Teaching Someone the basics of being a Game Master

[SouloMischief]

Or whatever you'd like to call it for your system. I plan on teaching several people how to run 5e games. I've got years of experience running AD&D, 3.5, and Pathfinder. I just recently started learning the 5e ruleset. So as an added bonus of teaching GMing philosophy and methods using 5e, I'll learn the rules specifics a bit better by teaching them. At least, that's my theory.

I'll have my students for 2 hour sessions on a weekly basis. My top fundamental topics, no particular order, are going to be....

• What is a GM/DM? What are they supposed to do?
• Rules and rulings
• Combat
• Descriptions
• NPCs
• Encounters

And then move on to basic planning. I've definitely given it a bit more thought than I've written in here but I thought I'd get some perspective to see what others might include in the first couple sessions trying to teach others how to run a game. Thoughts?

[SouloMischief]

One of the teaching games I intend to use is called a word circle. It's any number of words long. There is a circular order to the words so that one word relates to the next and then the next until the last word relates to the first word.

Ex: sword, sheath, belt, pants, guard, shirt, shoulder, arm, hand....back to sword

This a really simple one. You can make the connections more obscure or more specific to a world or encounter. You randomize the order and the challenge is for the players to figure out the correct order.

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Another of my ideas is to put pictures of NPCs, villains, monsters, etc., into envelopes and then have participants randomly select a few envelopes. From there, they build a simple encounter. Or practice the skill of fleshing out some aspect of the image. For instance, a barkeep npc. What's his name and 3 things about him. So forth and so on.

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We'll be using pregen maps but we'll likely make our own maps as part of the workshop.

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I know a mini hobbyist and I'm hoping he'll give a mini painting tutorial.

SOOOoooo.....

Any other ideas?

[HeroFan]

Hmmm, introduce the philosophy of GMing as to being a referee vs an antagonist vs a narrator vs a facilitator. Just that there are different styles that can work, and it’s useful to know that.

[SouloMischief]

Following up. I've made packets with pictures of villains, monsters, NPCs, and maps that my participants had to roll a d100 to get their packet. Then we would discuss scenarios based on the random stuff I put in them. We've designed maps and we piddle about with riddles, puzzles, traps, and hazards. Last week, I made cards in categories like hazards, traps, puzzles, riddles, npcs, villains, monsters, and locations. On each card was a bare snippet of information and the prospective DMs had to describe and embellish what was on the card as if they were the DM. Next week, I have one GM running his first one shot created by himself. I'll still need to prepare something in case he tanks in some way. It's been fun and informative.

[gpearce696]

Just picked up on this thread. Have you already started? Can I please join? Do you also have experience of DM'ing on RPGCrossing to be able to advise on the setting up of folders, etc.?

[Wynamoinen]

The last activity in this thread was a year and a half ago, and the OP's last post on site was 6 months ago. So I think it's safe to say that you won't get an answer. It appears that this activity was off-site and in-person anyways.

A few of your questions are answered in the FAQ. I've seen people advertise for Co-DMs in Miscellaneous Game Advertising, so you might try there, to get some learning experience. There's not much to GMing on site, though. Being designated a GM in a game forum gives you permissions to make folders and threads, move folders and threads, and see through secret tags. That's about it. Once you have your own game and see the 2 or 3 new menu options, it'll take you about 15 minutes to learn how that stuff works. Everything else is just preparation and organization and coordination, just like in-person.