Back when I started gaming, almost twenty years ago, there was practically no material on how to have a good game - so I had to learn the hard way. All of the tips, tricks, and advice in this article come from years of GMing badly, and gradually getting better. Watching other GMs that you like and practicing a lot are some of the best ways to improve your game.

Please don’t use this article as an excuse to dump on your fellow gamers by saying “Look, it says here that you’re a bad gamer!” Likewise, don’t feel that if you don’t do all of these things that you’re not a good gamer, and realize that this is not a complete list of good gaming qualities. Just use this article to improve your own gaming techniques.

Good Gaming
There are lots of ingredients that go into a good game. Good people, good people skills, and good ideas work together to create a good gaming experience. Arguably the most important person in a game is the Game Master. In the gaming circles I’ve been in, at least, players will pursue a good GM to run their games, but I’ve rarely seen a GM pursue a good player - there are normally too many players per GM as it is.

A good GM can achieve his goal of a good game by thinking quickly during a game and by preparing for the game ahead of time.

During the Game
A good GM must fulfill six important roles: director, writer, referee, host, actor, and tactician.

GM as Director
In theatre, the director is the person that controls the flow of the story. When I was in the theatre, I worked with directors with a number of different styles. Some were dictators, micromanaging every detail of the entire play into their vision of how it should be. Some were coaches, urging the participants to do their best. Some were hands-off, and just selected talented people to work with, and told them to go find their own direction.

As director, a good GM must make some of the same choices. Does he keep the game on track by gentle prodding, or an iron fist? Does he prepare beforehand, or completely wing it? Does he just give input when the players feel stuck or lost, or does he practically hand them a script to follow?

Lights! Camera!
As director, a good GM has to set the mood for the game. A room dimly lit by a dozen or so candles, a spy movie soundtrack playing in the background, or a few fake jungle vines on the table and chairs will all give feelings that are appropriate to different genres. But mood props, while enhancing the atmosphere, should not be the only measure taken.

Mood of any kind is truly set by our actions and words. Genre speaking patterns (“Prithee my lord” versus “Ya, whaddya want” versus “Please input response”), accents, physical gestures, and phraseology (“Some knights on horses come up to you,” versus “You hear the galloping hooves and you see and smell the dust they kick up as the horsemen approach - there appear to be four horses, each with a rider, but you can’t make out the details from this distance,”) all set the mood for a game.

Action!
As director, a good GM also has to keep the action rolling. Pausing a game to wait on a slow-counting player to finish adding up the damage from a 12d6 roll is a waste of time. Waiting for a player to declare a combat action while the player keeps asking what’s going on even though it’s already been explained three times is a bad move. Allow the villains to make poor decisions as well if it will speed the game up.

To solve some of these slow-downs in the game, a GM can delegate - have players with a head for numbers do all the die totaling for the slow players. Or, if the GM wants to figure it up early, he can pre-roll lots of common die rolls, and mark them off as they’re used. I’ve even heard of percentile charts and index cards as methods to reduce counting time.

If the problem is one of players not paying attention during combat, talk to them about it. If they still don’t get it together, you can award fewer experience points for roleplaying, make them lose in-game time for their character to assess the situation whenever they ask what’s going on, assign a penalty to the character’s actions for daydreaming, or simply skip over their turn.

Focus
As director, a good GM also needs to keep the players in character. Games are meant to be fun, but if the game’s mood is serious, it is not the time for the players to exchange puns, or to talk about their car problems, or to do homework. If it were another game being played, like basketball or charades, the focus would be on the action, not on the sidelines.

Role-playing games should, when appropriate, be treated the same way. Some appropriate times for seriousness might be when the heroic knights approach the evil wizard’s castle, when the doomsday device begins to grind gears and give off sparks, or when the elevator begins to flood with river water. There are plenty of times for levity, as well, however. When the GM gets so excited that he stutters the master villain’s death threat, when the team brick beats up a shriner just to get a fez, or when a hero’s wimpy alter ego kills a villain with a lucky punch and so gains a bigger rep than the hero, are all great times for a good laugh. And there are plenty of times that a single character might logically lighten a dark mood with a well-timed quip or prank. When it is time, however, for immersion into the roles, a phone call for the GM or someone opening a crinkly bag of chips can be most distracting.

