What’s Hard About Game Mastering?
Being a game master is something few look forward to. Creating the game may be more challenging than most have time for, while others are terrified of letting their players down. There are also those who don’t like game mastering, who oddly do it the most because no one else will. Whatever category you fall in, let’s go over what can be difficult with being GM and how you can mitigate those challenges.
The Role of the Game Master
The GM (game master) is the arbiter of your group’s tabletop roleplaying game. They take the time to create an adventure (or mission) the players will explore and participate in. This involves making NPCs (nonplayer characters), relevant maps of dungeons, terrains and mission objectives, and they trying to find engaging and challenging side quests, and interactions all based on the player’s actions.
Each game master is responsible for refereeing what happens to and for the players based on their choices. The game master is supposed to be a neutral party to the action. Sometimes, tensions grow between players and GMs, so things can become “player vs. game master,” which is never a good situation to get into.
Too often, people starting out as game masters think that they must have endless patience, amazing charisma, and a totally thought-out plot. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Challenges of the GM
The game masters role is full of obstacles as difficult as any dungeon they set forth for the players. These challenges are not for those seeking accolades or praise. They test the mettle of the best game master, though they are well worth the effort.
Every session, from handling conflicting player expectations to improvising solutions to unforeseen actions, creates new hurdles for GMs to overcome. The balancing act between sticking to the rules and allowing player agency can be likened to walking a tightrope without a safety net.
Game masters must learn to adapt to uncertainty and embrace their own unique style to best prepare. Gamemastering is not about flawless game design or perfect plot or scene transitions but rather about resilience.
The Art of Storytelling
Creating Engaging Stories
Creating engaging stories as a game master is considered an art form, which only reinforces one’s belief that it has to be perfect. Instead, think of crafting stories as a starting point because no matter what you have planned, it’s not going to turn out as you expect. With that in mind, it doesn’t matter what you go with; just start. Also, players won’t know any different anyway, so don’t sweat it.
That said, one of the pitfalls all GMs have done is create linear stories. This means that leads to b, which leads to c, and so on. This really railroads your entire story if the players go off-path, miss something, or can’t pick up the item to progress. This also removes the collaborative nature of the game, making it so players really don’t have a lot of agency in making choices on what direction to go.
To really give your players freedom of choice, make your adventures modular. Each module should be mixed and matched as the players go through the game. This has the added luxury on your part of not wasting your time creating stuff that doesn’t get used.
Balancing Plot Twists and Player Agency
Plot twists are fantastic, especially if they come totally unexpectedly to the players. For example, when the really popular NPC who has been helpful and friendly suddenly turns out to be the big bad evil guy, and they have no idea. Those kinds of moments shine for a GM. Keeping those secrets to yourself when the NPC takes in the players is just fantastic.
With that in mind, though, separate the plot twists from your players’ ability to choose. Your desire to see “this” or “that” happen should not impact their agency. By this, I mean avoid making the players take action so that your plot twists come to fruition.
It’s OK and even recommended to use foreshadowing to hint at things to come while not giving away too much. By allowing your players to make choices, uncover clues, and influence the story’s direction, everyone helps create a story that feels fun and satisfying.
Catering To Multiple Play Styles
Player Preferences Balancing Act
Another challenge that game masters have is the different play styles of each player. Some players want nothing but combat and add little in the way of ideas for adventure progression or roleplaying. Others are all about roleplaying and start up conversations with every NPC just to do a bit of acting. These are just two of the different types of players you may have and as you can imagine keeping things engaging for each can be challenging.
GMs do and deal with a lot- check out what makes a memorable GM
One good way of managing different play styles is flexibility. If you have made your stories as modules that goes a long way to empowering your flexibility. Staying rigid in how the story progresses and who the players interact with will alienate some players and not others.
Embrace each player’s style by adding elements that they enjoy. This will give them a sense of fulfillment, knowing that you are adding parts in the story for them specifically to partake of. This may require some creative storytelling or adapting on the fly.
