GM Signups & Discussion Thread

[Elbereth]

 

Game Master Signups and Discussion Thread

 

Welcome to the GM Thread! This is Sanderson Elimination’s go-to place for GM discussion, which includes signing up to run games and figuring out which games are going to run next.

 

Signing Up & Getting Approval
Signing up to run a game is super easy. Just post here in this thread! Let us know what game format you would like to run and anything else you’d like to share about the game - setting, rules, etc. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have: feel free to sign up even if you’ve never run a game, but want to try it out. To look at your place in line or what games are also on the list, take a look at the SE Games: GM Signup List.

If you need help building your game, feel free to post in the Art of Game Creation Thread or PM the Game Balance Committee members: @Amanuensis, @STINK, @Sart, @Fifth Scholar, @Straw, @Archer, and @Kasimir. The committee is there to give advice on games and also to approve games to run - this is mostly just to reduce the number of broken games.

If you're planning on running a game, your game must be approved by at least two mods or committee members. You can ask for said approval in this thread or Game Creation by @'ing the mods & committee, or send them a group PM. (If your game has secrets, please take the latter option and we'll decide among us who can check over them.)

If you have questions about how game balance works, @Elbereth has written A Practical Guide to GMing that should help you on that front.
 

Game Schedules
SE games run on two different schedules: Long Games run back to back and Mid-Ranges and Quick Fixes switch off. We try not to have two games in signups at the same time. Discussion about which game will run next will happen here. If you are at the top of the list to GM a game but you’re busy, that’s fine! Just let us know, and we’ll skip over you to someone further down the list. You will not lose your place on the list. Getting to the top of the GM list merely means that you have first choice on when you run your game. If you’re going to be busy for a while, let us know roughly how long and we’ll mark that on the list. You still won’t lose your place, but we’ll know to automatically skip over you when looking for GMs for the next game.
 

Anonymous Games
As part of the games, we have 30 SE accounts we use to run games where the players are anonymous. There are at most 4 anonymous games per year, with a maximum of 30 players in each game. While all of the accounts have the names of animals, these names can be adjusted temporarily for a game. For example, in LG49, the accounts each had names of different characters in the prologues for the Stormlight Archives series.

If you would like to run an Anonymous Game, you need to have played at least 10 SE games and GMed at least 4 (co-GMing does count for this). You will need to be signed up on both the anonymous games list and the list of the format you wish to run, so if you want to run an anonymous Long Game, you need to be on the Long Game list and the anonymous games list.

We cannot run two anonymous games at the same time.
 

Non-Sanderson Settings
To keep the games centered around Brandon Sanderson and his settings (including Wheel of Time), we’ve made it so you need a pass to run a game in a non-Sanderson setting. These passes are handed out in the Anniversary Games at the beginning of each year. You can find past winners in the GM Signup List spreadsheet linked above, under the tab “Winners”. If you would like to run a non-Sanderson setting, contact one of the past winners or try to win a pass yourself during the next Anniversary Game!
 

Spoiler Policy
The spoiler policy for SE games is the same as the site spoiler policy. This means that in the wake of a new publication, we cannot run games using spoilers from the new work, with a slight caveat. Just like you can discuss spoilers in the relevant threads on the forum, we can run games that contain spoilers within the spoiler period. To do so, the game needs to be approved to run, and when the signup thread gets posted, the GM needs to mark very clearly at the top of the signup thread that the game contains spoilers. Place a spoiler warning at the top of any and all writeup threads that contain spoilers as well. This will prevent any players from signing up who do not wish to be spoiled and also from spectators reading a spoiler-y writeup, not realizing the game contains spoilers.
 

Running a Game
If you are a new GM, this section will provide some good advice before running your first game (or if you’re looking for a refresher). 
 

Rules & Etiquette
Treat both teams fairly. This might seem like common sense, but it’s easy for a GM to start favoring the underdog and making decisions that help that team. Let your game progress naturally. Don’t out players or make the game difficult for one of the teams. You need to be as impartial as possible.

