GM Lounge - Bartenders Answer All Your Questions

Started by HockeyGod, January 02, 2012, 03:16:41 PM

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AndyZ

Personally, I tend to use my Notify feature to read up on my posts a lot.  This means that I don't always notice when a post has been edited, so if there hasn't been any note from the GM about editing the reserved posts, I may not notice at all.

For that reason, I tend to appreciate when a GM makes a notice of edits made.  That said, I'm also willing to change stuff if I did miss something that's already been established.

Sometimes it's best just to give a nudge so that they can edit the post.
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

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Jezabelle

Howdy, /GM/

I've been basically turning up nil in my recruitment theeads, and those who express interest rarely return for a second post.  I consider the posted thread here about creating OPs.  But I'm still turning up lice.

I've got the feeling it's more me butchering the presentation than anything else, though.  I teeter between pumping out excessive detail and having scarcely anything on display.  Any advice for a weary would-be GM?

--J

Josietta

Quote from: Jezabelle on August 29, 2014, 04:59:33 PM
Howdy, /GM/

I've been basically turning up nil in my recruitment theeads, and those who express interest rarely return for a second post.  I consider the posted thread here about creating OPs.  But I'm still turning up lice.

I've got the feeling it's more me butchering the presentation than anything else, though.  I teeter between pumping out excessive detail and having scarcely anything on display.  Any advice for a weary would-be GM?

--J

Can you give us an example of one of your threads suffering this and maybe we can have a look over it to give some constructive criticism?

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HockeyGod

Quote from: Jezabelle on August 29, 2014, 04:59:33 PM
Howdy, /GM/

I've been basically turning up nil in my recruitment theeads, and those who express interest rarely return for a second post.  I consider the posted thread here about creating OPs.  But I'm still turning up lice.

I've got the feeling it's more me butchering the presentation than anything else, though.  I teeter between pumping out excessive detail and having scarcely anything on display.  Any advice for a weary would-be GM?

--J

You have touched on the never-ending dilemma of a GM.

Unfortunately the best method I've found for recruitment is time consuming and labor intensive...networking and getting to know people. I obtained most of my players from other games I'm in (no formal recruitment or spamming, just chatting) and through socializing.

It's a tough one!

Jezabelle

Aye, I suppose that makes sense--bringing in people one knows.  All my solos tend to be with players who prefer to keep things 1x1, so I suppose it's just GG synergy that'll have to win the day.

I'm sure it's quite the universal problem, but at least there's a solution.  Slow and steady, etc. etc.

Chrystal

These are some general hints I've found work for me:

I have found that putting attractive pictures and colourful lettering always helps get people interested in at least reading the idea.

Obviously, your title is the thing that will grab people's initial interest, make them open the thread. Obviously it has to relate to the content in some way, but to use my own current group as an example: if I'd called it "Dressing up as a horse", it wouldn't work anything like as well as "The Pony Palace"!

Make the thread readable - People hate reading a wall of text, so break things up into smaller paragraphs. Put large volumes of information behind spoilers. When you create your thread, go back in and reserve three or four posts before anyone else has a chance to even see it, and split the source material liberally over those posts, in logical sections.

Make sure your thread is aimed at your target audience - I know it sounds obvious, but if you want to set the story in the Stargate universe, there's no point posting a pic of a Federation Star Ship. (No, I haven't seen that - not yet anyway, it was just the best, worst example I could think of).

And then there is Moraline's very helpful thread. The checklist given there can be used as a prompter to make sure you have all the information you will need, or you can actually include the list itself and fill it in - probably best to do so under a spoiler although I have left it sitting out in the open.

Another helpful thing is to have an open sandbox. If you need ten players for a very specific story, chances are even if you get them you will loose half within a week of starting and your game will fold. So allow for players to enter the game after it starts, and to drop out without killing it - a statement saying that players who drop out will have their characters taken as NPCs to remove them from the game is useful!




alxnjsh's suggestion is a wise one. PM people you know who think might be interested and ask them, point them at the thread. The worst that can happen is they say "Sorry, not for me". I have a small group with three other players who are all friends that is chugging along nicely.

But the biggest thing is to have patience. Never post an idea thread and expect to get interest the same day. It could take anything up to a month to get enough people, depending on how many you want. We all think our ideas are the best and should get instantly hundreds of others interested - I know I do! But in practice it rarely works like that. I have posted ideas threads that I thought would get hundreds of players, and got none, and I have posted (so far) three ideas that I thought would flop that actually took off.

And one idea that I was pretty sure would fly and is doing so.

