Treasure Tables is on hiatus as of December 13th, 2007. After two years of daily posts, I needed a break; that break might turn out to be permanent. In the meantime, I invite you to check out the hundreds of GMing articles in TT's archives, and to join our friendly, active GMing forums. If you're a longtime TT reader, thank you for your support. If you're new to the site, welcome -- there's plenty of GMing advice here to keep you busy! -- Martin

Being a GM is Like Using a 150 Watt Bulb

Sun. August 6, 2006 

If being a player is like using a flashlight, being the GM is like sitting under a 150 watt lamp. Everything is fully illuminated (sometimes too fully), and nothing is hidden from view.

You’re privy to the big picture, whether you created it (homebrewed the world, wrote the adventure) or read the whole thing beforehand, and it all seems clear and obvious to you.

But when the light is that bright, you can’t see the players’ flashlight beam at all — which makes it tough to know which parts they’re interested in, familiar with or missing entirely.

More posts about: Common Problems, Players

Comments

10 Responses to “Being a GM is Like Using a 150 Watt Bulb”

  1. Al on August 6th, 2006 1:54 pm

    I think there’s a couple of exceptions in some of the games that focus on ‘role’ far more than ‘roll’. Amber in particular. Everyone is scheming, and ‘the adventure’ may be a distant third in importance to the internecine politics. Many player-player interactions really don’t require the GM, so they occur without the GM’s knowledge.

    And can lead to complete bafflement on the GM’s face.
    GM: ‘Joe trips and falls almost completely off the cliff path.’
    Player: ‘No one can see me, I give him a push. With a big grin.’
    GM: ‘… um…’

  2. ScottM on August 6th, 2006 9:00 pm

    Of course, sometimes your also stumbling around, figuring things out. Many systems (like Burning Wheel) help highlight what the players are interested in before you begin– but you have to remain alert and attentive to make sure their current interests are getting hit.

  3. Martin on August 7th, 2006 7:48 am

    Both very good points. :)

  4. lebkin on August 7th, 2006 9:51 am

    I have found it is good to wait a few days after a gaming session, then ask your players what they remember from the prior session. This will tell you where their flashlight is pointed. They will remember the elements that are important to them, and forget the boring ones. Take the things they remember and focus on them in the next session.

  5. Karnov on August 7th, 2006 9:54 am

    I think my problem i have to work on is I am a 40 watt light bulb.

  6. Martin on August 7th, 2006 1:38 pm

    lebkin: That’s an awesome tip. Would you be interested in expanding it slightly as a guest post? Drop me a line if you are. :) (I’ll be at GenCon Wed-Sun.)

    Karnov: I doubt that. ;) But if you do find yourself needing help with anything GMing-related, I recommend checking out our friendly forums. :)

  7. tmcdon on August 7th, 2006 3:03 pm

    Nice analogies

  8. lebkin on August 9th, 2006 10:21 am

    Martin: I would love to write up a guest post. I know you are at Gen Con the rest of this week. So I will send you an email, and you can get me the details of what you would like from me.

  9. Martin on August 14th, 2006 2:20 pm

    lebkin: Thanks! I’ve emailed you back about your guest post. :)

  10. Stealing the Flashlight - Treasure Tables on August 15th, 2006 6:12 am

    […] This is a guest post by TT reader Nick Bell (who goes by lebkin in the comments). It’s brilliantly simple, and it speaks for itself. - - - - - Because being a GM is like using a 150 watt bulb, it is easy to get lost in your self-created sea of knowledge where everything seems perfectly clear. To counter this, one needs to build up a set of tools in order to understand the players’ views on what is going on in-game. The best tool is actually the players themselves. Simply put, you can find out what the players remember by stealing their flashlight. […]