GM Feedback thread

[WearsHats]

One thing about running a game where you can't see the players' faces is that it's really hard to tell what people are thinking. Are they having fun? Is there something you did that could have been done better? I'm realizing that I haven't done as good a job as I should in thanking GMs for running the games I've enjoyed. But I'm also wondering what lessons I can learn to be a better GM myself. So that's what this thread is for. To encourage people to share feedback on games. Praise, constructive criticism, remembering games that you miss.

If you'd rather post anonymously, you can PM me and I'll quote it here. (As long as I don't feel it's hurtful, offensive, or overly personal. Constructive criticism is one thing, but I won't spread flames.)

I'll be back later with my own thoughts, but feel free to get things started...

[thinkslogically]

Well, to start this off then, I'd like to complement theis2 and LooksAtYouFunny on their games that I am playing in. Theis is running Shipwrecked (D&D 3.5e) with what is possibly one of the most incompetent parties of PCs ever, but it's great fun and he's been great at moulding the game to suit us (both in terms of technical rules knowledge and allowing a sensible amount of nonsense!). It's also incredibly creative which makes it great fun - the encounters and puzzles all feel like a real challenge with 'real' solutions to find which is also very cool. It's text-based, so I'm sure it's not got the readers it deserves, but there is a place available in it if anyone wants to join in and doesn't mind not taking it all too seriously

LAYF's game (currently on hiatus) is probably one of the closest to a computer-game style I've seen on here in a while insofar as it's got more complex and structured rules than the traditional 'LSN' style rules but they seem to work pretty well. The best part is probably the awesome artwork though and it was also a ton of fun to play. I'm looking forward to seeing it come back.

I'd also like to congratulate patdragon adn BadgeAddict for taking up the challenge and running their own quests through the Goblin Adventurer's League I'm VERY pleased that it's taken off as much as it has, especially after God School died out at the end. Both are proving to be really creative and entertaining to read through and it seems like the players are enjoying them too.

[Nerre]

He knows it already, but I wish LAYF would finally do the finishing touch to Myrmen. It was a great game and very nice, and it deserved to be put into the finished games section rather than disappearing somewhere in the game thred.

And I absolutely love threads of reality. So complex, so much story. Took me a long time to really get into it and involved, but now it is great fun.

Cavemen did start well, it is a bit sad so few people stuck to it, and that the active posters got fewer and fewer.

[M0rtimer]

To my own players: Criticize meeeee. (Or love me. Or both. Thanks by the way Nerre. )

I'm not in too many games, but to my own GM's- Firstly I commend all of you. I'd give even greater praise but I realize the chance of free stuff is marginal so I'm not going to bother. (:P)

I agree with Thinks on Theis's game- We are indeed the most incompetent party of adventurers ever. Our most glorious battle so far was most likely against those mushrooms... And we are apparently turning into a mushroom cult?

Thinks, Lair of the mountain king is pretty awesome. If I have to complain about one thing it's probably that (and this has been less true as time goes by and you grew more comfortable with the style) is that your style is a bit harder to model- For example, a stick figure you can easily bend over, while you'd need to redraw your entire sprite if you'd need to bow over a character, and hence that at times means you won't draw an appropiate sprite or picture and rather have the character standing there since it'd be a sprite that never gets used again. Not sure if I made clear what I meant there, but I hope I did. Besides that though, I really like the game, and you've got some puzzles set up of which we only barely scratched the surface. (I guess in fear of horrible death... ) Which I look forward to solving. I also look forward to being a pretty mermaid.

Dusk's game is also pretty amazing. Dusk is a pretty good GM- Those who have seen his entries in either of the RW contests knows that to be fact.

[BadgeAddict]

So,as one of the creators of Cavemen i must say, it was a great concept. I'm personally not very good at creating games due to my OCD nature. I want to make sure everything is perfect before i begin. But we came up with the point system idea for a RPing type game and then just went with it. At that moment, i suddenly found wings on my shoulders which led me to create the GAL (Crazy old man Quest) which I'm a proud papa of.

