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It seems to me that GMs (or DMs) are going the way of the dodo. We came to games day and not one single story RPG was running or demoing. All the DnD games are being replaced with card games and what not (those are fun too, but some people would like to play a game without sinking 100 bucks in it first.) I think that there needs to be a shout out for some fresh blood.

If you have always wanted to run and you need some advice here are some good sites.

http://www.roleplayin...

http://www.io.com/~sj...

http://www.story-game...

http://www.imaginaryw...

http://www.sonsofkryo...

They have new games, reviews, story ideas etc.

Many times I have felt "If I didn't run, there won't be a game." It's stressful and unrewarding.

If you run it they will come. The more games we have the more players will be interested.

You make a really great point, Andy (and thanks for the great links, too!).

As a mom of a 10 year old RPG fanatic, finding GMs has been a real issue. He currently plays in three table top RPG groups each week: D&D, Star Wars, & Harry Potter (Redhurst Academy-ish, actually). I know things are a bit different for kids games as opposed to adults games, but I thought I'd share a couple of things that have worked for us:

-- Pay your GM . . . I know some view this as sacrilege, but finding an experienced GM who will put the effort into creating fun campaigns that are appropriate for kids, AND show up on time every week is pretty tough. Our GM gets 5 bucks an hour per kid for actual game time. With 4-6 kids at the table, that means he's making $20-$30 an hour (not counting his prep time). For adult groups, you may not feel right "hiring" a GM, but it couldn't hurt to at least kick in something . . . I mean it costs you as much or more just to go to the movies or have a few drinks someplace.

-- Once you have your group established, rotate the role of GM regularly, but not too often. Our GM does this with his adult friends, and each player usually does a 6-8 week stint as GM in rotation. With 6 or 7 players in the group, that means the each person only has GM duties for about two months a year. In this group, each GM runs a their own separate campaign. Several are D&D and some are different games like Aces & Eights -- but all are RPGs and not card games. Not that the card & board games are bad, we just find them less than satisfying.

-- Use technology to keep your group going strong. Nothing discourages a GM more than to put in a bunch of prep work on a great adventure, only to find that half the PCs don't show up. Meetup.com, yahoo groups, etc. are all useful ways to keep communication and interest going in between sessions. Our groups also use Skype video conferencing and/or Ventrillo audio conferencing as a means to let players participate even if they are on the road. In our Star Wars group, we have one player living on the East Coast who participates solely via Skype.

-- Find a regular day and time that works for everybody, and stick with it. This may not workable for all groups, but we definitely found that this has made a real difference in the quality of the game play -- something that makes it more fun for everybody, even (and maybe especially) for the GM.

-- If you're an experienced GM, take the time to mentor newer players and help them develop their skills as a GM. My son has only been into table top RPGs for about 9 months, but he's already been developing his own campaign and just started play testing it. This wouldn't have happened without mentoring from his GM.

These are some of the things that have been helpful for us, maybe they'll be helpful to some of you-all out there. I'll be interested to see what other ideas people have to contirbute on this issue.

Lyndy

It would be good also if some one would post when the up coming Game days are going to happen. Sounds like a job for an administrator, however I don?t get to come into town often so not an option for me, Ed is working a lot lately and is not doing any gamming. He is generous to pay the 20 dollars a month to keep this board operational. So I would be appreciative if people would share more information.

It would be good also if some one would post when the up coming Game days are going to happen.

Next one is May 17, 2008

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