This, thankfully, is not currently a problem with any groups I'm in but it is something I, and other GMs I know, have had problems with in the past. It is a simple piece of advice, and so it is a good thing for this week where everyone is distracted with the holidays and I want to keep posts brief.
As the GM you need to remember that you too are a player. You are entitled to have as much fun as anyone else at the table! Do not forget that. If you, as the GM, are not having fun then the game is going to suffer, perhaps even more so than if any other player. A GM not having fun is a GM who isn't happy, and that means that the players will suffer.
Why? Because when you, as the GM, aren't having fun you're less open to the players and what is going on. You're more likely to get annoyed at frivolty, or to be combative against random player ideas. On the other hand, if you are having fun, you are more likely to ride the energy and let things happen that may not follow rules but are a lot of fun.
In the most extreme situations, a GM not having fun can flat out kill a game. So remember, have fun as a GM and if you aren't having fun, talk to your players and see how you can make things better for yourself.
Great post! I was contemplating writing something like this soon as well. I recently started running something that I wasn't having as much fun with as I thought I would be having. Instead of slogging ahead and not having fun, I told my players the situation and we all agreed to just start something else. Now we are all having a great time. I think as game masters we stick with something we're not having fun with because we don't want to let everyone else down. However, as you pointed out, we tend to end up letting them down anyway in that situation. I agree that it's always better to talk to your players instead of not having fun; I bet they'll be more understanding than you think.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain topics that I don't think ever get old on a blog like this - and this is almost certainly one of them. I've wondered in the past whether I sometimes enjoy prepping more than playing. That comes up because I have a tendency to stress the details too much. Some cool details can certainly be fun...but they aren't the basis for a good game. And the basis for a good game, like the GM having fun for example, can suffer from too much emphasis on those details. There could be a gaming resolution in there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteKeep these timeless topic posts coming A.L....