Through A Glass Darkly 2.0

How to make co-Gming work

This is a follow-up to my previous response to WISH : 68 on co-Gming.

I told you many things that are negative about co-Gmed PBeM. Now let me tell you things that I think you can do to avoid those pitfalls, and have an awesome game that people will talk about for years.

Who says I can't be positive!? :)

I expanded this post, because I'm not answering the question here. I am diffusing the same landmines that I pointed out in my previous response.

1.) Two Gm's does not mean more players
It means better, richer, role-playing. There is going to be a lot of communication and logistics that happens between Gm's, and unless you're living together or are married- that's going to consume most of the extra time you think you're going to gain. Focus on treating your eight players to the time of their lives, rather than thinking you can handle just four more.. I can't stress this enough. There is all kinds of wonderful ways you can improve your game by having two Gm's- but adding more players is not one of them. Put that energy into more details, consistent turnaround, richer backgrounds, and use your resources to improve the quality. There seems to be a law of diminishing returns against adding quantity.

2.) Establish your game mechanics grounds rules
You should be doing this with one Gm and players, why wouldn't you do this with two Gm's? Discuss your vision for the game. Know how all your powers are going to work, especially the unusual variants. Esteemed colleague, Arref Mak, has done some good work with a checklist on game ground rules.

3.) Establish your Game mastering ground rules
Some teams have a definite lead Gm, and a co-Gm that is there to offer support. Some share the responsibility equally. I can't tell you what's the right way and what's the wrong way to go. I do encourage you to lay this out in advance. If you decide to split the Universe (one takes Amber and the other takes Chaos), or assign NPC's to specific Gm's, remember that the players won't walk in neat orderly predictable directions. They'll all gravitate at one pole, or mix and match NPC's. That may not be a problem, but it's best if you give it some thought. My recommendation is that both GM's receive all posts to stay abreast of the entire campaign.

4.) Establish the appeal process
Sooner or later, somebody is not going to be happy with a decision. This is where you're most vulnerable. Decide between yourselves how you're going to handle such a situation. If one of you receives an appeal, are you going to tell the other Gm? (hint: you better tell them) Are you going to tell all players that they have to send these sorts of things to both Gm's, and what will you do when they don't? Are you guys going to talk about it, or do you expect your decision to hold without discussion? Don't let the players split you up, but don't be blinded by your authority.

5.) Discuss this all with your players, and finalize your foundation before play
I've never liked language like 'play contract.' Sounds rather stuffy and formal, and not conducive to fun. Yet my dislike of it doesn't mean it's a bad idea. I am trying to hammer home that there should be plenty of preparation before the game starts. That preparation keeps the co-Gm's from doing a Keystone Cop routine of falling over each other. You guys will know your roles and how you're going to work together. Set that foundation in an e-mail somewhere, so you can refer back to it later. Sure you can change it later if you both want to change some administrative duties, but at least you'll be on the same page from the start. Then share the basics of how your game is going to run with your players. I have always found that when you lay down the basics first, everything else will follow. This is your chance to head off problems before they begin.

6.) Know when to walk away
And know when to run. Seriously, this is supposed to be fun (regardless of how business-like I make it all sound). But I make it sound so businessy because players deserve fair treatment, and both Gm's deserve respect. If you find yourself in a position where someone is "taking sides", then you got the makings of a problem. If you find yourself in a position where your co-Gm is asking you to take the game in a different direction than you'd both agreed, after they've been in private dialogue with a player- then you might have a problem. If OOC sexual dynamics has reared it's provocative head, then there is no guess work involved- you got a problem. Outline your concerns in a friendly mature manner, and see what your partner has to say. If you're not happy with what you hear, take a deep breath, tell them that you still want to be friends, but that this not a good place for you. Otherwise strap yourself in for the prolonged death of the PbeM from frustration and irritation.

In conclusion, and from my perspective, many would-be co-Gms harbor the belief that partnering with someone else is going to make running a PBeM game easier. The fact is, it might make for a better game, but it won't necessarily Gming the game any easier. Working with someone else can expand the creative direction of your game, offer you valuable support, and allow you add some excellent little touches that will make it all so memorable. Yet, read that last sentence and look at the first three words- and realize that is a requirement. Most co-Gmed games don't survive the loss of one of the Gm's, so do your homework, lay your foundation, and get off to a good start with your partner.

Posted by Himmaggery at October 11, 2003 11:50 PM | TrackBack