There are plenty of ways for a GM to ensure that players stay in character. A barrage of thrown dice, a 25¢ penalty box, deducted experience points, etc. all work well enough, but the surest way to keep the game on track is to GM for players who are already inclined to do it. This is obviously not easy, but once a GM finds good players, he needs to hang on to them.

As for getting the players into their characters at the beginning of a game, I’ve seen “Get in Character” drills that worked well. At the start of each session, the GM asks a player a question about his character — who’s the first person you ever killed, who was your favorite teacher and why, when were you the most content, etc. — and after answering, that player asks another player a different question. This helps set the mood for gaming, and also teaches all present something about the characters that they might not have known.

Organization
As director, a good GM is also organized. Whether in his head or on paper, a good GM knows what’s going on in his world - who, where, when, why, and how. Keeping an NPC cardfile helps to keep track of this relevant info.

It might be hard to remember the name of the guide who escorted the heroes across the city two years ago, or to remember how many yahrens are in a centon, or what day of the week it was when the heroes left town. But by keeping index cards (or computerized records) on the major and minor events and people in the game world, the GM can always have those nearly-forgotten memories on hand.

The Fourth Wall
In theatre and film, the fourth wall is the wall between the performers and the audience. “Breaking the fourth wall” is any action that reminds the audience that whatever they’re seeing is not real. Ferris Bueller looking at the camera and explaining to the audience how to fake a generic illness, Tigger speaking with the narrator, and Bugs Bunny stepping outside of the film frame are examples of breaking the fourth wall.

Games can break the fourth wall, as well. As director, the GM can choose to do this.

A character (not the character’s player) could get a phone call at the game. “Okay, it’s phase 12 - hang on, the phone’s for you, Jake.”

“Hello?”

“Caped Wonder, I know what you did, and I’ll go to the press if you don’t confess.”

A character could get mail (either regular or e-mail). A postcard addressed to a character can really surprise a player.

Example: My superhero team had an assignment in another state. As it happened, I had to drive through that state a few days later. I sent a postcard from a character to the rest of the group.

Director Summary
As director, a good GM gets and keeps his players’ attention. The players focus on the game, and the game focuses on the plot. Players stay in character, and the game moves along briskly.

GM as Writer

A good GM also acts as writer, whether he has written the stories himself or not. The situation is similar to a playwright who has created a script, yet has to endure the director’s differing interpretation, the casting director’s questionable role assignments, and the actors’ mediocre performances. The end result of all this is often quite different from what the writer had in mind originally, but given good people, the resulting play can be greater than its original manuscript.

Interdependence
Writing a game scenario is different than writing a book or a play. The characters involved get to change the script as they go. It’s similar to improvisational theatre, in which the actors are (sometimes) given a topic, and they develop their own characters and plot as they go.

A GM can start with a great story, but what happens when the players don’t do what the GM expects? The GM has the choice of giving the players complete freedom to do what they want and go where they want, or of railroading the players onto a predetermined path. Or, of course, something in between.

A good GM finds the compromise that best suits his players and himself. This is not always easy to do.

Some GMs are great at improvising as they go. I’ve played with some GMs who can craft a wonderful story, and always seem to have the answer to what happens next, with only ten minutes to prepare (“We need to you GM tonight.” “Oh, okay.”).

But not all GMs have the gift of quick thinking. Some rely on fluid scripting. For example, a GM might set up a crossroads for the characters, and want them to take the left fork so that they will gain the ally they need before they take the right fork to battle the enemy. But then the players insist on taking the right fork, so the GM ensures that the ally just happens to be traveling the right fork on the way to battle the enemy anyway, and the party is fortified even though they did not do what the GM expected.

Example: In my Star Hero game, the heroes got caught in a hyperspace whirlpool, and got transported to a universe where magic works. There was a planet right in front of them when they emerged into the new dimension. As I had planned it, the planet was the inadvertent cause of the vortex, because it was drawing magical energy from hyperspace.