As an Engineer/Technical Writer my mind is always going for the next big idea and no sooner had Cavemen begun, but i began dreaming up the next big score. I think the original idea is great, and the point system is great, but also, i think this system can be applied to any storyline. I'm not bashing Cavemen, but I think one of the problems is the lack of fantasy. For me at least, I didn't know what i was doing so i thought if we started with cavemen who didn't know shit, it wouldn't be that difficult to keep players in line. After it started, I realized that it is better for people to know shit. At some point if/when Cavemen dies, I would like to help Nikohl create a new game following the same system, except in a new world but allowing most of the original concepts to remain. Currently I have two such ideas which would, i think, be really cool to see come to life in a RP environment.

1. Dragons - Everyone starts as relatively newborn hatchlings
2. Zombies - Everyone starts at some point of a zombie apocalypse with a few items and must survive as a group (this would force more group decision making, though the GM involvement would be probably more intense)

Anyways, yes I would love some feedback for the Gal quest, i've put a fair amount of work into trying to make it fun, even though it somewhat lacks on the combat side of things.In my next GAL quest, i will try harder to kill all of you.

[Nerre]

We already had a zombie apocalypse game once, but it died somehow. Don't know why and who GMed it. Maybe it was already in a previous forum.
Dragons sounds a bit like "how to tame a dragon".

I wish I would get some feedback on my games, lately about half the players started to only post rarely, also the posts seem rather bored and shored and not creative. Minimalism doesn't benefit such a game. Even if I have enough time to update, I often cannot update more than once a week cause some people started to take longer and longer to respond. The level of player interaction also has dropped drastically, even in life-threatening situations I had to encourage some to respond to each other.
In ToR the player interaction is one of the major things that make the game so create.
It is kind of sad since the other half of the players is still enthusiastic and creative, and often posts within a few hours after the update.
I really hope the game does not die, have a lot of events and ideas already planned ahead. It is hard to keep your motivation up if sometimes a short sentence is sometimes all you get back.

[thinkslogically]

If I have to complain about one thing it's probably that (and this has been less true as time goes by and you grew more comfortable with the style) is that your style is a bit harder to model-

Yeah, that's fair! For me it's almost entirely a matter of time - if I have it, I'll draw a new sprite pose and add it to the Mega Sheet of All The Things (which is probably why it's been improving over time!); if I don't, I have to recycle an old pose or skip the update (probably not such a good option). I also didn't really appreciate how important that kind of thing was until I started writing god school and really looking at some of the other game sprites properly So, I promise I will continue to try and show the stuff you do properly, but you might have to bear with me every so often and just put up with the odd boring pose.

I also look forward to being a pretty mermaid.

Of course you do! Who WOULDN'T want to be a pretty mermaid?

[LooksAndSmiles]

I heard the minesweeping game sucks. The story lacks depth, the maps are easy, the rules are overcomplicated and the DM cannot put out more than 2 updates per week. I can't fathom why people keep it playing. Seriously, if I were the GM I'd make sure my players are actually enjoying the game... OH WAIT, Dammit.

[BadgeAddict]

If I have to complain about one thing it's probably that (and this has been less true as time goes by and you grew more comfortable with the style) is that your style is a bit harder to model-

Yeah, that's fair! For me it's almost entirely a matter of time - if I have it, I'll draw a new sprite pose and add it to the Mega Sheet of All The Things (which is probably why it's been improving over time!); if I don't, I have to recycle an old pose or skip the update (probably not such a good option). I also didn't really appreciate how important that kind of thing was until I started writing god school and really looking at some of the other game sprites properly So, I promise I will continue to try and show the stuff you do properly, but you might have to bear with me every so often and just put up with the odd boring pose.

So, I am using a method of art that the rest of you most likely aren't and I would like to and am willing to share my secret with you.

First of all, i work at an Engineering company and I have access to Cad type software(s) which i need to use almost daily and i went to school to learn a lot of this stuff. Honestly though, using Cad isn't that difficult, its really just learning how to use everything and where it is all located.

