Advice to a self conscious DM?

[shadowkat678]

I love stories. I love planning. I love coming up with things, but I feel like I'm not doing the best I can. I freeze up sometimes, and tend to get frustrated when I feel myself slipping up, which, of course, makes me try harder to fix it, and repeats the cycle. I'm self conscious roleplaying out all the different characters, and can hardly do any voices. I have all the ways to describe interactions and stuff in my head, but when the moment comes it...just...I can't think of it.

I know I CAN, but there's a block, and I can't figure out how to get past it. I've had good games where I was finally able to do some of this, and then the next thing you know it's next week and we go right back to square one. My players say they still enjoy it, but I can't. Not when I keep doing this. I feel like I'm not giving the game I know I can, and I don't know how to fix it.

[Vitruviansquid]

If you don't like doing voices, then just don't do voices.

If you feel yourself getting flustered, just ask for a break to gather yourself. It is in your interest as well as the players' interest to let you do this, so they can have the best campaign possible.

[Jama7301]

I know when I had nervous blocks in the past, what helped me was dropping the first person perspective for most NPCs, and only focused on a few. It saved me the hassle of coming up with dialog in the moment, and let me still provide the information. Kept me from having to make distinct voices for everyone. Instead of giving farmer Johan a drawl that I'd surely hate after 2 sentences, I could just say "He said some shady people passed through here, and they were accompanied by a big wooshing wind".

When I was feeling up to it, then I could go back to doing first person primarily.

[Honest Tiefling]

If you don't like doing voices, then just don't do voices.

Good descriptions can be as good, or even better, then acting. A well-done third person description as Jama7301 described also works, especially for more background interactions. A more limited, but in-depth stable of NPCs is also a good idea. It helps you focus on a few characters and a few quirks.

Taking breaks to work things out is something a DM should be able to ask for. It's better to call for a snack/smoke break then to have the DM feel uncomfortable! Consider a game around dinner time, so you can work out some details as people eat.

Perhaps a change of pace will help you build confidence? Consider a shorter game, a published adventure if someone has it, or even just a really silly game. The only real way to get over this is experience, so keep trying and you'll manage to conquer your block.

[Darth Ultron]

You don't need to do ''voices'' , just as effective is simply doing speech patterns and words in your own voice.

If you have problems thinking of things during the game....then write them down.

[RazorChain]

I love stories. I love planning. I love coming up with things, but I feel like I'm not doing the best I can. I freeze up sometimes, and tend to get frustrated when I feel myself slipping up, which, of course, makes me try harder to fix it, and repeats the cycle. I'm self conscious roleplaying out all the different characters, and can hardly do any voices. I have all the ways to describe interactions and stuff in my head, but when the moment comes it...just...I can't think of it.

I know I CAN, but there's a block, and I can't figure out how to get past it. I've had good games where I was finally able to do some of this, and then the next thing you know it's next week and we go right back to square one. My players say they still enjoy it, but I can't. Not when I keep doing this. I feel like I'm not giving the game I know I can, and I don't know how to fix it.

How long have you been Game mastering?

[tedthehunter]

Having struggled with similar issues in the past, I have a few recommendations as to what help me personally get through those blocks, hopefully you can take something from them.

Firstly, I tend to prepare, prepare, and overprepare. I used to spend most of my preparatory efforts planning out encounters and villain arcs and other such things. Now I tend to mostly just ready myself for the unexpected moments that ALWAYS seem to come up during a game of D&D. My favorite example is something that I do without fail before every game, campaign, or one-shot, and that is making a name list. I number a lined piece of paper 1-30 (sometimes more), even numbers are male names, odd numbers are female names. Then, whenever an NPC that didn't previously have a specific name enters a scene, I simply choose one that strikes my fancy. My players tend to appreciate that a 15 second break in the action to browse of a list of names is vastly preferable to having yet another NPC named Bob. So you see, preparation for a gaming session for me changed as I matured as a DM. It went from preparing specific story elements to preparing the shortcuts that my brain so desperately needs sometimes while taking on the intimidating role of DM.

