GM Activity

[persephone325]

So I've been curious as to the opinions of players on something.

How would it impact your enjoyment/participation of a game where the GM isn't very active in character, but is around and socializing out of character with everyone? And also creating in-game events for players. I ask because I have a few game ideas I'm close to completing and would like to run for people, but I'm not sure where my muse is at inspiration-wise. So I can't guarantee that I would have many characters interacting with other players' characters.

Is this offputting to a lot of people? Or do most people just join a game because they like the idea and aren't necessarily bothered by a lack of in-character GM presence?

[Captain America]

If the game (presumably system) doesn't need them to make the story go, it shouldn't be an issue.

[persephone325]

If the game (presumably system) doesn't need them to make the story go, it shouldn't be an issue.

The games I'm close to finishing aren't system games. Though one will use the dice bot at certain times.

[Amaris]

I have found that GMs being active and involved encourages players to write. Even when those scenes aren't with those characters. Just seeing them being engaged makes people want to participate in the story. Every time me or my co-GM have for some reason gone less active at the same time, the activity over all slowed down. I have played in games where the GMs weren't very active IC, but they still talked sometime and it didn't go very well because it felt like they didn't have interest in their own game.

I'm sure you could find a way that didn't give that overall feel, but I share what I've experienced.

[Lyrical]

I'm basically going to second what Amaris just said. When the GM is only active in setting up or minimal directing the game and not actively participating in their own game, it feels like they are not interested. BUT...

That also depends greatly on how the game is set up.

You could be actively involved in other aspects and not as a player. (NPCs, Villains, etc..)

There are a few groups out there though that have a lot of player driven content and that can work. Personally, I'm not usually a fan of those because they always end up feeling very cliquey so I just leave them when it feels that way. It's not a welcoming feeling trying to break into those cliques.

[persephone325]

Thank you both.

I suppose if I ask myself the same thing, I would probably feel similar to that. Bar some exceptions.

I think what sucks is that I have all this creativity for world-building, but when it comes to running games and posting I kind of lose my muse.

[inkybus]

A GM has to be active in the game for the story to move forward. It's why I prefer Randy Random over Phoebe Chillax.

If shit does not happen to the PCs and around them, making things worse or better for them (this depends on the tone of the game), why play?

[inkybus]

I will elaborate on my thoughts: if you're setting up a game, the average consesus is that you as the host will be the Dungeon/Game Master, Narrator or Storyteller: whichever noun you prefer to go with- it's all the same, in the end. You, supposedly, created the world and decided on how it work, what happened in the history of the setting, why it's relevant and when it will affect the PCs that the Players will pitch you whenever you get people to play in your setting.

Right, so you have this brand new world in your imagination and you want to have fun, I am guessing: the Players probably will begin your adventure by interacting with each other, to get to know one another and get an understanding of what they will each cover in the group. Then, when they have decided on what they want to do in a way that everyone is satisfied (in a perfect world, you will have Player A who is the Captain/Leader/Big Honcho of the group and gives direction, Player B who focuses on something else -such as enforcing the will of Player A-, Player C who specializes in charting the course as a navigator or what have you, and so on and so forth), the group will turn to you to either do something or wait for you to have something happen that they can then latch onto to begin their adventure.

The point is that when the players interact with the world, which will be very often because their characters live in it, they turn to you to hear about the consequences/results/ramifications of their actions.