While game mastering can be challenging it is also very rewarding. To make it simpler remember that communication is key. Ask your players what they enjoy, what they don’t enjoy, and find common ground where everyone can have their moment to shine.
Creating expectations early can help prevent conflicts later on. Ultimately, embracing different play styles will not only enhance the game session but strengthen your bond with the players.
Dealing With Conflict
Helping Fix Problems
Conflict occurs in every tabletop roleplaying group. As a game master, you play the role of storyteller and arbiter when tensions occur. Tensions can take many forms, simple frustrations with rolls, discontent over how roleplaying turns out and many others.
Whether it’s an in-game disagreement over strategy out of game issues affecting gameplay, handling conflict resolution requires diplomacy and finesse. The most important thing to start with is staying calm. Remember that the player’s frustrations are not a reflection of who you are. They may be correct that your call sucks for their character, but that doesn’t make you as a person less or worse for making that call.
One of the first expectations you should make is how disputes will be handled. Allow players to express their thoughts but make it clear insulting is not acceptable. If someone needs to take a minute to collect their thoughts, maybe even calm down, allow them that time, “It’s fine, no big deal if you disagree. Take a moment and share your thoughts”.
After saying something like that give them the time you suggested and wait for them to say whats on their mind. Their is no judgement, we are all just people trying to have fun. Unless it is a major event, few conflicts need to become problems that can’t be solved in a short manner.
Being firm as a game master without being demeaning or insulting about your decisions is good for the group as a whole. Let players know that if you make a decision you would appreciate their respect to accept it. You are willing to hear them out but your decision is final, though you will give their thoughts consideration.
If the disputes are between players, it is crucial that you remain impartial and considerate of both. Ensure you don’t take sides to avoid escalating tensions further. If the same player is consistently having disputes, then ask them to clarify their understanding of the rules regarding the dispute situations, or if faster, simply share with them the way the rest of the group is interpreting them so they are on the same page as well.
It’s essential to remain impartial and considerate when mediating disputes between players. Avoid taking sides or escalating tensions further by staying neutral and focusing on finding common ground for resolution.
Conflicts often occur based on misunderstanding or differing expectation. Offering open, non judgemental area to discuss how each player sees the rules helps create mutual understanding.
Understanding the Rules and Improvising
Using Rulebooks and Systems
While it is not necessary for a game master to know every rule, or have every rulebook, when making a story, it can be helpful. Depending on the game system you may need to have a thorough understanding of the games rules and systems. For the most part your story can be crafted without game knowledge.
However, when it comes to combat and dealing with some types of players, game knowledge is essential. Some players try fudging their rolls, or slipping in extra items to do better. On top of these issues you have the players trying to use a different game version to get what they want.
If using the Rifts RPG setting things can be more complicated because of the sheer number of books written. Some games have rules that seem to start in one book, are contradicted in another, and then finish in another.
All of these things can make understanding the rules very difficult. Do your best to get a good understanding of the rules and come together as a group with the expectation to share your interpretation of those that are confusing instead of having a totally fixed perspective.
Adapting to Player Choices
Some player choices are totally unexpected, while others seem totally plausible to them but catch you as GM off guard. Just when you think you have things meticulously planned out a player throws a curveball that sends your story spinning off course.
Suddenly that epic battle you had planned is avoided, or the required detail is totally overlooked. This can be enough for you to pull your hair out or throw a book into a wall, or just give up on making plans because they never get used.
This is where improvisation comes into play. When players throw you for a loop, being able to adapt on the fly helps keep things moving along. Instead of being frustrated, use it as a learning experience to practice your improv ability.
If improvisation isn’t your thing, use 3×5 cards to help. Put things like extra NPCs on them and basic stats for low, mid, and high-level NPCs or monsters. Also some extra plot twists, NPC reactions, personalities, and the like are very helpful to have on hand.
