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Sharing best practices for the other side of the screen...
As a player, I am impressed when a GM gives permission to roleplay. Many players will roleplay if the tone is set, or play "d20s and Simpsons quotes" if that's the direction things start. A GM who sets the tone and roleplays gives the players permission to do the same, and generally leads to a very immersive game.
I am also impressed when the GM has made maps, handouts, or terrain ahead of time. Even a simple map, pre-drawn so the lines are straight, makes a big impression compared to sketching it on a battlemap room-by-room. (Caveat: as long as the rest of the game is also good... I have been at (and perhaps run) tables with great terrain but where the GM has barely prepped the actual scenario!)
Finally: I am impressed when the GM is willing to be corrected on rules mistakes, and when they are willing to tell rules lawyers to sit down once they've heard the arguement and rejected it. It is a fine line between being open to examining a mistake, and letting an arguementative player try to get their way after you've alrady said no. I am always impressed when someone can draw that line in the right spot.
What can GMs do to impress you?
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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• 3D Terrain (beyond my ability and I haven't encountered it as a player, but it sounds AWESOME)
• Complementing a player on their PC (concept or mechanics)
• When a player does something spectacular (like charging for 100 damage, sticking a game-changing spell, etc), not being the only one at the table who rolls their eyes. That is, if the other players smile/laugh/clap, join in the celebration!
When a GM can let the players steer a module off course, and then help steer it back on course in a way that is natural and believable. It really helps to let the players have their own fun with the module, without forcing the entirety of the play into uncharted territory.
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Actually role-play the NPCs...
Yase.
Present an immersive, dynamic world rather than a static one. Let the players actually inhabit and have an effect on that world. Give them something to invest in on a creative and/or emotional level, and you've got a strong hook in 'em.
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...hygiene? Though that should be a given in every case.
When I GM for PFS, I make time for character introductions and listen in; if I've met them or heard of their characters in other scenarios, then Drandle Dreng or Aram Zey will have already known them, or mentioning if a scenario will take someone close to their homeland.
It helps with the immersement, and if they end up running late, then I tend to have the Aspis Consortium interns just drop their weapons and ask to change sides instead of fighting to the death over matters of little personal investment.
Sometimes, people will happily tell me about their characters at the same time after the scenario ends; I hope to encourage people from, "I dunno, I'm just here to kill everyone," to something like, "I want to learn about other cultures and find out why I take out my own self-hatred on everyone else."
So I guess I don't try to impress players so much as help inspire them. That can work too.
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Having a sense of humor helps.
but lessee here:
. a decent knowledge of the rule set. I'm not saying you have to be able to quote all the rules all the time, but you should at least know things like 5' step, full attack, and have a rough idea of what various classes can do.
. The ability to ask good questions, especially in a non-confrontational way. It's easy to say "how did you get that bonus?" in such a way that ranges from friendly to rude (you're probably thinking of ways to do either as you read this). A good GM will remember that he's there to support all the players, even those he might not actually like personally.
. Being able to speak with authority. I'm not talking about GMs who think that they're god, I mean the ability to be the storyteller. The GM is the one who sets the mood and tone of a scenario (even a pre-generated adventure), and the GM has to be able to put on his big boy pants and sometimes tell people no.
. Trying to give each character his Moment of Awesome tm. Whether you're a social focused diplomat or a hardened killer, you should each have the chance to shine and make a meaningful impact on the story.
. Two related concepts: the ability to be flexible, and the ability to make quick decisions. Players will do things that will break the entirety of the plot with their first actions in the module. expect this, and learn to roll with the punches and keep moving. You don't need to know all the abilities of a monster, but you should know the motivation of the primary villain. Knowing motivations and goals will help keep things on the rails, even after the PCs have done their thing.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Making sure that everybody at the table gets a chance to shine.
This is sort of basic, but it takes conscious effort. For me, this happens in two parts:
1) When the players introduce their characters at the beginning of the game, I look for elements that will interface well with the scenario plot. We're going into Belken and Zack's playing a half-orc barbarian? Cool. There's going to be a bunch of traps, and Susan's character just got some equipment to help with Perception? Good.