Secondly, I took a long time, and a lot of experience, to find out what exactly made me good at being the DM. It may be the case that voices just aren't really your thing, and that's totally OK. What's important is that you capitalize on your strengths as the guide of the storytelling experience. I myself had a VERY difficult time doing voices for people, even in front of trusted friends, and so for a long time, I focused on what I knew I was good at: description. I wrote out elaborate and vivid descriptions of every major and minor set that the party would come across, and my players always loved it! I eventually grew to be more confident in my acting abilities and started trying out some goofy voices like impressions and stereotypical accents and such. Now I love seeing the reactions of my players when I try (and sometimes fail) a new character's voice in an outrageous accent. As has been mentioned before in this thread, this will come with time, experience, and patience with yourself.

Lastly, and this one depends fairly heavily on your group, and their willingness to participate in the governing of the game world, is this: be willing to ask your players for help. My players are all very easy going, and have some experience as DM themselves, so it makes this step easy for me, but I've found that most groups I've been with have been receptive to this kind of DM style. My players are very clever, often cleverer than I, and so they sometimes notice discrepancies in my storytelling. When confronted with situations where I feel blocked or stuck, I turn to them for help. An example might be me asking my players directly, "I hadn't considered what this NPC might have been doing while the party was away on their quest, and it seems that information may be relevant now. I'm having trouble coming up with anything on the spot, does anyone have any ideas?" This usually helps us reach a resolution that leaves the whole table feeling satisfied, and helps the players feel like they're shaping the game world. I understand that this technique may not be for everyone, but my players and I enjoy it immensely.

My only other advice would be to reiterate the importance of being patient with yourself. Being a DM is no easy task, and it can sometimes come with lots of pressure to perform from your players. There's no need to double down on that pressure by being too hard on yourself when you slip up. Because you will slip up. We all do it Anyway I hope that this helps in some way. You're definitely looking in the right place for advice on this sort of thing. Good luck on your storytelling journey!
~ted~

[Martin Greywolf]

Git gud. That's the only real answer here.

The point where you seem to struggle the most is when it comes to describe and play out the scenario, so what you have there is a well-known combination of stage fright and inexperience. Enough practice can do away with both. The problem is that there is no amount of reading guides or advice that will help here - they are no substitutes for practice in the first place, and what's more, TTRPGs rely heavily on improvisation, and you only learn that by doing.

To make this process easier, write out those interactions you have in your head, put them to paper, and then read them. It'll feel weird and you'll be horribly nervous first fifty times, but that will pass. Well, mostly, by this point, I spent good 10 years of my life beating up people with swords on stage and I still get a little nervous when it's time to go.

And relax. You say that your players still enjoy the game, so you have the basics covered, basics being player enjoyment. You're just looking to improve your craft for its own sake. Breathing exercises helped me, but I started with stage swordfighting and then moved to DMing.

[Jay R]

Yes, you're right. Public performing is difficult and scary. Ask any actor, public speaker, politician, or teacher what it was like at first. Nobody did it really well the first time they tried.

Nobody plays football well on their first day. Nobody plays chess well on their first day. Nobody sews well the first time they try it.

It takes time, and effort, and practice.

DMing is a combination of a great many skills. Like all the rest of us, you're probably weaker at some of them than at others. And yes, we were all poor at it when we first tried to do it.

Like everything else worth doing in this world, it will take effort and dedication to get better.

Don't let the fact that you are a beginner stop you from trying. Trying is the only way to get better.

[Florian]

I feel like I'm not giving the game I know I can, and I don't know how to fix it.

You´re not "giving game", you talk about your performance as a method actor, which is quite different matter.

"Game" is foremost handling the flow of information, the simple facts that players need to act upon. What is happening here? Where is "here"? Who is here? And so on.