Lastly, it's all very well for me to post an idea that I want to run a group game based on the books by C J Cherryh, but if no-one else on E has read those books I'm going to get a pretty low response, unless I can somehow open the idea up and make it accessible without forcing people to read the books.

I hope this is of some help to people?

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Mingnon

I should of checked this thread - and Moraline's list - before I made an attempt at running a game. ._.;; Thanks for the link Chrystal.

Anyway, I have already had an attempt at running a Biblical Fantasy, girl's harem sort of game. But I think I made a mistake in making the setting too limiting at the start - a high school for self-defense against demons.

Beyond that, the range of demons and such might need to be reworked as well - I have brought in three races and re-worked them to sort of be inspired by the Bible, but that seems to be too limiting as well. I want to see creatures based on the Garden of Eden's serpent for instance, but I think noone would pick up on that correctly regardless of whether or not I suggest such a thing.

Plus there's the stuff I already made - the recruitment thread, the OOC and IC. Should I just abandon all that and start over or just keep trying to breathe life into them?

What I'm trying to get at is that I have this idea and want it to work, but I'm not exactly sure how. If needed, I'll make a thread dedicated to this conundrum.
“There are only two races of men: decent and indecent. Both are found everywhere.”
-Victor Frankl
Discord RPs - Ons + Offs  - AnAs Thread
Oath of the Drake
Look for hot monsters in your area!

Chrystal

#1082
Hi Mingnon

You're welcome. Moraline tends to get embarrassed when I refer to that thread as hers, but it was her idea originally!

(Aside: Has anyone heard from her in the last two months?)

First of all, I have to point out that your source material is somewhat controversial! While I am quite sure that many people on Elliquiy regard The Bible as "just another book", I'm also reasonably certain that there are those for whom it is "The Word Of God"! I offer no opinion one way or the other here...! My point is that you should be aware of the possibility that people may be put off by this.

And then there is the other side of things: "The Bible? Boooooring!" Often a reaction from people who have never read it and don't realise that it is full of sex and violence!

Having just taken a look at your threads, it seemed to be going well, until you started the OOC thread? Was there a particular reason that you decided it wasn't going to fly? One player bowing out before it starts is actually pretty good, in my experience!

One thing I have to say is that if you are not getting the sort of characters you want, then you need to be more specific. (My dad used to say, "If you got the wrong answer, you asked the wrong question".) This is a perpetual problem with group RP I believe: We create a game idea that we think will work one way, someone else reads that idea and sees it working in a totally different way. They love the idea and so they create a character but that character simply doesn't fit with how we see the world we have created.

I think, (and I'm sure more experienced GMs will agree?) that creating a successful group game is all about compromise. If a player's character doesn't quite fit the world-view you are aiming for, there are two choices: change the character or expand the world view! And of course the third option, of doing both... That said, as GM you have the right to decline any character you don't think will fit and/or ask a player to change a character.

One thing I do think is worth saying: Being a GM is fun. But it's only fun if the game is working. If the GM is not having fun, the players will notice and they may stop having fun too. So, if the game isn't turning out how you want it to but you are still enjoying it, persevere with it. If it has gone so far away from your original concept that you are no longer enjoying it, then either bow out gracefully and hand over the running of the game to someone else, or simply close the game.

There is no rule that states that the GM has to keep running a game they are not enjoying!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Mingnon

Oh, that actually makes sense. Especially the part about the Bible. Time to get back to the drawing board then. Thanks. :)
“There are only two races of men: decent and indecent. Both are found everywhere.”
-Victor Frankl
Discord RPs - Ons + Offs  - AnAs Thread
Oath of the Drake
Look for hot monsters in your area!

TheGlyphstone

Something also worth considering is trying to fit too many genres/flavors/fetishes into a single game - a variant of 'too many flavors spoil the soup'.

Chrystal pointed out the hiccups with a Biblical-based RP in E's community pretty well. There are people who might be interested in something like that here. There'd definitely be people on E who would want to play in a high school/harem comedy game. There might be people who would want to play in a human-x-demon group RP. But when you take all of these together, the Venn Diagram of people who like biblical stories AND harem comedies AND cross-species pairings drastically shrinks your potential player pool.

Sometimes, it can be a good thing - mixing genres can bring in more people, introduce them to genres they weren't familiar with. Certain genres just naturally go well together... 'humans vs. demons' is pretty complimentary to 'Judeo-Christian mythology'. But if your flavors clash, or you just have too many of them, it'll get diluted. For example, there was another struggling RP I spotted that was about a unit of anthropomorphic wolf space marines. 'Military' and 'Sci-Fi' are two genres that combo extremely well, but don't naturally overlap at all with 'Anthro/Furry', so the bracket of people who'd be interested in such a game ends up greatly reduced.

