ChoShadow
That One Fear In My Enemy's Eyes
Hello everyone, and welcome to my beginner's tutorial GM For Dummies!
This tutorial was crafted for those who are new to creating their own RP or who simply have less experience and are looking for a few words of encouragement and guidance as they prepare to set up their world for themselves and others to enjoy.
So with that in mind, let's begin!
GM For Dummies, Chapter 1 - Spotting A Fake
We've all seen those flat 2D characters in RP's who were thrown together in haste for the purpose of joining the RP and just hitting the ground running. Their level of detail is negligible, fulfilling only the bare minimum requested by the GM with respect to information in a character sheet and whom the owner hopes or thinks they can basically craft as the story goes.
However, this opens up a double bladed challenge to the GM: dealing with open ended God-Modding and Metagaming.
Yes. Poor character design leads inevitably to God-Modding and Metagaming.
Why?
By leaving such a vast expanse of space open in a character profile, a role-player becomes free to shape their character based on the world around them as the RP progresses. Any new details in the RP's story and plot can be tailored to fit to the character's background, since it is thus far an open canvass, giving them near unfettered access to dominate the story and input their characters into the most important places at the most important times.
Here's an example:
The GM of a fantasy RP set in a medieval world says, "This new enemy appeared and is of this race and has this kind of ability, and I'd like us all to work together to take them down." The player with next to no information in their profile adds that their character had a history with said enemy and knows their weaknesses from observing and surviving battles with them in the past and begins taking control of the fight against this evil entity. But the GM wanted everyone to work together to take them down. Can the GM say "you can't do that"? Yes, they can since they are the GM. But because the character was so flat and so open the GM really can't say with any validity that what this individual is doing is actually wrong or that it doesn't fit who their character is...
What character?
The profile was allowed to be left as an open canvass for them to mold as they went along, so technically as the story unfolds they can, with validity, mold their character to the story because the GM didn't require that they define their character in greater detail. By allowing players to leave their characters open, you as the GM leave yourself and your RP vulnerable to such poor and unsporting play styles.
Do not leave yourself or your RP vulnerable to a fake, as it will ruin the experience for everyone.
GM For Dummies, Chapter 2 - Setting the Tone
For a GM, setting the tone of the RP is of vital importance for everyone who wants to take part in understanding what the RP is and what their experience is going to be like.
If you as the GM open a new RP that has a well loved title such as Naruto: Brave and the Bold!, Naruto fans will instantly click on the RP link to see what it's about. But if all you provide on the Overview page is a basic paragraph of information welcoming everyone and telling them that you look forward to RPing with them, what have they to go on when it comes to understanding this world? Is it a fandom where they can take the roles of known characters? Is it all original and only loosely based on the original work? Is it a mix?
Setting the tone helps you avoid gray area, and establishes the foundation of the RP.
To set the tone, you should think about adding all of the following points of information to the RP's Overview Page. Be sure they are clear, spaced out to avoid cluttering, and it wouldn't hurt to make them impossible to miss by using varying font sizes, colors, etc:
The next step in setting the tone is creating the Rules of the RP, and these are of vital importance. You don't want to sound like a stiff and someone who's unapproachable and unyielding. That just drives players away. Use clear, concise, and friendly language to craft your rules to keep players interested and undaunted in the face of your authority as the GM.
One example would be the following:
Rule 1) No God-Modding, Power Playing, or Metagaming.
All of our characters are mortal and bound by the laws of physics, so please be sure to stay within the boundaries of human physical capability. If you are uncertain of what your character can and cannot get away with, feel free to ask me at any time. But please do so before posting. As well, please be sure not to take direct control of other player's characters without their permission. Doing so is a violation of this rule and will not be tolerated. And finally, please leave your real world knowledge at the door. If your character is a thief who grew up on the streets, but you are a student of nursing or medicine, your thief character may not take from your knowledge of the medical field by acting as a surgeon to someone else's character who is gravely injured.
