From the article archive
Strengthening the Herd: Everything to Everyone
Last time, I talked about changing people through gaming and games. It was, I hope, an interesting article. My natural evolution from that question is the simple struggle to please folks in your game. It is a struggle, and as a GM, you don't always succeed.
Let's take a normal campaign of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. First, you have probably have a number of players that are different. They have different goals in life, different interests, and even varying opinions about politics, the world, and the human existence. Then, you add in the fact that through the game you have different characters which are designed to handle problems in unique ways. You know -- the barbarian whacks things with his sword, the mage blasts them with his magic, the thief sneaks up from behind, and so on. A campaign that does not appeal to a player on a personal level and on a character level can be a waste. I don't know any players that would keep going to a campaign if it sucks. Eventually, the commitment and time wasted will rise to a level where it just is not worth it.
Knowing that players can be hard to come by, it is important then that a GM do his best to engage his players and make their characters important in the campaign. Let's cover each aspect.
Before I do though, I want to mention a simple warning. You won't always succeed. In fact, some weeks may be better than others. Some weeks you must simply hope to have a trade off. One character may be a bit more important than another that week. Some story lines are not going to appeal to certain players. Your hope is that by mixing up the elements you will have enough good sessions that all your players will be willing to forgive a few bad ones.
On A Player Level
Here is a quick rundown of some of my friends who game with me. First, I have a couple that drive about 30-45 minutes into town to get a session in. David is a computer science student and in the Army Reserves. He knows thousands of things about the military, guns, and roleplaying games. Michelle is his wife, and she is a freelance roleplaying game author. She writes for Wizards and Guardians of Order among others. Both are way cool.
Also, I have a friend John, who just got hired at a funeral home. He is a criminal justice major in college and is very rational and serious (most of the time). He loves comic books. Next, I should mention Tai who is a music major and a bit of perfectionist. He has a great sense of humor however. Occasionally, I have a few other folks who drop in here and there. For now, this is good enough to go on.
As you see, they are all different. I have players who are well-versed in the rules of the various games we play. I have some who don't give a damn. I have some who enjoy telling jokes more than spewing heroic speeches. I have some who want to get deep in character.
How do I bring them together?
First, humor is the best tool to bring different folks together. If you can warm the group up with a humorous moment or some ironic pun early in the game, walls melt, and the action gets going. Some folks aren't going to laugh as hard at certain jokes, but making sure folks have plenty of opportunity to insert their witty line between game events is a key to a good time.
Second, make notes about each person's different knowledge from what you know and include a chance for that to come out in the game. I could use Tai, for instance, by including some sort of musical scene. I could ask him for advice before the game session or in the middle of the game let him explain a certain instrument or musical piece. It sounds corny as hell, but it does work.
Third, encourage your gamers to share their interests with each other. You may have to get things going by announcing, "Hey, John just got hired by a funeral home." Again, this could be corny, but if you are genuine, no one cares. Your gaming group doesn't have to be best friends, but if you are regularly spending 4 hours a week together, it's great if friendships do develop. People cannot walk away from a game session unsatisfied after making a new friend.
Fourth, be aware of your group's weak spots. This is the hardest. Don't bring up anything in the game that could be offensive or uncomfortable for the group. Sometimes, this is not a big deal. Sometimes, it is. If some of your group has little children, don't run an adventure about how little children are being stolen out of their parents' homes and ritually slaughtered. Not cool. Try to run adventures that appeal to themes that the group responds to. An adventure revolving around healing children from a mysterious illness might be a better session all around, especially if your group likes kids.
This is, sadly, not a rocket science. The key is to simply find what your players are interested in and make them feel useful. Make them feel like they aren't just another seat filled. One of the other subtle methods I use to make players happy is to pay close to attention to what they talk about. I listen to their comments of the game session and use their ideas to make things better. Often, players will be vocal about what they like about some aspect in the game or what would be cool to happen. Then, I use it. It happens. They love it.
