Man, if this isn’t the perfect representation of everyone’s first time GMing a game for a bunch of experienced players, I don’t know what is (especially that note.) Deep breaths, and keep moving.
My nephew (21) asked if he could DM the group I game with (40-50+) this past weekend because his buddies were making him crazy with arguing and complaints about how he DM’d. My group tends to take a smoke break about once an hour and even during the game we all BS and discuss/argue amongst ourselves. He ran us through the beginning of a campaign he’d worked for about six months on. At the end of the night he told us that we’d gotten further in one session than his buddies had in five sessions. He showed me his game notes afterwards and I am amused to see that his notes and Brett’s are pretty similar…lol
otoh I’ve had times when we barely got past the entrance and first room in 5 hours…because of the jokes and laughter.
– and once feel asleep in an all nighter with different crowd, it was a combat. 3 hours later when I woke up, they were still arguing, same combat _round_! What made it worse, was it was the party caller and the DM, over my character (while I was sleeping in the corner). I have sympathy for the other 9 players that night (game system:twilight 2000, group were 50% military. discussion was grenade blaster/bullet penetrations, surprise, etc)
That’s a nice dice case! Although it wouldn’t hold all the d6’s he previously rolled. So it must be for his very special dice 🙂
I’m looking forward to see what happens next.
This is actually a tricky moment in gaming for a GM and the player. When a character drops early in a fight, the player is left sitting around doing nothing. If the encounter takes a long time (in RL) to play out after that point it sucks to have a player completely out of the action.
I haven’t really seen great solutions to how to proceed when it happens. As a GM, you want the threat of death in combat because otherwise you run into players doing all things they shouldn’t be because there are no consequences to anything they do. But if a character actually drops early you run into two problems:
1) The encounter was balanced expecting the character to be an active participant in the encounter.
2) The player is now completely idle and likely will have their engagement with the session drop because they aren’t involved in the action.
For the other GMs out there, how do you handle it when this type of situation crops up?
Have experienced players that don’t mind sitting at the side for a little?
No but seriously, it’s up to the player to kill their time as it were. I don’t care if they start drawing, are on their phone or anything becuase they’re bored. Just don’t get annoyed and don’t distract the others.
If I were to die, as in dead-dead and not being brought back, during a session?
I’ll pull out the books and start building my next character – figure out what new and interesting thing I can do, that fills a hole in the party’s range of abilities (I’m mad hardcore into ‘niche protection’).
Well, okay. I’m addicted to character creation, and generally have at least half a dozen (usually many many more) half-built concepts, and would pick one or two that I would begin retooling, finishing, and producing a more fleshed-out backstory for. But, same basic concept, and all.
Brett. Take those post its down and tear them up. Fuckups are normal. And berating yourself for them every time you look down will just make you feel bad.
You have good players. Trust them.
Take those fuckups, and make … um … fuckup-aide? Something like that.
The first 3E game i ever ran, I completely fucked up learning the CR system, and very badly overmatched the party. I realized partway through the third round … and told everyone “hold on, I’ve screwed up, I’m still learning these rules”; after a few moments of thought, I settled on an excuse for the still-superior forces to break contact and withdraw. They had been intended all along as a scouting group – so their MISSION wasn’t “crush anything you find”, their mission was “report back to camp, so we can send out _an entire war band_ to crush anything you find”.
The players all understood (3E hadn’t been available for more than a few months at that point), and I just had to shift gears to “now the party is being hunted and has to do some E&E”. Fun times wound up being had by all, the fuckup turned into a story point, and all was well. 🙂
When I first read this, I was thinking, “Good grief, Santa Claus has performance anxiety?”
Then I remembered that Brett never applied for the Santa Claus job. As I recall, it was sort of dropped on him. Talk about anxiety! I’ll bet there’s a small office at the North Pole that has a lot of Post-Its just like that.
You go, Brett. We’re rooting for you! Also, I’d like a new car for Christmas.
Wait, is nobody gonna comment on the awesome gentle ribbing the group is giving Brett in the middle panel? That is SO much like every cohesive and supportive group I’ve ever been a part of.
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Hang in there, Santa! You’re doing great!
Man, if this isn’t the perfect representation of everyone’s first time GMing a game for a bunch of experienced players, I don’t know what is (especially that note.) Deep breaths, and keep moving.
Well. I feel seen.
