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Those of you familiar with the concept of KISS should know this makes life easier in the long run. I find there are many things some systems (and the GMs that run them) add to their games that can hinder the experience. To be fair, some players and GMs like doing these things, it makes it more “real” to them, but I do not. I do not mind keeping track of some things as a player if it pertains to my character, but as a GM, please do not ask me to do this.
First…carrying capacity. If my players do not start with a bag of holding, they get one within the first two levels of their character development. I know most players do not think about how much is in their inventory, or what they may or may not have access to. There are some systems that regulate this by allowing players to choose what they bring with them as they find a need for it, then limit the number of times this can take place. I find this as the easiest way to handle any kind of carrying capacity systematically. However, I don’t even want to track that so a bag to hold everything works for me. Second…encumbrance. Now, I know what you’re thinking, this goes along with the first one, and you are right. Another reason to give my players that magical bag is to avoid encumbrance. I don’t particularly like “mathy” systems (you know the ones). A bonus for this, a penalty for that, and don’t forget positional bonuses/penalties, it’s enough to drive me crazy. I prefer a flat +/- to the roll, not multiple where I have to remember the PEMDAS sequence. Encumbrance is just another way to add a penalty to the character. Third…random encounters. Ok, honestly, this one doesn’t bother me quite as bad. As a player, it can keep things exciting as you are never quite sure what you’ll run into. As a GM however, I don’t like combat for the sake of combat. If my players are going to have an encounter, it will be story driven (yes, even the ones that are seemingly random). I do not like to put in the time and effort for something that “looked cool” but had absolutely nothing to do with the story (I hate it in movies, and don’t like doing it as a GM). Finally…timing. I barely know what time it is in the real world, let alone a fantasy one. I’m the world’s worst at estimating timing for events, travel, etc. in my own life. I go to the grocery store thinking I’ve just got to get a few things, and an hour later I finally find myself back home (I live about a mile away). What goes along with this is distances, and heaven forbid I try to keep distance with travel time consistent. I finally just told one of my players to keep track of that, it gives me a headache just thinking about it. Gaming for me is supposed to be fun. Very quickly these things just drain the fun for me, at least as a GM. Most of these things drain me as a player too, but there is generally a GM keeping track of it for me. Hey, if it is fun for you, do it. It’s just not that fun for me. I find that keeping it simple works best.
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Posting this a bit earlier than my usual Thursday thoughts, but figured this was important enough to ponder as we rush into the holiday season.
Personally, I grew up gaming with the family during the holidays. That was the best time. We were all present and there for the next 6-8 hours minimum. We could do a lot of gaming. As the family grew though, we switched from RPG to card games. Now that I run a group, and am involved in a few others, we have to take into account our schedules. The regular groups I play with do not involve family, and we all have our own families to spend time with. Generally, I want to keep on gaming (it’s in my blood after all), but I cannot think just of myself. I take the time away to reconnect with my own family, be supportive of their adventures during the holidays. My players also need that time. If someone cannot make it to a session, postpone the campaign, do some one shots, or reschedule. The player that has to miss game night will feel important to the group (as it should be), and excited to return when they can. Above all, do not punish their character in game for their commitment to something other than gaming. Happy Holidays! Rules! Rules! Rules! They are the backbone of any system. Some are riddled with so many rules that there are rules on how to implement the rules. Others have so little it can become controversial and chaotic at the table. I love having rules to refer to, but I hate to be so strict with them that it hinders the creativity or flow of the story.
When I first started running games, I held fast to the rules and relied heavily on one of my players who knew the rules better to help me out. I quickly realized there were not rules for everything and had to make decisions on circumstances that were rules-adjacent. As time passed, and I became more comfortable with making these decisions, I eventually started only caring about the rules if I was unsure how to handle a situation (specifically how spells, items, and conditions work). Generally, I will allow the player to do what they want for flair (looking cool), or to drive their own character’s story. I do not need to ask for 15 rolls because the player wants to look like an anime character delivering the final blow to a monster, or if they want to jump down from a ledge and give it the hero pose (three point landing). I want my players to feel like heroes, that is why we play high fantasy systems like 5e. The rules are there if you need them. I would be lying to myself to say I didn’t need them, but I like to avoid them as much as possible (they can be restrictive). I want my game to be a collective story and do not want the rules to get in the way. If you have been watching our stream, you may have noticed that my players know a lot of the rules. They are really good at playing their character’s knowledge, which I am thankful for, so this makes my job a bit easier. However, they are all GMs themselves. Some are actively running their own games, others are not, but they all have run multiple games.
