User Tools

Site Tools


hundredswords:gming

GMing

GM Roles and Responsibilities

GMs will be in one or more of the following categories and listed on the website with contact information:

  • Game GMs (Marshals) are responsible on the day of a game to adjudicate rules and behaviour
    • Marshals do not have to attend every GM meeting - but if there are changes to rules in a game session, they must all be prepped with cheat sheets and timings for timed events.
  • Narrative GMs (Storytellers) are responsible for maintaining character progressions, story arcs and plots
    • Storytellers will probably communicate more often than a formally organised GM meeting, but must also attend any GM meeting that specifically has their story arc in it, unless they can send a proxy or skype in, etc.
  • Organisation GMs (Game Organisers)are responsible for all the behind the scenes real world aspects - venue hire, memberships, prop library, first aid kits. These GMs are also responsible for feedback and/or complaints about players/GMs/games/rules. In club terms this includes the secretary and treasurer positions.
    • Game Organisers set the formal GM meetings and are responsible for prepping Game GMs at the time of a game session if they haven't been attending meetings. A GM meeting may be club organising related or story related, or a combination.

Participation: Marshals cannot play in games except as specific NPCs that won't interfere with their GMing duties throughout the session. Other GM types can participate, but should not be in leadership roles that may be affected by out-of-game knowledge.

Key philosophies of these rules

  • A generic toolkit that can be expanded without too much difficulty to include new races, classes, spells and other items but still maintain balance
  • To encourage good behaviour, good costuming and good attendance
  • To balance real world limitations with appropriate game mechanics (ie you wear an orc mask, you get a bonus for your lack of hearing/sight while wearing a mask)
  • Self regulating where possible - Game GMs (Marshalls) can't be everywhere
  • No tome of memorisation. To play a game you should not have to memorise every race, class and spell.

Limitations

  • A new player cannot just turn up at a game and expect to have anything other than a minor role with limited weapons
  • A game (as apposed to a training) session will need at least one Marshal on site, prefferrably more than one
  • Some rules and roleplaying must be delegated hierarchically. Warbands are their own sub-games, but they must still adhere to the overall rules and may need to change some roleplaying elements to fit with ongoing story arcs.
  • Incorporation. HS2.0 needs to be a registered club with all that entails. It's the only way to have accountability

General Advice

  1. Don't piss off your players
  2. If anyone is making a game less fun for anyone else - always call them out on it. Privately first, before escalating

Scheduling

Each Month
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
New Player Training Warband individual training depending on warband Alternately RP and NRP Game Session

Game Sessions

Normal session timeline for a game

  1. Setup
  2. Briefing
  3. Game
  4. Debriefing
  5. Takedown

Setup

  • Go over rules and events with the Marshalls
  • Setup the props

Briefing

  • Brief everyone
  • Brief warband leaders
  • Hand out XP to be spent

Game

Debriefing

  1. GM Debriefing
    • Game GMs get together with all GMs and game outcomes are discussed - including what happened in the end of the game, if this will have immediate effects in the story and any awards for players
  2. Player Debriefing
    • GMs relay outcome of the game
    • Awards are presented
    • Feedback is gathered

Takedown

Gear and equipment is searched for, gathered, and packed away

hundredswords/gming.txt · Last modified: 2015/09/15 20:36 by 127.0.0.1