2) About halfway through the adventure, I just look around the table and take a mental inventory of who's already gotten to do fun things, and who hasn't. The bard has done nothing but buff her colleagues? Let's see if there's any way I can give her a chance to shine against the shriekers or the harpies. The gunslinger has misfired every single time he's tried to fire his weapon? That's a great story, though, and I'm thinking he'll either finally get a shot off at the flying tentacle monster, or else I can give him a chance to club somebody over the head.
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Making sure that everybody at the table gets a chance to shine.
This is sort of basic, but it takes conscious effort. For me, this happens in two parts:
1) When the players introduce their characters at the beginning of the game, I look for elements that will interface well with the scenario plot. We're going into Belken and Zack's playing a half-orc barbarian? Cool. There's going to be a bunch of traps, and Susan's character just got some equipment to help with Perception? Good.
2) About halfway through the adventure, I just look around the table and take a mental inventory of who's already gotten to do fun things, and who hasn't. The bard has done nothing but buff her colleagues? Let's see if there's any way I can give her a chance to shine against the shriekers or the harpies. The gunslinger has misfired every single time he's tried to fire his weapon? That's a great story, though, and I'm thinking he'll either finally get a shot off at the flying tentacle monster, or else I can give him a chance to club somebody over the head.
How do you manage to do this within the limitations of PFS play?
Note : I am genuinely seeking advice. I've had times when I wanted to do this and couldn't figure out how. In a home game one can add/alter stuff to do this but that route is closed in PFS.
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imo, it's about trying to learn as much as you can about the pcs that you have at your table. I always try to leave a couple of minutes for character introductions, so that people can know who they're grouping with, and I can get an idea about what each character is/does. I won't say it's always possible, but I believe it's well worth the effort.
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Making sure that everybody at the table gets a chance to shine.
This is sort of basic, but it takes conscious effort. For me, this happens in two parts:
1) When the players introduce their characters at the beginning of the game, I look for elements that will interface well with the scenario plot. We're going into Belken and Zack's playing a half-orc barbarian? Cool. There's going to be a bunch of traps, and Susan's character just got some equipment to help with Perception? Good.
2) About halfway through the adventure, I just look around the table and take a mental inventory of who's already gotten to do fun things, and who hasn't. The bard has done nothing but buff her colleagues? Let's see if there's any way I can give her a chance to shine against the shriekers or the harpies. The gunslinger has misfired every single time he's tried to fire his weapon? That's a great story, though, and I'm thinking he'll either finally get a shot off at the flying tentacle monster, or else I can give him a chance to club somebody over the head.
How do you manage to do this within the limitations of PFS play?
Note : I am genuinely seeking advice. I've had times when I wanted to do this and couldn't figure out how. In a home game one can add/alter stuff to do this but that route is closed in PFS.
Having had the pleasure of sitting at more than one of Chris' tables, I can assure you that he does this, and does it well, and does so within the limitations of PFS play.
Nothing is altered in the scenario. Chris just does a very good job of finding some key parts of your PC out and bringing them into the story.
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Able to roll dice
Okay - an explanation for this one. I roll in the open, I don't fudge dice rolls. I was doing the beginner bash at a local shop.
A group of complete beginners struggles to roll above 10. I take the dice - nat 20. I proclaim loudly - this is how you roll dice - followed by an explanation of a rule I hadn't introduced before - threads and critical hits.
So after the explanation I roll again - natural 1.
I did this a total of three times. Nat 20 followed by nat 1. We even had dice swaps after I did this two times - all dice were mine anyhow and I had randomly (well - not really - I have my preferred colours) handed dice to everyone.
The group scraped through with Valeros nearly dead and the rest of the group feeling doomed.
But the group was mightily impressed in me rolling dice to maximally enhance the story.
The dice truly were random - but as GM you work with what you get. And weaving them into the story and pre announcing doom after the 20 (and promptly rolling a 1) made a freak streak of dice rolling to stick out and to be remembered for a long time.