When you sit down at a game table full of other GMs, sometimes it is hard to surprise them. They know a lot of the monsters and items that are commonly available in the books, and will recognize them almost immediately in game. I do try to alter their appearance and/or abilities to give them a new challenge, but it does not always work. Starting off with a good understanding that this is your table, and some rules may be bent or broken for story purposes, is best. Then, of course, building trust across the table is key. You have to trust the players not to pull a “that wouldn’t happen in my game” card, and they have to trust you not to shut down any “outside the box” attempts to accomplish a task. I like to allow my players to argue their point. How would you use that skill for this task? Why do you think this would work? What is your interpretation of the rule? These are great questions to engage your GM players and let them know you are open for these discussions. Remember, they are there to play (or at least they don’t want to run a game this time). They want control of one character, and look forward to the pitfalls and accomplishments their character goes through. Besides, there is a bit of excitement at not knowing what is next. Just don’t be afraid to say “no” when it is necessary. The pacing of your game is important and should reflect the style of play you have chosen for your table. Finding a good compromise between social interactions and battle is always a struggle, especially if you have multiple players with different interests. Even beyond that, keeping from getting bogged down during battle or pushing through decision paralysis among the players is typically the responsibility of the GM. So how do we do this, how do we keep it moving?
Well, I don’t know. There are several tips and tricks many great GMs use, and some I try to implement myself, but there is no one-size-fits-all cure for this. It is very situational and dependent upon your players to accept whatever decision you may make in the moment to push the story forward. In some cases, require your players to take it upon themselves to help with this. Battle is the worst at “hurry up and wait” mentality. Players will check out between turns, then have to catch up with what is happening in order to make a decision about their actions. One way I try to mitigate this is to let the next player know their turn is coming up (they are on deck). This is especially helpful if you are running a large party as it allows the players to check out for a bit, but focus enough to catch up while watching the player before them. Often they decide what they will do during their turn as well. If you are a good narrative story teller, allowing a bit of time for descriptions of what happened can also be a way to get players more engaged during battle, but I’m not good at this and often just skip over any narration in battle. When the party gets stuck in a decision paralysis, pushing them forward can be tricky. Some players will appreciate a clearer directive or clarification of the goals. Others can be a bit more of a purist in that they want to come up with the ideas and will feel “railroaded” if the GM intervenes. On the flip side, if the GM just pushes forward with an encounter, or action, that causes the players to have to reassess, this can also create further issues. Players who are pushed too quickly can feel disjointed as they have not had the time to process or think through their actions or options. Most importantly, when you feel stuck in the story, whether through player inaction or inattentiveness, you must remember this is a game. We are all here to have fun playing pretend without running through the yard with sticks (I’m too old for that these days). AND, just like any board game, you can homebrew timers into the game for turns in battle or for the party to plan, but it does need to be accepted by all at the table. Sometimes the hardest thing for a GM to do is true player engagement. They could have fun playing the game, but are they really invested? Do your players care about their characters and the NPCs around them? Are they concerned about the war that broke out in the neighboring kingdom? Or, are they just looking forward to “winning” the game?
One of the best ways I have found to truly get your players involved in the world you have created is to work their backstories. Do not just know it, but make it relevant to current events. Bring in their family, love interests, or even enemies to interact with the party, giving life to the names you are given in their backstories. If you are unsure how to do this, ask the player some simple questions.
Some players will want to be heavily involved in developing those NPCs, while others will let you run with your own ideas. Either way, it is fun to incorporate what has been developed into the game and watch how the player characters interact with these NPCs. Work through what these characters' lives are like and what they do between interactions with the players’ characters, and have it affect the events laid out. Ideally, these will not be one-and-done NPCs, nor will they be the random shop keeper. These characters will have individual personalities, goals, and possibly enemies of their own. Perhaps the players will want to aid in achieving their goals, or protect them from an enemy not yet their own. However you, as the GM, decide to incorporate these NPCs, be assured that once you do the world will become alive to your players. As I sit and wonder what to write about, I cannot help but think about stories. I’m in the middle of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer’s Month), and I love writing novels. It is important to have story ideas, direction, plots, environment, etc. ready to go at the game table, but it is not the place to play out your own story. If you want a specific story, write a book.
I have taken some inspiration for my novels from previous adventures and scenarios played out at the game table. It could work the other way, but as a GM, you have to allow the players to make their own decisions. I know, I’ve mentioned guiding players into the plans you have prepared, but you should also be ready for whatever the outcome may be (or at least have a general idea). I play out potential scenes in my head, but they often end very differently at the table. Of course, this is usually in the players’ favor because my BBEGs just are not strong enough. But even in social encounters I either give too much information, or not enough for them to move onward. Then there is the other situation where the players are not putting together the pieces I’ve laid out for them (sometimes I think “I need a neon sign”), but I digress. Back to the matter at hand: pushing your own story. The number one thing to remember is to simply let the players do what they want to do. Do not give them dire consequences without warning, and do not thwart every decision they make until they find the one you want. This only brings frustration and breaks a bit of the trust I’ve talked about before. If you cannot give your players complete autonomy, then you must give them the illusion of it (and do NOT break that illusion for anything). As soon as the players know that you have fudged rolls, completely ignored rules, or adjusted things during a social encounter or battle, the illusion gets broken. The players begin to feel as though nothing they do matters, then you are back to square one…pushing your own story (at least that is how the players feel). I felt I needed to address this. During gameplay (usually as the player), I find myself allowing my mind to drift through things completely unrelated. This is particularly bad if I have major stressors in my life. Most of the time I can pull myself back into the game, but not always. How do I pull myself back, you ask?