You can go into details and "acting" when it becomes important, like the players showing interest in something or wanting to interact with something/someone. Everything else might be meaning well, but can be information overflow

Consider it ay "layers of information". What are they key facts/persons/clues for this particular scene or plot? What are additional layers on top that can be winged? So create your core "red line" of events that will shape your plot and write that down, rilling the information to the base core and go from there.

[Telonius]

I'd suggest a bit of practice, but not in your role as DM. Do some acting exercises with the rest of the group; I've found I'm a lot less self-conscious if I know that everybody else is doing something equally ridiculous. Break out a play or a famous monologue, and have everybody read it in their own character. Something like the St. Crispin's Day Speech as delivered by Elan, or Caesar's Funeral as delivered by Thog. Pick one of your NPCs, and join in. (Make sure somebody else goes first).

It is kind of hard to get over that initial, "Oh god am I making a fool of myself in front of my friends" thing, especially if you're worried about being the person in charge. But once you start, it gets a lot easier with practice. And if all else fails, remember that it won't be as bad as it was with Cory.

Cory? Well, he was my very first real DM. A bunch of us had gotten together to run Sunless Citadel. The party has been taken before Queen Yusdrayl. So he stands up, and in his very best stage voice, says:

I am the Queen of the Kobolds!

The entire room falls silent. Which would be good except. We were all at a fancy private college at the time. In the student lounge. On a Saturday afternoon. And a troop of about 50 prospective students had just walked in the door.

So trust me, no matter how silly you think you might look, your face is not going to be as red as his was.

[Pugwampy]

I'm self conscious roleplaying out all the different characters, and can hardly do any voices. I have all the ways to describe interactions and stuff in my head, but when the moment comes it...just...I can't think of it.

You can speak in 3rd person . No rule says you cannot do that .
Dont worry you will get used to it .

If you want a cool monster growling from a cave ? Try growling through an empty cardboard toilet roll . That will impress your players .

[shadowkat678]

Thanks. This has all been really helpful. :)

[Beastrolami]

Are you big on planning, or do you prefer to ad-lib? My friend who first got me into dnd prepares very little, and mostly wings it, while I have 1-2 pages of notes before every session to make sure I hit all the points I need to. Maybe try writing ab outline, or even writing out some dialogue for important npcs. that way, even if you feel yourself slipping, you can just read off a page (not a perfect solution) but if it gets you through the awkward situation, and on to something a bit more familiar, it might give you some more confidence in your self, and possibly engage the players more.

[shadowkat678]

Are you big on planning, or do you prefer to ad-lib? My friend who first got me into dnd prepares very little, and mostly wings it, while I have 1-2 pages of notes before every session to make sure I hit all the points I need to. Maybe try writing ab outline, or even writing out some dialogue for important npcs. that way, even if you feel yourself slipping, you can just read off a page (not a perfect solution) but if it gets you through the awkward situation, and on to something a bit more familiar, it might give you some more confidence in your self, and possibly engage the players more.

Big planner. I think that's one issue. I tend to freeze up when I don't know how to react to something. Or if there's something I obviously should have thought of that I forgot about.

[Pugwampy]

Big planner. I think that's one issue. I tend to freeze up when I don't know how to react to something. Or if there's something I obviously should have thought of that I forgot about.

You are a new DM . You will get used to this in time . You have all the power . You can say yes or no as you like , you can change rules or your monster hp ingame. Need to practice your poker face and acting skills .
The game rules are there to serve you and make your life easier . If the rules dont impress you , make your own . Dont plan too much rather figure out ways to make your plans for sessions easier for you . If you make use of classes , dont bring out 4 for a silly one encounter fight . Make 2 and give them the same stats. Players wont care or notice if your one dude has 15 hp and his friend has 17hp

What did your last DM do and how can you make it better ? Treat this as one huge experiment . What funny thing do you want to try out next session ?

Dont forget players know their heroes pretty well .
The monster you pick for the game you only met him once .
For example . I used a triceratops 3 times over the years and i keep forgetting about his stomp attack . Whats your favorite monsters ? Keep playing them till you know them inside and out .

