How often do you take suggestions from your players?

Never.

They all just want the spotlight.

>>50397490
sometimes I do go and fuck myself

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There's no reason to make friends with someone whose mind won't bend.

So always take suggestions, but always consider them thoroughly before implementing anything.
The GM is subservient to his players if he wants to run a game, but that doesn't mean he just gives them what they want. No one knows what they actually want.

Yes. It really helps cut down the logistics of world building when a player can recreate a government system from one of their favorite novels. It lets you relax and gets the player seriously interested in the setting.

I pretty much just mine their character concepts and OOC banter and speculation for material to make the campaign. Usually just as seed ideas or subversions though.

>>50397490
Why is that thing so happy?

>>50397775
It's not bothered by the fact that people interact with it only because they want to put things inside it.

It accepts its place in life without complaint, just as all followers of the Book of Nature do.

>>50397930
>It's not bothered by the fact that people interact with it only because they want to put things inside it.

It IS hard to be a woman...

>>50397665
Me and a friend do this. He GM's. I'll make up bullshit on the fly about his setting. This works because we've been friends for over a decade and we know how each other thinks. If I ever make up something that doesn't fly, he'll subtly retcon it later. Justified how? Unreliable narrator, exposition gets delivered in character. And my characters tend to be... eccentric.

>>50397775
why wouldn't it be?

At the end of every campaign.
But I always just get vague or neutral replies, even if they're saying 'yeah, it was great' or 'I enjoyed it' in those tones.
I'm asking for feedback, damnit.

>>50397490
Like all the time. Granted, I also understand that players ALSO want to feel challenged rather than just given what they want, but player input is really important, and GM's who ignore it are stupid.

>>50399598
Google allows you to create surveys. I was introduced to the practice by a GM who would sent one out in the group chat and ensure everyone had sent a response in before the next session.

>>50399598
>>50400340
It's a sad reflection of society when people are more comfortable being honest with an electronic form than with their fellow peers.

>urge my uni group to take acting classes
>none of them do
The lads in the philosophy club are a bunch of aspies with opinions Nietzsche would laugh at, but even they're comfortable enough having deep conversation with their peers.

Only once did our dm take a suggestion from us.
After the gangland style death of a native American named Sleeps Under the Stars, we petitioned for him to posthumously be named Sleeps with the Fishes.

>>50397490
too often.

>>50397638
>The GM is subservient to his players if he wants to run a game
lol, hell no

>>50400340
>imagine being such a bad GM that you can't figure out yourself what went well and what didn't

>>50400373
Oh shit I've been telling my GM stuff like "it was great" and all that whenever he'd ask for feedback, is that bad?
>I honestly think it's great and I got nothing to really add or criticize.

>>50401107
Anon.
The GM is selling a product: his campaign.
He needs to have enough in there of what his consumers, the players, want if he expects them to join him.

The GM is subservient to his players in the same way a manufacturer is.

Now, if he had a monopoly on running campaigns, or significant market control over running campaigns, then yes, he would be able to tell his fantasy-loving players that they were going to be in a Vietnam campaign and that they would enjoy it.
But this doesn't exist. Not in the digital age, where your players will just fuck off and play Hearthstone if nothing draws them into the game.

Give "The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals" or equivalent a read sometime. It's good stuff.

>>50401147
Thinking something is good is just fine.
But you need a way to put into words what you think is good.
If your cyberpunk campaign turns into dark dungeon delving through abandoned skyscrapers that have been built over and forgotten, you can praise the tone or the atmosphere.
If he's got you stripping wires because the copper will sell on the market, or if the players are fighting and risking death over someone nicking the gold-plated VGA cables they found, you can step back from the character and comment on the small scope of the campaign, and how you appreciate not being the Hollywood Heroes saving the world.
So on and so forth.
It's just stepping back and giving detail and being able to rationalize why you're enjoying something.
>>50401127
>implying two perspectives aren't better than one
There's no good reason to pass up more information.

