Okay I'm in mourning for the previous campaign - I refuse to say its over ..its on "pause" or hold for now. (That campaign was just too damn good)
That short 4 session BANESTORM min-campaign taught me that I should 'vett' wh my players will be for some games. (Tho I really couldn't that time)
So I get a call from one of my most LOYAL players - she wants to know when we will game again and what sort of game. I've always thought she might make a good GM, I might have to help her a little with that. She has always expressed interest in GM-ing.
Any of you folks have suggestions on how to help train or "mentor" a new GamesMaster?
This is woman on her third career who is very smart. As a player she always has good ideas and plays her characters as both cautious and creative.
Gawds ...I need to start a new campaign , I refuse to become what Kyle Aaron calls a 'BNG'.
- Ed C.
How about co-GMing a campaign with her?
That might be fun!
Well, from the bits and pieces I've picked up over time from your posts, it seems your players know each other well and are comfortable together, so at this point you'd have to ask her;
a) would you like to run a stop-gap game (not even a campaign, necessarily, maybe just a session or four - and make sure she knows that you, as a long-term GM, thnk she would be quite good at it if she'd like to take the dice for a spin)?
b) what do you WANT to run?
and
c) is that compatible with the style/likes/desires of the group as it stands?
I love running story-rich, heavy background games (which I also love to play), but my group for the most part do NOT like those types of games. They want to know what's in the next room to bash in th' head. So when I run I give them what they want, and compile reams of detailed backgrounds that never get used.
So she should take that same tack - if her players want palace intrigue and that is what she wants to run, detail the Royal Family Tree back to 10 generations and see where the conflicts and scheming of Great Grandfather Milton takes you. If they like to smash in the airlock and blast the hapless crew in pursuit of the half-kilo of genegeneered RNA strandlets, and damn the consequences, then adjust accordingly.
Don't worry about getting someone to GM a campaign. Get them to GM a single session adventure. If they like it, they'll do it again. For a first time GM there's no need to worry about all the stuff that comes with "campaign design". Just fill up an abandoned mine with some kobolds or an abandoned warehouse with some mafia toughs depending on your genre, and have at it.
What's a "BNG"? Is that sex-talk? Cuz I can put on my gimp mask if need be...
I'm currently training my GF to be a GM. She's got great ideas and is an intelligent woman, but she's shy. No, more like she fears that the game will be a disaster or she'll suck or something. So first step? One on one gaming. The best part of this is that you can stop the game to give pointers without disrupting anyone else's game time.
-=Grim=-
"BNG" = Bitter Non-Gamer.
Its what Jim Bob / Kyle Aaron calls those who nitpick RPGs and other gamers on the web - because they don't have a currently happening rpg campaign going on.
Probably won't happen....I don't do the bitter part that well.
- Ed C.
I completely agree with GrimJesta about the one on one play. I am always throwing ideas out to my boyfriend about GMing a game. He just sits back in his chair with an evil smile on his face, as I spout off to much information with a lot of excitement about what type of game I want to run. Then he quietly reminds me with constructive criticism that a) I have enough information to run several games pouring out of my head, b) take into account what type of players I want to attract, c) always listen to what my player are interested in, and d) run it so that its fun and player want to come back for more. Of course you know all this, but I am on the other end of the stick, same as your friend. ;)
I'd also suggest, in addition to the good advice above. Talking to her about what kinds of things she sees as cool challenges for a campaign, and how to work those into play. Simply help give her tools. Take the one on one campaign, work with her as a player while she tries and run it, and give her some feedback of hows and why's things fell out and how to improve that for a group game. (Or remove it/add to it.)