It was a deliberately flexible topic, and your post was a good one. All three third place posts deviated from the “one lesson” model, but all three of them were packed with good advice.

A good lesson, shared well.

A lot of the axiom’s and commandments are things that Game Masters learn over time, but even the most advanced or rookies amongst us could benefit by printing those and keeping them with our game folder/cheat sheets/GM’s Screens.

Those are legit considerations. I consider my current group pretty hardcore. They do things like buy me copies of books so they can use them for my campaign.

Another angle is to consider the consequences of your action (or inaction): if a player doesn’t show up with his PC sheet for the third time in a row, are you prepared to make him sit out, or perhaps even boot him? Have you confronted the person before to let them know that you expect them to show up prepared?

It hasn’t really happened to me, but I think I would start very simply. Something like “Dude, I make sure we have an adventure to play. All I ask is that you have your on PC ready to go. If you aren’t willing to make that effort, what does it really say about your interest level in this campaign?” I’d probably also bring up the sports analogy I used earlier.

Second, bravo to my fellow third-place winners. Good tips and follow-ups all around.

Regarding the GM keeping PC sheets vs. expecting the players to do so, I guess it depends on who you’re playing with. For most adult semi- to very-serious games, I would side toward expecting the players to come prepared. For younger crowds and/or socially-oriented groups, perhaps the GM is better off providing a safety net.

Another angle is to consider the consequences of your action (or inaction): if a player doesn’t show up with his PC sheet for the third time in a row, are you prepared to make him sit out, or perhaps even boot him? Have you confronted the person before to let them know that you expect them to show up prepared?

My purpose is two-fold; first, I like to check over character sheets on occasion, since mistakes (whether deliberate or not) aren’t fair and can unbalance the campaign. In practice, I usually catch players shorting themselves more often than overpowering their characters.

Secondly, and more importantly, it’s much easier for me to draft adventures and construct appropriate challenges when I can leaf through character sheets and assess their capabilities. Sometimes, this even helps my inspiration, as I’ll notice a little-used skill or ability and figure out how to work it in.

Walt

This is the only commandment I don’t wholeheartedly endorse. While I will gladly loan people pencils, paper, and dice, I don’t keep track of character sheets for games that meet on a regular schedule. I consider showing up with charsheet in hand to be a key sign that the player is approaching the game with the minimal level of maturity and consideration necessary to function in my group. To me, showing up unable to play because you forgot your charsheet is just as unhelpful as showing up to play basketball in a suit and tie. You knew there was a game, dude, why didn’t you bring your gear?

I’ll admit to letting my pal Pat slide on occasion, but he can recall his PCs stats from memory.