Hey, let's talk about TTRPGs!
As you know, I've been running a lot of Forbidden Lands lately and right now it holds the title of my favorite fantasy TTRPG. I have no doubt in my mind it holds that title because of the incredible work that the Foundry VTT has put into making all of its content available, as well as awesome websites like this Session Generator. With these two resources alone, you can enjoy endless Forbidden Lands fun with almost zero prep. which brings me to today's topic: being a Reactive GM.
Your mileage may vary out of this advice, and indeed there are likely some rules sets out there that don't encourage this type of play very often, but I'm gonna try to break down my top 3 biggest bits of advice (and a special fourth one?) on how you can get more enjoyment out of running a TTRPG by handing your players the wheel.
1: Give your players a map of the world they inhabit.
By now, we're all very used to the fact that most TTRPGs we play come with lots of amazing maps that give both the players and the GM some idea of the world that they're about to play in. Likewise, it is a long and storied tradition for GMs to create their own maps for their own worlds in between sessions to hand their players. However, I personally either never utilized these resources, or under-utilized them and am now understanding just how wrong I've been.
Handing a somewhat fleshed-out map to your players can give them some idea of what their future holds. Hand it to them at the beginning of the session and let them study it. Highlight features like a far off wizard's tower or an abandoned mine far away from where they currently are, and give them a reason to go (treasure usually does the trick). What you want to avoid here is sending them off on a fetch quest — this is about handing your players the wheel, not giving them a self-propelled Uber. By handing your players a map, giving them some tale (or legend, perhaps), of what they might find out there, they can make the decisions on their own about how and when they want to make the journey.
Think back to your time playing Skyrim (you did play Skyrim, right?), and sometimes an NPC would approach you, or after a dialogue, they'd say "Let me mark this place on your map," and now you have a new location to visit whenever the wind brings you that way. That's what you're doing for your players here. Be that NPC!
2: Tables, tables, tables!
If you plan on being a back-seat GM and want to have fun doing it, you're gonna want tables. Not that kind of table (yes that kind of table), but something so you can randomly generate events, locations, characters, and everything else you need! Luckily, there's plenty of them out there now. Randomly generated towers, castles, dungeons, events, characters — we live in an age where all of these kinds of things are only a click of a button away. In fact, although the Random Session generator above is for Forbidden Lands, it could easily be used for any fantasy TTRPG setting.
If you're looking for more aides for your game, check out the always awesome Donjon, which includes some sci-fi stuff as well!
These tools are going to help you stay on top of whatever your players come across. Throwing little towers, mines, dungeons, villages, or anything else on the map doesn't mean you have to flesh it out immediately. If you don't have time to prepare, just randomly generate it! That leaves your prep time and energy for more important stuff, like big boss battles, or really important places and events.
3: Find ways to say "Yes" but don't be afraid to say "no"! Alternatively: Nothing Comes For Free
This is a tricky bit of advice to balance. As Game Masters, we should usually be finding a way to say "yes" to player actions, ideas, plans, and whatever else your friends are concocting. They are presumably your friends after all, and we want our friends to have fun! However, sometimes when you're in the back seat as a GM, you have to say "no." If that sounds too harsh, you could always give them a "yes, but...". Let's look at an example for some more clarity.
The players want to buy a war wagon to travel across the map you've given them. Wagons are awesome — war wagons doubly so. They lack the abilities and resources to build their own, so they have to go commission an NPC to do it for them. Who might have that kind of talent, though? The PCs ask around and find out that a nearby village might have such a master laborer, and so they set out to travel there. Unfortunately, once they get there, they find that the NPC has moved, or perhaps vanished, or disappeared in some other way giving rise to a quest-type situation. By saying "no, the villager you seek is not here," we have an opportunity to open the world up, give the players something to do, and of course, earn some experience and maybe get in a fight along the way.
A "Yes, but..." situation may have had the NPC be in the village, but it will take more money than the PCs have, or perhaps a week or longer to make the wagon itself. Now the PCs have time to kill, or need to hawk some precious treasure to afford their new war wagon. The point is, by solving one issue, you've provided them another, which is the most important thing to do in a game like this.
BONUS SECRET TIP!
By engaging in the previous three pieces of advice, you're well on your way of becoming a back seat GM. However, there is a secret, super important BONUS TIP which is... Relax. You're there to unwind and have a good time just like your players are. Let their plans succeed, let them get away with their shenanigans, be playful in their misery, and rejoice in their triumphs. Master this technique and you will truly become a great GM.
I hope you got some insight by reading this post, or perhaps it provoked a thought or two! If you like, leave a comment below and let me know what you think! Do you run games from the back seat? Do you like having more control? I wanna know!
Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you next time!
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