When Players Stray from the Path

Tabletop, or pen-and-paper, roleplaying games provide something most games do not – an unparalleled level of freedom for players to take control of their characters and go where they want. This is one of the medium’s strengths, allowing players to influence the direction of the game’s story on the fly, without being restricted to a linear path or multiple choice decisions. Some video games try to create a semblance of this, but they can only ever go so far with the idea before they run into the limitations of a preprogrammed world.

As a GM, I try to give players as much freedom as possible in my campaigns. But the truth is that, at least for most games, some degree of preparation is required to run a good game. So what do you do when your players decide to take their freedom and run amok wherever they choose – going anywhere, except where you intended for them to go?

The first suggestion I would give is this: Just go with it. Seriously, your players probably know better what they want out of the game right now than you do. Also, the ideas of four or five other people combined are probably going to be better than what you had planned at least three quarters of the time. Be ready to improvise, and just let the story go where it may. Aside from that advice, if you really need some specific techniques to help you improvise or cope with having your plans derailed, read on as I consider briefly four such techniques.

This Is Your Character (Have Fun!)

 One of the core features of most RPGs, is being able to create your own character. It is very fulfilling to come up with a concept, formulate game statistics, get into the role, and see your character develop over the course of a game. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about the implications of playing with pregenerated characters – characters created by the GM for use by the players.

Pacing as GM vs. Writer

Although I have played a lot of roleplaying games, and I usually am the Game Master in these games, I probably have more experience writing fiction. I really enjoy writing, and I’ve written a lot of short stories. Recently, I’ve found that my expectations when it comes to pacing in an RPG I’m GMing have been frustrated. I think the reason is my approach to writing fiction.

GM Burnout

As a Game Master in a table-top or pen-and-paper RPG, sometimes you hit a wall. It’s the GM’s equivalent of writer’s block. That is what’s happening in my current campaign of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. I still enjoy the game when we’re playing, but I have a difficult time getting myself motivated to put in the work that I need to do between sessions. I’ve thought about what I’ve done right, what I’ve done wrong, and how I would like to do things differently with my next campaign in order to – hopefully – avoid this happening again.

“Yes” and “No”: A Game Master’s Guide

As a Game Master in a table-top or pen-and-paper RPG, it is important to know when to say “Yes” and when to say “No” to your players. As referee, it is your responsibility to enforce the rules of whatever game you are playing. Sometimes the rules aren’t very specific on how to resolve a particular scenario. Then, it’s your job to make a call. As the GM, you are likely going to have the greatest impact on how much or how little the other players at the table are going to be able to enjoy the game. So it’s important that you do your best to make the right call as often as possible.