thread: 2010-04-26 : The MC, a GM
On 2010-04-27, Vincent wrote:
Mule: I don't remember where the discussion was; there's not much to discuss, really. The show-stopping problem with Storming the Wizard's Tower was that it didn't scale up: it works as written for 3 players, is a stretch for 4, breaks for 5, and is fully-broken for 6 or more. Combined with a couple of other design-goal refinements, this means that I have to redesign from principles, there's no way to just fix it and press forward.
Once Apocalypse World is done and out of my hair, Storming the Wizard's Tower is next up.
Chris: I think that particular error is pretty funny, since I lead off with "for the first session, do everything it says in the MC chapter, and especially do the following..." The first session properly has the MC doing MORE stuff, not less stuff.
Ry: Sure. It's:
- Make Apocalypse World (or whatever) seem real;
- Make the characters' lives not boring.
...By:
- Always saying what the rules demand;
- Always saying what your prep demands;
- Always saying what the principles demand.
...The principles being, give or take:
- Barf forth apocalyptica (that is, express your personal vision enthusiastically);
- Address yourself to the characters over the players;
- Make your moves but misdirect;
- Give your NPCs names, independent lives, and straightforward drives;
- But look at them through crosshairs anyway;
- Think offscreen too;
- Ask questions and build upon the answers;
- Always give the characters what they work for, but not always what they hope for.
...Using the MC's moves to embody all the above in moment-to-moment play. I'm not going to bother to list them out here.
Take all that as a way to GM, and you'll discover, for instance, the reason why my little brother was so much better a DM than Travis was, and why my group's long-term Ars Magica game worked when it worked and didn't work when it didn't, and just how badly I flubbed Over the Edge that one time, and etc etc.
Chris Chinn: Yep.