Clear, concise, to the point, and friendly. Anyone who reads this will know exactly what it is you want and what you do not want to see in the RP while also respecting the fact that your authority dictates via the language used that this rule is non-negotiable while remaining unafraid of you or the RP.
And finally, the last step in setting the tone is to provide your character for the RP.
Yes, crafting your character(s) is the final step to setting the tone. How you craft them is entirely up to you, but be sure that however you craft them, you do so based on what you expect of everyone else. If you make a bunch of rules about the RP and character creation and demand a lot of those who join when it comes to character creation, yet you craft a character which is rather flat and only provides a certain minimum of information not even enough to satisfy the rules and requirements you set for the others, not many role-players will take you seriously as a GM.
"I have to follow all of this but the GM can get away with THAT?!"
It turns people off and doesn't make them excited to role-play with you. You need to ensure your characters sets the bar and provides everyone with a very clear and easy to understand message of what this RP is going to look and feel like.
GM For Dummies, Chapter 3 - Finishing Touches
We've all seen RP's created that are original ideas. Beautifully imagined, constructed, and governed RP worlds by creative minds attract our attention as role-players and make us want to get involved.
But what about the GM side of the coin?
How do we as GM's create an RP based on our own original idea (even if it is inspired by an existing work and labeled as a "Fandom") and attract people to it?
Sadly not all original ideas attract interest, and just because this site has a large member base doesn't mean the RP is guaranteed to kick off or attract as many people as you were hoping for. To give it the best chance possible, you need to ensure that you give everyone the best you have with respect to your idea. That means going above and beyond the call of duty for the average GM and really getting down to the bare bones of what your idea is, what makes it work, and most importantly, why other role-players should want to be a part of it.
So let's get started wiiiiiiith........... The world.
Yes, the world. One of the most tedious and brain numbing tasks for a GM is coming up with lore and backstory for the RP. You have a wonderful idea for a character, a great idea for a villain, a good idea of the time period and the setting...
But what the heck IS this world?
HOW did it get this way?
And, most importantly, WHY should anyone care and thus involve themselves in it?
These are the questions which you need to answer, and your answers better be good or the idea won't get very far.
So let's start with what the world is by answering the following questions with as much detail as you can (Do come up with more questions on your own, by the way, to get the best out of this world). When you are finished, reread your answers and check for inconsistencies or contrasting answers to similar sounding questions and make any necessary corrections:
Now let's get to the how by answering the following (but again do come up with more questions of your own):
And finally, the why should anyone care which is the most important part of the equation.
Simply put if you as a GM are enthusiastic, determined, and friendly in your presentation of your RP idea and provide enough detail to garner attention and interest, it is highly likely that your RP will get off the ground. How you keep it moving and what will become of it once it starts, only time can say. But at least you will know by following this beginner's tutorial that you have given your RP a strong foundation to stand on.
Making strict, yet decidedly friendly rules with respect to character creation and the RP's general rules will ensure that lackluster players steer clear and you can make it more fun and worthwhile for yourself as the GM and all other players involved. By setting the tone and the bar as the GM, you give yourself credibility to those who participate and establish the RP's foundation as well as give everyone an incentive to step up their game. And finally by putting the finishing touches on your RP by providing lore and backstory which answer most, if not all questions, anyone has before they get started, you help give your RP its own identity which will speak to the hearts and minds of other players and get them to want to join in on the fun.
After all that's what role-playing is all about: having fun.
Thank you everyone for your time, and if you are new to acting as GM for an RP I hope that this tutorial gave you some insight and a boost of confidence. So get out there and make your world a reality, and get ready to have some fun!
~ ChoShadow
View full tutorial
This tutorial was crafted for those who are new to creating their own RP or who simply have less experience and are looking for a few words of encouragement and guidance as they prepare to set up their world for themselves and others to enjoy.
So with that in mind, let's begin!
GM For Dummies, Chapter 1 - Spotting A Fake
We've all seen those flat 2D characters in RP's who were thrown together in haste for the purpose of joining the RP and just hitting the ground running. Their level of detail is negligible, fulfilling only the bare minimum requested by the GM with respect to information in a character sheet and whom the owner hopes or thinks they can basically craft as the story goes.
