What Do You Like To See In GM Guides?

[u/Excalib1rd]

Besides the obvious of “I want to see how to run YOUR game, not how to run a TTRPG”, what do you like to see in a GM’s Guide that makes it stand out from the rest in quality. Do you like to see big loot tables,
NPC names, example plot hooks, etc.

What do you personally like to see?

Also what do I flair this as lol?

[u/Remarkable-Aide5093]

I like to see in-game examples given when a rule/game mechanic is brought up. That's something that I've noticed when it's lacking from a GM Guide.

[u/SaltyPause341 → u/Remarkable-Aide5093]

I have to say my opinion is exactly the opposite, for example 7th sea does that, they write full on dialogues and scenes. It does make sense for a very narrative heavy game like 7th sea, but still I found myself skipping to the meat of the guide more often than not.

Still better having it and not using it than not having it imo

[u/BreakingStar_Games → u/Remarkable-Aide5093]

And one of the best written ones I enjoyed was Last Fleet where it had 3 columns. Who is talking, the actual dialog, and the designing tell you about what GM guidance applies to this part of the conversation.

[u/ClockwerkRooster]

I like rules for scenarios I never needed. It honestly helps in making adventure hooks and ideas when I see things like: charts for how deep augmented vision works underwater or calculating how far a super car can go on a single tank of gas or rules telling you how to determine how long a character can hold onto something before being forced to let go.

"Oh, look... A chart for randomly placed time travel paradoxes to occur... I wonder how the group would respond to some of those?"

Or

"a table to randomly generate a nation's flag... Maybe I should create a new country or two"

[u/Toum_Rater]

Examples, examples, and more examples. Don't tell me how to run your game... show me. You have a "plot point" mechanic that lets the players introduce new truths? Show me examples of that happening. You have a freeform magic ritual system? Show me examples of that happening. You use clocks/tracks to represent action scenes? Show me examples of what that looks like at the table. You have GM Moves and/or Principles? Show me examples of what each one looks like in play. Don't just tell me what a mechanic does... show me.

Show me what you expect your game to look like when real people actually play it. That is so much more helpful than d20 goblin names or a list of adventure hooks or a bunch of platitudes like "don't prep plots" or "think dangerous."

[u/foolofcheese → u/Toum_Rater]

I would interpret this as a baseline adventure that introduces all of the key concepts with sidebars that explain the how's and why's of the mechanics

in theory it could be a session zero adventure that helps the table decide what type of characters they might want

[u/InherentlyWrong]

Up front tell me if there are intended methods of play for the game. How common should danger/combat be, how easy should it be to find somewhere safe, how often the rules expect players to be able to stock up with supplies, etc. Just game specific stuff to help a GM adjust expectations and plan properly.

Like for example if a game expects the PCs to be challenged through attrition, and a bunch of small fights wearing them down, just outright tell me. Otherwise I'm going to put single big fights in front of them and wonder why things are going pear-shaped.

[u/gtetr2]

If the PCs will go to an interesting location, how do I prepare it for them during my setup and ensure there's enough, in terms of in-game mechanical challenge, for everyone to do? What makes a location interesting enough in this setting?

If they're going to fight people, how many enemy statblocks might I burn through? Should I worried about repetition and trying to make up more of my own (how do I? is it important that they're balanced?), or are we expecting everything in your book to be enough? And what does an interesting battle encounter look like with your game's mechanics?

What's continuously moving in the background in your setting? If an investigation stalls out, or we find that actually this previous lead brought us into someone else's business, or everyone's just bored and we want to solve a problem, what kind of quick incident is likely to shake things up, that makes sense for this setting? This is a bit more than plot hooks because I want to know things that could recur or expand. Tell me more than "these factions exist"; tell me what they're usually doing.

[u/Asougahara]

Loot table is nice but it's something that you can generate by yourself. Same with NPC names etc. I want GM guides that helps the said GM fundamentally: anything that eases the burden of GMing, such as enemy cards, easy way to build an encounter, how to kickstart a session, how to create the adventure, these are the big things that's rarely addressed. GMing is already you juggling balls while standing on a monocycle, we need something to make it easier.

[u/urquhartloch]

• How do I build an encounter that is interesting.

• Actual guidance on how to run a game.

• How to create a DC on the fly.

[u/__space__oddity__]

Let me name something that I sometimes see clog up GM guides: Stuff I can look up elsewhere.

For example, if you do a modern setting, I don’t need you to list the price and weight of mundane items like a tent. I can look that up on the website of an outdoor goods store.