My nephew (21) asked if he could DM the group I game with (40-50+) this past weekend because his buddies were making him crazy with arguing and complaints about how he DM’d. My group tends to take a smoke break about once an hour and even during the game we all BS and discuss/argue amongst ourselves. He ran us through the beginning of a campaign he’d worked for about six months on. At the end of the night he told us that we’d gotten further in one session than his buddies had in five sessions. He showed me his game notes afterwards and I am amused to see that his notes and Brett’s are pretty similar…lol
otoh I’ve had times when we barely got past the entrance and first room in 5 hours…because of the jokes and laughter.
– and once feel asleep in an all nighter with different crowd, it was a combat. 3 hours later when I woke up, they were still arguing, same combat _round_! What made it worse, was it was the party caller and the DM, over my character (while I was sleeping in the corner). I have sympathy for the other 9 players that night (game system:twilight 2000, group were 50% military. discussion was grenade blaster/bullet penetrations, surprise, etc)
That’s a nice dice case! Although it wouldn’t hold all the d6’s he previously rolled. So it must be for his very special dice 🙂
I’m looking forward to see what happens next.
This is actually a tricky moment in gaming for a GM and the player. When a character drops early in a fight, the player is left sitting around doing nothing. If the encounter takes a long time (in RL) to play out after that point it sucks to have a player completely out of the action.
I haven’t really seen great solutions to how to proceed when it happens. As a GM, you want the threat of death in combat because otherwise you run into players doing all things they shouldn’t be because there are no consequences to anything they do. But if a character actually drops early you run into two problems:
1) The encounter was balanced expecting the character to be an active participant in the encounter.
2) The player is now completely idle and likely will have their engagement with the session drop because they aren’t involved in the action.
For the other GMs out there, how do you handle it when this type of situation crops up?
Have experienced players that don’t mind sitting at the side for a little?
No but seriously, it’s up to the player to kill their time as it were. I don’t care if they start drawing, are on their phone or anything becuase they’re bored. Just don’t get annoyed and don’t distract the others.
If I were to die, as in dead-dead and not being brought back, during a session?
I’ll pull out the books and start building my next character – figure out what new and interesting thing I can do, that fills a hole in the party’s range of abilities (I’m mad hardcore into ‘niche protection’).
Well, okay. I’m addicted to character creation, and generally have at least half a dozen (usually many many more) half-built concepts, and would pick one or two that I would begin retooling, finishing, and producing a more fleshed-out backstory for. But, same basic concept, and all.
If they die… let them run monsters till it is know if the party can bring them back or not.
100% the same face I make behind the screen
Where does one get a 7 panelled GM screen Brian? Because I want one.
Or is it a 3 panel with 7 pages?
It’s 3 panels – you can see it below Brett’s face in the previous panel.
This is correct! It is a 3-panel screen, but the graphic design is laid out in multiple windows of information.
Well Crit… I dont have a pun for this one…..I’m Punless…
[ Iou an Xtra Pun on the next comic]
It happens, even to the best of us. Try not to PUNish yourself too much.
…
I’ll let myself out, now.
I’ll try hate to let peeps down when they depunned on me
……….
Here I”ll hold the door im going the same way……..
😀
This page brings a tear to my eye.
Brett. Take those post its down and tear them up. Fuckups are normal. And berating yourself for them every time you look down will just make you feel bad.
You have good players. Trust them.
Most importantly, the good players are good friends.
Take those fuckups, and make … um … fuckup-aide? Something like that.
The first 3E game i ever ran, I completely fucked up learning the CR system, and very badly overmatched the party. I realized partway through the third round … and told everyone “hold on, I’ve screwed up, I’m still learning these rules”; after a few moments of thought, I settled on an excuse for the still-superior forces to break contact and withdraw. They had been intended all along as a scouting group – so their MISSION wasn’t “crush anything you find”, their mission was “report back to camp, so we can send out _an entire war band_ to crush anything you find”.
The players all understood (3E hadn’t been available for more than a few months at that point), and I just had to shift gears to “now the party is being hunted and has to do some E&E”. Fun times wound up being had by all, the fuckup turned into a story point, and all was well. 🙂
I felt this last panel in my *soul*.
When I first read this, I was thinking, “Good grief, Santa Claus has performance anxiety?”
Then I remembered that Brett never applied for the Santa Claus job. As I recall, it was sort of dropped on him. Talk about anxiety! I’ll bet there’s a small office at the North Pole that has a lot of Post-Its just like that.
You go, Brett. We’re rooting for you! Also, I’d like a new car for Christmas.
Lol i want a hat that has stop fucking up on the bill so i can see it when i look up or roll my eyes.
Wait, is nobody gonna comment on the awesome gentle ribbing the group is giving Brett in the middle panel? That is SO much like every cohesive and supportive group I’ve ever been a part of.