Whenever I can.
How often do I act on these suggestions? Whenever they're smart or valid, which is drastically rarer.

Never, wish they would suggest things though. They seem dissatisfied and I'm neurotic as fuck.

>>50397490
Always listen to their plot-related ideas, but implement their suggestions when I find them valid and/or I think it's a good moment.

If they suggest things about how I run the games and what they would rather expect, it means I've fucked up big time, so I usually organise brain-storm with entire party and listen to their suggestions, ideas and accusations.

Also, I ask people a LOT what they think about latest game, entire run so far and so on, so it's not like I'm waiting for their first move.

>>50401743
Then ask them first. It's not a fucking rocket science. And if you are scared of social interaction with group of peope for whom you fucking run games, then you must have some sort of brain damage

>>50401147
It's only bad if you lied.

We've got a player like this once, who was so scared to even talk OOC, he was constantly lying to not get kicked out, as he got paranoid we will get rid of him unless he will butt-lick both the GM and rest of the party.

>>50401859
I do, and they say everything's fine. But I know it's not fine. Take your midol and calm down.

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>>50401147
>>50401147
Not bad, just frustrating. When I ask about how the campaign is, I want to know WHAT'S great, so that I can put more of that in the campaign, kind of like>>50401305 said.

For instance, if you really enjoyed how he gave each of the goblins personality before they died, so that their deaths actually meant something, then you could just say "I liked the goblins, they were funny".

Or maybe you like the tactics required to get through the combats, or whatever. If you like everything that's going on perfectly fine, then just say what you like, and how much you like it, and that's plenty.

Just don't leave it at "yeah, it's bretty gud", because then we can't tell the difference between you and the player >>50401868 is describing

>>50397490
That's not a suggestion box tho

>>50397490
Literaly all the time. My motto is "yes, and..."

It works out pretty well.

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>>50397490
Every session.
At the end of the night I ask everyone what they liked and what they didn't and reward exp for their comments. I get to shift the game more in line with what they're look for and I get to be a better GM.

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>>50397490
Yes. I asked every player to write a detailed back story before we began and asked them to pick a spot on the world map to be their home country.

Each session has an opportunity for them to send and receive letters from their home country. The letters also allow me to introduce side quests and communicate with players in secret.

It's gotten pretty in depth, to the point that letter writing now takes up 20 minutes of each session.

1 player is a bit of an attention hog so I intentionally put less effort into her letters and more into the quiet guy who hasn't had a chance to flesh out his home country yet.

I even managed to induce a sense of suspicion in the group. One guy didnt like writing letters as he was playing am illiterate barbarian. So every week I would hand him a fat pile of letters wirtten on fancy wedding stationary. He would insist that the letters were just gibberish (which they were) but the other players are convinced that he's some kind of spy.

My friend and I have long discussions out of game about his character, the campaign being on hiatus while a friend has a babby. Once he returns his character is probably going to die first session due to a miscalculation they made (which was having the only people their reluctant hostage crew are scared of, leave the ship, leaving baby-guy's character alone with his loyal men but outnumbered 3 to 1). So he might finally run out of luck and die. Meanwhile the other group are running into an assassin who used to be part of their party (the guy who used to play him said I could use him as an NPC, and of course i advanced him quite a bit in power since it's been a while).

>>50404242
This is awesome. I gotta try this.

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>>50397490
>make a point of asking my players what they think of the game and what they'd like to see
>"Can I be overpowered?!/I want mad loots!!/Nah you're great just the way you are ;)"

>several people miss several sessions without contact
>call them and ask what's up
>they're not enjoying it anymore
>ask why
>get a long list of small things they'd never brought up, even with me asking often
>SHIT I COULD'VE FUCKING FIXED IN A HEARTBEAT IF I'D KNOWN

>>50401107
Spotted the shitter who cant keep a game going past the first session to save his fucking life

The players don't know what they want until something they like is gone.

If you're actually truly terrible, they might just berate you because they assume you're beyond the point of saving.