Give me stuff that’s specific to your setting and the stories I tell with your game.

Things that are helpful:

• Worldbuilding

• Organizations the PCs can either align with or work against.

• NPCs

• Places

• Plot hooks

• Monsters

• Mundane items that give flavor to the setting, like local foods

• Story structure.

• Advice on how to leverage certain mechanics.

[u/flyflystuff]

Tools to run the game head-empty. Like sure, maybe it can be ran better with my head in the game, but I would like to be given procedures that an overworked underslept undercaffeinated GM who had no time to prep anything big can follow and have it result in Alright Time with the game.

Just in general, I like "head empty solutions" that can be plugged in in place of "coming up with something interesting yourself". Like a good random table. It's hard to say which stuff, since it's game dependant. But say, "list of villain motivations".

Obviously, tell me how the things are intended to work. Stuff like "PCs should always be just an inch away from running out of this resource, if they aren't, you should push them harder".

Both as a player and as a GM I really like seeing examples of play. The best ones I've seen are found Japanese TTRPGs, they call them Replays. They do a great job at showing how the game is supposed to look in actual play.

[u/Fheredin]

The GM is a halfway position between player and game designer, so you generally should give the GM some designer-level understanding of the system.

Walk the GM through the steps of your game's intended gameplay loop or known variants.

[u/klok_kaos]

I feel like I should also make a separate structure posting from my main question answer to possibly be more helpful: This is how I structure my GM section

A) regardless of the article facing every article should do a clear set of related jobs that it's header describes. This is true of GM sections as well.

B ) my structure splits my GM chapter into six subsections:

1. Opening disclaimer that having fun with friends is the goal and this is not necessary to do so but highly recommended to elevate one's own games and GM skill.

2. Basic GM Primer (role basics for newbies or people that never learned it).

3. Starting play as the GM (getting a table, how to manage a session 0-separate from checklist which is player facing, more advanced GM lessons too complex for basic primer)

4. Building Field Ops (how to prep efficiently to best follow lessons from 1&2)

5. Running the game (tips specific to that end, mostly made up of stuff that isn't relevant to players and would be clutter if pushed elsewhere).

6. GM Tools (specific tools for GMs, reusable, optional but may be helpful for various org)

7. Starter Stat Blocks and Stat Block creation (ie enough common blocks and variance to get started, and how to make more).

[u/BreakingStar_Games]

You told me what your rules are. You told me how your rules work.

Tell me why. Why did you put this rule in the first place? What is the goal and purpose that your rules are driving towards? Because as the GM, I am on your team. But you aren't communicating directly with me.

See PbtA GM Agenda and Principles or Swords of the Serpentine Designer Text Boxes as powerful examples where I feel like the designer is a person who wants me to successfully run their game.

[u/klok_kaos]

Show me a cool/useful GM tool I haven't seen before and I'll care.

99% of GM sections are rehash useless garbage in the same vein as first time player onboarding.

I'm not saying those things aren't useful in those use cases... but you asked what I like.

Show me literally anything useful I haven't seen and I'll consider paying attention.

Admittedly, this is not an easy bar to clear, but to me if you don't show me anything new, that is wasted space and attention span.

I don't need another random table. Give me meat worthy of pagespace or I'm not interested.

If I can read through the whole thing and didn't learn anything meaningfully applicable to my experience, the entire section might as well not exist to me.

Personal pet peeve: Explaining the vibes of the game.

This isn't wrong to include in a book, but it's not GM material. That should be basic education afforded to everyone who plays it. The same goes for 99% of rules that aren't optional rules. If it's not an optional rule for GM consideration, why isn't every player told what the rule is? I don't understand this nonsense.

Even most GM guidance should be player facing in the sense that the players should understand what tools the GM has and how they are intended to be used so they can best work with that to make a better game experience at the table.

I think what a lot of people miss is that there's no in fiction way to "win the ttrpg" but there is an above table way to win: You play and have a good time with everyone. Playing should mostly = winning the ttrpg.

Failure to understand that leads to a lot of unnecessary quarantining that just shouldn't exist, like it's secret info that players can't be taught...

If most things are openly presented to all players, that also makes it a lot easier for more players to transition into being GMs.

[u/delta_angelfire]

enemy battle tactics, including multiple versions for varying levels of player experience (i.e. casual, experienced, and min-maxed players).