Maintaining Game Balance
Game balance is a hotly debated topic that seems to be difficult to catch, particularly in games like Rifts, superhero games, and even in early Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. The reasons are different for each game, but they still desired to reach for almost all game masters.
Striking a balance that helps your power gaming players feel engaged and rewarded just as much as the roleplayer who wants no combat skills can be difficult. Ensuring all players feel rewarded during their game sessions can be made easier by making your campaigns/adventures focused at a specific power level.
Checkout this guide to tabletop roleplaying game mechanics if you are a beginner or even advanced
When you post your game for players to request an invite, include the power level you want. For games like Rifts, this may require you to exclude certain skills, feats, abilities, spells, equipment, or classes. The easiest method for Rifts, though, is to simply say something like, “Everyone is an Atlantean spell caster.” For simplicity’s sake, keeping all players the same or similar race and classes from the Rifts Ultimate edition or something like that will keep the unexpected to a minimum.
Whatever game you choose, the key component of game balance is to have an expectation set for the players. If a player wants to play something that throws it off, then let them know it won’t work for the story you have in mind. If they continue pushing, then don’t invite them to the game. You don’t owe them anything, it’s your story, and if they don’t respect that, then they don’t truly respect you, so it’s them that’s in the wrong.
Creating Immersive Games
Building Detailed Settings
Most popular games have a setting included. Dungeons and Dragons has many novels, video games, modules, and more to draw from for setting information. The same can can mostly be said about Rifts, Shadowrun, and many others. What isn’t detailed, though, is the direct setting the players find themselves in when they initially start playing and as their journey continues.
The fine details like how many buildings, NPCs, quests, nearby terrain, challenges and other similar things are usually not clarified. If you want a fully immersive setting these can be the kinds of details that help players really remember the game for years to come.
Not all game areas need that level of detail though. For low level characters and games that have less ability to travel long distances quickly, this is more important to do. For games where players can transport themselves rapidly to other areas its more helpful to have many general town setups crafted that you can easily implement on the fly.
Descriptive Language Makes a Scenario Memorable
The language you use is what helps paint a memorable image for players. Using words to paint a scene helps evoke emotion, creates imagery, and ultimately shows the players what the atmosphere of the setting is like.
The best way to improve your ability to describe scenarios is by increasing your vocabulary. Looking at a dictionary and a thesaurus is a great way to bring new words to mind for describing your scenes.
Incorporating Multiple Senses
If you want to really elevate your game you’ll want to incorporate multiple senses. Instead of just describing what players see, also include what they smell, hear, or even taste.
Describing how the smell of old books fills their nostrils as they enter an old library or the rot of old bodies washes out all other smells as they enter a crypt can both be very engaging. The goal here is not to just show them what’s going on but to get the player to feel as if they are there as the character.
You can do this by preparing audio clips saved on your phone, or uploading to a virtual tabletop. Having music start playing can make a scene more tense as if its a movie, or relaxed depending on the type used.
No matter how many monsters are slain or levels are gained, the times players will remember are those that really draw them in. This can occur in any situation but it is often those that involve multiple senses where players are allowed to make choices that affect what the GM(or DM-Dungeon Master) created.
Technical Challenges are Unavoidable
Managing Logistics (Time, Scheduling, or Equipment)
One struggle that occurs on a regular basis with many game masters is that of scheduling. It is really popular for game masters to cancel a session when a single player, much less 2 or more, can’t make it to the game. We all have lives and many responsibilities, and sometimes stuff comes up.
Another challenge that pops up often are technical in nature. Equipment like mics not activating, inability to hear your players and discord channels not working are all just some of the issues you may face when game time occurs.
Some simple methods to deal with equipment issues are to have players join early or have the first part set aside for these challenges. If players can’t make it, don’t take it out on the rest and cancel the game; simply run it without them.
I can hear you now saying “Oh you don’t understand where we left off- we need everyone”, look I get it, I really do. I have been gaming since the 1990s and have heard all the excuses under the sun. The truth is that you don’t need everyone, and you CAN have a session without people.