Assuming they do know what they want, I try to support that in my campaigns. I think a GM needs to take joy from the joy of his players, or else he's in for a bad time.

>>50397490
Whenever they have ideas that aren't shit

I wish my players would suggest things. Fucking tiring having to do everything as the GM.

>>50404959
It's a bit of a roundabout solution, but consider implementing a "stunting" system like Exalted has.
Essentially, players get a fixed bonus for describing their actions.
Exalted works on pools of d10, but you can adapt this for any system. d20 systems generally uses a +2 modifier where pool systems add one die.
Something passable ('I take two quick jabs at him, then cross with my left") can earn an additional die if you're being incredibly generous, while describing how you circle the target and try to force him back into an environmental hazard (a corner, a fire, a pile of jars, etc.) can earn two dice. Capping out at +3 dice (or +6 in d20?) for something incredibly smart or noteworthy.

Players who are comfortable narrating their actions are players more willing to suggest things to the GM. It gets them used to having control over the game.

>>50404959
You mean like suggesting elements of the world, in-game?
It's such a nice thing when people are using their agency, though certain kinds of campaign groups can condition people to be less involved. Additionally, some groups get used to letting one or two players push everything forward.

>>50405044
Christ, "agency" is such an awful buzzword.

Just call it making decisions.

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Goddamn, so many fantastic suggestions in this thread. Thanks anons! Have a picture of a cute baby pangolin as a thank you!

>>50397490
> Take suggestions
All the time.

> Act on/use them
Only when they're good, and never in their original form.

I also skim the OOC chatter for what they want, and let them add setting details where I haven't.

I'm 100% in favour of players doing the work for me, but I put up a facade of doing it all myself and taking nothing unmodified.

>>50397964
>Me and a friend do this
Me too, with one of my regular players. We've hung out weekly for a decade and a half now, we operate on the same wavelength, and we both GM and bounce writing ideas off each other.
If one of us is GMing, the other plays along with the setting and adds bits, and gets stuff added for their character.
For example, he once proposed a Shadowrun character that was a member of the Church of Rei Ayanami, after seeing the Cult of Gadget Hackwrench online. Similar shit is now added to every Shadowrun game I run.

>>50397490
Not too often. Even when I encourage them, they seem half-scared to suggest anything.

>>50397490
my suggestions box is a paper shredder

>>50405953
awwww

Time to stat out this as a monster.

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>>50397490
I always listen to their feedback

>>50401886
Stop playing with women.

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I've been down for suggestions since day one, since that's going to be the only way I'm going to improve as a GM. Helped me get over some issues like having too many relatively bland, boring rooms in dungeons and having some NPCs with more depth.

It gets trickier to get feedback as time goes on though assuming you play with the same group of friends. Since everyone wants to have fun and everyone likes each other, no one wants to rock the boat these days. I've been GMing long enough to be able to pick answers out of their reactions, so to some degree it doesn't bother me, but I do like the honesty of someone just voicing an opinion.

>>50397490
How is this even a question? What's the alternative? Just "fuck you it's my game I don't care if you have fun"?

>>50408036
you'd be surprised

>>50408681
this

>>50405953
it's not that cute

>>50397490
I encourage my players to make suggestions at the beginning of the game, session 0 I guess. Cooperative world building takes work off my plate.

Everyone has to say what they're doing during downtime/training/level up and have the opportunity for world building in that phase too. It's a negotiation sometimes. I want to give the players cool stuff but I want to maintain consistency too.

If a player wants something for their character I'll take in into consideration and give them an in-game opportunity if it seems cool. Most of the time this just fuels more adventure. Hooray!

If you can't take suggestions from your players and make your game better you're either a shitty GM or have shitty players. It's a primary tool in the GM's kit.

>>50397490
Considering my game wouldn't exist without them, i find their opinions more important thqn my own. But, then again, they are a pretty good group.

>>50412020
You're not that cute either

>>50405953
More shell than meat

2/10 would not eat