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I used to always sit as a kid, now I find myself standing most of the time.  Just curious what everyone else does.

I do a lot of both, but I think I'm sitting more.
Very cool idea for a thread.

I always sit. But I have a friend who I couldn't get to settle down when he was GMing. He always sprung up whenever there was just a little bit of action. With big gestures and all. Great GM. A pity he doesn't game anymore.

Back and forth. I don't like sitting in one place for long periods of time, but I also don't like looming over the table too much.

I sit, but I'd probably stand a bit more in a larger space where it wouldn't make it seem obtrusive. Standing definitely helps if one is using minis and/or a map to keep track of where everyone and everything is at during the action.

I sit, preferably in a solid enough chair with a good back, or against a wall.

When I used to DM at cons, stand.  Nearly all the time.  Sometimes moving around the table to point various things out (heavy minis use at cons).

At home?  Good lord, sitting down.

I stand.

If I sit down, I find myself subconsciously standing back up again in 30 seconds.  I'm a school teacher and I'm used to standing up and walking around as I talk.

I'm a much more subdued DM if I have to DM sitting down I find.  But that's just me.

Hanging upside down, swimming, or sky diving.

I've honestly never met anyone that stood whilst roleplaying.

I do both, but mostly sitting. when I stand, its mostly to make an impact of some kind.

RPGPundit

I shift constantly between both stances.

I stand 70% of the time and sit the remaining.
I've realised I prefer DMing as it means I speak more than as a player, and hence cant have my mouth full of sweets when I do.

I prefer standing because I can move around the table to talk to the other players directly as well as being more animated about situations and actions.

I start off sitting, but I definitely move around a ton.

I try to stand as much as possible as I seem to think better on my feet that way. Trouble is once I get comfortable sitting I end up staying put!
Must be my age or something! :o

I sit.

But then I have a friend who is standing most of the time doing gestures and big movements. I like his style but I haven't been able to emulate it well.

Quote from: The Worid;315980I've honestly never met anyone that stood whilst roleplaying.

That's interesting. Most DMs I've known have always stood up while DMing at least once in a while. As I alluded to above, this was usually in a space - a garage, a game shop, etc. - where they could do so without it seeming odd.

Stand, just like my GM Hero Nitro from KODT

I sit with the players around a table. I'm a GM, not a lecturer.

Sounds like a good thread to introduce myself. :)

I usually sit; the only time I've ever stood while GMing was when I need to reach a lot of things on the table, like minis or to clean the battlemat.

Granted, I'm not doing much live gaming at the moment, so it's a bit moot. When Skype gaming, I definitely sit; it seems nonsensical not to.

Quote from: greylond;316004Stand, just like my GM Hero Nitro from KODT

I have to give you props for a cool reference.

I never even thought of standing.  What with note taking, dice rolling and map consulting.  Our venue doesn't lend itself well to standing, but this got me thinking about it.

I mostly sit, even at conventions.  At conventions, because of the amount of space available, I move around some.

Actually, since I am a wind them up and let them run kind of GM, At conventions I actually just go get water, stop at the restroom, look at what happened the last few turns in the mini games in the next room.  I seldom miss them finishing their dramatic conflictswith each other and they are awaiting my next dramatic nudge.  

I am however, always peeling people away to take them to "The Office" (be it the kitchen or just outside of the room) for private conferences.

Quote from: The Worid;315980I've honestly never met anyone that stood whilst roleplaying.

Likewise.

Quote from: Kyle AaronI sit with the players around a table. I'm a GM, not a lecturer.

Exactly.

I tend to sit, but seldom around a table. I've been known to get up and pace, or even (heaven forbid) Act out certain interactions with the other player.

Quote from: tashkal;316011Sounds like a good thread to introduce myself. :)

I usually sit; the only time I've ever stood while GMing was when I need to reach a lot of things on the table, like minis or to clean the battlemat.

Granted, I'm not doing much live gaming at the moment, so it's a bit moot. When Skype gaming, I definitely sit; it seems nonsensical not to.

Heh. Didn't see your post before. Welcome to theRPGsite, tashkal. :)

I generally stand. I talk a lot with my hands in normal conversation so when running games that just gets exaggerated. I get to make the "I'm going to roll these dice and this monster is going to HIT and you are going to be DOOMED" motions when rolling to hit, I get to do all the standing-in-place motion acting showing what NPCs are doing...

... video of my GMing might make good blackmail material.

The thing is, this behavior is so natural now that when I ran a couple of Skype games, I still did it, even though nobody could see me.

Quote from: tashkal;316011Sounds like a good thread to introduce myself. :)

Welcome to this cesspit. The language is foul, and so are some of the ideas, but the discourse is generally worth it...

Quote from: tashkal;316011When Skype gaming, I definitely sit; it seems nonsensical not to.

Ironically, I'm more likely to get up while skype-playing, since we're on audio only.

I sit, preferably in a soft chair I can lean back in. Oddly, I find that if I act too engaged, players will take their cues from me and I end up running things more than I want to. So I try to avoid acting too into it unless I'm setting up a scene or running a combat or something.

