Dear Apathy: Am I a Jerk?

Each week we answer a question from our loyal audience. This answer can by anything do do about gaming, and we’ll try to provide advice.

If we don’t receive a question, we will make one up and try to convince you it is real. Don’t let our relationship become one of lies.  You may leave your question in the comments, or email us at devteam@apathygames.com.  Our question for this week is:

Dear Apathy,

My game sucks. I’ve got all this really awesome stuff, and my NPC’s rock, but none of my players seem to care. I’ve already had to evict one player from my game for lack of attention, and I have to shout at my players to pay attention at least twice a session. What can I do to make them more interested in my story?

–Jeffrey Carlsen | Apathy Games, Seattle, WA

Well, Jeff, you seem like a smart fellow and a gentleman, so I’m happy to answer your question.

First, I have to ask, do you really want to be a GM, or do you want to be a novelist with a captive audience, because your players don’t give one care about your story. They want to experience their stories in your framework.

In other words, a good Game Master is focused on providing for the player’s interests, no just his own. Embrace their ideas and content.

If you want to just tell stories, then write stories.

Maybe, though, you really do have awesome ideas. Maybe you just suck at describing them? Are you being vivid, or do you stutter and throw out numbers?

Or maybe, maybe it’s your NPC’s that rock. Is it that you’re really just Game Mastering because it gives you more narrative control over darling NPCs that no longer need to follow the rules?

Is it some sort of power trip with you? You certainly enjoy shouting at your group. Have you ever stopped to consider that it might be your personality? You, my friend, are a jerk.

So, either get a new personality, or spike their Mountain Dew with cocain.

–Jeffrey Carlsen

Each week, we answer a question from our loyal audience. This answer can by anything about gaming, and we’ll try to provide advice. You may leave your question in the comments, or email us at devteam@apathygames.com.