My players found it odd that a planet was right there, and debated whether or not to explore it so they could possibly find a way back to their own universe. Eventually, they decided that even if they decided to go somewhere else to explore, whichever planet they landed on would end up being this Planet X which was in front of them, so they decided to land after all.
I was relieved that they decided to land on it, since logically, no other planet would have been causing the whirlpool. I was a little insulted being thought of as a railroader, and if they had gone elsewhere, I would’ve had to probably postpone the session, since I had nothing else planned. But it all worked out in the end.

Writer Summary
As a writer, a good GM needs to tailor the game to the players’ interests. By plotting a script that everyone wants to be a part of, it becomes much easier to keep the players following “their part of the script.”

GM as Referee
GMs also have to act as referee/judge when running a game. In other games that require a referee (such as football), the referees must know the rules in and out, and be ready to make a call instantly. GMing is a little different, since the GM not only enforces the rules like other referees; he’s also free to change them to suit the story.

Example: In one game, the GM had us write up Champions characters, but we may as well not have bothered. The game was run extremely freeform, and felt more like a Marvel Super Heroes game. My speedster had a 9 SPD, but in combat, it didn’t matter at all, since everything was handled descriptively, instead of taking it phase by phase.

This took some getting used to, but it was kind of nice to play Champions while taking a break from the rules for a while.

Example: In another game, I was mind-controlled to hate a demon that got stronger whenever he was attacked in hate. Since the mind control attack barely hit me, the GM offered me a chance to dodge. Surprised, I said, “Okay, what do I do?” He told me to roll the dice and tell him if I made it.

I rolled 3d6 and got an average result, and told him that I guessed I made it. He told me that the mental beam just snagged me in the foot as I was getting out of the way. And that I now had a medium dislike of the demon. This was a nice rule-bending that added a partial effect to mind control, which is normally all-or-nothing.

I ended up attacking a structure behind him so that it collapsed and knocked him out.
As a referee, a good GM should exercise fair, quick, consistent judgement, and should accommodate disagreeing players.

As a referee, a good GM should exercise fair, quick, consistent judgement, and should accommodate disagreeing players.

Quickness
As referee, the decisions a GM makes should be quick. When stuck for an important ruling, though, asking the players for their opinions or decreeing a five-minute recess can get the juices flowing.

Consistency
As referee, the decisions that a GM makes should be consistent. All of the fair judgement methods suggested below have their place, but it’s best to pick one method and stick with it. Perhaps choose a different one for a different style of game, but within the same campaign, if the GM consistently follows the same rules, the players will begin to feel more comfortable with the GM’s style of running a game. This will lead to greater trust, which will lead to better relationships, which will produce a better game.

Fair Rulings
As referee, a good GM should play fair. What playing fair means, however, depends on the situation.

Ruling Types
Some GMs determine the results of the heroes’ actions by always letting the dice decide. Some cheat on the players’ side. Some cheat against the players’ side. Some go with whatever sounds dramatic, funny, or heroic at the time. Some let the plot mandate the results of the heroes’ actions. Some show favoritism toward a particular hero or villain. Each method has its place.

Dice Rulings
There are times when playing fair might mean letting the heroes and villains fail or succeed as the dice indicate. Many GMs adopt this as their standard. Players under such a GM tend to learn to weigh their intended actions very carefully. Players who realize that the one-in-a-million chances that always pay off in the movies don’t always pay off in the campaign world tend to respect the GM and the GM’s world for the realistic and dangerous place it is. The good guys don’t always win, and style usually doesn’t beat substance.

Cheating
There are times when playing fair might mean cheating for or against the heroes. If the GM wants to modify or maintain his campaign world in a particular way, sometimes the fudge factor has to come in. For example, if the villain threatens to shoot an NPC and actually takes a potshot from extremely long range just to show he means it, but the dice say that he actually hits, which might ruin or at least seriously alter the campaign, it’s fine to cheat to keep the game going as is.

