Game Mastering: Part 1

Introduction

So you have chosen to try being the Game Master (GM) for a group of your friends. Whether this is the first time you have ever tried to GM or you are a seasoned veteran who has taken your mates to hell and back again, I hope this blog can be a valuable resource for you. Being the GM can be as much fun, if not more, than being a player. It is rewarding in its own right and as a long-time GM of many different TTRPGs myself, it is a skill that must be learned and honed. I have learned many lessons along the way and they have helped inform, not only the design elements of this game but also many of the GM perspectives and philosophies outlined in this section. So from one GM to another, I impart what wisdom I have unto you, take and keep what works, and let the rest go.

The Basic Design

House of Eidolons has a very formulaic methodology to its general mission structure, this is of course by design. Every mission can and should essentially be broken down into two simple phases: a preparation phase and the execution of the mission. In general and especially early on this will look like one session where your players receive their mission, often scant on details, and then research, scout, and plan their execution of the job. In the second session, they put their preparation phase to the test to see how well they did in planning and try their skills to achieve the main objective. Again, this is your most basic and usual formula. For the first few sessions, you will want to provide more details upfront to help direct your squad of new Eidolons and give them a little more direction. Over time, they will get more proficient at this initial discovery/planning session and utilize the systems in the game to set forth a stellar plan of execution.

Why This Design

So, why is House of Eidolons set up this way and not more like a traditional TTRPG that you might be used to? There are many reasons for this and almost all of them revolve around making the GM experience easier and giving the player maximum agency. So, let us dive into them below and next week we will talk through how to prepare as a GM and how to make an interesting and challenging mission for your squad of Eidolons. 

Dependable Structure

The first thing this structure does is set a clear expectation and baseline for all the players. They know what to expect out of session 1 (generally) and what to expect out of session 2. This in part helps the team stay organized and on task while giving the GM time to adapt to the team's planning and decision-making. 

Team Cohesion

The second thing it does is create more team cohesion straight out of the gate. Your team starts the game all a part of one of the Houses and all on the same mercenary squad. They begin the mission with a debrief of the upcoming mission and then are given time to figure out the missing details and the best way to approach the job. All of this instantly creates collaboration within the team. As they develop the plan they each become responsible for executing the plan as talked about. This is not a plan given to them by the GM but rather one they have collectively decided on and now have the social pressures and ramifications if they go rogue, doing their own thing. This peer pressure is far more powerful because it's not just aggravating the GM but it is aggravating all of your mates and most people will not choose that. 

Anticipation

The two-session model also helps with player consistency. Most groups know how frustrating it can be to try and get everyone together to play a game only to have one person flake last minute. With the two-session model, the anticipation of the execution session will sit, rent-free, in the brains of the players after session 1. They will think about all the planning they did with their team, remember facts that they forgot to look into and wonder if those will have big ramifications. They are left on a sort of cliffhanger wondering if they planned correctly and knowing they can’t go back now, when they come back it is the execution of the plan. This builds a lot of anticipation and will bring your players back to the table wanting to see how it all plays out, it uses human psychology to help your gaming group get into a routine and discourages players from breaking that routine. 

Time to Plan

This formula also gives the GM time to adjust if the team comes up with a crazy plan or outright chooses to do something totally different. If in session 1 they decided to ignore the mission altogether and plan a bank robbery you don’t need to panic, instead you say, "Okay, how do you plan to do that?" Now the team is leveraging their contacts to figure out a bank heist and come up with a plan to rob it. After session 1, you as the GM have time to build all the assets and needed things for your team to conduct their ad hoc bank heist. This method gives the GM time to plan and adjust to ensure the players have maximum fun with rich content developed for it. 

A Job Well Done (or not)

Finally, when the mission gets executed and the team walks away victorious it will feel all the more sweet because the players did it on their terms, with their plan. They have ownership and are co-authors in the experience rather than just passengers on the story the GM is telling. When they fail, defeat is a little less bitter, and learning and growing take place because they failed not because the GM gave them something too difficult but because they failed to plan properly. There is ownership in both cases and a player agency in both cases. This will have your players enjoying the experience much more because they will feel in control, their decisions matter, and have great weight in the success and failure of the job. 

Intentional Structure

So as you can see, there is a very intentional structure behind this. Not to limit the TTRPG experience but to actually make it much better. As you and your players become more proficient and cohesive you can start to dissolve some of these structures, move away from them. If things start to become hard to manage you can always return to them again. 

I hope you enjoyed this read! Next week we will talk about some of the concepts you will want to learn to GM this structure well and make it an enjoyable and manageable experience. 

Until next time Eidolons,