|
“Em-Fā-Siss on the Wrong Sa-Lab-El”*
I have always had some issues with speech. It started when I would mouth through the words I just spoke. I got called out on it several times by my family and eventually broke that habit. After that, I started slurring my words together. Let me tell you, no one understands you when you mumble. I have now found myself stumbling over words. If you have been watching, you have heard several misspoken words, wrong word order, and very bad grammar. Over the last year, I have learned to embrace it. Words just don’t work for me most of the time (hence why my novels are still tucked away). Scripting what I should say even fails me at times, and I am particularly bad and going “off-script” anyway. As a GM, there is nothing wrong with this. So what if I said “brassiere” instead of “brazier” (episode 30), we got a good laugh from it, and OMG the imagery! The discussions on how to pronounce “foyer” are endless. Even the professionals get twisted, just check out how Matt Mercer says “sigil.” Streaming has made me even more aware of this. All my mishaps are forever immortalized in video format for all the world to see. If you struggle with saying words, or have any speech issues, do not let that stop you from taking the GM role. Yes, it does require you to speak more to share the lore, set the scene, describe other characters that may be encountered, but go with it. The more you do this, the more comfortable you’ll become, and you may get a few memorable moments with your players in the process. * https://torawriting.com/english-is-weird/
0 Comments
Several people find it more comfortable to play via email, text messengers, or even Discord. These are “Play-by-Post” types of games. Text based and often slower, they can be valuable in learning a bit more about role play. I am involved in a few.
I have run three campaigns in this manner. One fizzled out pretty quickly unfortunately, but the other two are still going. I enjoy weaving a story and find it easy to go back through the posts to ensure consistency. I can take my time to answer, or direct the next scene. Sometimes it will take a while to run through several scenarios to pick the most optimal one for the players. I have time to process my thoughts and gauge my reaction, since it is not real time. The biggest downside to this type of game is the length of time between posts. Though it can be helpful for me, if I take too long the other players will get bored or lose interest. If one takes a good chunk of time off, everyone can forget what is happening and have to take time to read up on the campaign. If you are involved in a Play-by-Post game, when it is time for you to submit something do so in a reasonable time. Posting within 24 hours is generally preferred, unless otherwise discussed and accepted by others. If you decide to jump into one, remember these progress slower than an in-person game. It may take several weeks to get through the same amount of action as one session around a game table. Do not be discouraged! If this is your preferred method of play, do it. Much of the same benefits you receive through real-time gaming can be gained through play-by-post. You might even learn a little more as you take the time to work out several options before choosing the one you find best. I have felt it, though almost too small to notice. The growing pains of streaming. People actually watch, we have subscribers. I have been told our streamed game is refreshing. We are everyday people playing an RPG. We look up rules, chatter, table talk, break character, and rarely use any character voices.
Do we want more? Of course! We are well aware of the amount of people who stream their games. We do not expect glory, however we really enjoy playing and want to share this with others. None of us are entertainers by trade. To be fair, I probably come the closest (remember, I’m a bard on nights and weekends), but still only on a stage with several others around me doing the same thing. So what you see is what you get. If you don’t have a group to play with, we invite you to watch our games and hopefully give you a taste of tabletop gaming. Even if you are with a group, we hope that you will find some benefit to watching us and seeing how we play. I watch several videos of GMs giving tips, sharing ideas, and running games to try to improve my own games for my players. It helps me to understand my role as a player too. I know my players do the same. So here we stand, writing another GM Corner for you, working on our website to update town-criers, and trying to get in all the announcements of future conventions at least one of us will be at. This takes time. We do not have any dedicated employees. It’s just us wanting to share our love for RPGs with you. Ok, I’ve stated it before, I am no expert. I barely qualify as experienced. However, I do find myself wanting to share role playing games with as many people as possible. I want to become more versatile myself, and expose others to the benefits of these types of games.
Let me get personal. I started roleplaying when I was in middle school. I only played with my family, and only on holidays. We didn’t really talk about it with anyone outside of the family. As I got into high school, I did hear of a few people who played D&D and was invited to join them. I spoke to my father about it, and he simply warned me to be cautious with whom I played with. I went, but was uncomfortable and did not return. However, I continued to play with my family. I am thankful to my father for allowing me to explore. He never just let me run out the door, he would remind me of some of the morals and guidelines that I was already committed to. I believe he was right to be watchful, and since then, I have found several people I am comfortable playing these games with. The benefits of playing these games throughout my life helped me to refine who I am, and who I found as friends. I wanted people around me that made me feel safe to be myself. As I got older, and became a GM, I learned skills to facilitate a group of people, honed in on my leadership techniques and style, and continued to develop my empathy for others. So, what am I doing here? I’m enjoying a game with friends, and I want others to experience this too. D&D is the largest, most known RPG, but it is not the only one. There are several others that I have begun to explore myself, and would love to introduce to others as well. Don’t leave it to me though. Star Trek, Star Wars, Achtung! Cthulhu, Dune, Old Gods of Appalachia, Candela Obscura, and many more can be found online and in game stores. Pick one up, read through it, get some friends, and have some fun! |
AuthorJodie 
Archives
April 2025
Have a question you would like the GM to give her thoughts on?
|
RSS Feed