Fishing for GMs

[kasubot]

This may not be the right place to ask but here goes.

I am a officer in my college's gaming club, and lately we have found that we have very few GMs to run campaigns.

What i ask is if there is any good tips on how to attract the GM type, or even better any resources on how to get someone into GMing.

[Kyeudo]

The way I ended up a GM was getting fed up with wanting to play and not having anyone to run a game.

GMing is tough work, especially if you are running real life games. You can't just make someone like it. It's a completely different rush from when you're playing.

[Grail]

Bribes can work wonders.

[RTGoodman]

The way I ended up a GM was getting fed up with wanting to play and not having anyone to run a game.

Heh, yeah, that's how almost ALL the DMs I know (including myself) ended up starting.

GMing is tough work, especially if you are running real life games. You can't just make someone like it. It's a completely different rush from when you're playing.

And it's not the kind of thing everyone likes. I know a LOT of people that love DMing for 3.x, but I usually can't stand it, and a couple I know will only do it if it's in a specific setting (Eberron, Iron Heroes, etc.). On the other hand, I LOVE to DM for 4E, and it's a much easier job. I haven't known any other IRL 4E DMs, so I can't say if that's true for everyone.

[Raum]

What i ask is if there is any good tips on how to attract the GM type, or even better any resources on how to get someone into GMing.

I recommend learning / training those in your club to GM. GMing really is not special or difficult. I'm certain some will disagree, but thinking GMing is only for a limited set of 'special' people does a disservice to gaming as a whole. It's elitist and artificially limits the pool of available GMs. GMing is a skill. It can be learned like any other skill.

As for resources, there are thousands including a sticky thread on this forum. In addition to that I recommend ars ludi, some of Greg Costikyan's articles, some of John Kim's articles (also links to other sites), Greg Stolze's How to Run (also a 'How to Play' on the same site if you're interested), Uncle Figgy's GM Guide, Ray Winninger's Dungeoncraft essays, Johnn Four's Role Playing Tips and Joseph Young's The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast.

You'll find different and even contradictory advice - but that's good. Not all groups, or people, are identical. Pick and choose what works for you and your group.

Hmm, I may cross post this in the sticky thread since I've gathered all the links together...

[Who_Da_Halfling]

I recommend learning / training those in your club to GM. GMing really is not special or difficult. I'm certain some will disagree, but thinking GMing is only for a limited set of 'special' people does a disservice to gaming as a whole. It's elitist and artificially limits the pool of available GMs. GMing is a skill. It can be learned like any other skill.

As for resources, there are thousands including a sticky thread on this forum. In addition to that I recommend ars ludi, some of Greg Costikyan's articles, some of John Kim's articles (also links to other sites), Greg Stolze's How to Run (also a 'How to Play' on the same site if you're interested), Uncle Figgy's GM Guide, Ray Winninger's Dungeoncraft essays, Johnn Four's Role Playing Tips and Joseph Young's The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast.

You'll find different and even contradictory advice - but that's good. Not all groups, or people, are identical. Pick and choose what works for you and your group.

Hmm, I may cross post this in the sticky thread since I've gathered all the links together...

OK, to start, I'm ONLY talking 3e.

I agree and disagree, like pretty much anyone on any topic. I agree that anyone CAN DM; the resources available are pretty clear and guide you pretty well.

However, it does take a specific mindset to GM well. Building a world, designing a campaign and adventures within a campaign, and creating a compelling overall storyline/characters is a skill but it is also a talent. It CAN be learned, but if you're not a particularly creative person, it will be difficult. Personally, I've had a ton of fun world-building, but I can easily see how someone who is less creatively-inclined than I am might have a very hard time with it.

As for available resources, the stickied thread on these very forums are an EXCELLENT resource. The Giant's articles on world-building and villain building are also very useful.

-JM

[RS14]

You might try suggesting prebuilt campaigns. Quite a bit of the effort required goes into planning, and having that already done would alleviate this. If a potential DM wants to try a particular prebuilt adventure, try to get funds to buy a copy.

[herrhauptmann]

I personally think the most important aspect of being a GM is patience. Patience with new players learning the game. And patience with the idiot player that wants to talk to each person he encounters, expecting a name, detailed life story, and personality for each.

No Tom, the janitor in the sheriff's building does not have any kernels of wisdom or any chekov guns for your bard Faraday Caradorn Gilthoniel of Phantascorian. Now get in the office so the Sheriff can ask for your help.

I've had that exact conversation.

[TheCountAlucard]

What i ask is if there is any good tips on how to attract the GM type, or even better any resources on how to get someone into GMing.

Sadly, GMs are most often bred from necessity.

[Random NPC]

This may not be the right place to ask but here goes.

I am a officer in my college's gaming club, and lately we have found that we have very few GMs to run campaigns.

What i ask is if there is any good tips on how to attract the GM type, or even better any resources on how to get someone into GMing.

Preaching to the choir, the DMs are DMs because no one else will. Technically, everyone can DM, but they have different styles.