If monsters gets slaughtered too easy , Give em more Hp , thats the easiest thing you can do . Dont be afraid to try and kill players , they can handle alot more then DM,s imagine . If players have a nice escape route , you are pretty much free to buff monsters as you like . Half the fun of this game is , DM gets walked all over one encounter and players get messed up in the next one.

The dice gods are your ally . This is an anything can happen game . Yes sometimes players walk all over you , you must learn to let it go . There is always the next session dude .
So what if you never thought of it , you can smile at the player and tell em you will roll for it . High or low roll , yes or no . If the dice gods favour the players , good for them .Player wants something you want something else , roll the dice .

If you want a quick magic formula for balance . Imagine a balanced fight between your monsters and players and then double units or stats your side .......believe it or not , that will be the true balance . If your encounter takes about plus minus 6 rounds it is balanced .

[shadowkat678]

You are a new DM . You will get used to this in time . You have all the power . You can say yes or no as you like , you can change rules or your monster hp ingame. Need to practice your poker face and acting skills .

The game rules are there to serve you and make your life easier . If the rules dont impress you , make your own . Dont plan too much rather figure out ways to make your plans for sessions easier for you . If you make use of classes , dont bring out 4 for a silly one encounter fight . Make 2 and give them the same stats. Players wont care or notice if your one dude has 15 hp and his friend has 17hp

What did your last DM do and how can you make it better ? Treat this as one huge experiment . What funny thing do you want to try out next session ?

Dont forget players know their heroes pretty well .

The monster you pick for the game you only met him once .

For example . I used a triceratops 3 times over the years and i keep forgetting about his stomp attack . Whats your favorite monsters? Keep playing them till you know them inside and out .

If monsters gets slaughtered too easy , Give em more Hp , thats the easiest thing you can do . Dont be afraid to try and kill players , they can handle alot more then DM,s imagine . If players have a nice escape route , you are pretty much free to buff monsters as you like . Half the fun of this game is , DM gets walked all over one encounter and players get messed up in the next one.

The dice gods are your ally . This is an anything can happen game . Yes sometimes players walk all over you , you must learn to let it go . There is always the next session dude .

So what if you never thought of it , you can smile at the player and tell em you will roll for it . High or low roll , yes or no . If the dice gods favour the players , good for them .Player wants something you want something else , roll the dice .

If you want a quick magic formula for balance . Imagine a balanced fight between your monsters and players and then double units or stats your side .......believe it or not , that will be the true balance . If your encounter takes about plus minus 6 rounds it is balanced .

Hm. Wondering something. I made another thread about a game idea I've been thinking about, and I wrote some about my GM style in that post.

How would different GM styles affect running games in things like this? Like, are there certain things to focus on that could help depending on that?

[Jay R]

Big planner. I think that's one issue. I tend to freeze up when I don't know how to react to something. Or if there's something I obviously should have thought of that I forgot about.

You may need to shift gears a little bit, then. Planning a D&D adventure is a planning skill, like a chess game - making a long detailed set of choices and contingency choices.

But running the game is very different. It's more like surfing, where you react instantaneously to every trivial change in the feel of the surf. [This analogy is excellent for pointing out the unplanned aspect, but breaks down if you try to take it too far.]

But it's also very like improvisational acting, in which you take on a role and react in that character to each thing somebody else does.

I recommend one specific change of gears. Quit trying to find the best move. You aren't trying to find the exact chess-like ideal response, but merely a likely thing for that character to do.

[HidesHisEyes]

It's good that you like to plan. I plan thoroughly too and I find if I do so properly then it negates the bulk of the anxiety of actually running. The trick is to treat it as world-building rather than planning the specific session. Make sure you know all about the location where the adventure is set, the NPCs and monsters, what they know and - most importantly - what they want. I find if I do this properly then even when the players say or do something that surprises me (and they always do) I can just think about it for a moment and the logical answer is clear.