I sometimes stand just for stretching my legs. But most of the time it's like being a predator, when I stand my players are alert. No need asking to focus back on the game when some off topic tangent has taken over, I just stand up and my player know that there's a chance I'm going to role play right in their face any moment. Keeps them on their toes. My Amber games frequently end up with every players standing up in small groups reflecting the scattering of the PCs. I go from group to group like a butterfly trying to keep resentment as low as possible by accelerating time hogs players and stimulating the shiest ones. It's not LARPish at all (no costume, no pretend interactions with the scenery or physically involved combat enactment) it's just a convenient way to let all the conspiratorial negotiations part, that doesn't need the GM's presence, to happen while I resolve a scene with other players. My purpose is to get all players back at the table as soon as possible, easier said than done.

I sit more often than I stand, but often when I'm really getting into running a scene heavy on RP, I will stand and walk and move.

When I ran 3e I used to stand a lot (necessary for moving around the minis, etc.).

Now that I run OD&D I sit all the time.

I sit probably 75% of the time.

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;316024Likewise.



Exactly.

Seriously, this doesn't have to be a "We vs. They" kind of thing. Standing does not have to denote lecturing. The DM often has a lot of things to attend to to, from props to location of minis to using, say, a white board (if he's lucky enough to have the space). I don't get when people look down their noses at others for doing something they don't do, and ascribe unpleasant comparisons. It's the same thing that crops up when GM screens are discussed - somehow it gets turned into some sinister tool of player oppression. Christ on a crutch, it's just what people are comfortable using or doing, not some fundamental difference in ethics.

Quote from: ColonelHardisson;316068Seriously, this doesn't have to be a "We vs. They" kind of thing.

What? It does if you GM the Gary Jackson way, i.e. it's the GM vs the Players. Which after all it IS a game and you've got to know when you win!...

like most, i tend to sit most of the time.

when i want to make a dramatic point or speech, or i just want to break the rhythm of the game and make PC's think something may be going on, i'll stand an pace around the table.

David

Quote from: OneTinSoldier;316024Likewise.



Exactly.

Btw, I really like your username there Billy Jack...

I sit.

Hi all...

New to the forums, but I've been lurking for a while. I thought this was an interesting question...

It's odd... when gaming with my regular group(s) I always sit during most of the session.

However, when I DM  at a convention I almost always stand. I'm not sure why... maybe it's the comfort level at home, or maybe there's so much noise at cons that I feel the need to stand in order to be seen and heard... I'm not sure.

In a regular game group your status is established and you rarely have to remind them of it, in a con game they're all strangers so you must stand while they sit; being higher shows social dominance. That's why kings have thrones, after all.

That is why you stand up at a con game, you're uncertain of your status and trying to establish it.

When you are standing it's easier to grab a player, bend them over the table and hump their hams to establish that you are the alpha geek.

Quote from: narpet;316119Hi all...

Welcome, narpet. :)

In my most recent campaign I found that I tended to sit with the players when heavy GM input was needed - fights, NPC interactions, exploration, anything else where I'd need to regularly describe stuff. I would stand up and actually walk over to the kitchen area when the players got deep into debating their next move, for three reasons:

a) I'm of the belief that if all the players are busily talking to each other then the smart GM leaves them to it until they start going in circles.
b) It gave me a chance to prepare snacks and drinks.
c) It gave me a chance to go over and note down the various NPCs' plans before the players decided on their course of action, to reassure myself that I wasn't letting my GMly knowledge of the player's actions colour the NPC actions too much.

Mostly sit of course, but standing at certain moments is a useful GMing technique.  It allows for better voice projection, it alleviates back pain, it can be used to emphasise drama and danger.  One GM I knew would go round behind players and put her hands on their necks to scare them!

I mostly stand because I can't be bothered to sit in one place for that long.

I'd say I mostly stand, but it's about 55/45 at most. It depends on the environment too. In one group I stand nearly all the time, another I sit the majority of the time. Depends on the table and the seating, etc.

Quote from: ColonelHardisson;316068Seriously, this doesn't have to be a "We vs. They" kind of thing. Standing does not have to denote lecturing. The DM often has a lot of things to attend to to, from props to location of minis to using, say, a white board (if he's lucky enough to have the space). I don't get when people look down their noses at others for doing something they don't do, and ascribe unpleasant comparisons. It's the same thing that crops up when GM screens are discussed - somehow it gets turned into some sinister tool of player oppression. Christ on a crutch, it's just what people are comfortable using or doing, not some fundamental difference in ethics.

You ability to acertain my motivations off of two words is amazing. :jaw-dropping:

Completely wrong, but amazing none the less. :D

I don't care if you GM naked in a tub of peanut butter. I was just endorsing views already expressed, rather than adding my own. Stop being so judgemental. :nono:

I don't use a white board (too 80s) or minis (too 70s). I use a laptop with a slaved monitor to display a MapTool tactical map. :cool:

I am using lots of smileys so you will get an accuate grasp of the inner meanings of all this. :teacher:


:)

I sit 99% of the game...

...that 1% is restroom breaks or to snag some food ;)

But now that I think of it... We are about to move into a house (we just bought) and I have a room dedicated to gaming. There is more room and I could walk around the table... I just might do that.

Hmmm...

Mostly I sit, but during combats or when people are shifting minis around I tend to stand up. A lot of that is because I use a DM screen, and it's easier to see what's happening if I stand to look over the top.

Quote from: RPGPundit;315983I do both, but mostly sitting. when I stand, its mostly to make an impact of some kind.

RPGPundit

Ditto. I think I sit about 70% of the time.

Mostly sit, but sometimes it is good to get up and stretch the legs.

I sit almost all the time, and anyone who stands is wrong and oh so crazy.

No, I'm just lazy, pretty much.