On A Character Level
Your first step in appealing to the players on a character level is to insure that you have them write some sort of background. It doesn't have to be long. It doesn't have to be written necessarily. It just gives you some idea of what their character is about. This is important for story purposes. It is also important to know what direction the player wants to take the character.
Your next objective is to make sure your adventures include a variety of activity and challenges. If you are really good, you will design the game in mind with a challenge or puzzle for each character to solve. It can get tough to do this, especially if a few of the characters have overlapping abilities. Have a rousing scene where the thief must unlock the door before the goblin cleaning crew scrapes them out of the hall. Have a scene where the wizard's deciphering abilities allow him to discover the cryptic password. You get the drift. If a character has a chance to shine and be the hero for that scene, it does wonders for the player.
Finally, give each specific character a subplot of their own, involving their background that helps build them up as a separate entity -- not just another arm or leg in the party. In my Briarwood campaign that was going for a while, I had a sorcerer (who wanted to be the most powerful spellcaster ever) come across and befriend another powerful sorcerer in the forest. The two became friends and began training together during downtime. Another character, a thief, began to be contracted out to do various espionage like activities by the local government. Another character, an elf cleric, began to work on a cure for a terrible disease wiping out the local elven population. All of this while the group adventured and began to uncover a great plot to destroy the world.
When a character is being developed and is important in the game (not just another sword swinger or spellcaster), the players have a much better time themselves. They get excited about the possibilities. They look forward to what is coming next. As a result, they aggressively are involved in the game.
Concluding Remarks
Again, this is not a science. It is not a formula that is going to win every time. In fact, I can definitely see that getting into politics or certain interests of some players could be detrimental to having a good time. Play it by ear. Pay attention to the way your players are responding to the game. Is it frustration, anger, contentment, feigned interest, or what? If all else fails, take the player out to lunch. Find out why they are unhappy.
The key to being a good GM is letting the game appeal to your players - on both a human and a character level. You have many tools to work with -- humor, story themes, interests, and game mechanics. Sometimes, it is also knowing when to let go and just laugh. Let your players run wild a bit and see where they take the game. You may be surprised.
Until next time, good gaming!
Let's take a normal campaign of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. First, you have probably have a number of players that are different. They have different goals in life, different interests, and even varying opinions about politics, the world, and the human existence. Then, you add in the fact that through the game you have different characters which are designed to handle problems in unique ways. You know -- the barbarian whacks things with his sword, the mage blasts them with his magic, the thief sneaks up from behind, and so on. A campaign that does not appeal to a player on a personal level and on a character level can be a waste. I don't know any players that would keep going to a campaign if it sucks. Eventually, the commitment and time wasted will rise to a level where it just is not worth it.
Knowing that players can be hard to come by, it is important then that a GM do his best to engage his players and make their characters important in the campaign. Let's cover each aspect.
Before I do though, I want to mention a simple warning. You won't always succeed. In fact, some weeks may be better than others. Some weeks you must simply hope to have a trade off. One character may be a bit more important than another that week. Some story lines are not going to appeal to certain players. Your hope is that by mixing up the elements you will have enough good sessions that all your players will be willing to forgive a few bad ones.
On A Player Level
Here is a quick rundown of some of my friends who game with me. First, I have a couple that drive about 30-45 minutes into town to get a session in. David is a computer science student and in the Army Reserves. He knows thousands of things about the military, guns, and roleplaying games. Michelle is his wife, and she is a freelance roleplaying game author. She writes for Wizards and Guardians of Order among others. Both are way cool.
Also, I have a friend John, who just got hired at a funeral home. He is a criminal justice major in college and is very rational and serious (most of the time). He loves comic books. Next, I should mention Tai who is a music major and a bit of perfectionist. He has a great sense of humor however. Occasionally, I have a few other folks who drop in here and there. For now, this is good enough to go on.
As you see, they are all different. I have players who are well-versed in the rules of the various games we play. I have some who don't give a damn. I have some who enjoy telling jokes more than spewing heroic speeches. I have some who want to get deep in character.