Chrystal

I actually tried to run a furry/sci-fi/military game once! It never got off the ground!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Chrystal on September 09, 2014, 05:06:48 PM
I actually tried to run a furry/sci-fi/military game once! It never got off the ground!

Proof of theory. ;D Mil-sci and furries are not like chocolate and peanut butter.

Chrystal

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on September 09, 2014, 05:27:58 PM
Proof of theory. ;D Mil-sci and furries are not like chocolate and peanut butter.

Uh, except in my case I love chocolate and hate peanut butter, so, er, yeah.... they are!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Chrystal on September 09, 2014, 05:29:52 PM
Uh, except in my case I love chocolate and hate peanut butter, so, er, yeah.... they are!

I'm honestly not sure if you missed the reference or not.

Blinkin

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on September 09, 2014, 05:27:58 PM
Proof of theory. ;D Mil-sci and furries are not like chocolate and peanut butter.

Why do I get a mental image of Chrys strolling down a sidewalk in bell-bottoms and a tie-died T-shirt with a big chocolate bar saying "Mmmmm, chocolate." and running into some girl with a massive jar of peanut-butter saying, "mmm, Peanutbutter!"

Then, "Hey, you got peanut butter on my Chocolate!"

"Hey! You got chocolate in my Peanut Butter!"

And, if anyone can tell me when and what that commercial is for, I'll give you a teddy bear.
"I am a Southern Gentleman, which means that I'm a rogue and a scoundrel. When I'm not kissin' the hands of married women, I'm slipping off their wedding rings."
My Ons' & offs'
Absenses & Apologies (Updated 3/02/23)
Blinkins' Thinkin's (Story Ideas)
Yes, I really am blind.
Being Literate is the ability to read and understand a language. When you ask for literate, what you are looking for is Verbosity, which is the ability to use lots of words without actually saying very much... like politicians. I consider myself both literate and verbose.

Chrystal

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on September 09, 2014, 05:40:38 PM
I'm honestly not sure if you missed the reference or not.

Totally... *giggles*

Now if you'd said "tequila and lime juice" I would have got it instantly!

Quote from: Blinkin on September 09, 2014, 06:40:55 PM
Why do I get a mental image of Chrys strolling down a sidewalk in bell-bottoms and a tie-died T-shirt with a big chocolate bar saying "Mmmmm, chocolate." and running into some girl with a massive jar of peanut-butter saying, "mmm, Peanutbutter!"

Then, "Hey, you got peanut butter on my Chocolate!"

"Hey! You got chocolate in my Peanut Butter!"

And, if anyone can tell me when and what that commercial is for, I'll give you a teddy bear.

Nope no idea, but that scenario has ALL SORTS of plot-bunnies now bouncing in my head! I love "Accidental Meeting" scenarios.

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Blinkin

It's one of the original Reese's Cup commercials. It's almost word for word, except for the two of them taking little, bitty bites of the peanutbutter covered chocolate and having that moment of orgasmic... well, not really... understanding of how two different things make a wonderful whole.

I wish that Hershey's made chocolate bars that big... I mean, the thing was the size of a brick!
"I am a Southern Gentleman, which means that I'm a rogue and a scoundrel. When I'm not kissin' the hands of married women, I'm slipping off their wedding rings."
My Ons' & offs'
Absenses & Apologies (Updated 3/02/23)
Blinkins' Thinkin's (Story Ideas)
Yes, I really am blind.
Being Literate is the ability to read and understand a language. When you ask for literate, what you are looking for is Verbosity, which is the ability to use lots of words without actually saying very much... like politicians. I consider myself both literate and verbose.

Chrystal

Yeah... I have tried Reese's  cups...

GHHHYYYEEEECH!

Sorry, not for me!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Blinkin

The problem is that you have probably tried their regular Reese's Cups, they are more like a peanutbutter flavored powder in a thin chocolate shell, and don't forget to take the paper off. ;)

The miniatures are a little better, but if you want a real example of what Reese's cups should be, you'll have to go to a source that makes them in shop. There's a chocolaier who does the Renn Faire route who makes his own version (They're about 4 inches across and an inch tall) with real peanut butter and rich chocolate. You have several options for the chocolate from white and milk to swiss and dark... talking about yummy!
"I am a Southern Gentleman, which means that I'm a rogue and a scoundrel. When I'm not kissin' the hands of married women, I'm slipping off their wedding rings."
My Ons' & offs'
Absenses & Apologies (Updated 3/02/23)
Blinkins' Thinkin's (Story Ideas)
Yes, I really am blind.
Being Literate is the ability to read and understand a language. When you ask for literate, what you are looking for is Verbosity, which is the ability to use lots of words without actually saying very much... like politicians. I consider myself both literate and verbose.