Lists are great! If you have a “to do” list running through your head, write it down! Get it out and on paper, then set it aside to look at when you are finished. This can be anything simple like a grocery list, to events that need to find their way into your calendar. When was that concert scheduled? Write yourself a note to look it up later, it is not necessary to dig for it right now. Take notes! My mind wanders from one game to another often, as I am running 4 and playing in 4 others. (Don’t yell at me, only 4 are quite active, the rest are essentially play-by-post.) It is easy for me to shift into thinking about the next game I am involved in during the week. To prevent this, I will try to take notes (good luck deciphering them later though), get a glass of soda, or even a snack. Plan ahead! Battles can get boring, especially in a larger group. Instead of waiting for your turn, you can go ahead and lay out what your next turn will be like. Watch the battle unfold before you and adjust as others take their turns. This works really well if you are a spell caster. Keeping an eye out for where your party moves and who gets hit are essential to what spells will be most effective. If you fight with weapons, this works just as well. You’ll swing your weapon regardless if it is against monster A or B, just watch to see if the monsters within reach die before it gets to you and adjust as needed. Just remember that whatever helps you to stay focused on the game should not be a distraction for others. If fidgeting helps you, you may want to consider something that does not make noise (and leave those dice on the table). Need to have a plethora of things going at once, turn off the volume and be sure to hide the extra “things” so as not to draw attention to them. Finally, food for thought, if you find yourself asking the GM to repeat descriptions or asking “who’s left” during a battle, you may want to rethink your strategies for focus during the game (trust me when I say your GM will appreciate it). When entering into a new group, there are lots of reservations. I have joined several game groups where I do not know anyone (except my husband who joins me). It takes many weeks to become comfortable enough to begin enjoying the game. It is common to hear the suggestion to grab four friends, pick a GM and play, especially for those who cannot find a game group. This is because you are typically already comfortable with your friends.
Trust gets built over time. Some of the things that will encourage this are safety, encouragement, and consistency. The gaming table must cultivate all of these to create trust among all players, including the GM. As each of these increase, the players will begin to actually play their characters and the GM can experiment with new rules or scenarios, expanding the world through their creativity. Safety first. This is not only physical safety, but this is emotional as well. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, and to respect those experiences, it is important to have these conversations early (especially with unfamiliar players). Establishing good, clear boundaries will lay out what is acceptable and what would be a hard pass. Allowing players to experiment with their character’s abilities, or stretching them thematically (even if you have to bend the rules), encourages them to think outside the box. Anything is possible in the make-believe world that you are adventuring in. Do not stomp out anyone’s ideas or creativity simply because you think it may be “stupid” or “unproductive.” The more a player (or even the GM) gets berated about an idea, the more they will shut down and eventually stop contributing to the party. Being consistent in rulings and style of gameplay allows for predictability. This is not a bad thing. If you, as a GM, are predictable in how you will handle situations both in and out of game, it prevents situations that could become combative between players. If something has to change, like a ruling that unbalanced the game, talk about it before it comes up again, then be consistent with the outcome of that conversation. Building this trust between the players and the GM comes over time. Do not expect new players to get into character right away (or maybe never based on their personality and/or comfortability). Encourage the players who show the behaviors you’d like to see around the game table. I often get a general idea of how I want my game to go, but don’t know how to get from point A to point B. Some of this is not just relating to story, but also to physical mechanics (battle maps, miniatures, props, etc.). So where does a GM who is homebrewing their game get these things? My favorite places to get resources are the internet and my local game store.
The local game store has books of campaigns (both long and short) and other resource books to garner ideas. These books may inspire your own creation, or you may be able to use part of it directly in your homebrew world. If it doesn’t fit “as is,” reskin it to fit. You can have it take place in a town the players have already been to, add an NPC they’ve already met, or have the adventure affect another plot within the original campaign. If you’re not quite finding the inspiration or adventures that work, you can also find plot hooks and prompts online. Putting those stories down in a physical sense takes a bit more digging. The internet has a universe full of information to fit any budget. There are lots of free maps, tokens, and adventure ideas, and even more options for a small subscription fee. If you are playing online, having a good virtual tabletop at the ready is helpful as well. There are free options of varying degrees of complexity, but I settled on a more simple program (it’s just easier with my group as we are at varying degrees of computer literacy). Unexpected resources are often found among used books and stories of others’ games. I enjoy listening to friends tell stories about the games they have been a part of, and often get ideas for what I could include in my own game. Props such as letters, puzzles, and pictures I try to make myself. Unfortunately, my game is online, so I have to send this through email and it is just not the same. Inspiration and resources come from everywhere. Anything that gives you an idea for the game, be it story or mechanic, is worth looking into and giving a try. Who knows what you may find. |
AuthorJodie 
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March 2026
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