Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #243
Bad Gamemasters I Have Known And Loved:
Part II, The Favoring GM
Contents:
This Week's Tips Summarized
Gaming The Horse, Part II
- Examples of Favoring GMs
- Analysis of the Favoring GM
- Speak Up Again
- Jump In
- Try it His Way
- Hire the Campaign Assassin
Readers' Tips Summarized
- Creating Campaign Politics
From: Joachim de Ravenbel (aka J.M. Bravo)
- PC Motivations
From: Dr. Nik
- DMs Needing Cheap Miniatures?
From: Joe Yerger
- Laminate Your Battlemat
From: Josh H.
- Online D&D 3E PC Sheets
From: Jeffrey Jelmeland
Return to Contents
A Brief Word From Johnn
Funny RPG Simulator
I've been running Progress Quest on my machine this past
week and it's a hoot. It pokes fun at RPGs by letting you
make a character and then running it through various quests
on auto-pilot. Currently, my PC is level 48 and his
favourite spells are Angioplasty VII, Big Sister XXII, and
Mulligan XXXI. Check it out for yourself:
http://progressquest.com/
Yahoo Group For This Week's Article
This week features more advice from Scott Zaboem on
identifying and fixing GM weaknesses. He's offered to write
more articles on this topic, which is great news! And, he'd
like to invite Roleplaying Tips readers over to his Yahoo!
Group to specifically discuss bad GMs and to share anecdotes
of past experiences to help him flesh out the bad GMing
topics he's got planned. The URL is:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/MrScottG2004/
Boo! I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Be sure to scare
up a fun game this week!
Cheers,
Johnn Four
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
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Contents
Bad Gamemasters I Have Known And Loved:
Part II, The Favoring GM
A guest article by S. G. Zaboem
Remember: every bad gamemaster is a good gamemaster with a
few select bad habits.
-
Examples of Favoring GMs
One of the most blatant examples of GM favoritism involves
myself. I admit that I am a bad gamemaster. In one case, I
asked my girlfriend to try joining my campaign. She agreed
only on the condition that she play as a fairy with a magic
wand that creates flowers on everything it touches. Because
my girlfriend was _so_ fond of fairies, I also knew that any
harm coming to this character would result in even more harm
to me.
So, I announced to my regular players that my girlfriend
would be sitting in with us and that I did intend to perform
blatant acts of favoritism. My girlfriend brought to the
table a character I converted myself but which violated
numerous character creation rules. In a Rifts: New West
setting she was playing a Silver Bell fairy with a rune wand
and immunity to all harm, plus regular fairy magic. She
seemed to have fun, and the other players accepted the
situation. She quit after that one session, however, and
claimed personality differences with the other players. The
players immediately afterward decided to rotate me out of
the GM's chair.
Another example of favoritism occurred near the same time. I
once played in a very short Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition
game in which a guy named Odin ran me and another player
through a dungeon module. Odin sent an NPC with us who was a
twentieth level everything - yes, everything. The NPC was
actually King Arthur suffering from a case of multiple
personality disorder. Basically, Arthur cut through the
dungeon while our single class, first level characters
followed him and watched.
And now for something completely different. My first
experience with a tabletop roleplaying was in college when I
observed a gaming group for a sociology paper. Following
that, I became a player in a Robotech RPG game run by a
fellow named James. It was an interesting game in which
conspirators from Australia took over the earth with psionic
Zwarth mecha, and an NPC smoked the Flower of Life, but it
had huge problems with mechanics.
James' game, had it been my first roleplaying experience,
probably would convinced me to quit then. James earned the
title of worst single gamemaster I have ever seen; he
transcends normal classification, and crosses into almost
every category of bad GM I have identified. Then he stole my
books.
One of James' most bizarre habits was his favoritism. James
had a thing for swords. He was convinced that a sword was an
infinitely superior weapon to a gun. Whenever battle
erupted, the character with the sword always attacked first.
