Dividing the Traditional GM Tasks

[Andrew Cooper]

I appreciate everyone participating in this thread; however, it's kind of turning into a debate on "The Fog of War" which I'm not really interested in debating actually.  It's a perfectly valid topic for another thread but I think I've gotten all the mileage out of this thread that is in it.  Could we give the current debate over how much information the players should/should not have to another thread?  I'd like to let this one end.

[TonyLB]

Plus, if someone puts the effort in to make it another Actual Play thread then that implies that they'll have to find some incident from their own actual play that highlights the benefits and pitfalls of some particular take on the question.  That would be a very good thing for grounding the conversation, I think.  I'm all in favor, and will be on the look-out for the thread.

[lev_lafayette]

The practical task of outsourcing the gaming environment is essential. With regard to the food and drinks issue, there has been a relatively unspoken rule of "feed your GM", as they often forget to bring along their own munchies because they're tweaking last minute setting, plot or challenge issues. The alternative of "everyone chips in and gets pizza" also applies, although I've also noticed that the "feed the GM" caveat seems to sneak its way in there as well.

I understand the "fog of war" issue, and have found from numerous experiences (indeed, from way back when I first started playing twenty three or so years ago) was that rotating GMs at narrative break-points in a story (say, after six to eight sessions) keeps everyone fresh. Of course, this does mean that there is more collaboration on the meta-plot level, but I've actually found that to be beneficial rather than a problem. There is always room for secrets and surprises within the micro-plot level.

And it feels like ages since I've posted here.

[Ron Edwards]

Hiya,

My thinking is that now's a good time to close the thread.

Um, Lev, that's not meant to indicate anything about your returning to post. It's nice to have you back.

Best, Ron