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So. Tell me what do you do so well as a Game Master that you think new GMs should learn from you? And yes. This is meant to make you look at the good things you do, so ditch the imposter syndrome at the door, please. #ttrpg #roolipeli #roolipelit
@Strangeworlder I’ve been running 13th Age (not a fan of 5E but I wanted something that worked in the same narrative style) town kids at the library for 9 months and lots of kids say they want to learn to DM. What I hope that the kids are taking away is
1) look for ways to say yes. Very few decisions on character are really going to mess up procedural game play. Someone wants to play a Centaur Wizard/Fighter? Jury rig Centaur stats. It’ll be fine.
#13thAge
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@Strangeworlder
1a) one kid wants to be a drow shape changing Druid who is the adopted daughter of a villain you weren’t planning to use? That’s fine. She wants a displacer beast animal companion? Also fine - 13th Age companion stats are generic and scale with the PC. If the player has an image in their head let it come out in play.
2) There’s no set path to the endgame. Yes the villains have a master plan you’re trying to disrupt, but be flexible for how they do that.
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@Strangeworlder
2a) I’ve called it tour bus style- the bus brings you through the first act intro to the problem and introduces the cast. Then they get dropped off at the destination and can do whatever for act 2 and most of act 3. At the end of the day there’s a dinner before getting on the bus/boss battle you need to be at but otherwise?. They need to absorb that the GM is flexible… to a point. They need to be on board with the story goal for this to feel satisfying for them.
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@Strangeworlder
3) only call players out for being disruptive to the game ot disrespectful to the players. The only times I have slapped them down is when some of them are being little chaos goblins for no reason, or the two “friends” who exist to torment each other, which I won’t abide at the table.
Yes, this means the most mature of the players gets frustrated with the younger ones lack of focus on plot/tactics, but he did choose to be in this group rather than the older one. 
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@Strangeworlder
Finally 5) support your friends being awesome, and give space for the players to be awesome. Let some of their stupid ideas succeed. Describe their actions as heroic and clever. Assume high competency and let a single die roll carry for a scene rather than making them roll minor actions till their fail. This is a heroic power fantasy so give them that.
I hope that’s what they’re learning
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@Strangeworlder Listen to your players and reincorporate what they're saying. If someone invents a setting detail on the fly, make that detail important to the story. If they seem to have fun doing a thing or showing off a certain side of their character, give them chances to do that thing.
Don't plan plots, just create interesting situations where the players have to act, and then let everyone discover the consequences through play, and a story will emerge.
@Strangeworlder Yes. The first thing that they should learn is to stop being a GM. It's an impediment, a roadblock on the way to enjoying yourself at the table and enjoying the other people around you.
Play games where authority is distributed, no one person tells a story, and everyone – EVERYONE – gets to play.
My best advice to every GM: Don't.