The Art of GMing (5/5)

Overall balance is one of the toughest things to maintain as a GM when running a game. A good GM is able to keep the group of players under control and on task while still being flexible enough to keep things fun. Rigidly insisting on railroading players to behave a certain way can disrupt the fun and flow of a game session, but allowing too much flexibility can cause chaos to emerge. Rules exist in a game to provide a common agreement and structure among players, but a good GM knows how to manage things to keep the game exciting—if a particular scenario or action requires too many die rolls and calculations, a GM might decide to average things out or otherwise tweak details to keep the game moving. A critical situation that would unfairly kill all the players' characters should be adjusted secretly by the GM to still give them a challenge, but allow them the possibility of victory. After all, a GM is a story-teller, and he should want his players to walk away from the game with a great story to tell of their experiences together. For more GM tips, tricks, and resources, check out the Solar Echoes Mission Controller's Guide!