If I had a rifle prepped and pointed at the opponent, the
guy with the pointy stick could draw his weapon, close the
distance across a battlefield, and strike me before I could
get off a shot. What is particularly strange was that he was
running Palladium Book's Robotech RPG, a game in which
swords aren't even listed in the equipment section and
mostly unavailable. Feasibility issues aside, James' swords
point to another clear cut case of favoritism.
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-
Analysis of the Favoring GM
Favoritism is a complicated issue. Like most bad
gamemasters, a favoring GM is usually well-meaning and
sometimes unaware of a problem. There are many different
forms of GM favoritism. Some amount of GM favoritism is to
be found in any campaign, but blatant favoritism causes
resentment in most players.
The most obvious and disliked form of GM favoritism is
favoring one player or player character over another. This
is what I did with my girlfriend and her character. At least
I performed a wise act of damage control by announcing my
attentions to the other players ahead of time. Some players
will be accepting of this approach so long as the gamemaster
is honest and upfront. Other players will resent favoritism
regardless. Most of us fall somewhere between these two
reactions by harboring lesser amounts of aggravation.
There are many signs to be recognized if a gamemaster is
playing favorites:
Player Favoritism
This may simply be one player in the group always getting
the cool magic loot, excessive experience points, or
apparent immortality. These things only bother players when
they see their own characters (or characters of other
players) treated differently in similar situations.
NPC Favoritism
In contrast with the act of favoring a player over others, a
gamemaster might favor a particular NPC over everyone else.
Odin's ultimate fighter/thief/magic user/cleric demonstrates
this perfectly. In almost any campaign, the characters will
be expected to encounter NPCs who are more experienced and
powerful than themselves, but the super-NPCs don't belong in
the party.
Story Element Favoritism
Favoring a particular story element is a more subtle form of
GM favoritism than favoring a player or character. My first
gamemaster, James, has generously provided this article with
the example of his favoring swords over guns to a ridiculous
extreme. Some gamemasters favor a particular setting over
others and remain there until well after the players are
bored with it.
One of the classic scenarios of GM favoritism is magic vs.
technology. In games in which these two elements are
supposed to be balanced, many gamemasters still have one
(most often magic) completely overpower the other.
Limelight Favoritism
The worst violation of player equality, however, is unequal
face time. What should players do if they realize that they
are always sidekicks of a central PC hero? In the case of
the Gearkreig RPG, one of the character templates is
"Sidekick" and such a character should be expected to allow
other players more limelight from time to time. Even a
sidekick, however, should have some fun.
If the gamemaster directs the majority of his words to a
single player, the slighted players will soon begin to feel
that they are wasting their time. There will always be
situations in which one character will dominate a part of a
campaign, but if the trend lasts for more than a single game
session, then the favored PC is begging for an
assassination.
Consider how my friend, who will not be named, responded to
his exposure to GM favoritism. Here is what he wrote to me:
"(I resent) ignoring what players are saying until after a
matter is resolved. I have personally and book-legally
sacked and destroyed many a game for being overlooked when
everyone else got their say and chance to act. Most players
will complain after being ignored for four hours after a
game, some will make sure they are never forgotten again."
My friend, by the way, has honed his campaign breaking
skills since writing these words. He now works a second job
as a freelance campaign assassin. Disgruntled players
actually hire him to infiltrate gaming groups, kill player
characters, wreck settings, and make it all look like
someone else's fault. I know the Campaign Assassin, so don't
push me. ;)
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-
Speak Up Again
Most bad gamemasters don't realize they are creating a
problem but merely see the players getting more and more
aggravated. Approach your gamemaster at a convenient time
apart from the regular game sessions. Prepare a list of
grievances (which you may call "concerns" for diplomacy) and
specific examples of when you thought that he displayed
unfair favoritism. Perhaps the GM has a legitimate reason
for these actions - like setting up the favored player
character for a fall.
Encourage the other players to speak with the gamemaster
about their concerns. Do not, however, approach the
gamemaster together as if performing an intervention or
lynch mobbing. One on one conversations will likely be more
productive anyway. If no one is able to get through, tie the
gamemaster to a chair and perform an intervention anyway. :)
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-
Jump In
If one player is receiving all of the attention, it may be
because the GM's style differs from the gaming group's
style. Not every GM will ask, "What are you doing?" Instead,
your gamemaster might be waiting for you to declare an
action!