As others have said, don't be afraid to call a break if you want some time to think. I've never met a player who wasn't understanding of this, and most like to stretch their legs and have a chat now and then.

As for doing voices, don't do it if it's not your thing. You can describe everything that happens as yourself and paraphrase everything the NPCs say and at the end of the session the players will still have experienced a story. That said, you may grow into it over time.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck with your next game!

[Mastikator]

There's no magic way of getting over it, just practice in front of the mirror until you feel confident. Remind yourself that if anyone laughs or scoffs at you they're the one in the wrong, not you, and everyone is mad at them for disrespecting you.

Because what you're trying to do- it deserves respect. Being self conscious means you care about your performance.

[Jay R]

Remind yourself that if anyone laughs or scoffs at you they're the one in the wrong, not you, and everyone is mad at them for disrespecting you.

Whoever laughs at you has just volunteered to be the new DM.

[Psikerlord]

If you don't like doing voices, then just don't do voices.

If you feel yourself getting flustered, just ask for a break to gather yourself. It is in your interest as well as the players' interest to let you do this, so they can have the best campaign possible.

Yeah I never really do voices. I just try to give every NPC a notable quality of some kind. One guy smokes a pipe. Another woman is allergic to horses. Another dude has a catchphrase, etc. The players will remember the quality adn that's all you really need.

[Florian]

How would different GM styles affect running games in things like this? Like, are there certain things to focus on that could help depending on that?

Hm. The major change when you accept that you as gm should not drive the story is planning places and people.

Example: In a political campaign I ran, the main plot was: "Three factions want to control the city, the Shogun, the Chamberlain, the Blood Cult".

The starting scenario for this was: "Two dead were found by the harbor. Looks like lovers suicide".

There was a cast of maybe 10 characters and assorted places that have to do with those NPC, each one with background, motivation and relationship to the other characters.

- The Mother: Knows The Son plans an assassination attempt on The Shogun, doesn´t know that he´s a member of the Blood Cult, blackmails The Judge.
- The Son: Cripple using blood magic to act normal. Was blackmailed by The Bard and killed him, was witness by The Maid and had her killed by The Actor. Plans to assassinate the Shogun.
- The Bard: Ronin. Provided blood magic victims to The Son, had a stable relationship to The Geisha worked together and was later betrayed by The Actor.
... and so on.

These persons are the actual setting and interacting with them is the game. Everything else comes from the players starting to interact with them.

[Guizonde]

You don't need to do ''voices'' , just as effective is simply doing speech patterns and words in your own voice.

If you have problems thinking of things during the game....then write them down.

this is pretty much what i was gonna say. i've a problem maintaining accents, due to the fact i've lived in 4 different countries. when i speak french, i've got a singing southern accent which is much more high pitched than my growling, muttering twang when speaking english (yorkshire and virginian accents don't make your speech easily comprehensible). so instead of doing voices, i pick and choose. a grumpy character will have a slow growl, an easygoing con artist might have a perky lilt, and so on. the one thing that matters to my characters when i'm voicing different npc's is cadence: speeding up or slowing down your speech patterns instantly make your npc recognizable. i recommend having a quaver in your voice for a scared npc, and drinking a lot of water. dm'ing is thirsty work since you're talking all night long.

a friend i brought into pen and paper has bad memory problems, so because he always saw me doing things with the story in my head, he thought that it'd be easy. by session 2 he had everything written down: cheat sheets for npc's, the scenario, stat blocks, maps, the works. it's about as much work as thinking up everything in the first place, to be honest.

for stage fright, i recommend you do what i did to get over it. i was meant to play onstage with my band. i got very, very, very drunk. the concert was a dumpster fire. next concert i did stone-cold sober, and went off without a hitch. moral of the story is: if you screw up totally, you know that you can only get better afterwards. plus, you need to dissociate yourself from the game. the players don't want to have a dm at the table. they want a world and an adventure at the table. you are only there to roleplay the backdrop to the adventure. when you screw up, throw it in or say "whoops, my bad, let's do that again, i flubbed it big time". good players will laugh it off, bad ones will scream you're "ruining their immersion". don't play with people who forget you're just as human as they are.

