Chris Armstrong 🎲🎲I am still a pretty terrible DM, and I feel like the experience of my current campaign is not improving. I think I'm going to have to shake things up and probably cancel this campaign. Maybe run some one-shots in different systems, maybe with different groups.
I am pressing on with the campaign for now. I am trying to put some more effort into preparing more detail for environments and NPCs and encounters.
PresGas@radix Care to elaborate a bit on where you are feeling stuck?
@radix Feel free to let us know here what your hold ups are. I think we are all here to help each other out!
Improv, and running combat encounters in interesting and challenging ways. Combat I can feel myself gradually improving on, but improv is an extreme challenge.
Really, I have run very few premade adventures and I think I need to spend more time doing those. In fact I am probably going to try to put a roll20 group together real soon for a one-shot.
@radix I guess I feel like it is the players that end up driving the combat parts (...and in interesting and challenging ways!).
Are you speaking of improv-ing encounters in general or when players take you off course?
Hardcore Narrativist@radix what makes you think that? And, what systems are you looking into, if any?
@hardcorenarrativist I don't have the quick-witted creativity talent for making interesting things happen, and I also still can't seem to make interesting and challenging combat encounters for my players. So basically, every part of my games is bad :P
I'd really like to try a more story-oriented game system, but that would probably just highlight how bad I am at the first part. The collaborative games sound cool, but my players are very much not RPers so I'm not sure how well that would work.
Emmett@radix @hardcorenarrativist I'm not sure you have to be particularly creative to be a good GM. Sure it helps for on the fly stuff, but it's not required.
What I think is required is to be able to simulate a setting in your head or in notes. That may sound like being creative, but I most often ask the question "What should happen in reaction to the PC's actions?" Take them one at a time. Try to think the consequences all the way through.
My campaigns usually start a bit dull and pick up later.
@radix "to make interesting things happen", do you mean improvising? Although I improvise a good deal, it's *always* based on something prepared. I think of it like music improvisation: you don't play random notes, you have a scale/chords to improvise on. Maybe not your style, but see http://hardcorenarrativist.org/scenarios/Suffragettes.pdf (more traditional) and http://hardcorenarrativist.org/scenarios/The%20Cultists.pdf (more sandboxy) for examples. When I run them they always end up different and I make up elements, but it's always based on what is prepared.
@radix @hardcorenarrativist As far as scenario creation, I just go with the big list of RPG plots when I'm stuck.
@Emmett @hardcorenarrativist That's a good list. My trouble is mostly with minute-to-minute creativity more than overarching plot stuff. I think I have a pretty interesting scenario set up in my world, with lots of personal relationships set up with PCs, but I just can't execute it interestingly.
The problem is real-time fleshing out of the world, and interacting with NPCs. I am basically a dear in the headlights when I'm DMing. And I've been doing this for a couple years now...
@radix @hardcorenarrativist Have you tried being yourself when portraying NPCs? Simply asking "What would I do in this situation?" just like this was your character?
Once you get used to that, make little tweaks like funny voices. Maybe you just need practice getting into character.
For me, I ask myself questions when I feel I'm stuck. I also take time if I need it. Sometimes I fake looking up a stat if I need to stall. It's really ok to think things over for a few moments.
@radix for more story-oriented stuff, you might want to have a look at Fiasco and/or Apocalypse World. Very different games, but both have a certain "structure" that helps in the storytelling.
Also, have you seen "GM tips with Matt Mercer/Satine Phoenix" or Matthew Colville's fantastic videos? They might inspire you.
@hardcorenarrativist I have played a couple of games of Fiasco with various subsets of my group. We had several fun(ny) moments, but it's incredibly exhausting and difficult for us to execute. Really none of us are quick-witted :P
Yeah, I've seen a lot of that material and I love it :-)
@radix I have only played Fiasco once but I know what you mean! It's certainly a demanding game, but at least the burden is shared :-D Which I thought it would be an advantage, but maybe not! (given your answer) :-D
Yeah, Dungeon World is based on Apocalypse World. Any game "powered by the apocalypse" is based on AW. Have only tried one PbtA game once, and it was demanding at times, but it's more guided by a "DM" so maybe better for your group.
@hardcorenarrativist AIUI Apocalypse World is the same core as Dungeon World, and I am definitely interested in trying that. I think it'd play a bit better than Fiasco with my group, since at least there's still a "GM", and not a system where everyone *has* to be equally creative.
@radix @hardcorenarrativist Blades in the Dark has a ton of structure built into the game for how when and why things happen.
I'd be leery of most heavily narrative games if taking on a character is difficult. But because BITD has so much procedure, it might free up some brain space to handle the in character stuff.
Frotz@radix I feel that. I have a lot of experience with a lot of diverse games, but I feel like I'm a pretty mediocre referee, and can never seem to move past that.
I've heard practice is the way past, but that hasn't done much for me.
I like the one-shot w/ different systems idea, and I tried to do that w/ Shadowrun 3 as the intro system, but then the players wanted to keep playing it and now I don't have the free time to run anything.
I've heard practice is the way past, but that hasn't done much for me.
I like the one-shot w/ different systems idea, and I tried to do that w/ Shadowrun 3 as the intro system, but then the players wanted to keep playing it and now I don't have the free time to run anything.
Belchion@radix Maybe you are preparing to much? I find it much easier to run short, self-contained adventures with just the barest of notes than to run meticolously prepared overarching plots with lots of details.
@Belchion I've heard this sentiment many many times and it's totally untrue for me :) I have definitely tried the "prepare less and be more flexible" thing, but improvisation is probably where I'm weakest in DMing