Rules of a Good Game Master

A Role playing game is a unique creature. There are several things out there that are similar, but nothing else is really quite like an RPG. They are a cross between old-school tactical miniatures wargaming and collaborative story-telling.

Personally, I tend to focus more on the story-telling aspects of role-playing games. Being an avid fan of fantasy literature, and a storyteller by nature, I would much rather tell an engaging story than perform painstaking tactical maneuvers.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the tactical stuff as well, but when I play an RPG, that's not what I'm looking for. When I'm in the mood for tactical stuff, I break out the miniatures and play Chronopia, or some other wargame. Consequently, my GM style is pretty fast and loose, without much emphasis on rules. If you're looking for rules advice on Earthdawn (or any other RPG, for that matter), there are better places to go. Of course, if you e-mail me with a rules question, I'll do what I can to help, but don't give my opinion any more weight than it deserves.

That's because I tend to see the rules as "guidelines." I have long held that if you don't like the way something works, change it. Sometimes your style doesn't mesh with the way a rule is designed, because the rule was designed with a different style in mind. That doesn't make the rule "broken" or your style "wrong" -- just different. And there is nothing wrong with that. On the other hand. if you find too many conflicts popping up between your style and the rules... maybe you need to take a look at why you're playing with a system that doesn't jibe with the way you want to play.

This all goes back to one of my theories of game design (available in my Game Balance rant, elsewhere on this site). There are more than enough systems out there, why slam your head against the wall with a system that doesn't work for you when there are systems out there that will? If you're a fan of tactical combat and a heavy-duty, realistic system (along the lines of, say, Chivalry & Sorcery), why are you wasting your time with White Wolf's Storyteller System?

It's just one of my (many) pet peeves that people will get into a system (like Earthdawn, for example) and then proceed to completely tear it to shreds because it doesn't do what they want it to. And I'm not talking about taking it apart and rebuilding it with house rules. I'm talking about using it as written, and then complaining to anybody who will listen how much it sucks because it doesn't do this or that or the other. Please stop wasting my time. Either change what you don't like, or play something else. Nobody is twisting your arm.

Obviously rules are important -- the rules define how things work in the world. The rules set (to a certain extent) the underlying paradigm. But the setting also has to operate in the same paradigm, or you get a very bad marriage. That's the biggest weakness of a lot of modern games, as I see it. The rules are so closely wrapped up in the paradigm of the setting that you can't transplant either part very easily. It can be done, but why bother when there is probably a system out there that does what you want without the hassle of converting fifty million things?

And I don't think generic systems are the answer. I can count the number of generic systems I think are worthwhile on one hand... and even that is a bit of a stretch. My opinion of generic systems is that they don't do anything well enough. If you're using a wide variety of settings (say, running a time-travel or alternate-worlds campaign) then generic rules will cover most of the stuff you want to do. But if you're not going to do that, why mess with a system that deals with a bunch of stuff you don't really need?

Anyway... to try and back to my original point, I intend to offer general advice in the storytelling vein -- advice that is applicable to more than one system. While I will probably be using my various Earthdawn campaigns as examples, the advice does not apply just to the Earthdawn system.

To start with, I think I will summarize my rules of game mastering, because I have long believed you need to know the rules before you can break them. Of course, many of my rules can't technically be broken, since they're philosophical precepts to game by.

Rule Number 1 (a.k.a. the Golden Rule):
IF YOU ARE NOT HAVING FUN, YOU ARE NOT PLAYING THE GAME RIGHT.

This is the most important rule. Why do we play games? To have fun. So if you aren't having fun (for whatever reason), why play? If you find yourself getting burnt out (as a GM or player), stop playing. You are not doing yourself (or the other players) any favors. Take a hiatus. Relax. Do something else. There is life outside the game.

At the same time, most of my other rules follow this one. It should first and foremost be fun. All GM calls, decisions, ideas, and so forth should be directed towards maximizing fun.

Rule Number 2:
ALL THE RULES ARE MERELY GUIDELINES -- NOTHING IS CARVED IN STONE.

Because every GM has a different style, what works in one game may not work in another (heck, it may not work between sessions of the same campaign). You should not feel bound to follow the "rules" of the game if it hurts the "fun factor".

At the same time, you cannot be arbitrary about this. This ties in to rule number 3...

Rule Number 3:
THE GAME MASTER MUST BE FAIR

The GM has a lot more power than the Players. He can smite the characters on a whim if he so chooses, and can make rulings that make life a living hell for player and character alike. But a GM that abuses this power will quickly find himself without players.

Rule Number 4:
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

A wise man once said, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." This is equally true of player characters. Your players will do things that you do not expect. Any plan you have developed, any plot line you come up with will be circumvented by a player who does something completely out of the blue. One of the most valuable skills a GM can develop is the ability to improvise. Never be so in love with an idea that you can't change it at a moment's notice if you need to.

That does it for now. As other ideas come to me, I'll expand on them. Do you have any ideas or "rules" you've developed for you own group? Share them with me at mataxes@verizon.net!

Back to Top