J. E. Goodrich

Recently on one of the message boards I belong to, someone started a thread about advice for GMs, DMs, and Referees. Naturally, I can't avoid a topic like that, so I tossed a few ideas out there. And since I thought it would be a good topic, here's my contribution in no particular order --

• Never underestimate the creativity of a good group of players. And be flexible enough to go with what they come up with if it makes the story better.
• Never railroad your players or run an adventure that must be followed like a script. Role players might be frustrated actors, but they enjoy playing in a game where they control events. 
• If you let munchkins and rules-lawyers in your game, you deserve whatever happens to you. 
• If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong. 
• If your players aren't having fun, you're doing something wrong.
• Give the players what they want. If you've got a group that wants to play freelance mercenaries, they aren't going to be too happy playing cops. Tailor the campaign to what the players want.
• Obstacles should be challenges, not impossible walls.
• Recurring NPCs (good and bad) are important. And, like the characters, they should improve, change, and adapt.
• Keep good notes. Someone's gonna remember something and you better have notes for when it happens.
• Get rid of disruptive players. Not the character, the player. Get them out of your group. Now.
• Stealing ideas from other media is perfectly acceptable. Television is full of stories copied from other shows and books. Why should you be any different?
• Play the game, not the rules. If bending or ignoring a rule makes for a better game, do it. Rules lawyers should go play Star Fleet Battles. Remember that RPG rules are designed to be guidelines, not the Ten Commandments.
• Sometimes, you're wrong. Admit it and move on.
• Don't let players fight over rules or actions during the game; save it for afterwards. For online games, take it to e-mail or another topic on the board. Don't disrupt the game with an argument.
• RPG rules define the "reality" of the game -- what can and cannot be done. It is up to you to provide the rest -- the background, the NPCs, the adventure, the history, the politics, the relationships, the reasons, everything. That's why being a GM is tough.
• You're gonna burn out. Accept it. Avoid it by taking breaks from running a game. When I ran a regular tabletop group, there would always be a one month Christmas / New Years break and usually a couple more breaks during the year. You need time to relax as much as anyone else. Take it. Otherwise you will burn out and the game will suffer.
• Its a game, not a job. When it becomes a job, its not fun. That's why they call work "work" and not "fun."
• Getting people together on the internet for a game is almost as difficult as doing it in real life. If you're going to run an internet game, consider e-mail or message board over chat games. It may take a lot longer, but you're much more likely to keep a regular group of players.
• Real life is irritating, mundane, routine, and tedious. None of this should apply to your game.