Wednesday, June 21, 2006

What skills are you testing?

When you run your game, what skills are most advantageous to the players? Knowledge of the rules, or the ability to use them as a rhetorical weapon? Quick thinking or ponderous debate? Is the ability to kiss ass to the GM more important than the ability to entertain the group? Is player expertise demonstrated by a twinked-out character build or by the ability to make best use of whatever charsheet is in front of you? Do risk-takers profit in your game or does playing it safe work out better? Do nice guys finish last in your campaign or do the meek inherit the earth?

There's no right answer to most of these questions. Every GM is going to encourage some behaviors and discourage others. By reflecting on your own GMing behavior you might be able to steer your feedback loop with the players so that you see more of the kind of play you want and less of the kind you don't.

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