Free 2d Cad
(they do ask for quite a lot of information, i will admit this, but this product is completely free)

The above link is for the Cad software that I use, its called Solid Edge. The link leads you to their website where the ones who own it "Siemens" are giving it away for free to anyone who wants it.

I'm mentioning this because of what you mentioned about poses. Poses are so easy, because in Cad, there is no need to redraw everything. All of the characters that i have made are composed of lines, circles, etc. To change a pose, i simply shift the lines a little bit and typically presto, i have a new pose. Even if it's one i will never use again. There is also a "fill" command which is how i color objects.

If there is anyone who would like to learn how to use the program, I would be more than happy to help and share my knowledge as much as possible.

[Godbot]

To my own players: Criticize meeeee. (Or love me. Or both. Thanks by the way Nerre. )

Myeah, all right.

Threads of Reality is an exercise in why having a crazy GM is awesome. The stakes are really high, the story arcs are ambitious, no one has any idea what the fuck is going on, and one time I tripped and fell out of the narrative. It's great.

A bunch of the names and some of the imagery are pretty clearly homages to other sources, but the story and the setting are original, so that's all right.

The pacing is really slow, and although every setting is memorable because of how detailed they are and how much time we spend in them, I worry that we won't be able to finish the campaign. I'm not really sure how to fix that, though. Maybe picking up the pace of the story when we're in town, or shortening some future story arcs. Or we could find a way to speed up combat a bit. Maybe cut out some of the writing during combat, and get everyone to post a bit faster. (At the very least, no more lever-and-cage rooms.)

(And speaking of settings, I was really impressed with how much thought you'd obviously put into the story behind Kraken's Cove. That whole thing about how the Captain couldn't change what the city's roots were.)

Oh, and I really like how much character customization there is. The trait system gives us a lot of room to get creative with our characters (and minmax, but I think we've been okay about that). Not only that, but we've got multiclassing, those treasure chests where we can request a kind of item, your enchanting system, and you even let madmartin trade in his list of spells for open-ended control over an element. We've got tons of freedom.

[WearsHats]

In no particular order:

I love Escape by ThinksLogically. I know I've messed it up being too practical, but that was a lot of fun. And an inspiration. I hope we can get back to it some day. It's the lighthearted semi-open world puzzle/exploration adventure that I wish I was good enough to make.

Minesweeper and Capture the Flag (which have both had different GMs) are also favorites of mine. Turned-based team play (of different types) can be really engaging, and all the GMs involved have done a great job of making them work.

Goblin Adventurer's League is shaping up to be pretty cool. It's a whole world of new quests. And, even though the players in mine seem to be tripping over each other's toes, I'm definitely enjoying it. (While trying to learn how to be a better player.)

There was another game. I can never remember the name of it. I'm not even sure who the DM was. (ECR?) But I'm sure everyone from the old forums remembers it. One room after another, with the simple goal of getting to the next door. Only goblins only have 1 hit point, so if anything happens to you you die and have to wait your turn to respwan. Of course, goblins tend to die a lot, so even though you rarely ever got to be alive for more than a couple of turns in a row, you could rest assured that your turn would come back around soon enough. Took me a while to get into it, but it quickly became one of my favorites. It's really what pulled me in to forum games. And the rooms were well designed. Imitations didn't quite live up to the original.

Runes of Greldathriaxx by Aegis J Hyena is just starting, so it's hard to comment on the mechanics. But I'm loving the humor so far. And the graphical/visual style is cool. The dialog (written for us) is always fun.

I feel like I'm forgetting something. If I've played in your game and forgotten you, I'm sorry.

[M0rtimer]

That's warlock's game you're thinking of. "Mooks" or something similar I think it was called, which originally spawned over at the MSPA forums.

If we're calling up past games, I'd just like to call up on any of ECR's games and the fact they were awesome. Like, "I'm having a really hard time to find anything negative about these games"-awesome. The art and style was great and easily adapted which allowed for the awesome combat scenes we often saw, the difficulty was on point, the levels amazingly designed with plenty of hidden secrets... The only shame is he's probably not going to see me being a slimeball, really.