lastly, after every session, do a debrief with the players: high points of the game, low points, things to watch out for, improvements, tips, it's a good way to come back to the real world and a great way to teach newbies. my current pf game has a player that is both shy and inexperienced (her first game and she plays a bloody cleric....) lemme tell you that during all the debriefs we coach her on standard-issue roleplay reflexes, we also make her feel like she's a part of the team (and rightly so, her character's getting better, more awesome, and funnier by the session). this debrief is as useful to the players as it is for the dm. hell, we pretty much gave the dm what direction we were heading in for next session during the last debrief.

good luck. it gets easier with practice.

[daniel_ream]

Your experience with other people's games is mostly Critical Role, right?

Don't compare yourself to them. Seriously, don't. Those guys are professional actors with years of experience, they get cuts, retakes, and a pro crew to make them look good and entertaining. You're just having fun with your friends, not trying to get into Carnegie Hall. Hell, I used to be a professional voice actor/VO guy, and I don't bring my A game every scene, much less every session. It's work, and a lot of it.

That said:

Tourist: Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?
New Yorker: Practice, son. Practice.

The more you do this, the better you'll get. Don't set insane goals for yourself, like "being as good as a professional voice actor in a studio", set goals like "running a session everyone enjoys". You're not getting paid for this; it's supposed to be a fun hobby. Start small, pick a skill to get good at, then add on slowly.

Lots of people have weighed in on the voices thing (that's bollocks. Nobody I know does voices, except me, and then only about a tenth of the time), let me talk about the planning and improv part.

You know how the best jazz musicians and martial artists make it look easy? They can whip out jams, combos, split-second improvs like it's unconscious? That's because they've spent years drilling the basics and fundamentals. They know their field inside and out in insane detail. What looks like easy off-the-cuff improv to us is them just picking something they saw or heard once, and connecting it to something else they saw or heard once, and so on and so on. Creativity is the art of concealing your sources.

If you want to get better at that, read more. Read a lot. And read a lot of different things. Don't just read D&D books, they're just recycling the same tired tropes. Read everything on Appendix N. Read SF. Read historical fiction. Read non-fiction. I wanted a pan-continental hierarchical religion in a fantasy game once (because fantasy lit and gaming is allergic to organized religion) that wasn't a real-world religion (ditto), so I mashed up the Roman gods Mithras and Sol Invictus, the history of the Catholic Church in Europe and the Roman provinces in the middle east, and got something that looks and feels like the medieval Catholic church without feeling like I just filed the serial numbers off.

(The reason I mention reading instead of, say, watching movies and TV is that those are visual media. The techniques and tropes they use don't transport well to oral storytelling).

[shadowkat678]

Your experience with other people's games is mostly Critical Role, right?

Don't compare yourself to them. Seriously, don't. Those guys are professional actors with years of experience, they get cuts, retakes, and a pro crew to make them look good and entertaining. You're just having fun with your friends, not trying to get into Carnegie Hall. Hell, I used to be a professional voice actor/VO guy, and I don't bring my A game every scene, much less every session. It's work, and a lot of it.

That said:


The more you do this, the better you'll get. Don't set insane goals for yourself, like "being as good as a professional voice actor in a studio", set goals like "running a session everyone enjoys". You're not getting paid for this; it's supposed to be a fun hobby. Start small, pick a skill to get good at, then add on slowly.

Lots of people have weighed in on the voices thing (that's bollocks. Nobody I know does voices, except me, and then only about a tenth of the time), let me talk about the planning and improv part.

