Posted by Fleet Captain Jerome Davis (Presidential Candidate) in Question to the Candidates - GM Issue

Posted by Fleet Captain Jerome Davis (Presidential Candidate) in Question to the Candidates - GM Issue

Posted by Geoff Joosten in Question to the Candidates - GM Issue
Good afternoon,

Jerome, you touched on this briefly, stating, and I am paraphrasing here, that the current training regimen for GMs is to onerous. I also see you aren’t a licensed GM.

Sarah, you have made major contributions to the GMDept in the past, including writing the original OGRE, but since your return haven’t been as active in the department.

Both of you are aware that we are struggling to find people interested in the program. Linds and I, mostly Linds, have streamlined the process as much as possible while still attempting to keep the integrity of a program that ensures the best trained GMs out there. The issue has come to something of a head which pressure being put on FComms to find resources that aren’t there.

So, simple question, what is your plan to help the GMDept address this issue?

Geoff

Our plan for the GM issue:

The current system is NECESSARILY onerous to get through, but that ensures we have high quality GM’s, so it it necessary. That being said, we would like to see another segment of the GM program. Apprentice GM. Apprentice will differ from GM Trainee in that the Apprentice will be, should a GM feel comfortable doing so of course, tasked with running a already designed and developed SIM. This will be overseen by the authoring GM, and will allow that established GM to move to a ship without a current GM and assist there. The GM will maintain admin rights on the sim the Apprentice is on, and will be able to direct and do what is basically OJT for how to run a sim before the Apprentice can design their own. To move along from Apprentice, one has to successfully run the sim AND complete the exam. Then the program goes as is established.

This will, we believe, add to the GM roster immediately without a loss in quality. In essence, it will allow a GM to exist on more than one ship without splitting their full attention.

Thanks for a great question!

Davis/Sinclair 2020
Improve, Reform, & Engage

Note: We know that this a Stop Gap measure and not intended as a permanent solution, but we think it will assist the GMDEPT in getting past the shortage.

Thanks again,
Davis/Sinclair

Jerome, in my personal experience (extensive), the very thing you describe happens outside of the club incredibly often. And 99% of the time it results in a drastically under-trained and under-qualified GM who has no idea how to build a sim, run it, or deal with major curveballs (like the accidental death of an important NPC) or how to throw in twists or other complications if the plot should become stale.

How, exactly, would your system actually train GMs? The way it sounds, it just hands them a ready-made plot with a semi-absent mentor who’s got their own work to focus on elsewhere, and doesn’t do anything the GMT program does in the training of how to actually build the sim, run it effectively, deal with those curveballs I mentioned previously, handle problem players, and throw in those twists that the plot might need to survive.

Mind clarifying?

Thank you,
Katy