Game Master
Kaiser
Pronouns: He/They
Completed Adventures:2
Last Adventure:2 months ago
When I GM, I recognise that I'm stepping up to try and facilitate a good time using the rules and pieces that the game we're playing provides. While that good time means running an inclusive, welcoming table, I also recognise that we don't play these sort of games to win every single time, and that triumph over adversity tastes all the sweeter when all the characters (GM and PC run alike) are operating as they ought. To that end, the principles I try and bring to the table are:
- We're all here to have fun, and it's not okay to make someone feel unwelcome just for existing, intentionally or not. Player respect should be given unless there's valid reason to withdraw it, and if there is, then that's something that's better attended to sooner rather than later.
- When in doubt, check in! Ask if things are cool if things get tense between characters or with an NPC. I'd much rather break flow and ease tension than continue running and let a troublesome seed germinate.
- The NPCs are the characters I play, and I'll run them honestly and truly, to the rules as best I can. Your characters are yours, and probably have quite a few books to be across in order to play optimally. It can be difficult, but I'll not be as quick to be able to look up rules and the like as you might be. My default response to "How do I do such and such?" will generally be "I don't know - it's your character" unless it's something everybody has access to.
- I love creativity and the power of "Yes, and..." or "Yes, but...". When possible, try and look for what the character is trying to achieve, rather than strictly defining what's being done via skill or ability. A particular favourite of mine: using skills flexibly and with different ability scores where appropriate (Eg. using Charisma with Knowledge (Arcana) to convince someone you're really a wizard via arcane technobabble).
- I generally don't plot out solutions, I plot out situations and environs. If something seems insurmountable, it might be something for a more kitted out party to come back and take a shot at, or there might be another factor you can leverage to change the situation. Try not to get too invested in one plan or another, and definitely don't think "How does Kaiser want us to solve this?" I don't know how you're going to solve this - that's the fun in GMing!
If it's helpful, a lot of the guidance and learning of how I GM has come from the Running the Game series by Matt Colville, the Web DM channel, and the How to Be a Great GM/Player series, as well as examples from closer to home that's more difficult to package.
For my schedule, the list is on the Discord page, but in case that's not accessible (all times in Australian EST, UTC +10:00):
Monday: 0800 - 1400, then 1800 to late
Tuesday: 0800 - 1700
Thursday: 0800 - 1300
Friday: 0800 - 1200
Sunday: 0800 - 1600 / 1200 - 1600