a solo affair. Don’t try to go it alone. This doesn’t mean you need a co-GM, but it DOES mean that occasionally, you have to rely on your players, not just ICly. Cooperative writing is important, but so is cooperative plotting. You may have your story down from start to finish, but unless you’re planning on removing all autonomy from your players, you have to be prepared to open the door for ideas, for suggestions, you have to be willing to hand out important plot points and roles. THIS is what takes an RP from good fun, to amazing content!

If you ARE going to kill an RP… do it quick and be honest about it. Don’t let it linger for months and months, your players questioning if it’s on hiatus or just straight up done. Be fair to the people invested and tell them you no longer are RIGHT AWAY. And don’t built a reboot of the same RP a few months later and expect everyone to jump right back into it. You have to know that as a GM, if you decide to kill the project, you will probably make people wary about joining anything new. RPs die, even GMs lose interest, but there are limits to what people will stand for and if you aren’t willing to do the hard work to keep a project moving, then why should your players?

Do not get ‘RP thirsty’. This is one thing I see… so often, and it’s a difficult and slippery slope - but there are WAY too many GMs out there who jump from project to project to project with no focus and no real recognition as to how much time and energy they’re going to need to invest in any one of them. It’s fine to run multiple RPs at once, if you’re capable of that sort of multitasking, but EVERY SINGLE ONE should get the same level of focus and dedication as the next. Don’t toss out an idea, get bored and move on to the next a week later, but expect your players to stay involved.

If you have rules for your RP, be clear about what you want, but be concise - a fifteen page, ten tab thread about what you expect from your players is going to drive people away, and fast. Let them know your expectations in as few words as possible - not one likes a condescending butthead… Be reasonable, be fair and avoid elitist terms. Only ask of your players what you yourself are willing to give. Don’t expect 5 paragraphs per post if you aren’t going to deliver the same. Don’t expect weekly posts if you can’t follow through weekly with a GM post. Conversely, if you ask for detailed writing - don’t accept a player whose writing is intermediate.


In Closing

Again, this isn't a list of legitimate rules or a surefire, fail proof plan. These are just a few tips and tricks that works for me. I could go on for pages and pages, and I'm sure I missed plenty, but in the end the most important things to remember are that no one succeeds without -trying- and no RP runs without a GM :) Have fun and play nice ;-)
 
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Dear I can't read anything other than the headers D:

Oh now it works
 
Damn... This helps me so much. ;___; I'm guilty of a lot of these things you've listed and I always wonder why my rps die. There's also the fact that I find it extremely difficult to get a co-GM. How do you get co-GMs? What do you do?
 
Damn... This helps me so much. ;___; I'm guilty of a lot of these things you've listed and I always wonder why my rps die. There's also the fact that I find it extremely difficult to get a co-GM. How do you get co-GMs? What do you do?

I typically just ask someone I know and trust, who I know already has an invested interest on the project. Asking a stranger is sort of asking for trouble, because in the end you don't really know their style of writing OR how well you'll mesh with them as a person, which can make GMing a bit stressful.
 
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I typically just ask someone I know and trust, who I know already has an invested interest on the project. Asking a stranger is sort of asking for trouble, because in the end you don't really know their style of writing OR how well you'll mesh with them as a person, which can make GMing a bit stressful.

I hope things get a bit easier for me over time... I don't really know anyone unfortunately, which is why it's difficult because I'm not gonna ask someone I barely know (out of the blue) if they want to co-GM.

I'm also curious about what techniques and strategies you use to plan your rp? How far do you go in plotting (do you go to the end where there's a final outcome, do you plan just the beginning, etc.)? How detailed do you get with your plotting (are the ideas thorough or are they more generalized?)? One of the other reasons why my rps have died is because I go in within a summary/plot/premise, but I don't have much else in terms of planning and try to wing it.
 
Yeah - like any hobby or interest, it definitely takes time to work out the kinks. I've been RPing two decades, and I STILL have stuff to learn. And it takes a while to build up a trusted core of people you RP with, but it definitely works to your advantage if you can :) But a co-GM isn't always necessary, either. I usually only have one if it's a big, intense project, or I have a lot of NPCs to run.

