Defining Success

Every Professional GM asks themselves the same questions: What if my players don’t like my games? How do I know if I’m doing a good job? What if I’m not good enough? Answering these questions can be very difficult as each of these are very subjective. Each GM has their own style, resources and preferences. What works for one, may not work for another. Listening to “Dos and Don’ts” is a good start but runs into the problem of subjectivity once the fluff is finished. 

So how do we tackle these questions? Well the truth is you answer those questions with another question: What do I consider success to be when it comes to Professional GMing? It’s another subjective question but answering it will answer all of the previous questions. To prove this point three GM’s of various levels of success on Start Playing were asked the same question, and to provide tips for upcoming professional GM’s based on what they consider success to be. 

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The Many Forms of Success

Brian Duckwitz says being successful means players want to sign up for your games, then stick around afterwards. The biggest tip he has in that regard is that the hardest part is the beginning, but as you get more players your success goes up as well, but at the same time expectations increase. Regardless of what your “thing” is, people will stay in your games as long as you constantly improve and meet expectations. 

DM Bob Yo states that while success is highly individualized, having a consistent community that talks positively about you will draw more people to your games. He views his work as successful because he has just that: friends that he’s made by running games. One of his major tips on that is the simple fact that not every player belongs with every GM. Playstyles and personalities vary widely. Don't take it personally when a player leaves because it's not a good match, and don't be afraid to cut a player loose either. “Be passionate. It can be tough to be excited about your 12th session of the week. Find a way to do it anyways. Passion is contagious; when you have passion for the game, your players will be more invested and more likely to stick around and bring others in.”

Keith Langley has a different perspective on success. He encourages GM’s to have a healthy balance of life, workload and how much you make. “If you're planning to be a professional GM then you already know you're a good GM, so get paid accordingly.” Another point he makes is that burnout is real and it needs to be avoided. Overbooking yourself will cause your work to suffer. If your work suffers your players will notice and will be less likely to return. Finding that balance is first and foremost for any new professional GM’s 

Dean emphasizes the need to be able to balance multiple play styles when running multiple games. “Not every player's playstyle will match with others and that isn't bad! Just communicating the expected play style for a given group is key. No matter what game you're running, this can widely affect the enjoyment of your players.” Being able to change play styles from table to table encourages existing players to join another game so that they can see a new side of you, while at the same time, you attract new players who look for the play style you offer at that specific table. 

GM Carson offers plenty of solid advice on balancing what you want to run vs. what the market is interested in. “Find the intersection between market interest, your interest, and—and this is crucial—what you can scale up sustainably. I like gothic fiction and Biblical fiction, so I run multiple tables of Curse of Strahd and Chains of Asmodeus, which are to varying degrees marketable titles for the most popular system on the platform. Dungeons & Dragons isn’t my favorite game system, but it’s what the people want, so I find the middle ground by telling stories I personally have special interest in.” He also suggests running the same adventure for multiple tables as it has helped him deal with burnout and minimizing his workload. Being able to focus your effort and energy into improving your craft while not worrying about story or learning unique mechanics can really strengthen a GM’s skill set. 

Lou keeps his advice simple and straight to the point.  "The easiest part of this job is running a good game. To do this full-time, you must have or develop excellent communication, service and marketing skills. Remember ‘community over anonymity’, create a space wherein the participants may express themselves safely." Community building is a top priority for GM’s looking to make running Tabletop Roleplaying Games as a career. It allows for players to get to know you outside of the game and support you on your journey. 

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Discovering Your Own Success

At the end of it all success is what you make of it. It can be anything from running ten games a week for many people, or running a singular game a week for friends that want to support you. It doesn’t matter if what you run is D&D or a completely homebrew system that is in beta. As long as you are confident in what you do, you will find success no matter what definition you use for it. So why not give it a shot and see just how successful you can be at doing what you love.