Hi all

Quick question - how much do GMs delegate to their players when running games? Up until now I've been pretty much running everything on my side of the screen and just letting the players run their PCs, but I've read a few suggestions on various threads about delegating jobs to players - things like keeping track of initiative, for example.

Just wondered what else, if anything, is being delegated to the players, and how people find that affects their game?

Thanks in advance.

We keep Destiny Point tracks to the players.

I generally try to have players handle their inventory, money and logistics on their end. Keeping track of all the details helps to ensure engagement by the players and it simplifies things for me since I don't have to worry about how much money they have or what gear they're holding on to. All I need to concern myself with is the spigot.

At our table, we delegate Initiative tracking (+5XP) and journaling (+5XP.) We rotate it around so that everyone gets a chance to earn bonus XP. This has worked pretty well to free the GM up to keep the narrative rolling without having to slow it down with admittedly basic math.

At our table, we delegate Initiative tracking (+5XP) and journaling (+5XP.) We rotate it around so that everyone gets a chance to earn bonus XP. This has worked pretty well to free the GM up to keep the narrative rolling without having to slow it down with admittedly basic math.

I do delegate initiative tracking, but it is unrewarded, for I am a harsh taskmaster. I haven't yet brought up the journaling idea yet with my PCs, though I remember hearing about this on Order 66 and thinking it was a neat idea.

At our table, we delegate Initiative tracking (+5XP) and journaling (+5XP.) We rotate it around so that everyone gets a chance to earn bonus XP. This has worked pretty well to free the GM up to keep the narrative rolling without having to slow it down with admittedly basic math.

I do delegate initiative tracking, but it is unrewarded, for I am a harsh taskmaster. I haven't yet brought up the journaling idea yet with my PCs, though I remember hearing about this on Order 66 and thinking it was a neat idea.

We manage to get out of the way of the speeding RL train once a month, maybe once every two months, so a little extra XP hasn't hurt our Beer League game. Even when I was able to maintain a semi-weekly schedule it didn't really mess with things.

At my table, the players are responsible for their inventory and money. And they built a droid they have to handle themselves as well.

Beyond that, I draw a basic map when necessary and they move their respective dots around it on their turns. I also ask them to write down difficulties on the white board for tasks which I know are going to come up a lot (attacks on the nemesis, climbing a mountain, chased, etc).

I don't even tell them the initiativ, never mind ask them to manage it for me.

"GM bandwidth" is a subject of much discussion in my group of friends, and the amount delegated depends on both the system we're playing and on what's happening in a particular encounter or session. I feel like the FFG RPG is pretty light on bookkeeping, but some of that depends on how willing you are to hand-wave certain things.

In general, my group and I feel like the DM has enough to do with managing the encounters and we always delegate initiative, record-keeping, and certain other tasks. We often use minis in our games, even if we're not playing to a strict scale, so I'll sometimes delegate map set-up as well. One player will usually have a laptop with either Syrinscape or the Star Wars soundboard up to provide appropriate sound effects a key points in the narrative. If it's a particularly large or complex encounter, with a lot of moving parts, we'll sometimes pull one of the players behind the screen to "co-GM" and let them handle the dice rolls for some or all of the bad guys while the GM focuses on the narrative and the tactical & strategic decision-making. A split party is perfect for this, otherwise it's tough not to let "insider information" affect your decision-making paradigm: "Uh, yeah, I think we should definitely kill that guy first."

If it's too complex for a GM, then they need to scale back to the point where it feels comfortable again.

You don't need ornately drawn maps, but if you want them do it in advance.

You don't need huge battles with stat tracking, but if you want them, then track the stats.

Plan around your limitations, play toward and up your strengths. If a player is rummaging for sound and managing its volume and adjustments, they are listening and imagining and thinking less. I don't care what you want to tell me a person can process, if you add to the pile, each item gets less than all of their focus.

Why should the players know or manage the initiative? To plan? If they're planning, then you're being too still, predictable, and stangant. Besides, if they can't plan by just listening to what came before in the round, then that's on them.

And did I just read someone say they have a co-GM to roll the dice? Rolling dice is the core mechanic. It's what you do when you sit at the table. The only dice a player should roll are for their own checks, and the only narration should be suggestions for the GM about their own character.

The titles say it all, too. Game Master. Master your gorram game. Player. They play the gorram game, and in order to play it they need to be focused on player only things, like jumping through hoops in character, and communicating with fellow players. It shouldn't be more complex than, "Alright, dude, this cool business just occurred, and you saw that mighty explosion, and from the fireball came the wounded Trandoshan holding his guitar-axe menacingly." From there the player has the scene, a recap of the last one or two important occurrences, and they should be talking to and explaining in two or three seconds -- something made much less likely by having them juggling what should be your responsibilities "because numbers are hard, man."

I co-GM to look things up or to bring up rules reminders.

Not to be "that guy" at the table but it's because we only play once a month and my GM thinks it's helpful to have reminders.

That's about it though, the game's rules are pretty intuitive once you figure out the dice so it's easy for one guy to manage.

At our table, we delegate Initiative tracking (+5XP) and journaling (+5XP.) We rotate it around so that everyone gets a chance to earn bonus XP. This has worked pretty well to free the GM up to keep the narrative rolling without having to slow it down with admittedly basic math.

I do delegate initiative tracking, but it is unrewarded, for I am a harsh taskmaster. I haven't yet brought up the journaling idea yet with my PCs, though I remember hearing about this on Order 66 and thinking it was a neat idea.

There was an Order 66 episode where they talked about journaling? Somehow I missed that one - any idea what ep number that was?

Episode 64. Also listen to the holocron 2.0 episode and the list strikes back. Kung pow chicken is good too. And around 14 is one on social encounters.