However, this opens up a double bladed challenge to the GM: dealing with open ended God-Modding and Metagaming.
Yes. Poor character design leads inevitably to God-Modding and Metagaming.
Why?
By leaving such a vast expanse of space open in a character profile, a role-player becomes free to shape their character based on the world around them as the RP progresses. Any new details in the RP's story and plot can be tailored to fit to the character's background, since it is thus far an open canvass, giving them near unfettered access to dominate the story and input their characters into the most important places at the most important times.
Here's an example:
The GM of a fantasy RP set in a medieval world says, "This new enemy appeared and is of this race and has this kind of ability, and I'd like us all to work together to take them down." The player with next to no information in their profile adds that their character had a history with said enemy and knows their weaknesses from observing and surviving battles with them in the past and begins taking control of the fight against this evil entity. But the GM wanted everyone to work together to take them down. Can the GM say "you can't do that"? Yes, they can since they are the GM. But because the character was so flat and so open the GM really can't say with any validity that what this individual is doing is actually wrong or that it doesn't fit who their character is...
What character?
The profile was allowed to be left as an open canvass for them to mold as they went along, so technically as the story unfolds they can, with validity, mold their character to the story because the GM didn't require that they define their character in greater detail. By allowing players to leave their characters open, you as the GM leave yourself and your RP vulnerable to such poor and unsporting play styles.
Do not leave yourself or your RP vulnerable to a fake, as it will ruin the experience for everyone.
GM For Dummies, Chapter 2 - Setting the Tone
For a GM, setting the tone of the RP is of vital importance for everyone who wants to take part in understanding what the RP is and what their experience is going to be like.
If you as the GM open a new RP that has a well loved title such as Naruto: Brave and the Bold!, Naruto fans will instantly click on the RP link to see what it's about. But if all you provide on the Overview page is a basic paragraph of information welcoming everyone and telling them that you look forward to RPing with them, what have they to go on when it comes to understanding this world? Is it a fandom where they can take the roles of known characters? Is it all original and only loosely based on the original work? Is it a mix?
Setting the tone helps you avoid gray area, and establishes the foundation of the RP.
To set the tone, you should think about adding all of the following points of information to the RP's Overview Page. Be sure they are clear, spaced out to avoid cluttering, and it wouldn't hurt to make them impossible to miss by using varying font sizes, colors, etc:
- What the RP's topic, plot, and story are (Fandom or original idea?)
- What the RP's genre(s) is/are (Romance, violence, comedy, school, slice of life, vampire, etc)
- What the RP's Time Period is.
- What the RP's primary goal is going to be (finish a set story, whatever happens happens, etc)
The next step in setting the tone is creating the Rules of the RP, and these are of vital importance. You don't want to sound like a stiff and someone who's unapproachable and unyielding. That just drives players away. Use clear, concise, and friendly language to craft your rules to keep players interested and undaunted in the face of your authority as the GM.
One example would be the following:
Rule 1) No God-Modding, Power Playing, or Metagaming.
All of our characters are mortal and bound by the laws of physics, so please be sure to stay within the boundaries of human physical capability. If you are uncertain of what your character can and cannot get away with, feel free to ask me at any time. But please do so before posting. As well, please be sure not to take direct control of other player's characters without their permission. Doing so is a violation of this rule and will not be tolerated. And finally, please leave your real world knowledge at the door. If your character is a thief who grew up on the streets, but you are a student of nursing or medicine, your thief character may not take from your knowledge of the medical field by acting as a surgeon to someone else's character who is gravely injured.
Clear, concise, to the point, and friendly. Anyone who reads this will know exactly what it is you want and what you do not want to see in the RP while also respecting the fact that your authority dictates via the language used that this rule is non-negotiable while remaining unafraid of you or the RP.
And finally, the last step in setting the tone is to provide your character for the RP.
