Quote from: Serious Paul;497801It's a long story. Basically it boils down to I don't enjoy crowds, and because I work in law enforcement I tend to see the worst in people. Add in some other, non game related wonkiness and I just was turned off by the hobby for a while.

Ah, I think it was more because of a game at the Con. Damn my poor reading skills when I am tired, they will be my undoing.

Well, good for you that you are back . I actually enjoy Cons a lot - but Polish ones are significantly different (though I doubt you'd enjoy them, sadly, as they are borderline drinkfests at times.)

Quote from: Ancientgamer1970;497676NO, not everyone can be a GM.  I am in the mindset that a GM is special in certain skills that a lot of players just do not have.

I also have to agree.. everyone can GM, but not everyone can GM well. If you say there is a minimum standard to be good, not everyone can get there.

BUT most gamers could GM much better with some help, support, guidance and advice in developing their own style and one that meshes with their players.

Quote from: RPGPundit;495957Are you of the opinion that anyone can GM?

I am of the opinion that anyone can GM, but not everyone can GM well.

QuoteWhat are the basic skills require?

We talked about this over on RPG.net, but it got very emotive very quickly.  Here's a mindmap I put together with the key tasks a GM undertakes IMO, and the necessary skills can be inferred from it to a degree.

QuoteDoes the skill set required to the GM consist of things so difficult that it is a "hurdle" in our hobby?

I think the biggest hurdle is the desire to GM. You have to put yourself out there somewhat to be the GM. The GM is seen as standing alone (in my experience) whilst the other players are a group; some people don't like to push themselves out of the crowd.

QuoteDo you think that there is a lack of GMs (or good GMs) out there; or is that rubbish?

RPGPundit

I'm lucky. In my group of seven (including myself) all but one of us are willing to GM and two or three of us are very good in my opinion, and the others have their moments too. In my opinion, the difference between a good GM and a great one is not one, big thing but lots of little things all working in combination.

I can't speak for other groups, however there seems to be a significant number of groups out there with only one or two members who are willing to take the GM's seat.

Quote from: Rincewind1;497806I actually enjoy Cons a lot - but Polish ones are significantly different (though I doubt you'd enjoy them, sadly, as they are borderline drinkfests at times.)

See, I find nothing wrong with a game becomming a borderline drinkfest because RPG style gaming is supposed to be a social activity due to the role-playing. A convention like that would be very attractive to me.

Quote from: jeff37923;498586See, I find nothing wrong with a game becomming a borderline drinkfest because RPG style gaming is supposed to be a social activity due to the role-playing. A convention like that would be very attractive to me.

I mostly meant Paul's case, since with his Lawful Neutral approach to life, he may not regard such disdain for law nicely .

Quote from: Rincewind1;498587I mostly meant Paul's case, since with his Lawful Neutral approach to life, he may not regard such disdain for law nicely .

OK, I get that, but I think that being able to facilitate a social event is something very very close to being what a GM does. There are some added aspects, but that does seem to be the core of it to me.

Quote from: jeff37923;498588OK, I get that, but I think that being able to facilitate a social event is something very very close to being what a GM does. There are some added aspects, but that does seem to be the core of it to me.

I am actually against drinking too much and gaming - either we drink, or we game. Then again I do not game much at the Cons, as I am too busy getting shitfaced with people I meet once per 2 months.

Quote from: Rincewind1;498594I am actually against drinking too much and gaming - either we drink, or we game. Then again I do not game much at the Cons, as I am too busy getting shitfaced with people I meet once per 2 months.

Ah, I have been doing my most recent gaming at the local pub, so I'm a little biased.

Quote from: jeff37923;498603Ah, I have been doing my most recent gaming at the local pub, so I'm a little biased.

Two beers are a bit of a limit I impose on the group. Three tops.

Most of the crew have 2-4 glasses on wine, though two of the players normally go more to the 3-7 glasses.  When they do go on the high end of that, we have them call their wives.

Gaming for us is, at the heart, very much a social event.  we cook a big dinner, SO's often show up, etc.

Quote from: Ancientgamer1970;497713and I CERTAINLY can tell by the people who post on forums as well...

You mean when they write about things they have done which are errors, in your experience, or are you talking about gleaning whether someone is a decent DM strictly from the way they post?

Jeez, I hope you mean the former.  But that 'CERTAINLY can tell' implies to me you claim to have some sort of radar-like gift for detecting shit DMs.

Oh man, being a GM is so hard that it's something a fourteen year old could never do...

Quote from: VectorSigma;498759You mean when they write about things they have done which are errors, in your experience, or are you talking about gleaning whether someone is a decent DM strictly from the way they post?

Jeez, I hope you mean the former.  But that 'CERTAINLY can tell' implies to me you claim to have some sort of radar-like gift for detecting shit DMs.

I can tell by the way people talk to me whether or not they will suck as a DM or not.  I can tell by the way people post if they will be a good DM or not. I been doing this crap too long...

I suppose most people possess the skills required to GM, although I'd say the difficulty curve between running a "decent" game and a "great" game is pretty steep. I also think GMing is an endeavor that 99% of the population would not consider a "leisure activity".

Quote from: Ancientgamer1970;498815I can tell by the way people talk to me whether or not they will suck as a DM or not.  I can tell by the way people post if they will be a good DM or not.

I'm over here resisting an urge now, you understand.