Ep 50 - Ask A GM (Getting To Know Us: Redux)

At the behest of several listeners, we're finally doing a general "Getting To Know Us" episode. In this episode we talk briefly about our roots, who we are, and what led us to gaming. The majority of the episode is comprised of individual questions from listeners and friends of the show that had questions for us as GMs that they might otherwise not have had the opportunity to ask. We cover narcissism in GMing, character quirks that people might find distasteful, using pop-culture references, how the times have changed and how we've grown with them as gamers, our favorite types of character archetypes, and so much more.

Website: https://icastspells.com
Twitter: @passive_podcast
Email: passiveaggropod@protonmail.com

Show Breakdown:

• 0:00: Intro
• 1:55: @GazpachoTT "What is the 101 on Ivan and Steve?"
• 17:01: Sabz "How would you describe the difference between being a GM and being a player? What is your preference and why?"
• 25:22: @0_0blique "Using non-heroic characters in a heroic-setting campaign"
• 30:52: @SJohnRoss "Why the ponytail?"
• 31:46: @TenuousDnD "How many pop culture references are too many to include in your homebrew world?"
• 35:42: @TenuousDnD "What is the first piece of advice you give to a new GM?"
• 38:06: @TenuousDnD "What is the difference between a GM and a DM?"
• 39:58: @TenuousDnD "Why do GMs seem to love puns so much?"
• 41:49: @SwampRob "How do you make different cities with different cultures seem different?"
• 46:47: Jay R "Do you want your players to have as much control over the universe as the GM? How do you manage the tone in a collaborative framework without keeping the reigns too tight?"
• 50:27: Eric C "While GMing, what is the ideal blend of improv, sandbox, and intended story following the beaten path? Are there times where you prefer one or the other, or does it depend on the group?"
• 55:33 : Jenny V "... What do you do if the PCs are doing something in the game that you find personally distasteful?
• 1:02:36: Bill P "What changes do you see, or perhaps growth have you experienced in your years of gaming... keeping in mind age and culture?"
• 1:07:37: ToxicSquirrel "What's the most difficult type of player that you have ever had in a group you were GMing? Do you have a favorite type of player?"
• 1:10:32: @Ivrione "What is a game you would love to run but not play? Vice versa?"
• 1:14:18: @Ivrione "What is your biggest TTRPG regret? What is your biggest TTRPG triumph?"
• 1:20:20: Craig K "Do you consider the GM a storyteller or a rule adjudicator? Which do you consider yourself?"
• 1:24:56: Craig K "What is the most important trait of a storyteller/GM?"
• 1:26:49: Craig K "Narcissism and the GM. Do you think there is a certain amount of narcissism necessary to be a good GM?"
• 1:37:35: Outro

Chapters

• 0:00 @TenuousDnD "What is the difference between a GM and a DM?"
• 0:00 Intro
• 1:55 @GazpachoTT "What is the 101 on Ivan and Steve?"
• 17:01 Sabz "How would you describe the difference between being a GM and being a player? What is your preference and why?"
• 25:22 @0_0blique "Using non-heroic characters in a heroic-setting campaign"
• 30:52 @SJohnRoss "Why the ponytail?"
• 31:46 @TenuousDnD "How many pop culture references are too many to include in your homebrew world?"
• 35:42 @TenuousDnD "What is the first piece of advice you give to a new GM?"
• 38:06 @TenuousDnD "What is the difference between a GM and a DM?"
• 39:58 @TenuousDnD "Why do GMs seem to love puns so much?"
• 41:49 @SwampRob "How do you make different cities with different cultures seem different?"
• 46:47 Jay R "Do you want your players to have as much control over the universe as the GM? How do you manage the tone in a collaborative framework without keeping the reigns too tight?"
• 50:27 Eric C "While GMing, what is the ideal blend of improv, sandbox, and intended story following the beaten path? Are there times where you prefer one or the other, or does it depend on the group?"
• 55:33 Jenny V "... What do you do if the PCs are doing something in the game that you find personally distasteful?
• 1:02:36 Bill P "What changes do you see, or perhaps growth have you experienced in your years of gaming... keeping in mind age and culture?"
• 1:07:37 ToxicSquirrel "What's the most difficult type of player that you have ever had in a group you were GMing? Do you have a favorite type of player?"
• 1:10:32 @Ivrione "What is a game you would love to run but not play? Vice versa?"
• 1:14:18 @Ivrione "What is your biggest TTRPG regret? What is your biggest TTRPG triumph?"
• 1:20:20 Craig K "Do you consider the GM a storyteller or a rule adjudicator? Which do you consider yourself?"
• 1:24:56 Craig K "What is the most important trait of a storyteller/GM?"
• 1:26:49 Craig K "Narcissism and the GM. Do you think there is a certain amount of narcissism necessary to be a good GM?"
• 1:37:35 Outro