Yes, crafting your character(s) is the final step to setting the tone. How you craft them is entirely up to you, but be sure that however you craft them, you do so based on what you expect of everyone else. If you make a bunch of rules about the RP and character creation and demand a lot of those who join when it comes to character creation, yet you craft a character which is rather flat and only provides a certain minimum of information not even enough to satisfy the rules and requirements you set for the others, not many role-players will take you seriously as a GM.
"I have to follow all of this but the GM can get away with THAT?!"
It turns people off and doesn't make them excited to role-play with you. You need to ensure your characters sets the bar and provides everyone with a very clear and easy to understand message of what this RP is going to look and feel like.
GM For Dummies, Chapter 3 - Finishing Touches
We've all seen RP's created that are original ideas. Beautifully imagined, constructed, and governed RP worlds by creative minds attract our attention as role-players and make us want to get involved.
But what about the GM side of the coin?
How do we as GM's create an RP based on our own original idea (even if it is inspired by an existing work and labeled as a "Fandom") and attract people to it?
Sadly not all original ideas attract interest, and just because this site has a large member base doesn't mean the RP is guaranteed to kick off or attract as many people as you were hoping for. To give it the best chance possible, you need to ensure that you give everyone the best you have with respect to your idea. That means going above and beyond the call of duty for the average GM and really getting down to the bare bones of what your idea is, what makes it work, and most importantly, why other role-players should want to be a part of it.
So let's get started wiiiiiiith........... The world.
Yes, the world. One of the most tedious and brain numbing tasks for a GM is coming up with lore and backstory for the RP. You have a wonderful idea for a character, a great idea for a villain, a good idea of the time period and the setting...
But what the heck IS this world?
HOW did it get this way?
And, most importantly, WHY should anyone care and thus involve themselves in it?
These are the questions which you need to answer, and your answers better be good or the idea won't get very far.
So let's start with what the world is by answering the following questions with as much detail as you can (Do come up with more questions on your own, by the way, to get the best out of this world). When you are finished, reread your answers and check for inconsistencies or contrasting answers to similar sounding questions and make any necessary corrections:
- Are you on Earth?
- If not, where are you?
- What is the time period?
- What is the setting?
- How did this world get this way?
- What kind of governing bodies run this world?
- What kinds of societies exist?
- What are the cultures, races, etc of this world?
Now let's get to the how by answering the following (but again do come up with more questions of your own):
- Based on the cultures, races, etc, what kinds of social dynamics exist between them and how have they shaped the world around them?
- If war is a part of this world's history, between whom did war erupt and for how long did it exist before peace returned (or is the war still going on)?
- What sorts of calamities helped to shape this world (either natural or man-made)?
- Is religion a part of this world?
- If so, how did it shape the societies which exist and did it have an impact on how they developed and coexisted with others?
- Have any societies fallen during this world's lifetime?
- If so, why did they collapse and disappear and did this have an effect on the others which yet survive?
And finally, the why should anyone care which is the most important part of the equation.
Simply put if you as a GM are enthusiastic, determined, and friendly in your presentation of your RP idea and provide enough detail to garner attention and interest, it is highly likely that your RP will get off the ground. How you keep it moving and what will become of it once it starts, only time can say. But at least you will know by following this beginner's tutorial that you have given your RP a strong foundation to stand on.
Making strict, yet decidedly friendly rules with respect to character creation and the RP's general rules will ensure that lackluster players steer clear and you can make it more fun and worthwhile for yourself as the GM and all other players involved. By setting the tone and the bar as the GM, you give yourself credibility to those who participate and establish the RP's foundation as well as give everyone an incentive to step up their game. And finally by putting the finishing touches on your RP by providing lore and backstory which answer most, if not all questions, anyone has before they get started, you help give your RP its own identity which will speak to the hearts and minds of other players and get them to want to join in on the fun.
After all that's what role-playing is all about: having fun.
Thank you everyone for your time, and if you are new to acting as GM for an RP I hope that this tutorial gave you some insight and a boost of confidence. So get out there and make your world a reality, and get ready to have some fun!
~ ChoShadow
View full tutorial