Game Masters Aren't Gods... They're Genies

The common refrain we've seen about Game Masters is that they are the god of the game. This is both in the sense that they are the arbiters of the rules, but they are also the force that animates the game world the players are having their adventure in. However, there are a lot of us who allow this turn of phrase to go to our heads, and it often makes our games worse. Which is why this week I wanted to suggest a pivot, and an alternative way of thinking about things.

Because we aren't gods... we are genies. And at the end of the day, the players are the ones we're here to serve.

Phenomenal cosmic power... itty bitty gaming space...

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Our Purpose Is To Facilitate

Another phrase that's come into circulation over the past several years is, "The Game Master is a player at the table, too." And I agree with this. However, we have a very different role when it comes to our purpose in the game and story. Our job is to create challenges, and to facilitate our players doing cool things. This doesn't mean that we handle them with kid gloves, or that we refuse to let consequences happen in the game. At the same time, we shouldn't be trying to "win" the game by making sure the players fail in their goals.

In short, we need to be genies.

Because it's true that the Game Master has a great deal of power at the table. They aren't bound to the rules of character generation; they have access to armies. They are the ones who decide what treasure the players find, what allies they make, and what their enemies are doing. They are the ones who puppet the gods, and who set the gears in motion... but a Game Master should do all these things in service to the players.

Entire worlds move at their behest... worlds for the players to explore.

Consider for a moment what happens if the enemy wins. The player characters are dead, and the villains continue on with their villainy... what now? Because unless you're using a supplement like The Black Ballad that gives players a way to side-quest their way out of the underworld, then that's typically where things end. All those notes you took for the story going forward, all the encounters you had prepared, and all the monologues from the villains... all of those things fall into darkness.

That shouldn't be your goal. Because even if you find a way to bring the player characters back, or you convince your players to bring in their back-up characters, losing on that scale tends to be a serious blow to morale, and it can leave the game feeling fragile even if it doesn't break completely.

Instead, your goal should be to endeavor on behalf of your players... not their characters, but your players. You want them to have fun, to explore the world, tell their stories, and to want to come back. Like a favored book they want to consume just another chapter of, you are the one making their enjoyment possible in the first place. And that requires taking your ego out of things as a Game Master. To be able to listen to what your players want, to talk things out with them, and to understand their wants and expectations... and then to deliver on them.

Put another way, imagine you were being served by a world-class chef. But when you ordered what you wanted he just snorted, shook his head, and brought you a completely different dish. Perhaps it's something you don't actually like, or worse, something that you have allergies to. All the skill and experience in the world does you no good if you aren't bending it to the goal of giving your players what they're actually asking you for... because if you deliver what's asked for with skill and style, then you are going to wind up with an extremely loyal table who will talk about your games for years.

Also, for more useful tips on being a Game Master, make sure you grab a copy of my supplement 100 Tips And Tricks For Being A Better Game Master, which has some of the best strategies I've shared on this very blog. Additionally, consider picking up the sequel 100 Tips And Tricks For Being A Better RPG Player as well!

A Note On Tricksy Genies

Because I'm sure some folks thought of this as soon as they saw the title, I want to address the idea of the "tricksy" genie. You know the ones I mean. The genies who pervert the intention of someone's wish, or who play word games with the meaning. Like if someone said they wanted a lifetime supply of raspberry crowns, which is a well-known dessert, but it also happens to be a slang term for a particularly deadly hornet, so the genie has them attacked by swarms of dangerous insects instead of granting them a sweet treat.

Don't be that kind of genie. I touched on this in Nobody Likes A "Gotcha" Game Master a while ago, but it's worth reiterating. Because if you are constantly trying to toe the line, act against the spirit of what your players have expressed while sticking to the letter of an agreement, all it's going to do is undermine trust, and make people less likely to want to play with you.

Again, for clarity. NPCs like fey lords, devils, and even genies and djinn, can (and in some cases should) act in just this way... but you as the Game Master should be open, up-front, and honest with your players when you are trying to run a game for them. You may not want them to trust the characters they meet in the game, but they should always be able to trust you. Because if they can't, then the ship is sinking... it's just a matter of when.

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