Don’t get power-happy. In a way, the GM’s word is god in their own game. Don’t abuse this to make players play the way you want them to play. Your role isn’t to guide them as much as it is to provide structure for them in which to play.

All games have an Impartial Moderator (IM) assigned to it. This moderator is one of the SE Moderators (current moderators are @little wilson, @Elbereth, @Devotary of Spontaneity, @Elandera, @StrikerEZ and @Araris Valerian). If you realize there’s a problem with a game mechanic and you’re thinking about changing something, talk to the Impartial Moderator (IM) and work out the solution with them. 

IMs are there to help you and make sure the game runs smoothly. They can intervene in player arguments if necessary or provide advice about player distribution when a GM wants a second set of eyes on role distribution before finalizing the start of a game. The IM is not there to help you run the game - their purpose is to provide impartial help when needed. Please use them.
 

OP Rules and Standards
There are a few basic standards for the OP of each game.

Title Formatting
All titles should be formatted in a similar fashion, dependent on which format you are running. This is to make it as clear as possible what game is being run, and to make past games easily findable while scrolling through the forum.

• Long Game __: [Title of Your Game Here]
• Mid-Range Game __: [Title of Your Game Here]
• Quick Fix Game __: [Title of Your Game Here]

If you are running an anonymous game, the title should be [Format] __/Anonymous Game __: [Title] where the former blank is the number in that format, and the latter blank is the next anonymous game number. 

For writeup threads that will be merged into the main thread, you can use shorthand for the game formats (ie, LG, MR, QF). Please do not use item prefixes for your threads. 
 

OP Sections

• Rules and/or a link to the rules
  • If you include a link to the rules, please at least put a condensed version of the rules in the thread.
  • If some of your game rules differ from the standard game rules, please be explicit so players understand the differences.
  • If a game has secrets or is a full or partial blackout game, the Rules section just needs to mention that.
• Quicklinks
  • Put a section for quicklinks at the bottom of the post. Quicklinks are links to each turn of the game, linked to the writeup post for that turn, which a mod will add progressively through the game along with merging turns into the OP.
• Player List
  • Have a list of all the players signed up for the game. This can be spoilered so it doesn’t take up space.

Miscellaneous Things to Include

• Who are the GMs?
• Who is the IM?
• When is rollover?
• What is the inactivity filter?
  • All QF’s must have an inactivity filter (a way to kill off inactives in the game). Inactivity filters in other formats are per GM’s discretion.

 

Please include the game name or format and number in all doc titles (ie, Long Game 1: Spiked Doc, etc).

Edited February 7, 2023 by Elbereth

[STINK]

Hiya

[Straw]

Just now, STINK said:

Hiya

Hi STINK.

[Mat]

So this thread is entirely in place of the PM?

[Ashbringer]

3 hours ago, Matrim's Dice said:

So this thread is entirely in place of the PM?

... with that in mind? How do propositions of Blackout games work? Like what if members of the Approval Council want to play the game?

[Straw]

Just now, Ashbringer said:

... with that in mind? How do propositions of Blackout games work? Like what if members of the Approval Council want to play the game?

Same as always, PM the committee with the public rules and ask for volunteers to look at the secret rules.

[Elbereth]

4 hours ago, Matrim's Dice said:

So this thread is entirely in place of the PM?

Yes.

54 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

... with that in mind? How do propositions of Blackout games work? Like what if members of the Approval Council want to play the game?

Straw's correct. Secrets must be approved by a committee member; just PM all of us and we'll decide who won't be there. (At the very least, one of the mods will be IMing, so that's one guaranteed non-player.)

[+Lotus]

Umm... I'm interested in sometime running a MR.

I'm just rather scared to run it because its scary

 

Also, I'm intrested in co-gming again.

[Elandera]

45 minutes ago, Lotus said:

Umm... I'm interested in sometime running a MR.

I'm just rather scared to run it because its scary

Would you like a spot on the MR list? You can also ask experienced GMs if they can co-GM with you to help if you're still nervous when you spot comes around.