[thinkslogically]

I love Escape by ThinksLogically. I know I've messed it up being too practical, but that was a lot of fun. And an inspiration. I hope we can get back to it some day. It's the lighthearted semi-open world puzzle/exploration adventure that I wish I was good enough to make.

Goblin Adventurer's League is shaping up to be pretty cool. It's a whole world of new quests. And, even though the players in mine seem to be tripping over each other's toes, I'm definitely enjoying it. (While trying to learn how to be a better player.)

Thanks very much Escape! wasn't messed up by any of you guys though, it was entirely my fault for including too many PCs essentially and then it spiralled into the biggest time-sink ever and I kind of ran out of steam trying to think up new ways to deal with them all! I think Gathers PM'd me about it when GAL started up, but I do intend to go back to it once I get the thesis out the way and I have time to do justice to it properly. We'll probably mostly stick with Shuuk and Nyk rather than EVERYONE, but it will definitely (eventually) get to an end.

As for the GAL quest, you guys are doing fine I think the fact you're all in different timezones isn't helping your planning, but you've already surprised me quite a few times which is cool

[WearsHats]

I can't believe I forgot to mention Festival of Fools! I was really getting into that game. Now there was a fun idea and a detailed game world. So many unique characters, each with a distinct personality. An entire city full of interesting NPCs, and we'd just scratched the surface. I'm glad I got to play, and I hope we can get back to it someday.

[LAYF]

So, yea.. I've been avoiding this thread for..... reasons

That said, I have a lot to say in this aspect. I'll write it up over some time, but I wanted to say one thing now.

To all who are GMs, no matter how big, little, frequent updated your game is! The fact that you take, out of your own time to entertain a bunch of strangers over the internet, only to receive little response if any aside from the game interaction! Good on you, and Thank you. you all do a great job! and you have my thanks for being part of what makes this forum as great a place as it is!

So, here is a full list of all who is registered GameMasters, I'll respond to all of the one at a time as I get through it (I will reread on their games to be sure of what I say if it is games I don't play in)

Dusk9
Theis2
BadgeAddict
Arles
Theonewhoisodd
thinkslogically
MasterMereneth
LooksAndSmiles
Aegis J Hyena
Nerre
I'mBob
Jibjib
LooksAtYouFunny
Questions
Loyal Backstabber
Patdragon
M0rtimer
Wearshats
Nikohl


(Please, mention those who is not on the list, this is only those who are registred GMs, and I'd like to add people as they come... also for others to use)

[BadgeAddict]

LAYF

I just want to say that you by far, from my limited understanding of the forum games throughout all of its life, from forum to forum, have been instrumental in coming up with fascinating game after fascinating game.

I stand and applaud you. Here is me clicking your +1 Like button....and then creating a whole bunch of fake accounts so that i can continue clicking it 1,000+ times.

[LooksAndSmiles]

LAYF

I just want to say that you by far, from my limited understanding of the forum games throughout all of its life, from forum to forum, have been instrumental in coming up with fascinating game after fascinating game.

I stand and applaud you. Here is me clicking your +1 Like button....and then creating a whole bunch of fake accounts so that i can continue clicking it 1,000+ times.

+1

[LAYF]

So, first part of my feedback

Dusk9
So... Pokemon- I'll be honest, if it is not on the old b/w gameboy, or if i stretch it the gameboy color. it does not have much interest for me.. there are only 151 pokemon, end of story!
That said!
I've been really impressed to see the amount of activity you have been able to build up around this concept, I believe you have players who only come here for your game! I like how you have added a touch or realism that I have not seen in pokemon before... the monsters actually die if hurt to much before capture! I like that.
But what really impresses me, is your OOC thread, You really have your players into your game, and that is proven by the activity in OOC. I think you take the price here! congratulations
All in all, great going, and I love the amount of time there seems to be put into this game.


