Greetings all,
First off, thanks for your thoughtful and useful responses. I am primarily a
wargame designer but have wanted to branch off a bit into something different. To that end, I have been dabbling around with a Space Mecha Theatre game, think Gundam, Robotech, Lancer, Mekton, etc. Sure, there are big, stompy, space robots but character first!
Anyway, I have been working on the
GM (or Comptroller) section of the rules and decided to add the following tips. For context, the
GM in this game has wide latitude to set the difficulty, timing, and modifiers for the game, so it leans more towards
GM fiat than
GM Economy based games. Both the
GM and the Players use the same universal system of determining outcomes.
These are the tips I have put in:
The Most Important Rule!
• The Comptroller is there to facilitate fun for all players at the table!
Then, I put in these General Rules of Thumb:
1. Never ask for a dice roll from a player, unless something interesting could happen if they fail. If failure is less interesting, do not create the risk of failure.
2. Control the flow and pace of the game
3. The Player Characters are the stars. Let situations break their way.
4. No plan survives contact with Player Characters. Be like water and flow where the characters take the story.
5. Always ask yourself, “What would make this more interesting?” and do that
6. Move the Spotlight around
7. Describe with all the senses; sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell. It helps them feel they are there.
8. Whenever possible, let the player’s tell you, narrate their experience, and then reel them back in when they go off the rails.
9. Character death is ever-present, but it should never be an accident.
10. Rules are for players, and not Comptrollers
So, what do you think? Did I miss some key ideas? If you were brand new to this, would these guidelines be helpful? Is there a key idea I am missing? Is there one that you feel should be removed?
If you want, I can elaborate on any particular General Rule of Thumb. Thanks for your insights, since many of you have been doing this
GM thing much longer or better than I have. Thanks for your feedback.