A bad GM sees him or herself as something other than a coordinator.

Quote from: wulfgarWell, I'd say some systems are a lot easier to wing it than others.  And if you've been playing in a game for awhile, you might be familiar enough to run a good game without ever having read through the books.  But I'll stand by my point that knowing the game rules makes it easier to be a good GM.  When you know the rules you can spend your energy worrying about the adventure and not trying to figure out what combat phase goes next.

Perhaps, I can see if you are lost concentrating on learning that things could go crapy. I've only spent one session playing DH but DH's combat seems pretty straight forward without a lot detailed steps to it.

I'm also used to and comfortable with relying on other people to sort out particular rules. These players are used to that too. Though I think this would be the first time I'd GM where I wouldn't be at least neck and neck with the players in rules knowledge.  We aren't playing with a Psycher (magic) AFAIK so I think that will help a lot by keeping that bit of complexity out of it.

We'll see how it goes.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!A bad GM sees him or herself as something other than a coordinator.

But a good GM is something other than a coordinator.  More than just a facilitator and arbitrator, they're players, too.  In many ways, a bad GM is one who isn't enjoying playing the game along with everyone else.

!i!

A bad GM does not communicate with his players. A bad GM does not understand the need to strike a balance between his vision of the game and that of his players. A bad GM says Yes at the wrong time and No at the right time.

Regards,
David R

One trait which in my opinion tends to lead to bad GMing is fear of improvisation - and specifically, lack of confidence in one's improvisational skills. Some people lack confidence in their ability to "wing it" - in terms both of ruling on system issues and in terms of the setting. This manifests itself in a number of ways:

- Railroading. GMs who are not confident about improvising and know it may say to themselves "I'd better keep the players on track, or I'm screwed!"

- Flubbing improvisation. Some GMs aren't confident about improvisation, but don't quite realise it until they're in that situation, at which point it a) becomes very clear that they are improvising and b) their improvisation tends to be weak. "Um... er... you find some, um, orcs and stuff, yeah..."

To my mind, the key to good improvisation is confidence: even if your improvisational skills are rusty, you'll find it much easier to come up with ideas on the spot if you are confident and not second-guessing yourself, and the more confident you sound to the players, the more likely they are to meet you halfway. As a player, if a GM is clearly floundering I begin to get the impression that they don't know what they're doing - but if the GM puts across a confident face, then I trust whatever they say, even if it seems contradictory to me - I have confidence that everything will make sense in the end. (And I'm the sort of player who likes to air his theories about what's going on, which I suppose helps improvising GMs - "Oh shit! Warthur caught that contradiction... oh good, he's come up with a theory, I can run with that.")

I did some internet research on outstandingly bad DMs, the ones who star in people's "worst role-playing session ever" stories, and each of them seems to do one of two things:

i) have inappropriate sexual content, or

ii) have NPCs that are on the PCs side, and are more powerful than the PCs.

Quote from: flyingmiceBad GMs generally think they're good GMs. Bad GMs who don't think they are good GMs have the hope of one day being good. Good GMs know they are not bad GMs, but think they could be better. Good GMs who think they are just about perfect are The Pundit.

-clash

When you're The Pundit, the rules follow you.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditWhen you're The Pundit, the rules follow you.

RPGPundit

Exactly!

-clash

Quite simply, a bad GM is one who does not listen. Listen and learn. In listening, one must apply what one learns then build on it. Essentially, what makes a good GM is what makes a good person. One who is concerned for more than themselves, has the ability to listen and learn, then apply those lessons. A bad GM would be the opposite, selfish, ignorant and unconcerned for any but himself.

Bill

I can't really add anything other than agreeing with a bad GM puts their enjoyment ahead of others and when confronted with this, refuse to listen.  Just thought of something....someone who lets real life matters influence their in-game decision making...mainly look at favortism or treating players with prejudice.

I also hate GMs who are squandering the participants time with sheer lack of drive and esprit.

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaBut a good GM is something other than a coordinator.  More than just a facilitator and arbitrator, they're players, too.  In many ways, a bad GM is one who isn't enjoying playing the game along with everyone else.

!i!

Yeah, I was posting in a hurry, you one-upping dime-store Wookiee.

In other words, I dig.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Yeah, I was posting in a hurry, you one-upping dime-store Wookiee.

I really didn't mean to one-up you.  I think the notion of GM-as-player-too often gets lost in the froth.  As Sett mentions above, sometimes GMs lack the spirit and drive to carry a game, and I think that often results from group dynamics where the GM feels the role is more of a burden than an entertainment opportunity for himself, too.

!i!

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaI really didn't mean to one-up you.

I know, dude, I was making a funny!

QuoteI think the notion of GM-as-player-too often gets lost in the froth.  

It's how I run my games now.

QuoteAs Sett mentions above, sometimes GMs lack the spirit and drive to carry a game, and I think that often results from group dynamics where the GM feels the role is more of a burden than an entertainment opportunity for himself, too.

!i!

Hence, the reason I Waste[d] The Buddha With My Crossbow.

Four hours of sleep, three kids, two hours of driving, two weeks with out sex, and a bad day at work can make anyone into a bad GM.

Not that I'd know anything about that.