GM Techniques part 1

Without a doubt, the most important thing is the communitcation between the players and the Gm, and between the players themselves. This goes double during character creation and the campaign start.

The players can be divided into three groups at this stage; 1. those who know what they want to play, 2. those who don't know what they want, and 3. those who know what they want, but what they want is either unsuitable or impossible.

It's usually advisable to keep an eye on what kind of characters the players are making, but besides the obvious cases like the Str 32, Int 3 barbarians, there are more subtle dangers:

• The character who is just like another character but better in every way.
• The annoying lonewolf
• the ”I thought this would be funny” character.

The point is that every character has to fit into the concept of the campaign somehow.

Group 1 needs very little help if they know the system and the setting.

Group 2 needs moderate amounts of help. Usually the best thing to do is to suggest alternatives and let the players imagination do the rest.

Group 3 is the potential troublemaker. This player knows what he wants, but for various reasons you either can't or won't allow his character concept. Handling this conflict correctly is crucial.

Few things pisses off a player as much as getting a flat out NO from the GM. Sometimes the player is just testing you to see what he can get by you with the crazy concepts, either as a joke or as a strategy. He will usually understand your denial, sometimes even expect it. However, some players will be offended at a cold refusal of what they see as a genuine creative concept.

How to handle this? In my experience there are three useful solutions; ”no-but”, ”yes-but” and ”interesting idea, but not this time”.

No-but You turn down the suggestion but offer one of your own.

Yes-but You accept the suggestion but with certain conditions or parameters.

Int. Idea You and the player postpone the idea for another campaign. Most often the player then moves into group 2.

These three methods can work wonders and are infinitely better than just saying No. If you can't use any of the three, at least make sure you say ”No, and here's why”.

Before the whole circus of character creation can begin, you have to sell the campaign. It's absolutely crucial that you inform the players of what the campaign is all about, and what kind of characters are needed. After all, it would be pretty silly if you have planned a campaign about subtle intrigue and commerce, and the smartest PC can barely outsmart a mossy rock. The players have to know before they can do, and it's your job to inform them. Sometimes however you have a special campaign in mind and you can't really explain the premise without ruining the surprise. In this case, you instead have to explain the most usefull kind of roles, i.e. is the campaign action heavy or are technical skills usefull?

One can not overstress the importance of listening to the players. Wether they have a concern, a complaint or a suggestion. You have to take what they say seriously. That's not to say that you should let the players run the game! Quite the contrary. But actually listening to them is the crucial part of communication. After all, if you don't listen to them, why should they listen to you?