What do gamers need?

[mearls]

I actually like Evernight for how upfront it is about being a linear scripted campaign.  Even the GM advice to use various "illusionist" tactics to hide the tracks from the players are so obvious as to really be asking for participationism than illusionism.

I think this is such an important point that it needs to be highlighted. RPGs are a hobby that demands such intense participation from a GM, though less so from a player, that designers are best off treating a GM almost like a fellow designer.

I think there's a lot of mileage to be had in transparency in design - basically adding designer's notes into a game's text. If you tell a GM why something's designed the way it is, you give him more reasons to use a rule or implement it effectively in a game.

A lot of RPG texts read like they were written by the Wizard of Oz. They try to put up an obfuscatory veil to discourage readers from poking into them too deeply.

[Tav_Behemoth]

Three cheers for transparency and collaboration! Designers should treat players like DMs, recognizing that they too help create the imagined world, as well as treating DMs as co-designers.

Implicit in my last post was that a successful supplement should actually have co-designers. The goal is to offer more than any one person can do themselves; it's hard to do this all by yourself.  One of the many strengths of d20 is that, as an open gaming system, the body of previous work can serve as a co-designer; to a certain extent, one can get around some of one's limitations as an individual by rounding out the product with open content from creators who are good at different things.

[greedo1379]

Edit: sorry, this probably made no sense without this little quote here.

I think modules would sell a lot better if they were collections of potential. A little piece of a setting with maps, plans, etc, and some npcs who have certain goals, tied in with some discussion of what the goals and intended activities of the npcs are and some broad ideas, or hooks, that could get the players involved. Make the whole thing open-ended enough that anything can happen. As an example, rather than explaining that in X-situation the npc does Y, rather describe the npc's personality, goals, and motivations in enough detail that the GM will understand what the npc will do in any situation (without trying to shoehorn the adventure into a restricted set of pre-defined situations).

I agree with you re: modules more as just the adventure homework (the details, maps, villains, etc.) rather than the meat of the campaign.  This is what I especially like about the mini adventures on the WotC site.  There is a bunch of stuff out there for this and its mostly free.  (which I realize doesn't answer the original question at all, sorry)

[greedo1379]

One thing I always wanted when I first started gaming was a step-by-step process on how to run a game in a certain style with examples.  It is real easy to tell me that I need to create terror with the players when I run Ravenloft but it doesn't really give me a guide.  A sort of manual on how to run different genres (space opera, gothic horror, etc) with blow by blow examples I think would be immensely valuable to GMs of all skill levels.  Conversly a similar work on playing in those genres (as players) would also be something useful.

Keith

This would be awesome.  I have never GMed a "horror" type setting specifically because I have absolutely no idea how to generate that response.  A book like this would be super.

[xiombarg]

This would be awesome.  I have never GMed a "horror" type setting specifically because I have absolutely no idea how to generate that response.  A book like this would be super.

Um, guys, Ken Hite's Nightmares of Mine pretty much does what you want, at least for horror. :)

[MarktheAnimator]

What do garmers need?

GMs:
They need to learn:
1. How to Tell a Story.
2. How to Design Adventures.
3. How to Run a Game.
4. How to Construct a list of Scenes for a story.
5. How to Guide the players through the story without making them feel they are being forced (how to pull players along as opposed to how to push them!).

They need source materials:
1. Maps of buildings, towns, wilderness locations, ruins, etc.
2. Detailed settings full of ideas for adventures.
3. Detailed locations that can be used in adventures.
4. Modules that are very detailed, but easy to use.  
   No narrative material!  Players go to sleep when they are read to!
5. Ideas for villains and plots.


Players:
1. A good GM!!!


Please produce products that GMs can use!

[komradebob]

Actually, I guess I'm the odd man out here...

I really like setting materials. I couldn't care about mechanics. I can think of any number of items I've bought over the years for games whose core books I never even bothered to buy.

Honestly, I could be very tempted to buy a game item that include no particular mechanical rules at all, just background and ideas by the author about situations and characters within a setting. Suggestions on the feel of the gameworld and styles of play would be great as well.

I find it interesting that posters here regularly seem to feel ( to me-strictly personal opinion) that the "color/setting/situation" part of a game is unsellable in and of itself.  I've found a number of websites (PumpkinTown comes to mind, as do some of J.Sorenson's settings) that have color/situation materials available for free, that frankly, I would have paid for if available at a reasonable price.

Just a thought,
Robert

Edited to add:
I would have probably payed for an expanded version of WyldKarde's "outtaTowners", too ( check over in Indie-Rpgs forum).

[Jonathan Walton]

This thread's a few days old and drifting like crazy, but I thought I'd respond to Matt's original question...

Gamers need books that tell them how to play, instead of simply assuming that everyone instictively knows or can make something up based on some kind of mythic, unconscious shared player experience.  None of this wishy-washy "do whatever you feel like" silliness.  If the authors want us to just make stuff up, why buy the book?  I can make stuff up off the top of my head, and it'll probably be better than what's in the book (at least because I'm already involved with my own creation).

I'm not talking about general guidelines either, I'm talking about something closer to what Paul Czege does in My Life With Master: when X happens, do Y; when Z happens, do A.  In less heavily structured games, this could be something like explaining how scene framing works, or explaining how to structure scenes so they deliver the kind of impact and punch that each one requires.  It involves telling people what kind of characterization is appropriate and giving them suggestions and models to work with.  It involves giving lots of examples, modeling the kind of play you want to occur.

Basically, gamers NEED books that stop assuming, books that lay all the useful tools out in front for people to choose from, books that build new sets of gaming techniques for people to use, mixing what they already know with new things that are probably unfamiliar, all in the service to creating a consistent and rewarding gaming experience.

[greedo1379]

when X happens, do Y; when Z happens do A

This would be a really good thing to include in the introductory adventures for GMs.  Not that only beginners could use it but beginners especially need this sort of thing.