The Importance of Feedback: Are My Players Having a Good Time?
Recently in a D&D Facebook group I follow, a fellow Game Master asked a question to the effect of, “Do any other Game Masters not know how they did after each session?” I replied with the following: “I always ask for feedback at the end of each session. I like to know if my players enjoyed themselves and if they have any ideas about how I can improve their experience.” It seems pretty simple, right? You ask your players if they are enjoying themselves, they respond, you take notes, and then make changes. But how do you encourage your players to give you consistent good feedback and what do you do once you have it?
First, you need to get those conversations started. You can do this by asking your players some good questions. Here are some that I use:
Did you enjoy tonight’s game? Can you give me a specific example of what you did or did not enjoy?
What was your favorite part of the session? Why?
What was your least favorite part of the session? Why?
What was something that happened that you would like to see more of?
What would you like to see less of?
A good rule is to try to make sure all of the questions you are asking are open-ended and encourage the players to answer with more than a simple yes or no.
It important for a Game Master to provide an enjoyable experience for all of their players and an open channel for honest communication and constructive criticism will do just that.
As for getting the answers, I can’t stress enough the importance of having multiple open avenues for your players to provide you with feedback. Some players prefer face to face meetings right after a game while others may want to send you their thoughts in a private email. Make sure that you have a way for your players to deliver feedback to you in a way that is comfortable for them. Personally, I have a feedback form on our website found here. I also have feedback text channels on our Discord server. And I always ask my players after the session if they had a good time and if they have any feedback. It is important for a Game Master to provide an enjoyable experience for all of their players and an open channel for honest communication and constructive criticism will do just that.
Requesting feedback can at first seem daunting. Suddenly your mind races and your breath catches in your throat. What if they don’t like my campaign at all? What if they hate it? What if they don’t like me? Am I a bad GM? Don’t let those voices of self-doubt get the better of you. Take a breath, silence the voices, and ask your players for their honest opinions so that they can help you improve. Remember, they want to play in a good campaign too.
I have found that generally, feedback falls into one of the following categories: Praise, Critique, Complaint, Suggestion, and/or Observation.
Each piece of feedback that you receive has the potential to contain useful information that can help to improve your game, enhance the player experience, and hone your skills. Always take the time to hear your players out and thank them for taking the time to provide you with feedback. [Time is the most precious resource that we have and if one of your players takes time out of their day to provide you with feedback, even if you didn’t ask for it, I always suggest that you hear them out.] I have found that generally, feedback falls into one of the following categories: Praise, Critique, Complaint, Suggestion, and/or Observation.
If a player praises a moment in your game, pay attention and in future games, look for ways to double down on the things that you are already doing well and that your players seem to enjoy. Players may also offer suggestions. Perhaps there is a faster way to do initiative or there is an article or video that they feel you might find helpful. If a player offers you a critique, ask clarification questions and, if possible, write it down. This will give you time to reflect on the critique later and formulate a plan of how to implement any changes. [I differentiate between critique and complaints here because complaints often require action, whereas a critique usually lends itself to your discretion.] The best thing to do when a player offers a complaint is to hear them out and work with them to come up with a solution. Sometimes you will receive feedback that is neither entirely positive nor entirely negative in the form of what I call observations. These can be things like, “I noticed that we didn’t have a lot of combat last session” or “I noticed that we don’t really get a chance to rest between encounters” or even, “Did you see the last session of Critical Role, the Game Master did this really cool thing.” You may find it helpful to take note of these observations and see if there is anything you can glean from them.
So now that you’ve asked for the feedback and received it, what do you do with it? I like to sit down by myself and openly and honestly consider how I can make the best use of the feedback provided. Where are my areas of weakness as a Game Master and how do I use my strengths to improve on them? What I like to do is review my notes and player feedback as I prepare for my next session. This way I can make sure that I am taking all of their ideas and feedback into account. Did my players say that the combat was taking too long? If so, I will brush up on my combat rules and see if I can make any improvements there. Did my players tell me that a player was hogging the spotlight? Then I will make a note to give the other players a time to shine too. Did one of my players see something neat on the latest episode of Critical Role? I will look into that too to see if it is something I can implement in my own game.
The biggest piece of advice I can offer about collecting feedback is always to be open to receiving it and make good on your promises.
The more often you ask for feedback, the more comfortable your players will be giving it to you. Over time, your relationship with your players will continue to grow, as will your Game Mastering skills. Ask your players for feedback after every single session. The biggest piece of advice I can offer about collecting feedback is always to be open to receiving it and make good on your promises. If you promise to read an article because a player suggested it, read the article and implement what you learned from it. Be consistent when implementing what you learned from your feedback and always take the time to follow up with your players and put the ball in their court. Ask them, “Was that more in line with what you expected?” Your players know what they want to get out of a campaign and they want to see you tell the best story you can. Go out and ask them what they think of your campaign!
I feel like the best way to wrap up a blog post about feedback is, well, to ask for some feedback! If you like the content we create for our blog or if you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to see us tackle, send us your feedback here.
