User Blog:
Variables - GM Advice

For this third installment of Variables, I'm going to pose a question: 

What do you think of GM advice in gaming books? 

My personal opinion is that most of it's just a rehash of the same old information. We know that the GM isn't supposed to be antagonistic towards the players. We know it's not a competition. We know it's all for fun. We know that ultimately, the players should probably win. I can think of a few shining examples of GM advice, Wizards of the Coast's new Dungeon Master's Guide 2 is a great example. It offers innovative ideas on how to use the system to tell new kinds of stories. It devotes some strong attention to skill challenges, and how to change the focus from the typical D&D combat game. However, it's nothing that hasn't been approached by another game. There's certainly an argument that there's nothing new under the sun, but there are new angles to take on old topics. 

So, if you've been inspired by a bit of GM advice, where was it? What was it? I'm curious to hear these things. 

I think my biggest personal piece of advice to any new (or even experienced) GM is to never slow your game in the name of the rules. This doesn't work for all player types, but 9/10ths of players I have played with might have basic disagreements with fudging rules a little, but even those will be thankful in the end when pacing and action serve to benefit from a little improvisation. With most new players, I'll even preface my games with the fact that trust is of the utmost importance, that enjoyment of the game hinges on a fundamental understanding that I run my games with action and drama in mind. Sometimes, the rules fall by the wayside, but I always keep the players' interests in mind. I won't let my rules improvisation kill a character, for example. I'll always make amends, particularly if a player is bothered by a given rules call. 

The ball is back in your court. Tell me about your favorite piece of advice, published or no.