README: a personal play document
a document for how to play with me and also how i would prefer to play with you
2025-02-01
a document for how to play with me and also how i would prefer to play with you
2025-02-01
Some friends and I are discussing starting a game of Lancer. And somebody who is interested in playing remarked that they want to know who the GM is going to be and what kind of campaign we’ll be running before they commit to signing up and making a character.
I think this is a reasonable request!
In the tech world and especially in tech management there is a current trend of making a personal README document that explains one’s management style, and also how best to work with the author. It answers questions like, in what channels for what purposes does this person prefer to communicate and how often? How do they like to receive and deliver feedback? Are there times when they are not available? And so on.
In that spirit, here is a gaming README. A document that answers questions about how to play with me at the table. Particularly about how I prefer to run games as a GM.
These are some of the principles that guide me when thinking about, playing, or running a game.
Purpose: The purpose of a roleplaying game is to create a great story in order to have awesome experiences and to feel things deeply.
Safety First: Roleplaying requires vulnerability. And games can venture into territory that is for whatever reason uncomfortable. I employ the X-Card, and encourage its frequent use to normalize it. I establish Lines and Veils up front. If we don’t get it right the first time, it is always possible to back up, rewind, and do it over until it’s right.
Autonomy and Agency: Just as my right to swing my fists wherever I want ends at your nose, my right to narrate fictional outcomes and consequences ends at your character’s reactions and behaviors. Nobody may tell you what your character does. They are yours and yours alone to play. Anybody playing one of my games knows this, so if they try to, it was probably a slip up. X-Card that right away so we can back up and try again and keep playing.
Inclusion over Reality: If a new player joins the game, or if a character dies and a player needs to make a new one, the new character should be introduced as soon as possible. Realism should be sacrificed for inclusion and for players having fun.
Inclusion over Reality II: Open Table: Join when you can. Drop out when you can’t. If you need to drop out in the middle of a scene, your character will simply fade into the background until you get back. No need to explain it in the fiction. If you re-join in the middle of a scene, your character will be included as though they were there the whole time. No need to explain it in the fiction.
Collabortive Worldbuilding: As a gamemaster, I like to start a new campaign by collaboratively making a list of stuff we definitely want to see or experience in this game, and stuff we definitely do not. This isn’t Lines and Veils stuff, but stuff like: “In our sci-fi game, we want to encounter intelligent alien life. Advanced technology can appear magical, but we don’t want overt Magic.” That way we’re all on the same page about the kinds of awesome experiences we want to have, and what tropes we want to stay away from. I forget who coined this process “making a world palette,” but that’s what I call it now too. I may also put players in charge of details of the fictional world relating to their character’s background and experience.
Rulings over Rules: If confusion or a dispute over a rule happens at the table, expect for a ruling to be made in the moment in order to return to play as quickly as possible. Rules can be looked up and researched later when they’re not interrupting gameplay, and they may overrule the ruling!
Tone: Depends on the game but look, this is a game and games are meant to be fun. That means not taking it too seriously but also not losing focus because of The Giggles or in pursuit of The Lulz. On a spectrum from meme lord to rules tyrant, I’m somewhere just right of center.
Crunch: I don’t have much of an appetite for tactical, turn-based, grid-based wargaming. Nor for pages of character customization options, nor loads of crunch. It’s not what I’m here for. I think it all gets in the way of roleplay. If allowed, I will always abstract over combat with dice rolls. If combat deserves to be zoomed in on, I will always prefer theater of the mind over grid-based tactical combat on a battlemap. I prefer lightweight rulesets that get you up and running quickly and into the action as soon as possible with as few barries as possible. That said, as a gamemaster, I recognize when a player needs that and needs something crunchy to chew on in order to enjoy the game. Example: for my player Chaffingdish, engaging the crunch is the primary way for them to enjoy a game; so I created an optional alchemy system them so their Artificer can obsess over finding ingredients and discovering what they do and combining them to make weird potions. This gave them some Rules that they could Exploit in exchange for exclusive / rare in-game Effects, and was enough to satisfy their crunch cravings.
Be a Team: Bring a character who wants to participate in the fiction with the other characters. Here is a magical phrase to guide you: “Pretend this game is the sequel to the first movie about your adventures together.” You’ve already met and bonded and are ready to adventure together again. My favorite games go a step further and include a step during character creation where you establish links and relationships between each character.