I would suggest a Round-Robin campaign where every X sessions, one player becomes the DM and so on until everyone has pitch in.

[esorscher]

And it's not the kind of thing everyone likes. I know a LOT of people that love DMing for 3.x, but I usually can't stand it, and a couple I know will only do it if it's in a specific setting (Eberron, Iron Heroes, etc.). On the other hand, I LOVE to DM for 4E, and it's a much easier job. I haven't known any other IRL 4E DMs, so I can't say if that's true for everyone.

I'm a 3.5 man myself, and for a long time I didn't enjoy DMing at all. I still prefer being a player character, but once I figured out that the DM can make things challenging without actively trying to kill the players, and has a lot more freedom to create pretty much anything, the game got more fun for me.

My current favorite is a room where in order to get out, you have to pull a lever
underneath a heavy stone rock (DC 21 Strength Check). The only problem is that a poisonous gas is sucking away your strength. 1d6 Str Damage on a failed save, (DC 17), 1 point for each round after that until you're at 1.

Even if you get out, you are so weak from the strength damage that the six goblins that are waiting for you actually have a chance.

[mabriss lethe]

Sadly, GMs are most often bred from necessity.

Too true. This is exactly how I got roped into DMing. Necessity. Everyone wanted to game and we suddenly had no DM.

[TheCountAlucard]

Too true. This is exactly how I got roped into DMing. Necessity. Everyone wanted to game and we suddenly had no DM.

That's how I got roped into being the ST of a Vampire game when I hadn't even read the core book...

[Narmoth]

Try using girls as bait. Most dm's are loosers loners

(I'm a dm myself)

Seriously, I've dm-ed a long time, and I wouldn't consider dm-ing for people I don't know if there wasn't something in it for me. Not that you need to provide girls, but come up with some benefits might work wonders

[Another_Poet]

I agree with the advice above, but I want to especially second the "bribing" aspect. It goes nicely with the "training up players as DM's" idea.

What I would do is start a policy where either everyone chips in $5 a week toward food, or where you rotate weeks where one person buys/brings food for the group. Whoever GMs is exempt from chipping in/taking a turn in the rotation. Offering free food to college students is like offering drugs to the evil guy from Robocop 2.

An alternate thing you could try is to do a "Run Club". Emphasise that it doesn't matter how good or bad your skills are, but that you have to take your turn for at least one week. One or two people will get hooked and want to be regular GMs, guaranteed.

[Rhuadin]

We have the opposite problem! Everyone in our group wants to DM (most likely because no one in our group is particularly good at it and everyone else thinks they can do better) ;)

[potatocubed]

One of the best things you can do for new GMs is a) provide feedback and b) don't be too harsh when providing feedback. As mentioned upthread, GMing is a skill that can be learned like any other - and like any other skill, some people just don't have the knack for it. (Ask me about juggling.)

Also, I second the advice upthread to use a pre-published campaign. That's how I eased my way into GMing. I would add to the advice, use a good pre-published campaign. Red Hand of Doom is pretty GM-friendly, as is the Shackled City and War of the Burning Sky.

[Fixer]

(Joins in the club of being a GM by necessity.)

The BEST way to get and keep a GM is to make gaming be at their convenience. If you are capable of cleaning up after yourself, go to their house to game to make things easier on them. They will be more comfortable at home (presumably). Make the GM comfortable where they are. No GM I know of enjoys having to lug 40 pounds of books, papers, and dice around so making it easier on them makes the game flow more smoothly.

Prepare your character sheets in advance as much as possible. If your GM insists on you rolling in front of them, follow those instructions but have the non-attribute details fleshed out as much as possible. Ask questions about your character outside of game time when possible. Try to keep the gaming time specific for adventure time and not about 'your character' time.

Most importantly, SHOW UP ON BLOODY TIME! Early will not get you beaten, but showing up more than 'fashionably late' to a gaming session will result in your character being the b**** that goes searching for traps blindfolded and wearing only a loincloth. No one, and I mean NO ONE likes having to wait on someone who is late. Practice punctuality, pretty please.

These three steps taken by players to make a GM happy and comfortable will result in your GM actually RUNNING ADVENTURES (gasp!) and HAVING FUN (double gasp!) at the same time as you, the players. Try it.

[Tormsskull]

Hmm, I actually became a DM because I wanted to tell a story. And while that is not a PC answer around here these days, it is a solid one IMO.

Is anyone in your group creative? Any aspiring authors or die-hard fantasy readers?

If so, DMing can be a way of letting other people in on this thing you have created, letting their actions/decisions help you to mold this world so that you all enjoy it.

Heck, it can be great for creating historical records about a world if you ever planned on writing anything about the world.

[TheCountAlucard]

(Joins in the club of being a GM by necessity.)

Sorry, we're out of the free T-shirts...

These three steps taken by players to make a GM happy and comfortable will result in your GM actually RUNNING ADVENTURES (gasp!) and HAVING FUN (double gasp!) at the same time as you, the players.

You forgot the fourth step: bring an ample amount of snacks. Pizza is doubly effective.