How a GM runs a game is as important to the game as making a good, fun adventure. If the adventure is run poorly, then it is unlikely the other players will have any fun, no matter how well written the game may be. Conversely, even the stupidest idea for an adventure can be fun if it is played well. A GM will know when the adventure is a success, because they’ll hear the players talking and behaving like their characters. They may even hear it outside of the gaming circle.
One important thing for a gamemaster to think about (among the myriad other things a gamemaster should consider) when preparing an adventure is the attitudes and inclinations of their player group. A gamemaster may prepare a very well written and prepared adventure, only to have it go sour simply because the style and emphasis of the game doesn’t focus on the aspect of play that the players want. There are many different types of adventures, but all fall into one of three broad categories: Fast Action, Deep Immersion, or Action/Immersion. Whatever the adventure, it is the GM's responsibility for how the game is to be played.
Fast Action adventures (also known as “Blast The Door” adventures) are designed to involve as little thought or involvement with character development as possible. Simply put, the characters arrive in an area, fight the enemy and reap whatever rewards come from the fighting. This style of adventure can make true role-play difficult, but it does get the players into a good fight quickly. Little time is needed to develop the story. The bad guys are clearly bad, and any other NPCs are clearly good. Fast Action adventures take the least amount of time to develop and are good for groups that like lots and lots of fighting.
Deep Immersion stories are the polar opposite of Fast Action adventures. In Deep Immersion adventures, the emphasis is on motivation and personalities of both the NPCs and the PCs. The NPCs in such stories are as detailed as the PCs, and are just as complex. In these types of adventures, character interaction is so important that sometimes a player will have to have their character take actions against their better judgment, because
that’s what the character would do. Such adventures focus on talking, politics, and negotiations. These types of adventures are the purest type of role-playing, but the focus isn’t on the rules of the game. In fact, whole gaming sessions can pass without a single die roll taking place. A lot of time must go into preparing the story, but are good for groups who like to dwell more on interactions than actions.
Action/Immersion adventures are somewhere between Fast Action and Deep Immersion. The best adventures fall into this category. There is enough fighting involved to keep the trigger-happy players interested, while allowing the story-telling players the chance to develop their characters. Action/Immersion adventures are good for the majority of player groups.
There are a few other issues that must be dealt with in regards to playing style. The first of these regards the mood of the adventure, whether it is serious, light-hearted, or downright funny. Whatever mood the GM picks for the game, they should be consistent with that mood throughout the course of the game. If the game is serious, involving a life-or-death dilemma for the characters, it would be highly inappropriate for the GM to have a humorous climax. If the game is light-hearted, the NPCs shouldn’t be overly serious about everything. One thing to watch out for in any type of adventure is making jokes. While they can make the game more fun for everyone, they can also detract from the action and hurt the overall adventures. It’s recommended that the GM play the game straight and that the in-game action should be fairly serious, though occasional jokes are fine...just don’t overdo it.
A final issue in regards to game-play style is naming conventions. The names of characters throughout the adventure should be fairly uniform, as this lends to it’s credibility. Mixed names (or ones that are just plain stupid) lack the consistency to be credible and will hurt the overall story: if the name of the bad guy is “Bob the Janitor”, chances are your players won’t take the game seriously at all, even if the GM intends to play it that way.
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