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-
Try it His Way
Sometimes, it's better to join the darkness than fight
against it. If your gamemaster has a hang up with swords,
ask about learning to use a sword. If your gamemaster is
firm set to his belief that magic spells can bring down a
technology-produced force field, but technology is useless
against a magic force field, ask about a *magical* power
source for your laser rifle. You might like it better his
way. In a worst case scenario, you still wouldn't be having
less fun than before you sold your soul to the GM for a
magic sword.
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-
Hire the Campaign Assassin
His fee begins at fifty U.S. dollars (plus expenses) for
most quick convention kills. Complex assignments will cost
more; but he is willing to negotiate on price for
particularly deserving targets. I am his contact for the
southeastern region! ;)
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Contents
Readers' Tips Of The Week:
-
Creating Campaign Politics
From: Joachim de Ravenbel (aka J.M. Bravo)
In order to launch a political campaign, I have designed the
following guidelines:
- Make a list of all the groups involved, then order then
from the lowest to the highest in terms of power and
influence. This will yield something like:
- Tailor Gralg
- "Lord" Surl
- Merchant Hustor
- Lord Waser
- Lord Trend
- Master Ornhild
- Lord Leril
- Lady Minst
- High Inquisitor Korn
- King Morin
- Assign each group a Political Rating (PR) as follows:
- First: 1 point
- Second: 1+2 points
- Third: 1+2+3 points
- ...
- Ninth: 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9 points
- Tenth: 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 points
In fact, each group has his order in points over the
preceding one, or for those more versed in maths, n-th group
= n*(n+1)/2. In our example, this gives:
- Tailor Gralg 1 pt
- "Lord" Surl 3 pts
- Merchant Hustor 6 pts
- Lord Waser 10 pts
- Lord Trend 15 pts
- Master Ornhild 21 pts
- Lord Leril 28 pts
- Lady Minst 36 pts
- High Inquisitor Korn 45 pts
- King Morin 55 pts
Or, you could rule that some groups are much closer than
that, but it will somehow tend to that in the future (see
point 8).
- Politics
As far as I understand it, politics is being played by
someone lower in the scale trying to discredit someone
higher. There are several means to achieve that, and each
method yields a number of additional points to the winner,
the same amount being subtracted from the loser.
- One point discredit
Each of the following kinds of discredit gives the winner 1
point and the loser 1 point less:
- Slight insult. A makes a joking comment about B in a
political meeting where B is not attending. "If lord Trend
negotiates with the Boldans with the same efficiency he
married his daughter, we must begin to fortify the city, my
friend."
A must make an easy check (Intelligence, Etiquette,
Innuendo, Social...) to receive the point B will lose.
Should A fail his check, it either means that nobody
understood the insult or that someone came to the rescue of
B: "Yes, but if the mortar is as thick as your wine, a fly
could knock the wall down...." In that case, B wins
(unknowingly) a point and A loses it.
- Minor incapacity. A puts one of B's minions
out of the way
and replaces her by one of his group. The minion should not
be harmed but only neutralised temporarily. For example, A
puts a sleeping draught in the wine of B's bard who falls
before his performance for the King. Luckily, A had her own
singer handy. A must make a check (whatever suitable). If he
fails, the plot is discovered and B gains the point (and A
loses). This can induce investigation. Should A's
culpability be ascertained, he loses 2 points but B gains
nothing as he will still be laughed at for falling.
- Two points discredit
- Open insult. A insults B in a political group where B is
present but unable to find a suitable answer. A and B must
make opposition checks (whatever significant), but B suffers
a penalty (say -4). Should B win, he will gain 2 points and
A loses two points. "Master Ornhild, this magnificent cape
of black silk surely reflects the mood of your son awaiting
his betrothal, yes?"
- Major incapacity/Duel. Same as above, but the
incapacitated victim is more than a mere minion of B.