You know how the best jazz musicians and martial artists make it look easy? They can whip out jams, combos, split-second improvs like it's unconscious? That's because they've spent years drilling the basics and fundamentals. They know their field inside and out in insane detail. What looks like easy off-the-cuff improv to us is them just picking something they saw or heard once, and connecting it to something else they saw or heard once, and so on and so on. Creativity is the art of concealing your sources.

If you want to get better at that, read more. Read a lot. And read a lot of different things. Don't just read D&D books, they're just recycling the same tired tropes. Read everything on Appendix N. Read SF. Read historical fiction. Read non-fiction. I wanted a pan-continental hierarchical religion in a fantasy game once (because fantasy lit and gaming is allergic to organized religion) that wasn't a real-world religion (ditto), so I mashed up the Roman gods Mithras and Sol Invictus, the history of the Catholic Church in Europe and the Roman provinces in the middle east, and got something that looks and feels like the medieval Catholic church without feeling like I just filed the serial numbers off.

(The reason I mention reading instead of, say, watching movies and TV is that those are visual media. The techniques and tropes they use don't transport well to oral storytelling).

Oh yeah. Definitely. I am...well. I have been a major bookworm. Although I will say I haven't read much lately. Haven't been able to keep focused or find something that can keep my focus long enough to finish. :/

[Raphite1]

I just drink whiskey the whole time and everything else kinda takes care of itself.

[Pugwampy]

I use my incredible DM powers to make all my prep work less then 30 mins . Dont try to learn everything , thats impossible , learn the short cuts and practice your facial expression that says " i know everything ."

[RazorChain]

Lots of people have weighed in on the voices thing (that's bollocks. Nobody I know does voices, except me, and then only about a tenth of the time

What are you telling me as a professional voice actor you don't voices? And I do it ALL the time?!?!


But seriously to the OP, most GM's don't do voices. I've did amateur acting for years and I'm one of the few GM's that I know that does voices and accents consistently. It has a price though, I got saddled with all the bed times stories for my 3 children as my wife just paled in comparison, I had to voice act my way through the first Harry Potter book.

Skills that are good to have as a GM and have helped me.

Acting Skill: Years of acting in school and amateur theater.
Being on a Debate team (boosts confidence and performance)
improvisational skills: aquired by being a lazy Game Master for a while, only showing up with a couple of ideas in my head and just taking it from there
Rules mastery: Knowing the rules of the game...I played Warhammer 40k competitively as a youth and learned to be a stickler for rules, nothing beats winning through rules lawyering your opponent into submission
The Art of getting good ideas: Take a walk, do something boring like the dishes and let your mind wander.

Game mastery is a skill and takes time to learn, I'm not the same GM I was 30 years ago. I was a horrible spoiled brat that shouted at my friends "RESPECT MY AUTHORITY!" when they didn't want to enter my dungeons and robbed the mayor of the town instead.

[shadowkat678]

What are you telling me as a professional voice actor you don't voices? And I do it ALL the time?!?!


But seriously to the OP, most GM's don't do voices. I've did amateur acting for years and I'm one of the few GM's that I know that does voices and accents consistently. It has a price though, I got saddled with all the bed times stories for my 3 children as my wife just paled in comparison, I had to voice act my way through the first Harry Potter book.

Skills that are good to have as a GM and have helped me.

Acting Skill: Years of acting in school and amateur theater.
Being on a Debate team (boosts confidence and performance)
improvisational skills: aquired by being a lazy Game Master for a while, only showing up with a couple of ideas in my head and just taking it from there
Rules mastery: Knowing the rules of the game...I played Warhammer 40k competitively as a youth and learned to be a stickler for rules, nothing beats winning through rules lawyering your opponent into submission
The Art of getting good ideas: Take a walk, do something boring like the dishes and let your mind wander.

Game mastery is a skill and takes time to learn, I'm not the same GM I was 30 years ago. I was a horrible spoiled brat that shouted at my friends "RESPECT MY AUTHORITY!" when they didn't want to enter my dungeons and robbed the mayor of the town instead.

These are some good tips.

Thanks everyone for their help! :)