If players can’t show up that are integral to the last game session, then simply have a side mission. For example, if you left off in the middle of a combat, then something like “You 3 players open your eyes, and you are back 3 days earlier” can be a simple way to let those that did show up have a game session, not tied to the prior one.
This can be a great time to practice your skill at running one-shots. Having a day where the adventure isn’t tied to the main story or at least whatever they were doing before can be a much-needed break.
Ensuring Smooth Gameplay
The ultimate goal of being game master for tabletop roleplaying games is to create a fun experience players can immerse themselves in. Technical and logistical challenges can make this an uphill battle.
In order to ensure smooth gameplay it requires you to be a tech master, as well as a creative storyteller. Whether its adjusting screens, troubleshooting audio, the game master is constantly multitasking behind the scenes to keep things running for the players.
Here is a guide to developing lore and history in TTRPGs which may help improve your games.
The last thing you want to do when playing is to let technical issues seem like a frustration to you. Many players may see it as a sign they are letting you down, or holding up the group. Technical problems happen even to me as a game master, so act in your own mind like it’s your problem, stay calm, and walk through the problem with the player.
GM Burnout Prevention
Strategies to avoid GM burnout
Game masters put a lot of time and energy into making a story, making up NPCs, determining the main plots, subplots, maps and more. All this creative expenditure can take a toll on a game master especially if they don’t think its going well. For this reason you need to set some boundaries for yourself, and potentially change your own perspective to preserve your sanity.
If you are making stories to impress the players, please think again. You are just setting yourself up for disappointment if someone says they didn’t like it or worse.
Your goal is better being something like you want to include others in a story and see where it goes together. Explore the setting and all it has to offer. Allow players to try out classes they’ve never tried, equipment and builds, or other aspects.
Your boundaries as a game master are paramount for yourself and for the group as a whole. If you are not OK with certain types of language make sure everyone knows and don’t invite those that break it back. If certain topics of conversation are not Ok, make that known. The boundaries you choose should be specific to you, and then you can open the floor for the group to discuss party expectations.
Another essential part of being a game master is getting feedback from your players. Asking for feedback is not a sign of weakness; instead, it is an opportunity to see where you can grow and improve. What did the players like or dislike? How did they think the rewards of the adventure were? Was there something that was too difficult or not difficult enough? Did things make sense, or was there too much confusion?
These are just some of the questions you could ask your players. If you want feedback in another form, it’s up to you what to ask for.
Conclusion: Embracing Game Mastering
Reflecting on Growth
Being a game master requires a lot of work to build a game, get a group, and then tell the story you’ve created. It requires adaptability, creativity, and determination to see it through. Every game master will tell you that it wasn’t as scary to do as they thought it would be.
Repetition is the best way to get better at a skill, and game mastering is no different. Just by acting as the GM will help you to improve and grow as a game master. Face the challenges that come with it, and ask for help if needed.
Fostering Lasting Connections
Gamemastering brings real people together for a shared storytelling experience. So in the end it is about connecting with other people that can become lasting connections. Everyone that comes to be part of a roleplaying experience is there to enjoy themselves and share in it with others. When disputes come up keep this in mind because most likely any perceived slight from others is a misunderstanding that can be resolved with open understanding communication.
Sharing Creativity and Imagination
Embrace your creative nature and make stories with it that you can share with your group. Tabletop roleplaying games provide a great environment to explore your own creative side, painting vivid worlds with words and images to spark the imagination of your player’s minds. Use your time as a game master to express your personal storytelling method and explore the ideas that speak to you that no one else seems to explore, at least in the way you see them.
Seeking Fun in Every Session
As each gaming session unfolds remember that everyone is there to have fun. Accept the unpredictability of players and relish in the spontaneous improvisation you’ll get to explore to handle their choices.
Remember that the core of game mastering is weaving a story WITH the players, not just for yourself. Savor your players’ choices. Weave those choices within your story and create a tapestry full of drama, suspense, doubt, and, most of all, FUN!