Hey GMs, where do you get your motivation?

[valadil]

See title. No, I'm not talking about inspiration. I've got plenty of that. I'm just having trouble moving my ideas out of my head and into my notebook.

I'm GMing my group's next game. We typically rotate between a few GMs. Apparently the others need their break. I like being an every other game GM. Usually.

This time around though I don't feel the usual creative rush. It's more like "okay, here we go again." In the last 18 months I've only GMed a couple one shots, so I don't think I'm still burnt out from the last game, but I just don't have energy.

I'm doing all the passive and tedious prep work. I've been painting up minis color coded for different factions. I'm rereading the books(the game is set in GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire) and researching extra material online. I'm even documenting all the rules changes from standard d20. But I'm not writing a game campaign.

So, for the sake of my players someone please help me jump start this game!

[BizzaroStormy]

My GM gets it from cattle prods and the fear that someone in our group can make peoples heads explode with their mind.

Other than that I'm not sure where he gets it.

[Maxymiuk]

What motivates me is whenever after a session one or more players tell me "I hate you so much. Awesome game."

It's as simple as that.

[RTGoodman]

Here's the way things work for me: If I want to play D&D, I'd better get to DMin', since no one else is gonna do it for more than a session.

[Fax Celestis]

1. Put on music, preferably something epic and inspiring. Few-to-no words is preferable too. I prefer long songs on repeat, but a friend of mine who codes an online mmo prefers short trance songs on loop. Recently, I've been particularly fixated on Pink Floyd's Echoes and One Of These Days, and Liquid Tension Experiment's Three Minute Warning, but the important thing is that it's music you're familiar with, love, and can use as background noise and a focus aid.
2. Remove other distractions, such as AIM/ICQ/MSN/IRC/YIM/Jabber/GTalk/Meebo/Pidgin/WhatHaveYou. Ready your preferred documentation method: paper, MS Word, etc.
3. Start with a skeleton. This is centered on PrC creation, but the fundamental concept is the same: start with a general idea, and then build up specializations and specifics as you progress. Don't worry if things don't turn out the way you envisioned them initially.
4. Do the tedium first: that way, you'll have something to look forward to.
5. I find I do best when I plot by hand in a notebook, then do finalization and edits when transferring my ideas from paper to digital. A wiki is useful in this regard, as you can access it from nigh anywhere and keep a record of past versions and edits in the Page History, so if you want to go back to something you had previous, you can.
6. When creating an adventure or a setting, you can never have too many NPCs. Eventually, your PCs will want to talk to--or kill--someone who you haven't planned for them to, and you'll be glad you had some spare filler characters pre-prepared.

[Lochar]

My motivation is that sick look from your player, as they go "Buh. Wha. How?" as every step they make forward they pay for with their sanity, as I slowly drive both player and PC insane.

[valadil]

What motivates me is whenever after a session one or more players tell me "I hate you so much. Awesome game."

It's as simple as that.

That's what keeps me going once the game has started. We're still 2-4 weeks off from starting this one though.

[Duke of URL]

The salty, yet sweet, tears of my victims players.

[Calinero]

What motivates me? Imagining the look of terror on their faces...

Did I mention that I DM CoC? Yeah...

[Piedmon_Sama]

DMing is kind of like writing a novel, which I've always wanted to do, only it's easier because you don't have to drive the action. There's also the chance your characters will wander away from your plot and do something completely different (actually it's more of an eventuality).....

[Lert, A.]

I'm motivated by the sheer evilness that I am as a DM.

Whenever I am creating a NPC or an encounter, there is always something that can create a real challenge for the PCs if they don't actually think quickly. This can be abilities that will take out the primary PC - you know, the one that always seems to pull of the win for you - use of cover, concealment, aid another, common items used for nefarious purposes.

The truth is, I get a charge out of scheming to make things difficult for the PCs. When they get "that look" I feel great, but when I'm planning out the perils I'm just plain giddy. Whenever I see my players and they see my grinning, they are always nervous about what new master plan I have devised now.

Succinct answer: You need to be more evil.

[valadil]

DMing is kind of like writing a novel, which I've always wanted to do, only it's easier because you don't have to drive the action. There's also the chance your characters will wander away from your plot and do something completely different (actually it's more of an eventuality).....

This is what I enjoy about it once I've gotten started (that and the taste of tears of unfathomable sadness). Building up momentum to get to the actual game is proving trickier than I remember though.

Keep the posts coming. I am gladdened to see that other GMs are fueled with hate as well.

[EvilElitest]

history, books, tv shows, movies, voodica
from
EE

[PnP Fan]

For me inspiration is my motivation. Which is to say that when I have a cool idea for a story (one shot or campaign), I want to get it into action as quickly as possible to share my neat idea. Sure I could tell my friends about my neat campaign ideas as soon as I come up with them, but then they'd know all my good ideas! Maybe that makes me a bit of a show off, though I don't tend to think of it that way.

[Satyr]

I always wanted to be the Gamemaster I wished for my rounds when I am a player.

And I like to tell a story, especially when it is appreciated by the players. And I like the intellectual and tactical chalenge between me and them .

Once I was invited and paid to master a game. That was very flattering.

[shaddy_24]

I'm motivated by the thought that as soon as I get all this down, I can see the looks on the players' faces as I put it out before them. I still sometimes have a few monsters that I'm pulling stats out of rulebooks, but I always have the page noted down, so I'm not flipping through looking for it. I make sure that all the NPC's are finished before anything else. The monsters and traps are usually already stated out, so I just need to find the page. I also don't worry too much about writing out a story, since it's fairly flexible. Just keep in mind who and what the players are likely to run into and come up with contingency plans.