As far as planning, I usually just have a basic outline of the plot in my head, but with a LOT of flexible parts. I try not to get too into my own ideas, because as I stated in the guide, the idea is to work WITH your players, and work the story around their characters. So general ideas are more useful for you. You just basically wanna have plot points you can hit - along with an overarching plot that doesn't shift, so you have an idea of where to go at all times, but aren't set on ONE solid, linear plot line.
 
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Yeah - like any hobby or interest, it definitely takes time to work out the kinks. I've been RPing two decades, and I STILL have stuff to learn. And it takes a while to build up a trusted core of people you RP with, but it definitely works to your advantage if you can :) But a co-GM isn't always necessary, either. I usually only have one if it's a big, intense project, or I have a lot of NPCs to run.

As far as planning, I usually just have a basic outline of the plot in my head, but with a LOT of flexible parts. I try not to get too into my own ideas, because as I stated in the guide, the idea is to work WITH your players, and work the story around their characters. So general ideas are more useful for you. You just basically wanna have plot points you can hit - along with an overarching plot that doesn't shift, so you have an idea of where to go at all times, but aren't set on ONE solid, linear plot line.

It's true that a co-GM isn't always necessary. It just feels nice to not be the only one with that kind of responsibility. You can hash ideas out, talk to them, and I think it helps out in the long run (and is fun) if you're working together as a team and have someone you can learn from (just as they can learn from you). ^^

Thank you so much for these explanations! Your guide was extremely helpful. :)
 
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For THIS reason I highly highly highly recommend that as a GM you DISCOURAGE your players from PRE PLANNING things like romance or over the top character twists (like their protagonist PC suddenly and inexplicably turning to the dark side without proper setup/motive). It will confuse the crap out of your players and it can MURDER an RP. Let things happen naturally - let chemistry dictate relationships. Same with twists - if it feels right, throw it in, but if it seems clunky, or like it will drive the RP away from the central plot or the other characters, say ‘no’.

Eh, I dunno about this. I for one typically encourage my players to plan their own side-plots, because that shows that they're invested. And I think that stifling another person's creative flow is a thing to avoid whenever possible. After all, if I say "no" to people planning things out and just tell them to "let things happen naturally"... I often find that people kind of feel like they don't know what to do with their characters. They just float on through waiting for something interesting to happen that their characters can engage with -- and then it becomes my job, as the GM, to give their character something to do. And, yes, keeping everyone engaged is a job that I can and should accept as the GM, but it certainly makes things a little bit easier for me when I have players already creating interesting side-plots, so that I don't have to scratch my head thinking of an enemy to toss their way or a mysterious thing to investigate or anything else that'll pull them back into the main plot when those characters fall into a lull.

Yes, it's important to know that things don't always go as planned. But that doesn't mean that people should be discouraged from planning anything whatsoever. It's like, as the GM, I have plans for where I want the main story to go -- and those plans are certainly not set-in-stone, and I'm willing to change some things if the RP veers off in a different direction, but I do always have some sort of plan in mind. I think players should take the same approach with their side-plots.

Yeah, an out-of-nowhere plot twist might confuse other players. But as for a more reasonable, well-built-up plot twist? Or something like a character romance? I really don't see how that would "murder" an RP. And if the concern is that other players will be blindsided by one or two players suddenly taking things in a different direction, then, I think that's more of a communication issue than anything else.

Care. I know this sounds stupid and obvious, but you would be surprised by the amount of GMs who churn out products they have no real investment in themselves. Things that they get excited about, but then lose interest in, almost immediately, and this is a disaster waiting to happen. You need to be dedicated if you want your players to be, and for this, you need to LOOK dedicated, too.

And as for this, I would just like to add: if you suddenly find that you don't care, it's ok to say so and let the RP drop. Don't feign investment just because you feel like you should be more dedicated and put more care into an RP that you honestly don't care about.

One time I posted an interest check for an RP that I did honestly lose my inspiration for pretty quickly. But I kept the interest check going for almost half a year, telling players that the reason I hadn't gotten an OOC up yet was because I was too busy to flesh out the parts of the RP that still needed to be fleshed out -- which was partially true. But another large contributing factor was the fact that I just wasn't feeling inspired enough to fill in those holes. And I really didn't like the RP anymore, but I kept trying to make it work, kept forcing myself to sit down and work on the OOC despite having hardly any desire to do so, out of this sense of obligation to remain dedicated to an RP I started.

