I wrote a blog post where I discuss a common complaint in online RPG spaces, unpack the unconscious dynamics of the GM screen, and argue for a de-centring of the GM in OSR play.
Check it out!
1 Like
…and I always see the same thing reflected in their classroom setup–anxiety.
ooooOOOOooh, now you piqued my interest!
I love the twist you had for something as simple (and common?) as a game master screen …
… and if you think about it, this has a much larger topic: making the players comfortable enough to contribute to the session.
I sort of agree that the game master can do this, but so should the game too … to a certain point. I love how session zero has been part of tabletop roleplaying games, which can bring everyone on the same wavelength. When I game master at conventions, I play short exercises to get everyone on board with how we should play in a collaborative manner, even if I’m the game master.
On the other hand, I can also trust the group to facilitate themselves. In a collaborative storytelling game I created, each round, one of the participants takes the role of the detective and points to another to play a witness (all of the established victims will become suspects later in the game). I don’t have a turn order for this. I trust the group to take care of that. Even if someone isn’t talking, they will probably get to play a suspect. Because I assume that if the group can’t selfregulate, then they can’t play other aspects of the game.
But to get back to the point: building trust in order to make players contribute - as roleplaying games are (can be) a collaborative experience. And that in itself, why the collaboration is good, is a topic of its own.
That’s was my thoughts when I read your article.