My GMing Style? Road Trip!

Mark July 11, 2018July 9, 2018

I think I’ve finally realized what my GMing style, which I presented on Twitter a bit back.

I’m a real shithead and say, “If you go that way, there is no plot over there.” My particular group enjoys the ride, though. I take them cool places, so they don’t mind me being in the driver’s seat. And I let them ask me to stop for ice cream.

— Mark Meredith, Dice Monkey (@MarkMeredith) May 24, 2018

My GMing style is that of the driver on a road trip. Now, I’m going to go into detail with this, but I’m gonna begin by saying: this works specifically for my group. I know that some of you are going to be horrified by what I’m about to put out there, but my group likes it just fine. Also, this doesn’t apply to games like Fiasco or other GMless or GM-lite games, either.

On a road trip, you’ve got one person as the driver. They’ve got a destination in mind, probably chosen by the group as a whole, but the driver generally is one of the main proponents of it. It’s his car, and if he really didn’t want to go, you probably wouldn’t be going (or you’d find a new driver).

However, if you’re a good road trip driver, everyone has a good time. One person gets to choose the music, one has the map or is the one paying attention to the GPS. One person brings the snacks, but the direction is guided by the driver.

The other passengers are always more than welcome to ask for a detour, or to stop at an attraction they saw coming up along the way. We can stop for bathroom breaks and lunch. We could even decide to take the scenic route. And in the end, the other passengers could just up and decide they want to go to a completely different destination, drive a completely different car, or even see if someone else wants to drive for a while.

But my players enjoy it! They know when they show up, I’m going to take them to far-off lands, show them a good time, make the game exciting and cinematic. By the players buying into the road trip, everyone has a great time.

I think this is a good metaphor for my gaming style. What’s your style?