Chrystal

Um... It has nothing to do with the texture, nothing to do with the chocolate and everything to do with the fact that I was a very fussy eater as a child. When my mum found something I said I liked, I was generalkly fed nothing but that for years on end. When I was 12 I made the mistake of saying I liked peanut butter. Two years later the mere sight of the stuff would make me feel ill! I still cannot stand the smell or taste of it!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Blinkin

Ah, you sound like my brother, he's so picky he makes a cat look like a glutton... of course, cats will eat anything, they just can't keep most of it down. ;)

I'm the exact opposite, which confuses the hell out of my mother as I'm the only one who will eat almost anything, and the same thing for months on end. I'm not a picky eater other than I hate anything oriental and spicy food doesn't agree with my digestive track.... and while I love beans, you don't want to be within a mile of me with a haz-mat suit afterward. lol

I do understand the sentiment though, I do eventually get sick of things; it took me years to even look at a can of tomato anything from about the age of 8 until I was well into my 30's. I got burned out on it... but I'll eat cheese sandwiches 3 times a day for months on end and it won't bother me. I may not particularly enjoy it, but I don't have a problem doing it... hell, when I was in my first apartment, I did eat cheese sandwiches 3 times a day for about 2 years. I was too far in debt with the Sears charge card and my first car loan to eat anything else. ;)
"I am a Southern Gentleman, which means that I'm a rogue and a scoundrel. When I'm not kissin' the hands of married women, I'm slipping off their wedding rings."
My Ons' & offs'
Absenses & Apologies (Updated 3/02/23)
Blinkins' Thinkin's (Story Ideas)
Yes, I really am blind.
Being Literate is the ability to read and understand a language. When you ask for literate, what you are looking for is Verbosity, which is the ability to use lots of words without actually saying very much... like politicians. I consider myself both literate and verbose.

persephone325

So I'm trying to put together an NPC sheet for a game of mine. You'd think it would be easier, because NPCs usually need less in depth info than PCs. But I'm having quite a difficult time trying to figure out how to make one. I know I'll be putting in the basics, but I just don't know how in depth I should go.

I should point out that I'm making NPC sheets for several characters, including some that are deceased. They're different races as well.
This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.
It always ends in a fight.
You pulled me from the river. Why?
I don't know.
"Don't dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up."

Chrystal

Quote from: persephone325 on September 25, 2014, 06:56:30 AM
So I'm trying to put together an NPC sheet for a game of mine. You'd think it would be easier, because NPCs usually need less in depth info than PCs. But I'm having quite a difficult time trying to figure out how to make one. I know I'll be putting in the basics, but I just don't know how in depth I should go.

I should point out that I'm making NPC sheets for several characters, including some that are deceased. They're different races as well.

My best suggestion would be to use the character sheet you have created for player characters, and simply remove anything that is relevant only to a player character like the player ID, ons and offs; and add in things relevant to NPCs, like "is the character disposable", "whom can the character be played by". Then in the instructions for completing the sheet, you list those characteristics that are mandatory like name, gender, disposability, playability, and whatever else, and state that everything else is optional.

One thing to be aware of though: A non-player character that is played exclusively by one player who isn't the GM is actually a player character! Playability should be limited to "GM Only" and "Anyone".

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

TheGlyphstone

If you want a template, feel free to click the link in my sig and crib off the PC/NPC sheet templates found there. It's for a contemporary-setting superhero game, so the sheets won't be usable in their own right, but you can see at least one direct example of how a full PC profile can differ from a truncated NPC profile.

Blinkin

One little question... why are you making sheets for dead NPC's? It seems like it's just more work for you for no profit to do dead NPC sheets.
"I am a Southern Gentleman, which means that I'm a rogue and a scoundrel. When I'm not kissin' the hands of married women, I'm slipping off their wedding rings."
My Ons' & offs'
Absenses & Apologies (Updated 3/02/23)
Blinkins' Thinkin's (Story Ideas)
Yes, I really am blind.
Being Literate is the ability to read and understand a language. When you ask for literate, what you are looking for is Verbosity, which is the ability to use lots of words without actually saying very much... like politicians. I consider myself both literate and verbose.