Friday, November 20, 2009

+1 Bonus to GMing

My reply in defendse of GURPS Mysteries. This book grants you GMing +1 regardless of the system you run. A must read for the GMs who really are obsessed about their craft.

Actually the format and the organization Lisa puts down is pretty solid. Mysteries can be an organizational nightmare. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but the organization is usable in any game or any system. Particularly running any story where you have a number of NPCs and you want players to interact with them and actually perceive their surroundings in a way beyond cliches and standard dressings. Lisa brings the process into a perfect science IMO.

No offense taken, but I've always looked at how other GMs prep their games and try to always sort the practical and the effective as empirically as I can. Outside observing other GMs Lisa's tips talk about practical limitations of narration and Player/GM attention like the ability of the to keep things in the air, facilitate the Information Players/PCs come about efficiently, and allow for the theatrics of revelations, plot twists, and drama.

As compared to Robins Laws with deals with expectation and player psychology, Lisa deals with organization, preparation and effective communication of the PCs surroundings and their interactions.

Her work is +1 to GMing/Story telling bonus definitely.

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