Being a DM/GM in roleplaying - it doesn't work like a book or movie

I tend to respond to actual people rather than second guess problems - and then I end up responding to them somewhere other than my blog! So here's a responce I prepared earlier for new GM/DM's (whatever you wanna call it!)

My tip is books and movies are NOT a good model for how gaming works - in them the single author of the book controls the world AND the main character, making the main character do exactly what he wants him to do.

You don't get this luxury in roleplay - the characters run by players are run by players. They are essentially co-authors - and unlike the main character in a book that does what they author of the world wants, the players PC's wont do exactly what you want. You have to be able to let go of having an exact idea of how you want things to go, because it doesn't work that way. You have to have a hazy idea of how the world works and what is happening in it, and the players engage that as co-authors (where equally, the world doesn't always do what the players might expect it to do).

I've seen too many gamers who came to roleplaying with the idea that as GM, they'd be the sole author of events. For many, it was the innocent mistake of thinking it works like a book or movie and no one said otherwise (and for a few others, they are just that controlling and selfish). This ends in a train wreck.

Running a successful game of a straightforward nature is as simple as not being wrapped up in thespian ideals - make sure money or XP is gained by the players every real life half hour or so.

Looter Players

The looting is their story.

Granted it wont be a complicated story if they have no moral boundaries in regards too looting.

Your problem as GM is thinking the only story there is is the story you wrote before the game (or the module you bought)

No, the players are making a story.

They aren't interested in your story because they are interested in the story they are making by their characters actions.

Which I think is a way people instinctively play (when new to roleplay) and by that measure, the right way to play.

A more complicated story from their actions would come if they have various scruples, moral principles, NPC's they care about, etc. Sometimes the looter PC has these, you just don't see it. Sometimes the player can add these to the PC after play has started, if you talk about it.

The players are not like book readers and you a book author - you are not a book author trying to get your book reading audience to care about the story. The players are authors of the story themselves - every time they have their PC's act, they write some story.

The question is, how do they get YOU to care about their story?

I'm guessing hard rejection of this premise - because you only asked about how to make them care about your story. That's all that matters to you. So they wont be getting you to care about their story any time soon, I guess?

Originally posted by me, here

No ambition, no participation players? Maybe it's your pre written story, GM?

I posted this here, originally.

Generally I find players have no ambition or spontaniously participate because they have been trained not to do so, because about 90% of the time any ambition or spontanious participation gets in the way of the GM's pre written story. The GM frowns on them when they do these things. Then the GM latter wonders why he has to basically push every PC along through his plot or otherwise they stay still and the players start quoting monty python.

So for pre written story GM's, it is the GM. You can't keep scolding players for going off story without also scolding them for being ambitious and spontanious.

One reply was : "This is so true. I'm playing in a campaign on the side (for now) and this kills my player enthusiasm so much."

Rules that provide a surprise for the GM!

As GM, would you like a surprise every so often "My players already surprise me all the time!". I mean the game world surprising you, just much like it surprises the players?

The idea for the rules is pretty simple, it's simply a matter of adding a bit more treasure (or gear, whatever you use in your RPG of choice). The treasure, for whatever reason (magical or mundane), after being picked up, has to be used that day and only works for one encounter. The treasure is a kind of weapon, always giving better bonuses than usual stuff - your rolling on a chart (say a D20), so if you roll high (say a nat 20) its pretty damn awesome gear (but remember, only works for one day or one encounter, whichever comes first - this isn't permanent weaponry). Make everything else on the list a bit varied, not just meleee weapons, some more powerful ranged ammo or such as well.

The thing is, the players secretly roll on the chart. Ideally you as GM go to the toilet or something when they do this, so they can discuss it. Because the idea is they are not to mention the item within your hearing. That way you don't know if they got the super kick ass item or whatever.

That way when/if it comes out (ie, perhaps just when the players are getting wooped by a monster), its a surprise for you as well! Suddenly out of the blue an awesome weapon appears!

Maybe that doesn't seem like a feature if you want to be able to see all game world events coming in advance...

If you want to be caught by surprise a little bit, though, that's one method of doing it!