Eventually, after a good six months of being in limbo, I told the players that I had to let the RP drop. :/ Yes, it was probably wrong of me to start an interest check on a whim to begin with. But I should've told people early-on that I didn't feel like continuing it anymore -- instead of holding myself hostage to it just because I felt awful about being that guy who put up an interest check on a whim only to quickly abandon the idea...

So, yes, I would say, if you're going to post an interest check, make sure it's an idea that you care about, and that you're ready to dedicate a fair chunk of time and effort to the RP. But don't force yourself to remain dedicated to an RP that you just don't care about anymore. I don't think that's a healthy habit to be in. :/
 
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Eh, I dunno about this. I for one typically encourage my players to plan their own side-plots, because that shows that they're invested. And I think that stifling another person's creative flow is a thing to avoid whenever possible. After all, if I say "no" to people planning things out and just tell them to "let things happen naturally"... I often find that people kind of feel like they don't know what to do with their characters. They just float on through waiting for something interesting to happen that their characters can engage with -- and then it becomes my job, as the GM, to give their character something to do. And, yes, keeping everyone engaged is a job that I can and should accept as the GM, but it certainly makes things a little bit easier for me when I have players already creating interesting side-plots, so that I don't have to scratch my head thinking of an enemy to toss their way or a mysterious thing to investigate or anything else that'll pull them back into the main plot when those characters fall into a lull.

Yes, it's important to know that things don't always go as planned. But that doesn't mean that people should be discouraged from planning anything whatsoever. It's like, as the GM, I have plans for where I want the main story to go -- and those plans are certainly not set-in-stone, and I'm willing to change some things if the RP veers off in a different direction, but I do always have some sort of plan in mind. I think players should take the same approach with their side-plots.

Yeah, an out-of-nowhere plot twist might confuse other players. But as for a more reasonable, well-built-up plot twist? Or something like a character romance? I really don't see how that would "murder" an RP. And if the concern is that other players will be blindsided by one or two players suddenly taking things in a different direction, then, I think that's more of a communication issue than anything else.



And as for this, I would just like to add: if you suddenly find that you don't care, it's ok to say so and let the RP drop. Don't feign investment just because you feel like you should be more dedicated and put more care into an RP that you honestly don't care about.

One time I posted an interest check for an RP that I did honestly lose my inspiration for pretty quickly. But I kept the interest check going for almost half a year, telling players that the reason I hadn't gotten an OOC up yet was because I was too busy to flesh out the parts of the RP that still needed to be fleshed out -- which was partially true. But another large contributing factor was the fact that I just wasn't feeling inspired enough to fill in those holes. And I really didn't like the RP anymore, but I kept trying to make it work, kept forcing myself to sit down and work on the OOC despite having hardly any desire to do so, out of this sense of obligation to remain dedicated to an RP I started.

Eventually, after a good six months of being in limbo, I told the players that I had to let the RP drop. :/ Yes, it was probably wrong of me to start an interest check on a whim to begin with. But I should've told people early-on that I didn't feel like continuing it anymore -- instead of holding myself hostage to it just because I felt awful about being that guy who put up an interest check on a whim only to quickly abandon the idea...

So, yes, I would say, if you're going to post an interest check, make sure it's an idea that you care about, and that you're ready to dedicate a fair chunk of time and effort to the RP. But don't force yourself to remain dedicated to an RP that you just don't care about anymore. I don't think that's a healthy habit to be in. :/

Nothing wrong with pre planning plot ideas or even interactions. What I discourage is pre planning romance. It removes an element or organic naturalism and chemistry that can make an rp fun to read. Also prevents a lot of other relations from forming naturally ICly.
 
Nothing wrong with pre planning plot ideas or even interactions. What I discourage is pre planning romance. It removes an element or organic naturalism and chemistry that can make an rp fun to read. Also prevents a lot of other relations from forming naturally ICly.

:/ Hmm, if you say so. I don't have very much experience RPing romance, so I guess I'll take your word for it.