Situational Rulings
There are times when playing fair might mean going with whatever sounds good at the time. If the Musketeer wants to swing from a chandelier across an atrium three floors up, and misses his acrobatics roll by two, let him make it safely anyway, but maybe not with complete accuracy and panache. After all, he’s a Musketeer! If Captain Marble is almost there in time to catch a falling victim, but fails his roll to push his movement by enough to get there, let him succeed anyway, but charge him double the endurance points it otherwise would have taken, or make him take half the damage that the victim would have.

Story Rulings
There are times when playing fair might mean advancing the GM’s chosen plot even when it goes against the dice and the heroes’ desires. If James Blonde finally gets the chance to destroy the entire criminal organization of SPECTRUM, or if Dr. Richard Thimble dives to his death down a waterfall to escape justice, or if the octogenarian mutant ninja girdles deal a death blow to Spreader, the game is either over, or in for some very serious changes. If the GM and/or players don’t want the game to change drastically, maybe an escape pod was remotely seen deserting the exploding island, or The Refugee manages to somehow survive his fall, or the girdles get distracted by another menace just before finishing off their archenemy.

Example: In a Star Hero game I ran, the characters crossed into another universe, and the scientist was able to learn magic. When they returned to their own universe, the scientist-mage tried to cast a spell to see if it would work. I still hadn’t made up my mind yet (I didn’t think they’d get home until next game...), so I said yes.

Afterwards, I decided I didn’t want to have magic spells flying around my sci-fi universe, so I retracted by saying that the effects quickly wore off the longer that they were in their original universe. The scientific laws of this universe were overwriting the weakening, displaced magical laws.

In hindsight, his spell attempt would have been a great place to stop the session (“Find out what happens next episode...”), and to make him sweat until next game.

“GM’s Pet” Rulings
There are times when playing fair might mean keeping a particular hero or villain in or out of trouble. If Boatman ever succeeded in putting all his archenemies into Ark M Asylum, what would he do with all his free time? To prevent such a state, a GM who looks ahead can make sure that at least one villain stays free and is able to break the others out. To a large extent, heroes and villains in fiction exist only for each other. Besides, if your spouse’s character dies because of a bad die roll, you might have some explaining to do when everyone else has gone home!

Ruling Types Summary
Each type of ruling has its ups and downs. A GM is free to pick the one he likes most, and use it for as long as he likes, until he decides to mix it up with another ruling type.

Ruling Ramifications

Keeping the Peace
At times, players will disagree with the GM or with each other. As referee, the GM needs to defuse the situation before it explodes. When bad feelings arise, it is an unfortunate reality that they can often linger long after the circumstances that caused them have been resolved.

The best way to handle a bad situation is to prevent it. If all present are mature enough to know what is expected of them, and agree on the game, there’s no need for arguments. This requires honest, open communication. For it is those things which are left unsaid that cause different perceptions to rub each other the wrong way. When people already “know” what their fellows want, and don’t feel the need to communicate it to others, because, after all, who could possibly think any differently, that is exactly when misunderstandings will escalate into some kind of hurt.

When clashes do occur, the best way to confront it depends on those involved. For those mature enough to recognize that a game is a game and a relationship is a relationship, direct but polite confrontation is often the answer.

Example: In college, I was involved in Student Government, and had a communal office on campus where I used to game on weekends since no other officers were ever there.

One time, a player brought a beer, and was going to drive to pick up the pizza we had just ordered. I wouldn’t let him, because of liability to the school (since he was in an official Student Government office), even though he had been brought up drinking, and it was only one beer.

This caused some bad feelings, and after I came back from walking to get the pizza, I told him that I didn’t like things to be left unsaid, and I flat-out asked him if we were square on everything.

By clearing the air so openly, we avoided what could have gone on building up for months.

Paraphrasing the Bible’s advice on the topic, when one of the players disrupts the game, talk to him privately about it. If that doesn’t help, bring a few of the other players with you to talk about it. If still nothing improves, take it up with the whole gaming group. If even that is not enough, kick him out of the game.

When both characters and players clash, it may be time for a parallel decision.

