I'll Take That as a Compliment

[Misfit KotLD]

So, what's the best compliment you have received for your GMing skills.

Mine was last week when the Elven Cyber-Knight PC duked it out with the NPC Gunslinger over the NPC's new elf-maid slave (given to him by a PC, but I digress). With the Gunslinger unconcious and bleeding to death, the CK announced the girl's freedom. To which she responded "Do I not please you?" It was an eventful and fun game all around, but the highlight was "Rob. I swear I will get you for this. In this life or the next... I will find someway..." said by the Cyber-Knight's player. A bit earlier in the evening he also uttered "You bastard" to me.

[lather]

I'm a mediocre GM at best so "that was awesome" was the best compliment yet.
The PCs solved a mystery involving a supernatural graveyard and some strange locals in a remote location in a state park.

[Misfit KotLD]

evil you are evil......

they were soooo right but the kept coming back

Why, thank you.

[zor_prime1]

Best compliment.... hmmmm.

The fact that even 5-6 years after GM-ing a PFRPG game all I have to do is simply mention certain villian's name. The response of some of the players still clench their fists and spitefully hiss, "Oooohhh. I hated that guy."


The best things about that villian were:
1) He was a decorate general. He had a whole army at his command with the King's trust.
2) No one believed the characters when they told anyone about the evil plot this villian had in motion.
3) Even though the players were one or two steps ahead of the villian in the race for new powers, the villian general used his resources to be dangerous and inconvenient.
4) They never actually met the villian. They only saw the influence of him. Luckily he didn't know who they were. He only knew what they've done to hinder his plot for power.
5) The best part of all betrayal of their trust: We played one adventure with a long time gamer friend who was visiting home for the weekend. He made a one-shot character to be their guide up to a secluded set of ruins. He fought and bled with them in the adventure. But later on, I emailed this friend and asked him if his character would assist the King's General. He agreed. This "betrayal" allowed for the villian to gain a HUGE stride in the race for the new set of abilities.
6) We had to stop playing so the villian was never stopped.

Anyway, I take it as a compliment when my players react angrily toward that villian.

[t0m]

i have brought two different groups of players to tears over the years. its was pretty amazing to see how involved they were in the story and npcs.

[CyCo]

Years ago I was running a Ravenloft game, and the party was on a galleon going from one port to another. Of course it was haunted, and I played it to the hilt. All the characters ended up hiding under bunks, in large coils of rope, etc. Just because how descriptive I was in describing how the ship sounded and half heard snippets of conversations about the characters. Near in mind the characters were around 10th level. They later told me they were scared, and had their characters act appropriately.

In a different group, but still with a Ravenloft game, I had to turn people away from my door because word had spread about the game I was running. We had 9 players, and I probably turned away about half a dozen more.

[lather]

I had to turn people away from my door because word had spread about the game I was running. We had 9 players, and I probably turned away about half a dozen more.

Don't be a player hater

[CyCo]

I had to turn people away from my door because word had spread about the game I was running. We had 9 players, and I probably turned away about half a dozen more.

Don't be a player hater

Having 9 in that campaign was already a little unwieldy, let alone having 15!! lol

[lather]

I had to turn people away from my door because word had spread about the game I was running. We had 9 players, and I probably turned away about half a dozen more.

Don't be a player hater

Having 9 in that campaign was already a little unwieldy, let alone having 15!! lol

Hm. Maybe recycle players with vicious and horribly unfair death traps. One way or the other, you win.

[Vidynn]

best compliment: "can't imagine anyone doing a better job as GM - like, worldwide". slimo.

[Cybermancer]

Another GM borrowing home brewed creations of mine to use in his own game.

[Marrowlight]

So, what's the best compliment you have received for your GMing skills.

I was told by someone who gamed under Wujcik that I ran an Amber game as well as he did. That compliment was only heightened when I got to play in a one shot game he ran at Dragon Con years ago.

Beyond that, my proudest moment as a GM was when I had some players being hunted in a town by some hellhounds, and at one point (I wish I could remember any of the particulars) my description of what was happening made one of the players, a full grown and completely sober man, gasp and jump in his seat.

[Misfit KotLD]

So, what's the best compliment you have received for your GMing skills.

I was told by someone who gamed under Wujcik that I ran an Amber game as well as he did. That compliment was only heightened when I got to play in a one shot game he ran at Dragon Con years ago.

