The Game Master’s Most Sacred Charge
I have touched on this topic a few times in previous blog posts, but I feel that it is important for me to state in no uncertain terms what I feel is the Game Master’s most sacred charge. Every Game Master is responsible for ensuring that everyone at their table has a great experience. That’s it. Plain and simple. That is the entire reason that we spend hours familiarizing ourselves with the mechanics, prepping our session notes, and honing our skills to become better storytellers. Now, how do you accomplish this?
To answer this question we need to examine several things. First, we need to look at the story. A compelling narrative allows your players to make meaningful choices and you can analyze how successful your story is by taking note of your players’ responses and actions. Are your players engaged in the story you are telling or do they seem distracted? Do your players jump at the chance to interact with the plot or do they just go along with the flow? These and many other questions are important to ask yourself when you are assessing if the story that you are telling is enjoyable. If your players are not enjoying themselves, try to figure out out why. In a previous blog post I discussed how to figure out if your players are having fun, how to ask for good feedback, and what to do with the feedback you are given.
The second thing to examine is your player’s overall engagement with the campaign. Is one player hogging the spotlight or are they sharing it evenly? Is one player consistently the butt of all the jokes? Are any of your players making constant excuses for why they can’t come to game night? Are your players scrolling on their phones when they should be looking for clues or listening to the description? Again, my advice is to just ask your players if there might be a reason why they are not as engaged as you feel they should be. There is no need for the conversation to be confrontational or awkward. In my opinion, the best way to start these kinds of conversations is to be direct. Pull the player aside and ask them why they are not engaged. Then give them plenty of time to give you their thoughts and feedback. Always follow up by asking them what you as the GM can do to improve their experience. Then, take the time to implement this in the following sessions.
The third thing to examine is the structure of your sessions. Are your combats going too long? Are you or other players spending too much time looking up obscure rules? Are you letting your players spend too much time spinning their wheels when they can't figure out what to do next? Perhaps there is too much time spent shopping during sessions. It could be that the exposition of the story is taking too long or the players are bored of being spoon- fed the story. The pace of the session can really determine how enjoyable it is. Try to shake up the monotony of your session by adding an interesting combat on a narrow scaffolding above a pit of boiling lava, a high stakes game of cards that could reshape a turbulent underworld, or a tense negotiation at sword or blaster point. One of my personal favorites is to add a murder mystery or a chance to unveil conspiracy. Nothing is more satisfying than the Eureka! moments that can happen by solving a mystery; just ask Scooby and the gang! Then, and perhaps most importantly, ask your players if they liked or disliked the changes that you made. Never be afraid to try something new and don't get discouraged if it doesn't work out. Learn to take the wins and learn from the losses.
I have found in my journey that the joy of being a storyteller comes not from telling a story that we enjoy ourselves, but instead to tell a story that others will enjoy. Game Masters are the selfless bards who weave their story not for their own self interest, but instead for their players. Being a professional Game Master is no different. At the end of the day, my players come to me expecting an enjoyable experience and I work very hard each session to deliver. This goes for my professional campaigns for Open Heart Games as well as my personal campaigns with close friends. I consider every player’s enjoyment to be a Game Master’s most sacred charge.
Take Heart!
Karington Hess
Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games