How do I bring them together?
First, humor is the best tool to bring different folks together. If you can warm the group up with a humorous moment or some ironic pun early in the game, walls melt, and the action gets going. Some folks aren't going to laugh as hard at certain jokes, but making sure folks have plenty of opportunity to insert their witty line between game events is a key to a good time.
Second, make notes about each person's different knowledge from what you know and include a chance for that to come out in the game. I could use Tai, for instance, by including some sort of musical scene. I could ask him for advice before the game session or in the middle of the game let him explain a certain instrument or musical piece. It sounds corny as hell, but it does work.
Third, encourage your gamers to share their interests with each other. You may have to get things going by announcing, "Hey, John just got hired by a funeral home." Again, this could be corny, but if you are genuine, no one cares. Your gaming group doesn't have to be best friends, but if you are regularly spending 4 hours a week together, it's great if friendships do develop. People cannot walk away from a game session unsatisfied after making a new friend.
Fourth, be aware of your group's weak spots. This is the hardest. Don't bring up anything in the game that could be offensive or uncomfortable for the group. Sometimes, this is not a big deal. Sometimes, it is. If some of your group has little children, don't run an adventure about how little children are being stolen out of their parents' homes and ritually slaughtered. Not cool. Try to run adventures that appeal to themes that the group responds to. An adventure revolving around healing children from a mysterious illness might be a better session all around, especially if your group likes kids.
This is, sadly, not a rocket science. The key is to simply find what your players are interested in and make them feel useful. Make them feel like they aren't just another seat filled. One of the other subtle methods I use to make players happy is to pay close to attention to what they talk about. I listen to their comments of the game session and use their ideas to make things better. Often, players will be vocal about what they like about some aspect in the game or what would be cool to happen. Then, I use it. It happens. They love it.
On A Character Level
Your first step in appealing to the players on a character level is to insure that you have them write some sort of background. It doesn't have to be long. It doesn't have to be written necessarily. It just gives you some idea of what their character is about. This is important for story purposes. It is also important to know what direction the player wants to take the character.
Your next objective is to make sure your adventures include a variety of activity and challenges. If you are really good, you will design the game in mind with a challenge or puzzle for each character to solve. It can get tough to do this, especially if a few of the characters have overlapping abilities. Have a rousing scene where the thief must unlock the door before the goblin cleaning crew scrapes them out of the hall. Have a scene where the wizard's deciphering abilities allow him to discover the cryptic password. You get the drift. If a character has a chance to shine and be the hero for that scene, it does wonders for the player.
Finally, give each specific character a subplot of their own, involving their background that helps build them up as a separate entity -- not just another arm or leg in the party. In my Briarwood campaign that was going for a while, I had a sorcerer (who wanted to be the most powerful spellcaster ever) come across and befriend another powerful sorcerer in the forest. The two became friends and began training together during downtime. Another character, a thief, began to be contracted out to do various espionage like activities by the local government. Another character, an elf cleric, began to work on a cure for a terrible disease wiping out the local elven population. All of this while the group adventured and began to uncover a great plot to destroy the world.
When a character is being developed and is important in the game (not just another sword swinger or spellcaster), the players have a much better time themselves. They get excited about the possibilities. They look forward to what is coming next. As a result, they aggressively are involved in the game.
Concluding Remarks
Again, this is not a science. It is not a formula that is going to win every time. In fact, I can definitely see that getting into politics or certain interests of some players could be detrimental to having a good time. Play it by ear. Pay attention to the way your players are responding to the game. Is it frustration, anger, contentment, feigned interest, or what? If all else fails, take the player out to lunch. Find out why they are unhappy.
The key to being a good GM is letting the game appeal to your players - on both a human and a character level. You have many tools to work with -- humor, story themes, interests, and game mechanics. Sometimes, it is also knowing when to let go and just laugh. Let your players run wild a bit and see where they take the game. You may be surprised.
Until next time, good gaming!
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