We’re trying something new here. Pack Tactics, our round-table advice column, is becoming Game Changer. Instead of a panel, we’re consulting with our resident GMing expert, Brian Suskind.

You might recognize Brian’s name from any of a slew of past Kobold Press products such as Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns and the Tales of the Valiant Monster Vault. Or you might remember the welcome aboard blog post we did for him about two months ago.

This month’s question: GMing is just kind of a lot. Game prep and crowd management and the performance aspect of it . . . how can I enjoy it more?

Kind of a Lot!

If you’ve never run a game, let alone a campaign, you really don’t realize how much work it takes. There is the expected stuff such as maps, encounters, monsters, NPCs, and plotlines. Then there are the aspects that most never realize are part of the job. I’m talking about things like scheduling, interpersonal relations, and group cohesion. A GM puts on a lot of hats, and (hopefully) they make it seem effortless.

That said, while GMing certainly can take a TON of effort, does it have to?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: No, but it might mean thinking about the game differently.

#1: Improv Is Your Friend.

This may feel daunting, but lean hard into improv. You don’t have to prepare things if you get comfortable with just inventing stuff on the spot. How do you do that? Glad you asked.

For some, improv comes easy, but for others it’s a bit harder. My trick is to just let the improv build upon itself. If the players decide to go into a tavern, you don’t need that place prepared. Begin with a small detail, like the light inside or the smell of the food. Build from there. If it’s dark in the tavern then talk about why it’s dark. Perhaps the windows are covered with heavy curtains, or the light from the greasy torches somehow doesn’t fill the room. When you exhaust a detail jump to the next. You’ll be painting pictures with words instead of reading a speech.

You can even improv encounters, battles and other mechanical elements of the game. This has the benefit of not spending time looking up rules. Here’s something important, however: you need to know the rules well so that you don’t have to pay attention to them. Rules are important, of course, but once you’ve internalized them, they won’t bog down your game.

Want more help with improv? Read our FREE six-part series on Improv Proficiency!

#2: Don’t Script It, Shorthand It.

When most of us first start running games, we all fall into a common misconception. We try to “write” games like the ones we see in published books. However, there is a vast difference between designing an adventure for publication and running one in your home games. Designers have to craft published material to be clear, logical, and complete so that the users don’t have to add anything. We include read-aloud-text, advice for running encounters, and other connective elements. It’s somewhat formulaic and structured, because it has to be.

Home games, on the other hand, don’t have to be scripted ahead of time, and I would argue they should never be. Let me explain.

To be sure, you need to figure out some parts before your players reach them. The map of the dungeon, for example, or the factions in the royal court. But where a published adventure has preset locations, encounters, and “routes” spelled out, your home game can be filled out as the characters progress.

I call this the two-note method. Instead of spending a ton of time writing up locations that you “think” the characters might get to, spend five minutes before the game and make a list of three to four inspirational ideas. Two words is usually enough. You might have something like, “Angry Unicorn”, “Landslide Obstacle”, and “Broken Compass.”

When the characters roll a one on that encounter die, or reach a point where you want to have something happen, pick the inspirational note that seems best and spin up the encounter or location. It feels counter-intuitive, but you don’t need to have the event planned out. Just present the players with the situation and see how they react. More often than not, they will drive the narrative of the event, meaning you don’t need anything spelled out. They often do the spelling themselves.

#3. Give the Players Control.

As a GM, you run NPCs, monsters, and an entire world. Why not let the players carry some of the load?

When you prepare too much or script everything out, you’re taking on the entire workload. In addition to being a lot of work, this can make your adventures stilted, or, worse, make the players feel railroaded.

Your campaign is about the characters’ stories, not the sculpted world you’ve created. A game with a weak world but incredible character stories feel smuch better to the players than an incredible world with weak character stories. So, how do you create great character stories? You don’t. The players do.

Let the players fill in the blanks for you. Don’t stress about what the name of the next street is. Kick the question to the players and let them decide what it’s called. You won’t need to know the details about the king’s court if you let the players come up with the interesting NPCs.

To be fair, this is a great method for some game groups. For others, it leads to a bunch of people staring blankly at you.

#4. Talk to Your Players.

A lot of non-gaming issues that come up at the table revolve around things like interpersonal relationships, scheduling and so forth. For all of those, my best advice is to be up-front and direct. Talk to your players if there is a problem.

Don’t be afraid to pause the game and address something if you see an issue. Indeed, make sure that your players feel similarly empowered to call a time-out and raise concerns. You don’t want someone to stew in bad feelings during the game or head home feeling insulted or angry.

It’s super important to not be confrontational during these conversations. Just be direct and willing to listen. After all, sometimes the fault might be yours, so you want to make sure you are open to a course correction if need be.

What Do You Think?

How do you keep GMing fun? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord server!

Do you have a question for the Game Changer? Tell us about it. Then check back first Friday of each month for more Game Changer.