Help!
tl;dr: I need tips on how to teach a player to be a DW GM.
Ive GM’ed DW for a few years. I’ve only been a PC in about a handful of games, so my viewpoint is a bit skewed. I have a player that wants to be the GM in our new sessions, but I realized that short of just having him read the book, I haven’t started mentally preparing myself to help him slide into the GM role. This player has not played any other tabletop RPG other than DW, but I’ve already heard him say some typical newbie GM traps (creating extensive back lore, tunnel vision, writing dialogue trees, etc). A lot my job up until now has been to hammer in the ‘fiction first’ mentality in play, so I think the players in this group ‘get it’. I know that he will do great; it’s me I’m worried about.
Here’s my plan:
-Sit down and go over principles and agendas
-Discuss the importance of doing less prep
-Tell him that if he is going to create ‘too much’ let it shine through consequence of play, not prose
-Let him know that I’ll support a lot at first and dwindle back as he becomes more confident with the technical/narrative stuff
What else should I be cognizant of when teaching someone else to be a GM? How is the best way to scaffold and support him at the table? Should I correct him when he steps out of the principles and agendas? What would you do?
On the DW discord we have a GM Academy. Here’s the agenda for lesson one, maybe you can use it?
docs.google.com – GMA – Agenda for Lesson one
Also I’ve been working on a more in-depth GM guide; it isn’t complete but there’s a one-shot walkthrough in there that might serve you as well.
docs.google.com – GM Guide step-by-step
Yochai Gal ive seen this room on discord, but dont know much about it. Is there a video to go a long or chat stream?
Andrew Huffaker we have one episode recorded, though I’m not sure how useful it’ll be as it’s fairly focused and for GMs that are already running DW.
Assuming he actually wants that much coaching, I think your first two points are great. (I’m not sure I understand the third one. If pre-written and published DW worlds and scenarios like Last Days of Anglekite aren’t “too much,” I don’t know how your friend could go wrong.)
Mostly, though, unless someone comes to me and wants a whole class in GMing, I favor a hands off approach. I don’t want to scare people off or communicate that I don’t think they’re ready. They may stumble in the first outing, but if they’re open to feedback, it’s a lot easier to offer examples from what you know they’re struggling to pull off than to predict what they might have trouble with.
This guide I put together may also prove useful docs.google.com – Running Dungeon World for New Adventurers
Have him read the book, and co-GM some sessions with him
Try to play as a very good player, giving feedbak, answering questions, suggesting moves (this shouldn’t be an issue with a seasoned table) and proposing things for your PC.
When a GM friend of mine “oversteps” the rules, I often ask him “can you tell me what move is this, precisely?”