Managing Players
Texto
In addition to running the campaign itself, a GM is usually the group’s leader and helps resolve disputes between players about the game. People play roleplaying games in order to have fun and relax, but it can be difficult to achieve that when certain players’ fun comes at the expense of other players, or when personalities and expectations between players clash.
Being Respectful of Each Other
Rokugan is a world with as many complexities as our own, so mature topics and themes may arise during play. Its society comes with inherent injustices, including the caste system, Rokugan’s repressive Code of Bushidō, the use of torture, and xenophobia. It’s up to the group to determine what social issues and levels of violence or sexuality they’re comfortable featuring as part of the story. Groups should change whatever makes them uncomfortable, whether that means modifying the setting or avoiding some topics. Once these expectations have been discussed, it’s everybody’s responsibility to ensure that these expectations are upheld and everyone in the group feels comfortable and welcome.
Dealing with Disruptions
While ideally, everyone should be interested in the ongoing story, sometimes players tune out from events or start distracting side conversations. A certain amount of this is to be expected, but if a player constantly disrupts the game, the GM may need to do something about it.
The GM should consider taking some time outside the game to speak to that player privately. Not only can the GM let the player know that their disruptions may be spoiling the game for others, they can also take the time to ask the player what the GM can do to make the game more engaging and interesting for them. Clear and honest communication where both sides can be heard resolves most disruptions, and doing so privately makes sure the player doesn’t feel shamed in front of the rest of the group.
Arrivals and Departures
Sometimes, a player has to drop out of the group or a new player asks to join. If the group has advance notice, the GM can make plans to have a last session focus on resolving some or all of their character’s story. If life causes this to happen without warning, however, the GM may need to come up with a reason for the character’s absence that makes sense to the ongoing events. Some groups might be comfortable with a different player picking up the retired character, depending on the needs of the story and their openness to changes in depiction.
New players should be able to begin the game with a character who has the same experience points as the rest of the characters in the group. This also applies when players make characters to replace ones who have died or retired during their adventures.
On “Metagaming”
Finally, there is often a gap between what a character in the setting knows and what a player of the game knows, since the player is often able to witness scenes their character isn’t included in. Players might even be able to predict the story in ways their characters could not—after all, to the characters, the roleplaying game is not a story that follows certain narrative conventions! Using one’s knowledge as a player to drive a character’s decisions is known as “metagaming,” and it has negative connotations in some groups. If overused, it can break other players’ immersion in the world, which can be frustrating.
On the other hand, a player might use their knowledge of the story to nudge their characters in a certain direction and create more tense and interesting situations. A player might even let their PC fall into a bad situation that the player foresaw because it’s
fun to see the PC try to get out of it! This is “metagaming” being used to facilitate storytelling. It’s up to the group to determine what their stance on metagaming is, and whether they want a stricter separation of player and character knowledge, or if it’s more fun to blur the line for dramatic effect.
By openly communicating about expectations on appropriate uses of metagaming, GMs and players can avoid hurt feelings due to confusion or perceptions of disrespect. As with other disruptions, a clear (and potentially private) conversation can often resolve issues to everyone’s satisfaction. However, if a player has expectations that are truly incompatible with those of the rest of the group, a GM might need ask that player to find another gaming group that better fits their playstyle.
Texto do livro
Core Rulebook · Chapter 7: The Game Master › The Role of the GM › Managing Players · p. 282 p. 283 p. 284 p. 285
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In addition to running the campaign itself, a GM is usually the group’s leader and helps resolve disputes between players about the game. People play roleplaying games in order to have fun and relax, but it can be difficult to achieve that when certain players’ fun comes at the expense of other players, or when personalities and expectations between players clash.
Being Respectful of Each Other
Rokugan is a world with as many complexities as our own, so mature topics and themes may arise during play. Its society comes with inherent injustices, including the caste system, Rokugan’s repressive Code of Bushidō, the use of torture, and xenophobia. It’s up to the group to determine what social issues and levels of violence or sexuality they’re comfortable featuring as part of the story. Groups should change whatever makes them uncomfortable, whether that means modifying the setting or avoiding some topics. Once these expectations have been discussed, it’s everybody’s responsibility to ensure that these expectations are upheld and everyone in the group feels comfortable and welcome.
Dealing with Disruptions
While ideally, everyone should be interested in the ongoing story, sometimes players tune out from events or start distracting side conversations. A certain amount of this is to be expected, but if a player constantly disrupts the game, the GM may need to do something about it.
The GM should consider taking some time outside the game to speak to that player privately. Not only can the GM let the player know that their disruptions may be spoiling the game for others, they can also take the time to ask the player what the GM can do to make the game more engaging and interesting for them. Clear and honest communication where both sides can be heard resolves most disruptions, and doing so privately makes sure the player doesn’t feel shamed in front of the rest of the group.
Arrivals and Departures
Sometimes, a player has to drop out of the group or a new player asks to join. If the group has advance notice, the GM can make plans to have a last session focus on resolving some or all of their character’s story. If life causes this to happen without warning, however, the GM may need to come up with a reason for the character’s absence that makes sense to the ongoing events. Some groups might be comfortable with a different player picking up the retired character, depending on the needs of the story and their openness to changes in depiction.
New players should be able to begin the game with a character who has the same experience points as the rest of the characters in the group. This also applies when players make characters to replace ones who have died or retired during their adventures.
On “Metagaming”
Finally, there is often a gap between what a character in the setting knows and what a player of the game knows, since the player is often able to witness scenes their character isn’t included in. Players might even be able to predict the story in ways their characters could not—after all, to the characters, the roleplaying game is not a story that follows certain narrative conventions! Using one’s knowledge as a player to drive a character’s decisions is known as “metagaming,” and it has negative connotations in some groups. If overused, it can break other players’ immersion in the world, which can be frustrating.
On the other hand, a player might use their knowledge of the story to nudge their characters in a certain direction and create more tense and interesting situations. A player might even let their PC fall into a bad situation that the player foresaw because it’s
fun to see the PC try to get out of it! This is “metagaming” being used to facilitate storytelling. It’s up to the group to determine what their stance on metagaming is, and whether they want a stricter separation of player and character knowledge, or if it’s more fun to blur the line for dramatic effect.
By openly communicating about expectations on appropriate uses of metagaming, GMs and players can avoid hurt feelings due to confusion or perceptions of disrespect. As with other disruptions, a clear (and potentially private) conversation can often resolve issues to everyone’s satisfaction. However, if a player has expectations that are truly incompatible with those of the rest of the group, a GM might need ask that player to find another gaming group that better fits their playstyle.