I’ve got a 3 1/2-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son here at home, and my free time has been sharply curtailed since they came into my life. Gaming-wise, this means that I have seldom GM’d games, instead mostly sitting back and being a player. This has given me some great gaming experiences, but it’s left my GM’ing skills very rusty and impaired my confidence that I know what I’m doing on that side of the gaming table. That’s despite the fact that I’ve often been a primary GM in many of my previous groups over the years. I guess it’s a “use it or lose it” kind of thing.
Since House of Cards, the cinematic heist game I’m currently designing, has a GM, this is a less than ideal state to be in. So I’ve recently made it a priority to get back on that horse and GM (or at least strongly facilitate) some games. I’ve recently begun gaming on Mondays at a local comic and games store, and this new group has given me the chance to polish up my GM’ing.
Right now I’m running a multi-session 3:16 campaign. I chose to offer a 3:16 game since it’s accessible, low prep, and mechanically uncomplicated. Playing multiple sessions has given me the chance to develop the setting, establish some NPCs, tie the planets together with shipboard scenes, push and pull on the relationships between the characters, etc. In other words, do the things a GM is supposed to do.
Doing prep and then springing things on the players has been great fun. Flexing my story muscles in a different way has left me feeling more confident and rediscovering old things I used to do in running games. It’s got me itching to run more games on my shelf and do more playtesting with House of Cards to better develop best practices for the GM role in the game.
I didn’t tell the guys that this was my first stab at GM’ing in a long while (I didn’t want to jinx it), but it seems like the game is fun and hopefully serving as a means to bind this new group together. So that’s what I’ve been up to – getting back to using my GM skills and hopefully making them a central part of my gaming toolbox again.
Eric — you’re a good GM. Don’t sweat it. Though if you could rustle up some players in Omaha, I’d be a happy boy!
J