"What can I do better?" Is one of the most useful phrases a GM can learn. It is important to phrase it that way, because people are less likely to be honest and open if you say "Is this okay?" or "Is something wrong?" An open invitation to help you improve is the way to go. And a written record of their perspective is an even better way to track their interests and adjust for them. Below is a sample survey that I made for my own group.
With this tool you can identify individual players' preferences so you can make their games more personally satisfying. You can also track general trends that might need correction. If your results end up tending in a certain direction like "The encounters are running too long." you can keep that in mind and abridge them in the future. Questions like "When my character fails, it upsets me." Will tell you if the players are feeling confident and comfortable enough, realizing that failure is part of the game and opens up interesting possibilities for the future.
The right time to give a survey may be before or after a gaming session, or even electronically between sessions. But don't submit such a quiz to the players until they have played a few sessions for reference. Don't limit your dialogue with the players to the written survey either. Keep asking that question of "What can be better?" and use the survey to draw out more detail. It's fun for your players to feel open sharing their thoughts, and it can really make a difference at the game table once you optimize the game for its audience.
Feel free to make your own survey with new questions that might be important to you and your players. Take stock of the strongest opinions and learn your audience and pretty soon you will be providing your players with just the kind of action they want!
Have fun, and happy ventures!
No comments:
Post a Comment