How to Run a Game

I started running games in the late 1980s. Does that make me an expert? Maybe. I've met a lot of Dungeon Masters, Game Masters, Storytellers, Narrators, and MCs over the years who have been running games for decades, but who honestly aren't very good. Conversely, I've met a few folk who've just instinctively got it, even if they've only run a couple of sessions. I don't think I've ever seen someone do an awesome job on their first attempt, but they might be out there...

I run a high school gaming club (I've written about it a few times on the blog already). I've been running games at conventions since the mid 1990s. My style of running a game isn't for everyone, I admit that, but I try to make sure everyone has fun, and when I was regularly running convention games I had dedicated regulars who would play my sessions whatever I was running... I was also paid DM for a while, and people were happy to come back and keep paying, so I can't be too bad.




But what lessons have I learned over the years? What keeps people coming back, and what stops them coming back?

There are so many factors, and so many interconnected elements that I can't fit them into a single post. So I guess it's time for another series. 

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