GM's Need To Respect Themselves Too

On Monday I talked about why players were awesome and make the game. Today I'm here to tell you that even though you should appreciate your players, you should not do so to the cost of self-respect. Today I want to talk about that.




It's Not All About The Players
While it is true that I am very guilty of switching Player, Characters, and PCs around interchangably like some sort of drunken record skipping song or whatever, the fact is that there is a difference. Your game should focus on the story of the PCs, that is true. However, that doesn't mean that it is all about the Players themselves. Or, more accurately...

YOU Are a Player Too
Hate to break this to you Mr. Proud "I am a GM and a GM only" but the GM is a player role. As the GM you are running the game, sure. However, you are also playing the game. You run all the NPCs and set up the world. You have a different role in the game - arguably a harder role - but you are still a player just like everyone else at the table.

As a player you should be having fun as well. After all, it is a game, and the game should be fun for the players right? Well, you're one of those players.

It's Not Worth Stressing Yourself Out
I've seen so many GMs, especially young GMs, work themselves up into a stressed out panic because they were worried about their game or something in their game. If this is you, while I applaud you for taking your game seriously it might be time to take a step back and relax. This should be something you do for fun (if you do it for money, how much and where do I sign up?) and what you do for fun shouldn't be stressing you out.

Don't have enough time to properly plan a session? Tell your players. Do something else. Improv something. Do something random in the game. There are ways around it. Your 4 hour D&D game isn't worth failing a test in school, or getting written up at work for being late or exhausted on the job. It certainly isn't worth missing a family member's important event (though if you dislike the family member, maybe it is :P.)

In The End
In the end, what I am trying to say, is that you want your game to be fun for everyone, but that doesn't mean giving up self respect. Be awesome. Have fun. Enjoy the game. Don't fret over it.