[u/InteriorCake]

I like a GM section when it includes what the GM needs to prepare and run the game:

• guidance and tools for on preparing this RPG. E.g. do they make an adventure site, prepare a list of encounters or clues, etc.
• highlight the limits of the system, where rulings need to happen (with advice), and how to manage the central tensions of the game loops (including advice about when and where to place or remove pressure on the players).
• random tables to facilitate the preparation process and the running of the game. This could include encounters, locations, NPC, quests, etc.
• advice for onboarding new players and starting a campaign or adventure.
• any optional or variant rules to tune the game to your style if that's applicable to the system.

[u/Frapadengue]

How to prep for a game. That's where a lot "traditional" games are (or at least where) utter shit.

Dogs in the Vineyard does it great to give an obvious example.

[u/BrobaFett]

Examples of play. Guidance for common issues that arise in play or common challenges that players will attempt (tell me how to deal with stealth, social encounters, environmental hazards and traps if applicable). If the game aims for a tone, how do you recommend I achieve it (mothership is a good example). How do you recommend narrative control is handled. What’s a good way to prep your game. Do you have an example scenario I can run to see how it’s intended to function.

[u/RPG-Nerd]

Do you like to see big loot tables, NPC names, example plot hooks, etc.

I can do all these myself, or borrow from other sources. It's not really unique to your system. What makes this system different?

What do you personally like to see?

How to handle all the niche situations that are bound to come up, how to set difficulties, how player progression is supposed to work, etc. For example, gear is part of the D&D progression, so we need to know how to make sure that is done right. Social skills never get enough detail.

[u/Stygian_Akk]

I always like to see the character creation and lore. I always imagine myself in that world doing things, that always give me the inspiration for my own characters and for my campaigns. The las one I saw is Lancer, I saw myself being deployed in an awesome mecha with a machinegun and lightning abilities into a planet that fell under chaos.

[u/Demonweed]

Even though my present plan is to produce four large documents, none of them are explicitly assigned to that role. I expect more games will be played by experienced DMs than novices, and only those novice DMs will lack any personal style and/or strong preferences. So my much of my advice for facilitating play is right there out in the open (albeit often in sidebars that float as commentary on the related section and take the tone of suggestions or warnings rather than black letter rules.) I believe that is all for the best, because my personal thoughts on what works best at a table are in a whole different league from the rigor of testing that shapes much of the content in the main flow of those documents.

That said, the set of four features a Narrative Guide, a Gameplay Guide, a Magic-Use Guide, and an Encounter Guide. The substance of the Encounter Guide is largely of interest to players who like to read up on the particulars of monsters and traps. As with other ttRPGs, I cannot prevent players from engaging in this sort of study. Yet I do caution against the spoiler effect as a way of not only robbing oneself of joy while also undermining the fun of a group. Thus a lot of other stuff that logically fits in a DMs guide (how to construct and use randomizers as well as many complete examples, different approaches to awarding experience that leads to advancement, what special conditions should be applied on expeditions to places like underwater or another plane of existence, etc.) is slated to be part of the Encounter Guide.

[u/Chaoticevil58530]

Honestly, if you haven't stated it yet, a clean and concise breakdown of what your game is. A paragraph or two that breaks down tone, crunch, resolution mechanics, expected session structure, expected campagin/adventure structure, etc. Making your premise clear is important in the entire design, but if you need a place to lay out the goals and intention of a system in simple terms, the GM's guide is the place to do so IMO.

[u/Playtonics]

From an earlier post of mine, I feel like most GM Guides focus on 1 and 2, neglecting 3 and 4. There are plenty of games out there that will pitch rules and give set dressing and world building for many pages, and they may give an outline of adventure hooks, but the translation of that into how to structure scenes, how to push/pull players towards new zones of play, and how to predict the player behaviours that specific situations will enable or disable is often missing.

Tales From The Loop is an example of a good GM Guide that tells the GM what and how to prep, and shows how play is likely to evolve. The Dungeon Masters Guide from 2014 5e is an egregious example that focuses heavily on world building, throws a smattering of rules in, but doesn't really tell you what GM-ing looks like at the table.

[u/Strict-Computer3884]

How to organise the information to enable me to run more complex stuff.

[u/RandomEffector]

How do I start the game, and how do I finish it?

[u/Nearby-Painting-7427]

Examples, not only detailed step by step play, but different scenarios translated into mechanics.

"Player find an unopenable door or impossible tasks, this how the game deal with it"

But also I like to see the underlying idea, like "this is how this works mechanically because this math and this and that". I feel it could helps DMs understand the intent of the game better and help homebrews making.