Beyond that, my proudest moment as a GM was when I had some players being hunted in a town by some hellhounds, and at one point (I wish I could remember any of the particulars) my description of what was happening made one of the players, a full grown and completely sober man, gasp and jump in his seat.

[Spinachcat]

My best compliments are when players show up at my con games holding their new books that they bought in the dealer's room after playing in my demo. That's always very cool.

[Misfit KotLD]

"Your games are like a crack addiction, except I don't have to sell all my stuff." -- A former player.

After a big, climatic battle in a Rifts campaign, one of my players said: "Man, I've had sex that didn't come close to being that good."

One thing I've always taken as a compliment is when people feel that they can no longer stay in their seats and have to stand and pace or just stand for no reason at their seat.

I think you're Juli's favorite GM.

[Natasha]

"You can be my GM anytime."

I don't GM a lot (i.e., almost never), so that felt pretty good.

[sasha]

I recently started up a Rifts game with some RPG newbies, and when I asked if they would be cool with getting together weekly they settled on meeting every other day. I'm not sure I can chalk that up to my GM skills though.

Previously I got a player to fear mirrors for a while based on a BtS adventure I ran. It that it was easy for me to come up with this because I had this fear in real life for several years.

What I'm getting at is that it's the memories that you create and talk about even years later that are the greatest compliments.

[cyber-yukongil v2.5]

some of my players will completely drop other games when they hear I have a new idea for a game. Though I don't know if that reflects well on me or poorly on the other GM's

[Overlord Rikonius]

"You can be my GM anytime."

I don't GM a lot (i.e., almost never), so that felt pretty good.

Is this after they tell you that you're dangerous?

[Natasha]

"You can be my GM anytime."

I don't GM a lot (i.e., almost never), so that felt pretty good.

Is this after they tell you that you're dangerous?

Maybe. I can't understand all the blubbering they do when I have the gun to their head asking am I a good GM.

[ZorValachan]

When I was in college my dormmates (all 18 of them) became gamers that year. Only 1 had touched a RPG before. Even the 4 guys pledging for frats would skip their frat parties for gaming. That was 17 years ago and it was freakin Hero Quest with a 10 page Role-Play supplement I came up with

More recently; One of my long time friends and players (In BTS-2) got names messed up (I knew he would and even wrote the name down to give him a chance) and he took the game on a 3 hour long wild goose chase. When he finally read the name correctly the colour drained from his face and his character told another player's character "I just lost my job" (he was a police detective and spent a night putting the wrong people in protective custody). Another player looked at me and said, "You knew this the entire time and kept a straight face for 3 hours?!?!?! I worked hard that night not to give the "GM grin". When asked why I let the farce go on so long, I simply asked, "Was it fun?" answer was a definate yes.

[Marrowlight]

When I was in college my dormmates (all 18 of them) became gamers that year. Only 1 had touched a RPG before. Even the 4 guys pledging for frats would skip their frat parties for gaming. That was 17 years ago and it was freakin Hero Quest with a 10 page Role-Play supplement I came up with

I can think of a couple frat parties I'd have skipped to play a Heroes Quest/Quest for Glory rpg.

[Warwolf]

i have brought two different groups of players to tears over the years. its was pretty amazing to see how involved they were in the story and npcs.

You know you're doing something right whenever the description of an NPC's funeral brings tears to your players' eyes... and then some of the heartfelt actions of their characters nearly brought tears to mine. That room felt like the funeral of a friend rather than the death of a character that only existed on a sheet of paper and in our imaginations. I'll never forget that for as long as I live.

Other than that, various sentiments expressed by my players over the years (including the regular utterances of "***hole" in my direction), having a player drive hundreds of miles almost once a month for a few months to play in my HU2 game, having players who've been out of gaming for a year or more still speak fondly of my games, and having one Mr. Kevin Siembieda tell me that I'm an excellent GM.

[Grell]

The best compliment I ever received was having my group enthusiastically return each weekend to let me run for them.

Then there was the adopted utterance of "worst....GM......EVER!" due to my deeply unexpected twists and sudden betrayals. I had a player weep frustrated tears as he listened to his NPC love interest being murdered solely due to her connection to him as he frantically rushed to try and save her. He failed. It was epic.

Best smoke break afterwards though!