Goals

When you sit down at the table as a game master your focus should be on:

Portraying a fantastic world

It is your job to portray a fantastic world. It is all about the characters who have decided to take up a life of adventure in the hopes of glorious reward and it’s up to you to present a world in which they can find that adventure. Show the players the wonders of the world they’re in and encourage them to react to it.

Filling the characters’ lives with adventure

Filling the characters’ lives with adventure means working with the players to create a world that’s engaging and dynamic. Adventurers are always caught up in some world threatening danger. Encourage and foster that kind of action in the game.

Playing to find out what happens

An adventure portrays a setting in motion; someplace significant with creatures big and small pursuing their own goals. As the players come into conflict with that setting and its denizens, action is inevitable as is the repercussions. You are sharing in the fun of finding out how the characters react to and change the world you’re portraying.

  Everything you say and do at the table should be working towards accomplishing these three goals!

  What you should NOT be doing at the table is:

Showing off your your finely crafted setting

Yes, you have spent hours and hours building this amazing world. Yes you want everyone to see how amazing it is. But now you have to sit back and be patient and let the players explore at their own pace. As cool as that ox festival is, you should not force the characters to attend or be sad when they choose never to do so.

Killing off the player characters just because

It is not you versus the players! You are not trying to kill their characters or outwit them with complex traps to prove you are smarter than they are. Or worse, punish the players for coming up with clever ways around your obstacles.

Giving it away for free 

You shouldn’t make it easy for the characters. Big rewards should come with big risks. If you put the shiny bonus gear out there make sure it comes with an appropriate cost and let the players decide if they are willing to pay.

Robbing players of their victories

If you dangle something in front of the players you need to be prepared to accept the consequences. They might come up with a clever way to get it and robbing them of their victory because “they were never supposed to get it” is not an option. You may have to think on your feet and possibly re-write a big part of your adventure to repair the story, but that’s your problem. Not your players.

Forcing the story

You are not here to tell everyone a planned out story. Sure you can suggest a direction, but the characters have a voice and a role to play and it is as much their story as it is yours. Let them contribute.