- Financial coup. A manages to make B lose a lot of money,
either by making a contract superseding B's, or by
destroying B's goods. Either way, a check should occur with
B at a penalty.
- Minor neutralisation. As Minor incapacity above except
that B's minion is killed, maimed, or made to flee the
area.
- Three points discredit
- Head incapacity/Duel. Same as Major Incapacity, but the
incapacitated victim is the head of group B.
- Major neutralisation. Same as Minor neutralisation, but
the killed/maimed/exiled victim is more than a mere minion
of B.
- Alliances
Alliances are powerful possibilities for gaining PR. A and B
temporarily make an AB group with the PR of the higher group
added to half the PR of the lowest one. This alliance will
stay until either A or B makes a hostile movement toward the
other, in which case the PRs are split according to an
opposition check. Use the following table to split the PR:
Checks A B PR A PR B
----------------------------------------------------------
failed OK 1 AB-1
OK failed AB-1 1
OK OK PR*SMA/(SMA+SMB) PR*SMB/(SMA+SMB)
failed failed retry retry
SM: Success margin (result - difficulty)
- How to handle politics in game: the political turn.
Depending on your setting, you should decide on the length
of the political turn. A week might be a good period, while
in some cases you could use one day or one month in a
high/low political land.
At the beginning of each turn, roll randomly for A, B, and
the event. Should A and B be in the same group, it means
that the group splits into Aa and Ab unless the event is an
alliance, in which case either re-roll or ignore.
Political Event Table
---------------------
1d10 Event
1 Slight insult (1pt)
2 Minor incapacity (1pt)
3 Open insult (2pts)
4 Major incapacity (2pts)
5 Minor neutralisation/Duel (2pts)
6 Financial coup (2pts)
7 Head incapacity (3pts)
8 Major neutralisation/Duel (3pts)
9 Roll twice
10 Roll thrice, ignore, or reroll (your choice).
Well that's it. I welcome any additions to the event chart
and hope that this might be useful.
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Contents
-
PC Motivations
From: Dr. Nik
http://www.sponng.com
The three big motivations for any conflict:
- Blood
- Money
- Pledge
Blood = Family, Relation, Mentor, Slave/Master, etc.
Money = Paid to do it, wants money or power, etc.
Pledge = Honor, Vengeance, Oath, Religion, etc.
Using these as a base, you can come up with unique secrets
and reasons for character motivations.
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Contents
-
DMs Needing Cheap Miniatures?
From: Joe Yerger
Something I have found to be useful is the Dollar Store. You
can buy bags of 50-100 army men of various colors or types
for $1-2 and sometimes animals for those pesky Druids in the
party (or, in my case, a Druid/Shifter). The men work great
for those situations when you have a large number of "goons"
or generic people involved with the characters. Different
colors help you keep track of the different kinds of
"goons". Green could be "commoners", Blue could be "cops",
Beige/White could be "aristocrats", Red could be
shopkeepers.
The animals are great because it is nearly impossible to
find good animal miniatures.
Advice: If you decide to use these kind of miniatures, try
gluing them to standard size poker chips for large
creatures, and smaller chips for medium size.
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Contents
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Laminate Your Battlemat
From: Josh H.
Johnn,
I have a nice, cheap solution to your battlemat problems
that everyone runs into. You can take a battlemat, either
purchased or homemade, to an office shop like Kinko's, and
have them laminate it with the second width they offer. It
cost me about $9.00 and now we have a battlemat that you can
write on with Dry-Erase markers.
I have found, however, that black markers work the best.
They come off easier. Red doesn't work at all. Black "Expo"
brand markers work the best out of all I have tried.
Thanks for the E-Zine.
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Contents
-
Online D&D 3E PC Sheets
From: Jeffrey Jelmeland
Here is one that I use: http://www.3edb.com/
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Contents
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Tips Request: Split Party Best
Practices
In an upcoming issue, I'd like to discuss the best ideas for
handling split parties. What can a GM do when three
characters decide to go left, and two go right?
- What do you do when this happens?
- What GMing practices and techniques have worked well for
you?
- What things have you tried that did not work well?
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