Skills a Game Master Should Develop
There are a number of different traits and skills one should develop to be
a good game master. The following is an inexaustive list.
- Storytelling skills
- Communication skills
- Organization skills
- The ability to "think on your feet"
- Humor
- Patience
- Creativity
- Fairness
- Knowledge of rules and game system, especially rules for skill use,
combat, injury, and recovery.
- Carousing / Social skills or "How to have a good time with a group of
friends"
- The ability to draw up random tables, including rumor tables,
encounter tables, etc.
- The ability to play convincing, realistic villains
- How to use visual aids, pictures et all
- How to use accents to make NPCs more lifelike
- How to use music to enhance the ambiance
- Giving the PCs the chance to use their special skills, regardless of
how silly they might be
- Paying attention to everyone, giving everyone a chance to be heroic
(also known as: "Gamemastering, the Star Trek IV way")
- Conflict resolution skills
- Letting players kill themselves through their sheer stupidity
("Roleplaying, the Eric Whittaker way")