Types of GMs

Many people have written about the types of players in tabletop roleplaying games. This is obviously useful, as it allows a GM to customize his game to engage each player at the table. But far fewer people have discussed the types of game masters that run games. Whether this is because there's only one GM for every three to six players, or because it's less obviously useful to categorize GMs, I'm not certain. What I am certain of is that it bears discussing.

Why should you categorize GMs? There are several advantages. First, it allows you to attract players who will appreciate the style of game you run. Second, having a deeper understanding of the parts of GMing you most enjoy can go a long way in keeping you from losing interest in your game. Finally, it can guide the style of campaigns you run towards something more appropriate to your interests.

So, without further ado, I present the five types of GMs.

THE WORLDBUILDER

If you sit down to create a general outline of your setting and several hours later find yourself deep into Wikipedia articles about climate and agriculture so that you can create an appropriate menu for a tavern in a city on the other side of the continent, you might be a Worldbuilder.

To such a GM, creating a setting to share with your friends is the best part of running games. Some strive for maximum verisimilitude, others wish to create breathtaking vistas, still others want to make sure there is always something over the next horizon for would-be explorers to find.

This style of GMing is best suited for running exploration-heavy sandbox-style campaigns, ranging from the ever-popular “world tour” style all the way down to a campaign set in a single living, breathing city. As the GM focuses most of her attention on the setting, it is often up to the players to make whatever plot they can.

The risk a Worldbuilder GM faces is that her campaign may seem directionless. If she sets up several points of interest and places equal emphasis on each, the players may not have any idea where to begin. Many players become frustrated in this situation, and some groups may even become mired in arguments over where they should go next. The easiest way to mitigate this problem is to pick one part of the setting and build a strong plot thread around it, so that an uncertain group has an obvious starting point.

A subcategory of the Worldbuilder GM is the Superfan. This is the type of GM who knows a published setting inside and out, and wants to share it with her friends so that they can be as excited about it as she is. Though she is not creating her own setting, her interest is still mostly focused on the setting; therefore, I classify such GMs as Worldbuilders.

THE ADVERSARY

The Adversary is the sort of GM who enjoys pitting himself against his players in a battle of wits. It's not that he wants to win; he simply wants his players to earn their victories. Any players who are not at the top of their game will find themselves rolling up new characters.

To such a GM, fully understanding the rules of the game is of the highest importance. While some Adversary GMs revel in throwing impossible challenges at the players and watching them fail, a good Adversary knows how to build a fair – though challenging – encounter. An Adversary's ultimate goal is to get his players to come up with creative solutions, especially ones that he didn't even consider.

This style of GMing is best suited for running combat-heavy games, including the dungeon crawl. The GM will often build the game around a variety of traps and monsters, rewarding success with exp and treasure, while failure brings character death or possibly capture.

An Adversary GM must always keep in mind that he is not actually the enemy of the players; after all, if the GM truly wants to win, it's as simple as saying “rocks fall, everyone dies”. It is important to remember that the player characters are the heroes of the story; the GM should be rooting for their success, even while he does everything in his power to make them work for it.

THE PLAYWRIGHT

A Playwright GM loves to populate her world with memorable characters. The players aren't likely to come across “a guard”, but “Gerard Smoke, third son of the Earl of Rushwood”. Each character is given a motivation, relationships... in general a life beyond the PCs' interactions with them. Even when having to make up a character on the fly, a Playwright tries to breathe some life into him.

In a Playwright's game, the story is guided by the motivations of the individuals or organizations living in the world. The villains have plans and carry them out in the background, adapting to whatever setbacks the player characters throw their way. Even relatively unimportant characters have a story to tell.

This style of GMing is best suited for games full of politics and intrigue, games where multiple groups work against each other in a series of shifting alliances. There may be no clear villain, as each side's beliefs hold merit. The GM knows each character well enough that the players can choose to side with any of them.

The greatest risk a Playwright faces is that she will fall in love with her characters. She may forget that the player characters are the heroes of the story, and place too much importance on the NPCs. The ultimate expression of this danger is the “GMPC”, a character who joins the party and outshines every player character. It is simple enough to avoid this: make sure to keep the player characters at the center of the story.

THE STORYTELLER

The Storyteller GM focuses on the plot of his game, viewing it as a sequence of events leading up to a climactic conclusion. He often has a rough idea of the ending in mind before he even begins the campaign. The story could be a simple, relatively linear one or a branching narrative full of choices; either way, the purpose of the campaign is to tell a tale.

A Storyteller GM sees it as his job to guide the emergent narrative of the game. He manages things such as pace and theme and controls the flow of information essential to the plot. When the players stray, he adapts his narrative to follow them.

Obviously, a Storyteller GM runs games with a strong focus on story. This encompasses a wide variety, from the mystery campaign to epic fantasy, from cosmic horror to comedy. The common thread is that a Storyteller's campaigns tend to have a definite beginning, middle and end.

The risk a Storyteller faces is one of the most commonly discussed topics in roleplaying: a Storyteller has to be careful not to run afoul of railroading. Quite simply, the Storyteller GM has to always remember that player choices should affect the path the story takes. If the story progresses in the same way regardless of player input, it is best told in a medium other than tabletop roleplaying.

THE CHOREOGRAPHER

Two warriors cross blades atop the city's rooftops while lightning flashes all around them. A wizard holds a growing ball of eldritch flame above his head, staring down an entire army. The king stands before his most trusted advisors when the illusion fades, revealing him to be an impostor. These scenes are the highlight of the game for a Choreographer.

A Choreographer GM designs her game around a few choice scenes, with every moment in between geared towards building suspense. Whether the scene is a large set-piece encounter, a big reveal, or any other awesome moment the GM can dream up, the motto is “go big or go home”. The Choreographer is also the most likely to use props to bring the game to life.

A Choreographer has much in common with a Storyteller: both focus on what is happening, rather than who is doing it or where it's taking place. However, a Choreographer is more likely to run an episodic game, with each session being a self-contained story built around one big moment, or with the campaign consisting of several miniature story arcs loosely strung together.

Though, as with the Storyteller, she is at risk of railroading, the style of the Choreographer carries an additional risk. In an effort to make the scene as awesome as possible, a Choreographer might over-complicate things by adding too many details for the players to keep track of. Such a GM should be mindful of the rule of three: no more than three major details for any encounter, whether that be groups of enemies, environmental hazards, a countdown, or whatever else.

SO WHAT STYLE ARE YOU?

These categories are not set in stone. Most people likely fit into two or more categories. Indeed, it is a rare campaign that does not require at least a little consideration of all five styles. Nonetheless, by understanding what drives you to take up the mantle of GM, you can hopefully learn to run games that are more enjoyable for you and your players both.

After all, somebody's got to do it.