Example: In a large-party fantasy game, I played a cleric of the god of justice. A particular thief character kept ticking off the whole party, and the player was likewise getting on everyone’s nerves. In a party-wide confrontation with the character, no progress seemed to be forthcoming. I unfortunately had to leave the game for a half-hour to pick up my wife from work, and during the drive, I had a little time to think.

When I returned, I threw my pocket change onto the gaming table, and declared, “There is dissention in the ranks. In order to keep peace within the company, I hereby retire. Here is my share of the company’s treasure.” As a non-company member, I then immediately challenged the other character to a duel, thus providing a solution to party peace, and removing the troublemaker from the group. The player left shortly afterwards, and was not welcomed back. Justice was served.

When an individual seems to be disrupting an entire group, and repeated private warnings don’t seem to penetrate, often they will have to be asked to leave the game.

Example: A newbie young player kept doing non-genre goofy stuff in a game I was in. The GM warned him repeatedly, and eventually had to put him on “game probation,” letting him play in only one game (down from three), with all his actions being subject to GM’s approval, until he got better at role-playing.

Referee Summary
As referee, a good GM becomes known for consistently fair rulings. This leads to trust from the players, which, in turn, makes the job of referee easier.

GM as Host
The GM is also the host of the game. Whether the game is at the GM’s home or not, it is still the GM that is responsible for the game.

New Players
When new players want to join, they should feel welcome so that they enjoy the experience, and want to return - make them feel at home. Make sure they know where the bathroom is, and where the phone is. Offer to get them something to eat or drink if you notice that they aren’t digging in.

Seating
Having enough chairs and table space makes it easier for the game to get going. If the table is covered with boxes, papers, and dirty dishes, players might feel like intruders in the GM’s home, instead of the important guests that they are.

Food
Food and drink wouldn’t seem to be an integral part of a game, but even when playing, people need to eat and drink. As with any social gathering, especially one that lasts several hours, drinks and snacks are vital to keeping the guests happy. Even if the normal fare is chips and Coke, try to provide at least one healthy choice (like carrots or granola) for those who might take their nutrition more seriously (possibly from being on a diet).

Keep It Fun
As host, the GM needs to keep the game fun. After all, it’s a game, not a job. The players aren’t there because they have to be - they want to be. Whether fun, for the players, means saving the world, playing up the tragedy of a dying hero, or just goofing around with some friends, the GM should be the one that keeps the fun going.

None of us can control another, however, and gaming is a two-way street just like any gathering of people. And if a game is considered a failure, i.e. not fun, the GM should not automatically assume full responsibility and fall into despair. But he shouldn’t feel that he has no accountability, either.

Costumes
In order to keep the game fun, as a host, some GMs encourage costumes at their games. Although normally only seen at live-action games, and normally for fantasy and horror, they do occasionally pop up in superhero games.

Example: In the game where I played The Flash, the GM hosted a costume party at our game session the week after Halloween. I came dressed as The Flash, and made my entrance by running around the game room quickly.

As it happened, I had a fifteen-minute hastily-scheduled Student Government meeting that same evening, in the next building over. I went in costume (since I didn’t bring a change of clothes), and to my surprise, it was the first meeting with several TV news crews present!

Host Summary
As host, a good GM looks after the needs of his people. When all the players are comfortable and happy, the game becomes more enjoyable.

GM as Actor
GMs also need to take on the role of actor. When heroes encounter villains, allies, or neutrals, they want for them to be interesting enough to be able to tell one from another. When the NPCs perform their heroic or dastardly deeds, they should remain feasibly consistent with what the players have already learned about them.

Cult of Personality
NPCs are people too! They need to have personalities. Often, by taking an existing character that the GM knows well, whether it’s Barney Fife, Ferris Bueller, or his own second cousin, he can use the existing personality for an NPC (without letting the players know about the hidden connection). This will guarantee consistency, as long as the GM keeps straight that Miles Brogan, barroom brawler, is actually Rambo in a different body and an Irish accent.

