What is the key to be a good GM? >listen to your players My

>>51002427
There is no secret trick to GMing, it's all about your practicing your execution and charisma as a GM, and engaging your players' interests as best as you can without getting too patronizing.

>>51002427
Not being an asshole
Preparing scenarios in advance
Taking into account both the PCs AND plyers behind them (a player playing rogue doesn't necessarly excell as making "decisions like a rogue")
Talking with players before and after each game, discussing what went wrong, what went good and commenting the whole thing
In general, talking about the last game with your players, asking what worked for them and what not.
Making sure your players are familiar with game rules, rather than assuming they've read the book

But really, not being an asshole is like 90% of success

>>51002490
And adding to this - make sure you are running scenarios that are interesting for your players. It might be that they have a thing for heist games (my players do). It might be they have a thing for classic dungeon crawl. It might be they like political meddling. It might they don't want to roll dice but rather do a story-tell.
Adjusting to that is a key for success, because there is nothing more frustrating than GMing for people not interested in your scenario AND playing a scenario that doesn't engage you.

>>51002427
I personally just like to keep attention to detail.

When the players walk into a tavern, I don't make shit up on the spot. I already have an idea of who is there, why they're there, where the keys to the cellar are located, what's being served, why it's being served, etc.

For example, if I have a necromancer lurking in the countryside it's way more immersive for the players to get introduced to this fact when the barman says they only have smoked pork for sale because a disease has spread through the local livestock and they don't know what the fucking deal is while a farmer drinks himself to death because his wife went missing and his livelihood has been ruined.

Way fucking better than "You walk into the bar, and the GMPC hires you to go roll some combat without you having to learn about the local community or figure shit out."

The way I see it, if the players are reluctant to move on from a town because they give a shit about what's going on there (And for them to give a shit they'll need specific details.) then my job has been done well.

I know that whenever I'm a player I get repeatedly frustrated by the world-building of my GMs. I like to ask a lot of probing questions, I like to know about characters in detail. Finding out that someones son is a fuckup disappointment makes the character I'm speaking with way, WAY more real to me than if he's just some kind of bland character from an MMO or some shit that only exists to tell me what to do.

Sometimes you may not be prepared for a question your player asks, like maybe you weren't focusing on the local religion and the cleric being really dogged about learning about it feels like a kick to the balls. So good improv skills where you can explain how they are isolated from mainstream culture and instead tend to make simple offerings to nature spirits but that those spirits have recently gone silent, that can be really immersive.

>>51002427
>My players are faggots and they don't know what they want. I feel like I'm selling a pitch everytime I propose a new idea.
Change players

No, really. If you can't get them engaged with different types of scenarios, change group. Or at least part of it. I once had a group of 5 players and by the end, only 2 people of the original group remained, while rest was replaced, since they just didn't felt like it.

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>>51002490
>Prepare scenarios in advance

As long as you don't get too hung up on them, preparing scenarios is fine. Accept that sometimes players are going to go in a direction that you didn't plan for in a session, and that your prepared scenarios isn't going to fit in right now. Remember that every scenario you don't run can be used later, or tweaked to make fit in with something else, or can be harvested for ideas later on.

>>51002427
I have some keys which worked for me:

Prepare your session. Best improvisation - prepared improvisation.
Roleplay your NPCs. Too many GM don't ever bother with that.
Every player must participate. If somebody is silent for more than 5 minutes, chances are that he is bored or subdued by other, more extraversive players. Invite them to play.
Every character must participate. If you party consists of warrior, thief and sage, you average session should have a battle, stealth task and a research task.
Don't be afraid to punch players (metaphorically) in the groin. Game is much more interesting, when there is a genuine threat, conflict, risk in it.
Give re-rolls, fate points, destiny points, etc to players regularly in systems with critical failure. It isn't fun to lose your character to unlucky dice, and isn't point of most games.
Be fair. Don't have any preferred players, don't allow anyone to suck your dick for benifits. Such things destroy good groups sooner than later.

>>51002427
The GMs biggest secret is that they arent acting against the players

>>51002427
>What is the key to be a good GM?
Practice.
>What are your tricks to make the game more fun and inmersive?
After every session I sit down and think hard about what worked and why did it work. Also about what didn't work and why didn't it work.

>>51002427
Knowing how to pick the right system.

>>51002427
1. Be organized
2. Be consistent
3. Be open-minded
4. Be punctual
5. Be educated (on the rules)
6. Be willing to break the rules to have fun.

>>51002427
I memorize my players characters stats and bonuses so that when they roll I know their totals. Makes the game run much faster

Also, make sure you know your players and try to build your plans around what you think they will do

YOu just need to be in hamony with your players. It doesnt work if you are a "good gm" and your players are assholes, but maybe if you go away and an asshole gm comes on, they will say he is an good Gm.

>>51005503
Thats intense, I mean for me. Number dont stuck in my head.

>Never GM before
>H.P. Lovecraft fan
>Want to run a game of Call Of Cthulu
>How the fuck Will I Do.