Being a game master (GM) for a tabletop role playing game can be exciting. You’re part director, part storyteller, part thespian, part moderator and all powerful. Today more and more people are playing not only Dungeons & Dragons but also Shadowrun, Call of Cthulu, Vampire: The Masquerade, Star Wars, Pathfinder, Deadlands and many more.

If you’ve played any of these games, you may be considering becoming a GM but don’t know where to start. Or perhaps you’ve tried your hand at running a game but struggled with flexibility and managing your story. Seasoned GMs from one of Oklahoma City’s most popular game spots, Game HQ, gathered Saturday, March 11 at the store to share their tips and tricks for running a great game.

These are the top 10 tips from that class:

1. Start off on the right foot.

“Before you start play, take a moment to create focus,” GM Ashley King said. “You need to bring your players away from their real life problems and into the world of the game.” King suggests taking a moment to introduce yourself as the GM, introduce the adventure by reading the title and summary and establish any rules about breaks, phones, etc. From there, she then asks for everyone’s character backgrounds, inventory, names and confirming the correct pronunciation. “For some people (name pronunciation) matters a lot and will help with their immersion,” she said. [Read more…]