Mad Hatters
Besides developing a specific personality for the NPCs, the GM needs a way to communicate to the players who the NPCs are. By putting on a hat, an apron, or glasses, the GM can communicate that he is slipping into a new role. And if the props and costuming are consistent for each NPC, the players begin to recognize that when the GM wears that green fedora, he is no longer the GM, he is Montana Smith, pulp archaeologist.

Flashcards
Holding up a picture of the character being acted is also a good way to communicate which NPC is speaking.

Minding Mannerisms
There are many other ways to instantly communicate switching roles to the group. It can be done with mannerisms like always scratching one ear, always talking very slowly and deliberately, or constantly looking from side to side. For GMs with skill in mimicry, changing voices for different characters works wonders. Speaking with accents is also a good way to differentiate, but watch that it doesn’t get old too quickly.

Putting It All Together
Ideally, a good GM will use all of these methods, and vary them for each character. When the GM takes off the scarf that identifies him as Scarlet of Mystery, and begins to speak with a cheesy German accent while holding his pencil like a cigarette, the players know that their archenemy General Zorg has entered zee interrogation rheum.

Actor Summary
As actor, a good GM knows his NPCs’ beliefs and habits, and communicates them effectively.

GM as Tactician
A GM also has to be the tactician for the NPCs. There are various ways for GMs to run the opposition in battle.

Reactive Tactics
The opposition can react based on what the players’ characters do. If the hero brick squares off against the villain mentalist, the villain speedster could intervene. If the hero swordsman prepares to attack the enemy wizard, the enemy archer could attack the swordsman first, or else attack another hero who may be a more dangerous threat.

Proactive Tactics
The opposition can have a specific plan in mind before the battle starts, and coordinate tactics by some communication method for superior teamwork. A small group of lesser agents can be more than a match for any hero, if the agents coordinate tactics intelligently.

If the villains have a chance to learn about the heroes, tactics can be tailored to the hero group. This can serve to very swiftly and effectively win a battle.

Consistent Tactics
The opposition can follow specific courses of action that the heroes can learn to expect over time. When the heroes expect that Silver Sapphire will probably try to hide in the shadows and attack from surprise later, they can assign one of their number to keep a close watch on the assassin, or attack her right away, or prevent her from hiding somehow, or whatever they decide upon.

Of course, this works both ways. When the villains realize that Mind Molder usually tries to trick them all into wasting their attacks against the Indestructible Kid, they can attack the heroes at a distance from several angles, or wear ear plugs so that they cannot hear his commands, or ambush the team from disguise.

Example: Raven the Hunter is The Arachnoid’s jungle-themed archfoe. Raven catches the eight-limbed wonder in a net, but his prey is not worried. “I know Raven’s style - he’ll rant and rave for a while, then take me to his hideout and gloat.”

But is our hero ever surprised when The Bird of Prey pulls out a rifle and aims it at his captive’s head!

Evolving Tactics
The opposition can change tactics periodically to prevent a predictable style from being exploited. By attacking in new ways all the time, the villains keep the heroes always guessing. There’s an added feeling of insecurity and confusion among the heroes, which can serve to the villains’ advantage.

This mishmash of tactics also makes for no specific modus operandi. The villains can commit crimes and not necessarily be the first suspects that come to the heroes’ minds. They might even be wearing different costumes!

Evolving tactics are not easy to run. It’s hard on the villains to remember all the new maneuvers (“Who am I supposed to attack first this week?”), to coordinate with each other (“What are you doing over here next to me? I thought you were supposed to be over there!”), and to find the time to constantly practice all of this. And it’s even harder on the GM, who has to think up new combat strategies every time he uses the villain group.

Tactical Combinations

Tactical Decision Ramifications
Reactive tactics are adequate, but not spectacular. Lukewarm doesn’t win any fights. By letting your players choose the tactics, they’ll always have the upper hand. Of course, in many genres, this is exactly what everyone wants. But there are certainly times when the villains need to be a serious challenge, and reactive tactics are not usually the best choice for that.

Proactive tactics are appropriate for opposition with a goal in mind. Whether that goal is to escape with the loot, kidnap the prince, or simply trounce a particular hero, if the group is unified in their pursuit of it, they have a much better chance of succeeding.

