A Letter for My Players

Dear players,

I'm writing for you this letter in response for the last one you've sent me. You said that you want to feel like heroes and heroines, that you want to feel more than just the anticipation for another victory, that you want the game to feel far more epic and interesting and... 

I want to deliver for you just that. You're my players, and I want to give you the best. But I want something from you too, in order to achieve that: I want you to stop being afraid of failures. Failure is not a dirty word, and failing sometimes doesn't make you a group of failures. 

I want you to stop being afraid from that, but more than that, I want you to let yourself fail. Drama is not about succeeding, it's about overcoming obstacles. If you're gonna win no matter what, there's no drama, and none of us will really enjoy the game. 

I promise you, I'll do whatever I can to raise the drama in order to make the story better. All I ask from you is to do your part too; to improve as much as I improve; to strive for drama as much as I strive for it (and I know that you do, just please bring it into the surface); To accept failure as much as I accept it and to let yourselves fail as much as I let myself fail.

After all, failing doesn't make you failures, fearing from it makes you less of the winner type. 

Thanks,

Your humble GM

A Letter to My GM

Dear GM,

I write for you this letter in order to help you make the game better. You see, I like SF, I really do, but as your player I must tell you that there's one problem within it that I must state so you won't make this fatal mistake that will make me running to take cover from the game.

The problem is quite common in your games, at least the ones you've GMed for me over the years. Your world is too far-fetched, too far from what I know, that I cannot relate to your game or to your world. I know you've put a lot of energy into it, that's why I'm telling you this, before the game begins, so you'll still be able to fix it before you'll see my face.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this feeling, but I'm also sure that most of your other players won't tell you this. It can be because they're too polite, but I believe that it's because they don't know the reason yet. I think so because I was in the same place as they do. I left this place not a long time ago. I'm glad that I've left it, 'cause now I can understand why I didn't care for this world of yours, a world that I appreciated it complexity and details but not its emotional state, a world that bears not empathy for itself or for the world's habitats.

Please, before it will fail miserably, help all of us and fix this little problem...

Yosi

A Letter for My Players

Dear Players,

You know, there's something I need desperately, something that I'm looking for from each game session that I run. You probably know what I'm talking about, but still, it's the fifth session since the last time you gave it to me.

No, I'm not talking about money, or books, I'm not talking about apologizing for another session where you blew my entire plans for the campaign (that was awesome, though, so thanks for asking anyway), I'm talking about a far more important thing, a thing that without it there's no reason to continue in this hobby with the hope of advancing to be better, a thing that without it I may (and I do, actually) come back home feeling that something wasn't right and I just don't know what.

You know, I do a lot of work to plan these games for you (even if it doesn't seem so), I work extremely hard about improving and creating the feel and the mood and the tone and working on so many other things. No, I don't want you to apologies for the work you're putting me through, I'm enjoying it, I'm enjoying the surprises, I enjoy GMing. I really do.

All I'm asking for are 2 simple things: a thank you, so I'll know that you understand how much effort I'm putting into it so you'll have fun (me also, but I thank myself everyday that I'm "working" on it). The second is much more important for me, 'cause it includes the first thing, and helps me much more: Feedback.

I want to do what I did great, what I did well, what I did not so well and what I did badly. I don't want to know it so I'll feel that I'm a bad GM or a good one, but for an entirely different reason: To know where and how I can improve. If you can suggest what would have been better, so much the better, but I don't require it or anything. I don't require even what I'm asking for. I just want to know what I can improve so all of us will have more fun every session. Is it so hard? Is it taking so much effort?

Thanks,

Your GM