[Calinero]

Well, if imagining the future benefits (such as players' terror) isn't enough to get you through the creation process, you could try rewarding yourself for completing different stages of it. Go out to eat when you're halfway done, or something. Or perhaps you could get someone close to you who isn't playing the game to keep track of your process and badger you if you falter.

[Hal]

Take a standard trope. Now put a spin on it.

[crimson77]

See title. No, I'm not talking about inspiration. I've got plenty of that. I'm just having trouble moving my ideas out of my head and into my notebook.

I have a biased opinion, but I am an unstructured DM that will guest DM for a few gaming groups occasionally. This means that I DM with little prep work and often a loose plot.

If you are a good improvisationist then i would recommend just that. Start with a loose plot and just build off of it as the characters interact with the plot. In real life there are often lots of loose ends that are never tied up. There was one session I DMed for a friend that the players like so much he ended up moving the plot in that direction for a few months.

[Nerd-o-rama]

My motivation, I determined recently, comes from throwing random crap at my players and watching their reactions. Now, it's never too outlandish (yet) but it's basically the same sort of pleasure young children get from poking an anthill with a stick and watching all the little guys scurry around.

[Lappy9000]

I have a biased opinion, but I am an unstructured DM that will guest DM for a few gaming groups occasionally. This means that I DM with little prep work and often a loose plot.

If you are a good improvisationist then i would recommend just that. Start with a loose plot and just build off of it as the characters interact with the plot. In real life there are often lots of loose ends that are never tied up. There was one session I DMed for a friend that the players like so much he ended up moving the plot in that direction for a few months.

I find that a folder full of improv helps alot. Stuff like random names of NPCs, pre-typed room descriptions, as well as tables for treasure and equipment really help. Maps from wizards also helps you both describe the rooms the PC's are in as well as making sure you stay consistant.

And Motivation? It's unfortunatly not a problem for me. This is what I do with my copious amounts of free time.

[Weiser_Cain]

The Marquis de Sade

[Deathslayer7]

My motivation comes from session after session. With the group i play with in RL, things never happen as I want them too. So instad of writing out this whole, elaborate story/plot, I just do the beginning. Even then, they tend to diverge with what i want, but i just go with it.

So after session one, i have a week to plan the next session, and so on and so on until the campaign is over.

[ninja_penguin]

My motivations are as follows:

1. Being able to vent creative ideas in some form, where I don't have the time, ability, or desire to flesh them out into full works such as writing or a comic.

2. Pit traps.

[Dragonus45]

I get motivated by thinking about the only good session i ever ran. Before that i had none, but as i had a minuscule amount of experience compared to all my entirely new friends i was dm by process of elimination. All my games are mediocre but a few months ago i had one so good that my players threatened bodily harm if i stooped the session. So now i really want to try and beat myself on it and see if i can get my players interested again.

[SoD]

The other day; one of my players said to me "I loved that session the other day. The first one was a bit boring, y'know, 'cos I was cleaning glasses most of the time. But that second one; I loved taking charge."

[brant167]

It depends what type of game I’m working on. Currently I am working on a game with mostly a chaotic party who is trying to bring down a government. So, I am getting a great deal of motivation from conspiracy theories. The PC’s just uncovered a plot by a wizard dominated society to implant a toxin in all newborns in their kingdom to suppress the sorcery gene however this didn’t go over to well with the children that were born with psionic powers whom turned into a home bread creature that resembled a arcane addicted half- illithid. That idea sprung from the theory that there are damaging chemicals in vaccines.
For a more lawful group I look into history and present day wars and conflicts for the plot devices. A example of that would be if altered enough the situation with Kashmir would make a great game.

[Tengu_temp]

I listen to music fitting the game's atmosphere and visualise the stuff that has happened in the game before - nothing brings motivation to a GM like me like the awareness that you and your players are creating a cool story.

Tormenting your players works too.

[elliott20]

I remember after one session I GMed, everyone said "man, that was awesome." one player actually at various points of the game would sigh "that was beautiful man." for various cool little moments in game.

moments like that are my motivation. I like playing a game where my players enjoy themselves. I like to entertain my friends, and I like to entertain myself. Being a GM gives me the most freedom to do just that.

But for me, such things have limits. I do not have wads of time to sit around and prepare for campaigns. In any given week, while I might be able to think about the game whilst on the treadmill or driving home, I can maybe dedicate at most 3 hours to prepping. 3 hours a week in D&D, depending upon how fast you are, might be good enough to knock an entire module concept with some basic branches, or it might be good enough to just barely finish one really cool NPC backstory. Unfortunately for me, I'm slow when it comes to it.

as such, my greatest demotivator, to be brutally frank, is when we're playing a system where I HAVE to prepare every little detail, every stat block, and every option. Unfortunately, D&D falls under that category, which is why I haven't GMed a D&D game since college.

[Drascin]

Mostly, I get into the first session with some quick, lazy sketch. Then run it fully by ear (when you've had the kidn of players I've had, you learn to pull out stories from your ass very fast). And then ask the players what they thought.

Putting it simply, as an empath, I derive my motivation from making other people around me motivated in the game as well. When the players get out from a session grinning wildly and saying among themselves "Julian, that thing you did was ****ing awesome!" and then turn to me and tell me "Cool session, man! When do we do the next session?", that's when I start being motivated in the campaign, and begin developing whatever we did in the first sessions.

I listen to music fitting the game's atmosphere and visualise the stuff that has happened in the game before - nothing brings motivation to a GM like me like the awareness that you and your players are creating a cool story.

Tormenting your players works too.

As one of your current players, I would like to note that I sure hope you're partial to the first method