Empathy and Game Mastering
"I'm not here to coddle my players." "I'm not here to protect their feelings." "I'm not here to be their therapist." To me, that's shorthand for I don't have empathy, and don't care about my players. A good game master wants their players to have fun. Which means being acutely aware of what a player can and can't handle. Which means listening to the players, listening to the tone of their voice, and watching their body language. The goal is to make sure the players are enjoying themselves, and that means being acutely aware of your table. Does that mean the game master has a bit more work? That they need to put a bit more effort into the game? Yes, it does. But those steps should be automatic for the game master - it should be second nature to be aware of your players and how they are feeling at the table. And it means knowing your player's triggers. There's a reason there's a lot of talk about safety and lines and v...