[+Lotus]

7 minutes ago, Elandera said:

Would you like a spot on the MR list? You can also ask experienced GMs if they can co-GM with you to help if you're still nervous when you spot comes around.

Yeah, put me down. What do I have to do to get the game approved?

[Fifth Scholar]

Just now, Lotus said:

Yeah, put me down. What do I have to do to get the game approved?

PM someone on the committee and they’ll take a look. I’d be happy to help you personally  

[Straw]

19 minutes ago, Lotus said:

Yeah, put me down. What do I have to do to get the game approved?

You typically PM the full committee + mods.

[A Joe in the Bush]

I am happy to co-GM for anyone who is afraid to run a game by themself.

[Ookla-son-son-Ventyl]

I’d also like to co-GM a game before I run my LG.

12 hours ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

I am happy to co-GM for anyone who is afraid to run a game by themself.

I’ll take you up on this if Striker is busy by the time my game comes around.

[A Joe in the Bush]

21 hours ago, Ventyl said:

I’d also like to co-GM a game before I run my LG.

I’ll take you up on this if Striker is busy by the time my game comes around.

You already have a game in mind? Excellent! Is it publicly available to persue?

Edited December 24, 2020 by A Joe in the Bush

[Ookla-son-son-Ventyl]

26 minutes ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

You already have a game in mind? Excellent! Is it publicly available to persue?

I’ve already signed up for it. I’m like #8 on the list. There are secret rules, so I should probably do that PM thing with the committee...

Here are the non-secret rules;

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18zfJEex4dm0Bh4eWG0sHuLBac-WlmyghQUof7JDAgJk/edit

Sorry if the formatting isn’t very good.

[StrikerEZ]

I’m not sure if me and @DrakeMarshall ever signed up for our MR/AN Desolations game. If not, it’d be nice if we could get on the list for that.

[Guest Somebody from Scadrial]

I'd like to Co-GM at some point, however I am very limited by being mobile only.

[Ashbringer]

What's the status of the LG list on the spreadsheet? I have slot #10, but I'm pretty sure that's the game that I'm currently running...

Is there any way I could request an LG spot for 1-2 and then 6-7 months in the future? I want to try my Narak Blackout and then rerun Honorblades with some... updates using a certain piece of source material.

[Straw]

7 hours ago, Ashbringer said:

What's the status of the LG list on the spreadsheet? I have slot #10, but I'm pretty sure that's the game that I'm currently running...

Is there any way I could request an LG spot for 1-2 and then 6-7 months in the future? I want to try my Narak Blackout and then rerun Honorblades with some... updates using a certain piece of source material.

That is actually not the game you're currently running. See this post from you in the GM PM on Nov 30:

Quote

Can I get a new spot on the GM list?

Edit: For an LG.

As to requesting a certain timeslot, you can't exactly request one, you just have to get to the top of the list and then wait until your desired timeslot comes around. So it's very unlikely that you could run another LG in 1-2 months, but it's decently likely that you can run something in 6-7 months.

[+Lotus]

Who is the committee that I need to PM?

[Elandera]

25 minutes ago, Lotus said:

Who is the committee that I need to PM?

The committee is listed in the first post of the thread. General practice is to PM the public rules to all of them and the five mods in order to get a game approved. Of there are secret rules, mention it in the PM and ask for volunteers.

[+Lotus]

5 minutes ago, Elandera said:

The committee is listed in the first post of the thread. General practice is to PM the public rules to all of them and the five mods in order to get a game approved. Of there are secret rules, mention it in the PM and ask for volunteers.

Great, thank you!

[danex]

I’d like to co-gm a game at some point, although I am on mobile, so I don’t know how helpful I’d be. I just want to take a peak behind the curtain, see what’s it’s like from the GMs pov. 

[Elandera]

We aren't going to be too far away from the end of the MR, so we should start looking at the next QF.

Current list:

@CadCom (marked as questionably busy)

@Young Bard (marked as the anon game, so unlikely)

@Elbereth (running the AG, so unlikely)

@The_God_King 

@TJ Shade 

@Ookla the Shadowed