Learning From Others: An Important Retcon

The above video is the most recent Campaign Diary from Matt Colville's stream. You don't need to watch the whole thing, but watch the first five minutes. In those five minutes, Matt Colville talks about an important retcon he made between sessions. The reason why he made it is what is important.

For those unable to watch the summary is he ended a session doing something he thought would be cool. After, one of the players came to him and told him that the thing made them less excited to play because it didn't seem fun and in fact seemed boring and not particularly dramatic or interesting. Matt then fixed the problem in a way that didn't put anyone in the spotlight to keep the gaming going smooth.

The lesson here being two fold: First, when you're doing something 'cool' make sure you pick the right player. Some players are down for anything and love being turned against the other PCs as it can be a lot of fun. Others don't, because it is robbing them of their character (or feels like it) or for some other reason of theirs. Second, and more importantly, your game isn't just about you having fun. It is about the players as well. If someone comes to you with a problem because it is not fun, not interesting, and makes them less happy to play the game going forward? That's a real problem and one you should fix.

Matt explains everything, including his thoughts very well in the beginning of the video. It's worth checking out. Frankly, I find the whole Campaign Diary worth checking out for perspective on how he GMs and how he thinks, but if nothing else those first five minutes are a whole lesson in and of themselves.