What Characteristics Make A Great GM

[SmilingJack]

In The Megaverse There are truly great GM's that we've all played under

Maybe it was That campaign you couldn't wait to get back to every saturday

Or they were amazing at creating things off the top of their head

Or it was the best story you've ever heard

In your opinion what attributes makes a great GM and why

[Snake Eyes]

Well said Panomas

[Icefalcon]

I think the best GM's are those that know how to handle various personalities that might join their group.

[calto40k]

I think the best GM's are those that know how to handle various personalities that might join their group.

Hit the nail on the head there Ice and glad to see you around still

[SmilingJack]

I' be found that great GM's:

Reward creative thinking,
Doesn't simply refuse players ideas or constantly say no
Can come up with ideas off the top of their heads
Understands the group dynamics
Keeps everyone involved
Loves to GM
Understands the rules and fairly administers them
Wants everyone to have a good time
Can read players well and adjusts to keep the game flowing

[Icefalcon]

I think the best GM's are those that know how to handle various personalities that might join their group.

Hit the nail on the head there Ice and glad to see you around still

Never really left, just been quiet the last couple weeks while looking for work. And thank you.

[calto40k]

I think the best GM's are those that know how to handle various personalities that might join their group.

Hit the nail on the head there Ice and glad to see you around still

Never really left, just been quiet the last couple weeks while looking for work. And thank you.

Still looking for work myself hope your quest has been more fulfilling than mine has.

[13eowulf]

A great GM doesn't set players on fire.

I have to disagree with this one, what if they player is cold?

I mean give a player fire they are warm for a session, set fire to that player and they are warm for the rest of their life.

[Icefalcon]

Wants everyone to have a good time

DING DING DING!!!

Single most important attribute, PERIOD. A great GM actually LOVES running the game, FOR the players.

I would not say most important. Even if a GM loves running the game, it does not mean that they are good at it.

[13eowulf]

I would say creativity & Adaptability are up there on the list.

Being able to adapt dynamically to the unexpected, especially to situations not covered by any book or by their own planning/anticipation.
Coming up with unique a storyline, or side stories, if using stock-adventures (something to give the game a unique feel).

And so many more aspects are all derived from those initial 2.

[Icefalcon]

Many of the things that have been listed make for a good GM. In the end, you know you are a great GM when people beg you to run one of your games. There are many things that go into accomplishing that.

1. Ability to handle various personalities As I said above, the ability to take the various personalities that game at your table and being able to manage them during the many gaming sessions. I am not talking just the ones that easy to get along with but also those personalities that can cause problems (such as rules lawyers, power gamers, tag-alongs, half interested significant others, etc.) and be able to make a game session good for each of them.

2. Ability to tell the story All GM's can tell a story but not all of them have to ability to create the proper pacing and or portray good dramatic tension. I have met and gamed with many GM's that fall into all kinds of ability as far as storytelling is concerned. Some are good with rules but can hardly carry the story (even published ones) while other are so good with story exposition but suck at rules. There are also those that fall along the spectrum between those two. In the end a great GM knows how to balance both properly.

3. Preparation Some GM's like lots of preparation and some like to run off the cuff. Over time, I have come to the realization that I am able to tell the difference when I play. The ones that are prepared (in terms of story, NPC's and enemies, maps and even sometimes planning how the PC's will react) seem more able to keep the flow of the story moving forward and engaging. The "by the seat of their pants" style GM's seem easier to fluster and catch off guard with something totally unexpected. Of course, no matter what style (in terms of preparation) a GM is, the best ones have the ability to do both; rolling with the punches and being prepared for the players to go anywhere and do anything (within reason, because even the best are caught off-guard no and again).

4. Joy of the game All good (and therefor best) GM's love the material they are working with (whether it be the rules set or the world setting) and truly enjoy running for their fellow gamers. However, the best GM's know that sometimes they have to give up the GM's chair to someone else so that they do not suffer burnout (which is where I am currently after running for about 12 years straight with only one long term game to play in during that time). Some GM's even specialize in one particular genre or even one game/rules set in particular while others will run anything that they own (I am one of the latter but still have those games I would rather be the player than the GM).

5. Know your players Of course, this is one of those things that takes many years and multiple games to figure out. While one player might be one way in a post-apocalyptic game, they might be totally another way in a sword and sorcery game. But, once you get there, that GM will know the kinds of things their players like and dislike as well as how they will react to a certain situation. The truly great GM's will not only know this but will include that in his running of the game in such a manner that the players will love him for it.

6. Fair play Good GM's stick to a sense of fairness so that what happens (good or bad) during their story. Great GM's will take that even further in the fact that they will always make sure that the fair even applies between the other players.

There are others and I will post them later but know I am off to see a movie.

[13eowulf]

I would also suggest that modesty makes a great GM, the really great GMs dont brag about how great their games are.

(they have players for that )

Great GMs also dont seek greatness, no, they have Greatness thrust upon them.

[Icefalcon]

I would also suggest that modesty makes a great GM, the really great GMs dont brag about how great their games are.

(they have players for that )

Great GMs also dont seek greatness, no, they have Greatness thrust upon them.

[Damian Magecraft]

This thread explains my views on the qualities of a good GM Click Here

[sirkermittsg]

A great GM doesn't set players on fire.

I have to disagree with this one, what if they player is cold?

I mean give a player fire they are warm for a session, set fire to that player and they are warm for the rest of their life.

short as that life may be.....

[sirkermittsg]

I would also suggest that modesty makes a great GM, the really great GMs dont brag about how great their games are.

(they have players for that )

Great GMs also dont seek greatness, no, they have Greatness thrust upon them.

HUNTMASTER WULF FOR PRESIDENT! .... of the GM's Guild.

[Icefalcon]

Wants everyone to have a good time

DING DING DING!!!

Single most important attribute, PERIOD. A great GM actually LOVES running the game, FOR the players.

I would not say most important. Even if a GM loves running the game, it does not mean that they are good at it.

You missed the bolded all caps part of the sentence!!! Whether or not they love running games is meaningless unless they love running FOR their players. If they do that, everything else will fall into place.

No, I did not miss the all caps and bold part. It hardly matters if the GM loves running for themselves or for the players, they can still be bad at it. I have met GM's that really love running for other people but the game was not very good. On the other hand, I have played under GM's that love running the game not for their players but either for the love of telling a story or even for love of running a game of their own and they were some of the best games I have ever played in.

Secondly, I disagree with the statement that as long as you are running for the players, everything else falls into place. That is a falsehood. It takes work on the GM's part to make a great game and all of the good feelings in the world are just not going to get that work done.

[arouetta]

Being an engaging storyteller and able to keep the pace up, push quickly past the parts that start to bog down. I've played under GMs that had many of the above listed traits, but the plot itself needed work in some way, so players were either bored or frustrated all evening.