Learning the ways of one’s enemy can provide for a much more exciting battle. Consistent tactics give the players a chance to study the enemy and effectively apply their insights later. This is often a very satisfying way to build teamwork among the heroes. Besides, when you find tactics that work, many times it’s best to stick with them. Consistent tactics are allowed occasional exceptions, but such exceptions should be dramatic and rare. They should shock both the participants and the audience.

Evolving tactics are generally better for villain teams with a high turnover rate, or teams that are so large that new individual villains show up often. Highly intelligent or even precognitive villain teams are also good candidates. In a campaign, evolving tactics are usually better when changed gradually. If it takes several combats for the villains to become a more effective combat unit, it seems more natural and more acceptable to the heroes.

Tactician Summary
There are different tactics that a GM can choose to have his villains use. Most often, tactics will not be a pure type, but somewhere in the middle of the extremes given here. When the GM finds the mix that seems right for his villains and his campaign, everyone has a good time.

During the Game Summary
A good GM runs a smooth game by making his players comfortable immersing themselves in the game, by running a game that his players want to play in, and by making quick, appropriate decisions relating to his game world.

Away from the Game
Another aspect of running a smooth game is to make sure everything that needs to be prepared ahead of time is already taken care of.

Handouts
If there are any handouts, such as a campaign newsletter, a newspaper of current campaign events, or summaries of the last session, the GM should have them prepared beforehand, with enough copies for everyone that needs one.

Props
If there are any props for the game, whether homemade or store-bought, they should be ready to go and easily available. Props haven’t shown up very often in the games I’ve been in, but the ones that I’ve seen have added a lot to the game.

The most common props are paper-based. Ancient scrolls, death threat notes, programs and brochures, etc. are easy to put together. An ancient scroll that is printed on brittle, yellowed paper will require delicate handling if the players want to keep the information intact. A death threat or ransom note made from cutout magazine letters pasted onto paper will be studied over and over by the players as they try to find a hidden clue, or to determine which magazines the letters were cut from so they can form a psychological profile of the criminal. Programs and brochures for events, organizations, places, and merchandise can add flavor to a game, as well as adding some background information on part of the game world.

Example: I created a tri-fold brochure for Night Archer’s hunted, The Honorable Order of Humans Only (HOHO). He used to be the leader of the group, until they left him for dead and a superhero saved his life.

Art & Photos
If the GM wants to have pictures (either drawn, cut from a magazine, or photographed) of people, places, and things to show his players, they should obviously be readied ahead-of-time. Having a pile of pictures for possible NPC encounters is a great way to add a face to a name. Lots of magazine cutouts, clip art printouts, or hand-drawn illustrations can be stored in a folder until needed.

Example: The heroes encounter a pawn shop manager and are trying to get some information out of him. One of the players asks what he looks like, so the GM reaches into his folder of unused pictures, and pulls out a picture of a portly, round-faced man wearing a navy blue T-shirt with lettering that has long since faded into unreadability. The sweaty man has read hair and a scruffy goatee. He seems to have part of a tattoo poking out of his shirtsleeve.

Of course, the GM could always think up an appearance and describe the man verbally, but if the heroes have to go talk to him again in a few months, will anyone remember what he looks like? Even with a resident note-taker, it’s likely that not all of the visual details will have been logged.

After the game (or at a breakpoint somewhere during it), the GM can write the name, job, location, and other pertinent information about the man on the back of the picture (if it’s a drawing or printout), or on a piece of paper with the picture attached (if it’s a cutout).

Maps, Counters, and Figurines
If the group uses hex maps for combat, make sure a clean one is ready (unless, of course, the game is continuing from the middle of a combat last session). And have lots of figurines and counters available to pick from.

Administrivia
If any game utilities, such as combat sheets, are used, have them prepared ahead of time. One of my GMs actually has two marker-erasable whiteboards in his gaming room to track combat sheets and other info.

Away from the Game Summary
A GM who prepares for the game has more free time and energy during the game to run it well.

Next Time
A good GM is only half the equation for a good game. Part 2 will discuss good players.