Top Five Types of Game Masters I Will Not Play With

I decided to continue with the theme I started last week – but this week I’ll touch upon the types of Games Masters I refuse to have anything to do with.

One can argue that a game is only as good as its players. If you have bad players, the game is going to suck. This is a relatively simple fix. You have lousy players; you can either get rid of the bad players or just leave the game.

It’s a little more difficult when it comes to having a lousy GM. Again if the GM is really that bad, you can always leave and find another game. It makes it kind of awkward however, if you happen to be friends with the GM in question. The upside is in such a situation, you can always talk to him or her and maybe change how things are going.

Personally, I would just leave the game. I really don’t have the time or patience to deal with the kinds of GM’s I’m about to list.

With the exception of number one, there is no particular order. Number one however, is at the top of this list for a very good reason!

1. The Killer GM – Thankfully I’ve only had to deal with this type of GM once. This was many years ago and I soon discovered just how horrible this type of person is and I left the game, never to look back. A Killer GM is the kind of GM who creates scenarios to kill the player. No matter how well your dice roll, no matter what tactics you try to use, you will die and die often. This type of GM is horrible on so many different levels. For them it’s not a game. They control the universe and as such they decide to take out their frustrations or inadequacies on those who have joined their game by killing them. No one wants to play (at least that I know) in a game where they are rolling up characters every session or multiple times per session. Typically these types of GM’s are lashing out and doing their best to hurt people in the only way they can. The occasional death is understandable, and can even add to the overall story, but dying time after time is not fun and I can’t see why anyone would subject themselves to such punishment. My recommendation is to drop this type of GM and never look back.
2. The Pushover – This type of GM tends to cater to a specific player in the group. It does not have to be a significant other or girlfriend or the like. For some reason whatever that particular player wants, they get. Often this is a situation where the player has something over the GM, such as they are the ones who provide the ride, drinks, or whatever. This is not fun for the other players who may be working just as hard as the one to achieve a goal, but never can accomplish it, or are just pushed aside for that one player. When it comes down to it, the GM is not actually the GM – they are merely the tool for the player. This type of situation can usually be handled by simply getting rid of the player in question. Does not always work out that way though.
3. Inflexible – As a GM you have to be ready to change your plans at the drop of a hat. You cannot run a game and expect the players follow everything you had planned out. You have a great dungeon ready to use, and the players get sidetracked by something you never expected and don’t even consider the dungeon. You have to be ready to go with the flow and follow what the players want. You can’t shanghai them into going into your dungeon. Forcing your players into doing something they don’t want to do is not going to be fun for anyone. Also, NPC’s are not automatons. Well I guess some can be, but when players present your NPC’s with evidence that something is not as it should be, the NPC’s should be prepared to change what they would normally do or not do. Flexibility in all aspects of the game is important. If the GM is not willing to be flexible, maybe it’s time to look for a new game elsewhere.
4. Non Preparer – I have been guilty of this in the past. You have your weekly session planned but for some reason you did not put any prep work into the game. This could be something as simple as not reading over the adventure you were supposed to run, to having a major campaign planned out but not putting the time into making NPC’s, maps, encounters or what have you. So when that when it comes time to play you spend more time trying to make up stuff on the fly or end up doing something unexpected because you did not know the material you were working with.  A good experienced GM can typically compensate and run the game on the fly, but there are not many out there who can do this easily. It typically does take a lot of practice and experience. This type of GM is salvageable, they just need to put the time into at the very least reading the adventure they were planning on running, or at worst, cancelling the game until they are ready, or even letting another GM take over for a short period of time.
5. Doesn’t know the system – When a new system comes out, it is perfectly understandable for both the GM and the Players to have a rough go of it. They are after all, learning the new game. This can also be alleviated by reading the rules before sitting down to run the game. However if someone has been playing the game for weeks or even months and still does not know the system, there is something quite wrong, or the GM is outright lying. This is particularly horrific to have to deal with in a convention setting. The GM should know the game inside and out and not have to refer to rules constantly. If this happens regularly, then it’s time to find a new GM. If it happens occasionally, then really it just means that the GM needs to bone up on the system they are running, or stop lying about it and just say they don’t know the game. All the time wasted with bad judgment calls or constantly looking up rules could have been put to better use by the players actually enjoying themselves. This can also be offset by experience and being willing to ask questions of more experience players or GM’s, be it with your gaming group or even online.

Chris Van Deelen is the author of the Skirmisher Publishing LLC sourcebook Creatures of the Tropical Wastes sourcebook, co-author of its Wisdom from the Wastelands game supplement and contributor to the 'Sword of Kos: Hekaton' Anthology. Check out his Twitter, FaceBook, Pintrest, Reddit and Fan Fiction accounts!