RPGaDay in August - August 31st: Best Gaming Advice Given
And so we come to the last day of RPGaDay in August, this year hosted by BrigadeCon.
Day 31 - Best advice you were ever given for your game of choice?
While I can't say that's been for my game of choice, there are two pieces of advice that I've had over the years that have stayed with me, one given to me by a friend and the other that I read somewhere.
So I'll start with the latter. I can't recall where I heard it or whether I read it somewhere, but it was Gary Gygax who said, "Being a true DM requires cleverness & imagination which no set of rules books can bestow." This is so true. Regardless of what game one is running, the rulebook and the material contained therein is only part of the gaming experience. Imagination, creativity, and cleverness are more important than any game set of rules, and the Father of Roleplaying Games knew this.
And then there's David Fisher ("Fish", as I knew him), who introduced me to roleplaying games back in 1975 or so. He's one of my most Influential Gamers, and he had a great piece of advice for me when I started to GM games: It's Just a Game. By this he meant that as a GM, the whole point is to make sure that you and the players have fun. When it stops being fun, perhaps it's time to stop gaming.
And that's the thing, isn't it? I've been gaming now for 40-plus years, and while more often than not I've been behind the GM Screen rather than facing it, I'm still having fun, and still enjoying gaming. Sure, there have been times when I've taken a break for a couple of months, but I keep coming back to it because I'm still enjoying the gaming.
But it's also done something else for me. I'm 61 years old now. Roleplaying games have made me social, have kept my mind sharper than it might have been, and have somewhat slaked my thirst for knowledge (something that I actively pursue during researching various subjects for rpgs that I've run over the years). So gaming has certainly been a good, rewarding experience for me.
And that's the end of RPGaDay in August for 2016. :)
Day 31 - Best advice you were ever given for your game of choice?
While I can't say that's been for my game of choice, there are two pieces of advice that I've had over the years that have stayed with me, one given to me by a friend and the other that I read somewhere.
So I'll start with the latter. I can't recall where I heard it or whether I read it somewhere, but it was Gary Gygax who said, "Being a true DM requires cleverness & imagination which no set of rules books can bestow." This is so true. Regardless of what game one is running, the rulebook and the material contained therein is only part of the gaming experience. Imagination, creativity, and cleverness are more important than any game set of rules, and the Father of Roleplaying Games knew this.
And then there's David Fisher ("Fish", as I knew him), who introduced me to roleplaying games back in 1975 or so. He's one of my most Influential Gamers, and he had a great piece of advice for me when I started to GM games: It's Just a Game. By this he meant that as a GM, the whole point is to make sure that you and the players have fun. When it stops being fun, perhaps it's time to stop gaming.
And that's the thing, isn't it? I've been gaming now for 40-plus years, and while more often than not I've been behind the GM Screen rather than facing it, I'm still having fun, and still enjoying gaming. Sure, there have been times when I've taken a break for a couple of months, but I keep coming back to it because I'm still enjoying the gaming.
But it's also done something else for me. I'm 61 years old now. Roleplaying games have made me social, have kept my mind sharper than it might have been, and have somewhat slaked my thirst for knowledge (something that I actively pursue during researching various subjects for rpgs that I've run over the years). So gaming has certainly been a good, rewarding experience for me.
And that's the end of RPGaDay in August for 2016. :)