Listen to your Players

It's always disappointing as a GM when our carefully crafted adventure doesn't seem to work. Or worse, creates frustration or even conflict at the table. Our friends are consoling, reassuring us that the players weren't being cooperative, weren't playing the game correctly, where being overly dramatic. But consider this--we play RPGs to have fun. Obviously, if a session doesn't go well, someone's not getting it. While it's easy to single out negative voices from the experience, a GM should never discount their own role and its execution. It's our job to facilitate fun. We can get easily caught up in our own ideas about how to do things, but the litmus test is always how a session plays. One of the most powerful GM tools is your players. Look for what they respond to, what catches their interest, those situations they find exciting. Likewise, pay attention to what you're doing when things are less successful. Doing so lends a strong insight to improving your sessions.