u/WusBoppin

I’ve been running RPGs for a while, and my feedback has ran the gamut. I’ve been told by that I’m the best GM someone’s played with, that one shots I’ve ran have been people’s favorites, and I’ve stopped campaigns only to have people ask over and over when I would start it up again.

I’ve also driven players off, seen players throw a tantrum or try and sabotage a campaign because of the way I ran it, I’ve had the clear uninterested last second blow-offs, and I’ve had a (two-session) one-shot session never make it to session two because the players told me they didn’t like the adventure I ran and the way I ran it.

Sometimes, TTRPG groups can fall apart in ways you can’t account for or blame yourself for: Life getting in the way for people, players that don’t vibe with each other or your desired table style, or friends that just aren’t as interested in the hobby as you. The GM is only one component of a game, and cannot make or break it alone.

But, they do have a lot of influence. Are there signs or patterns you can look out for in your GMing history to tell which is which? How to know when your choices are pushing good players away, or when you can just throw your hands up and accept the wishy-washyness of the hobby.

I think it’s way too nuanced of an issue for anyone to diagnose me specifically, but I’ve been thinking about the topic and would love to hear some other people speak on their thoughts and experiences.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom always to tell the difference.”