Theis2
My fellow Dane, You my friend have taken upon yourself one of the greater tasks! to run a DnD game in the slowest interaction system possible! And from the look of it, and the activity of your players, It looks like you are doing great! I'm really impressed that you have gotten your players to play as if it was a tabletop rpg, and that you go for equal great challenges.
I know you also have tried a little with grapichs from time to time, and while I know you don't like them, they have served their purpose, so congratulations on that too! I enjoy following your game!


BadgeAddict
Lets start with your own game, GAL III: so far you have manged to take another GMs style, and fit it to your own with success, that can be a big challenge!
You have managed to not even update once per day in periodes, but I think I once saw you update 3 or four times in one day... wow!
That said, I'll also applaud you as a player, because, what I really love to see is that you engage in the games you play in, you actually seem to care what is happening, not just to your own character, but also those around you! At times this has made me on edge and even annoyed at you because it can seem "bossy" But! I have also come to learn one thing, that is not your intent, in fact, it really seems that your "bossyness" is a way to try and make people interact a lot more, to actually participate in the games. so, in a way, I'm glad you do it

Nikohl & Badge at the same time
Cavemen! Now, Here is a concept I really like, and while you do well as GMs in it, it is far more your idea I'll say that I love.. you have taken a setting and genre that does not seem to have much success on these forums (non magic, heavy writing) and made it a success! your rules system is lite, and you have even managed to be able to play yourself in this because of that! I can only say that I enjoy reading this, and it is one of the few games where I read all updates from the GMs even do I don't play! and When relevant (more or less all the time) read all the players posts too!


Okay... that was it for today... or for now at least...

Oh... Edit:

LAYF

I just want to say that you by far, from my limited understanding of the forum games throughout all of its life, from forum to forum, have been instrumental in coming up with fascinating game after fascinating game.

I stand and applaud you. Here is me clicking your +1 Like button....and then creating a whole bunch of fake accounts so that i can continue clicking it 1,000+ times.

-SNIP-

+1

Thanks to the both of you... that means a lot... sadly, that is also my problem, I've started many games, but only completed few. that does make me kind of sad... I'm just... not feeling the creativity for anything but creating currently :S making games, sure, lots.... but continuing them :S and I'ts sad, MyrMen is just one update away from finishing, And I cant get myself to do it right :S

but thanks, to the both of you

[BadgeAddict]

BadgeAddict
Lets start with your own game, GAL III: so far you have manged to take another GMs style, and fit it to your own with success, that can be a big challenge!
You have managed to not even update once per day in periodes, but I think I once saw you update 3 or four times in one day... wow!
That said, I'll also applaud you as a player, because, what I really love to see is that you engage in the games you play in, you actually seem to care what is happening, not just to your own character, but also those around you! At times this has made me on edge and even annoyed at you because it can seem "bossy" But! I have also come to learn one thing, that is not your intent, in fact, it really seems that your "bossyness" is a way to try and make people interact a lot more, to actually participate in the games. so, in a way, I'm glad you do it

Oh yeahh...I am Hot Shit.... oh no, not cold shit that crumbles underneath your footsteps, nay, i am the kind that sticks to your foot and won't come off without a good deal of pressure washing.

[LAYF]

W7F M8? hehe... well... any ways, it was meant as a compliment

[M0rtimer]

Am I not worthy?

Hah, no worries, I guess I'm just not in the games masters list? I guess it doesn't matter with me being a moderator...

Anyways- I agree what with the others said LAYF. You've made a big impact on the forum games here- And in a good way. And you're always there to be helpful and try to stimulate others into making this place even greater.

And, of course, I too would like to see Myrmen finished... But with that being said, I'm quite sure how you feel- Don't beat yourself up about it, okay?

[LAYF]

What? I... I... I...

I added you to the list some hours ago

you are still there on my to do list.. Ooookay... that just sounds wrong when it is a person I'm talking about...

But... thanks M0rt.




*ps: Yes, I just copied the GM list, and, apparently you are not on it (nikohl neither) but Nerre PM'ed me and told you were missing, so I added you... and now I see that LAYF is also on the list... Oh how I look forward to reviewing him, Giving him a piece of my mind I will...

[WearsHats]

I'm interested in reviews, too. This is my first time as GM, and I'd like to hear what people are thinking. I want to know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, and what I could be doing better. To improve this game, if I can, but also because eventually, I'm going to want to run another text based game, and I'd like to learn as much as I can.

[LAYF]

And of course my friend, that you will also get! I simply had not looked close at the list... seems a lot of people are missing from it... "I will seek them out! I will find them! And I will show them all" <<- That is a sentence I must use in a game somewhere!

Also, if nothing else, I made a mini review of sorts in the requirement for TheSedated, your game is mentioned there!:

► Show Spoiler

Hay Sedated

First off, welcome to the forums, or more, these parts of it (as I see you have been here for a time now)

Second, Pardon my writing and grammar skills, I'm really bad at this.

All that out of the way:

Minelings is looking for a player! Its not DnD, but it is a nice little rpg with graphics and functional rules. it is more focused on survival and "tribe" building, but you might like that? you can PM the GM Nerre if you are interested!

By same GM has just opened a Minesweeper game, also with RPG parts, there are still spots open here: Space odyssey

There is also an "always open for new players" game called Civilization V: Heart of the Maelstrom Another Civ game, text based this time, in this game there is a lot of focus on group work and trying to build up a functional tribe. there are also a heavy fantasy setting with lots of combat and magic. to start playing, just start voting on the last update, and ask the GM Aegis when you can have a character (normally the rule is 5 votes first, but sometimes new users gets a little ahead because our GMs are nice )

The Watchtower is a game by Wearshats where anyone can play, In this game all users/players try to help two adventures escape a watchtower that seems to be mostly illusions, by figuring out the "code/solution" behind different riddles, puzzles and hints that are somehow references to music.

I Think Cavemen is still open for players, this is mostly a writing game with focus on role play, each player takes up the role of a "stone age" character in their struggle to find a good and stable home, survive natures harsh treatment and all in all trying to get bye! its really well written and the GMs are fair and good at what they do (yes GMs, there are two)

Shipwrecked is a DnD game, ran by Theis and has one player spot open. it is really fun to read how the players seem to be more or less insane, but the challenges and puzzles are cleaver and inventive, so who would not go insane?

And then there are The Goblin adventures league, The league itself is mostly a "talk rpg" with a few mini gambles here and there where your character can win some gold. but more importantly, it is a "portal" to many new games, mostly mini dungeon runs where you can use the same character in multiple games by multiple GMs, and even be a GM yourself if you feel like it. To get a character simply write a name, color you'd like and a background story. You will start with 10 gold right away that you can use on beer, gamble or whatever, maybe a shop later when people return with some items to sell!
You can interact with the other players as soon as you have made a character, and when the main GM Thinks has the time, she will make an update with some talk, and if you have gambles with the result of said gamble...


All in all, lots of opportunity for playing games, and there are far more than what I've mentioned here.. this is simply what I know to be open right now...

Glad to see a new face, and I hope you'll be happy and content here in the forum

Best Regards -LAYF-

but... here is an updated list:

Dusk9
Theis2
BadgeAddict
Arles
Theonewhoisodd
thinkslogically
Mereneth
LooksAndSmiles
Aegis J Hyena
Nerre
I'mBob
Jibjib
LooksAtYouFunny
Questions
Loyal Backstabber
Patdragon
M0rtimer
Wearshats
Nikohl

(please mention/add to this list, so that all can use it)

[SGTdude]

Dear TL,

Thanks for making a perfect environment for growing epicness. Your games are pretty to look at but its the bonus stuff. Like "sure, you can wear that skeleton's head as a mask. I will even draw it on your character!" (Layf, might have a sketch request in the near future).

I wish there were levels or skills or stuff to power up. But since you made a nexus for many gms to use and bring the community together I will forgive the oversight. Odd Duck is my favorite character now.