Posted by Captain James Sinclair (Vice Presidental Candidate) in Question to the Candidates - GM Issue

Posted by Katy Darrah in Question to the Candidates - GM Issue

Posted by Fleet Captain Jerome Davis (Presidential Candidate) in Question to the Candidates - GM Issue
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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

Katy, we absolutely hear your concern. This is not intended to be anything other than a first step for someone wanting to be a GM. It will familiarize them with NPC development, interacting with a crew in a GM role, and provide a strict framework for them to adhere to that was designed by a fully fledged GM. This is not where they would build the sim, that would come later as they take the test and become a Trainee. They would start to learn how to run it effectively at this point, but the dealing with the curve balls those pesky players throw out would still be up to the Senior GM (as it would be there SIM, they have the final say). And again, this would be a familiarization time that is simply allowing a GM to, for lack of a better expression, be two places at once. Handling problem players, and throwing in those twists that the plot might need to survive is up to the GM. The Apprentice is there to handle the boards and keep the sim going, giving the GM time to help other ships.

And again, and I cannot stress this enough, we do not see this as a permanent solution. This is simply an idea to help take pressure off until such a time as the Executive and the GM Dept can figure out a way to finalize the shortage. We have some thoughts on how that might work, but we would need the input of the GM’s to finalize a plan that makes sense to them, the club, and the players.

James

Permanent or not, this doesn’t really answer the question. I’ve seen this kind of system in place elsewhere, I’ve experienced it. What you want to do boils down to this:

1. Senior GM creates a sim. This has the problem of what is considered a “senior GM” in this case.
2. GM hands that sim to a completely untrained and inexperienced user.
3. User runs said sim.

There’s one big issue. Step 2. The users that join this program may have little to no experience running sims in the STF style, and there’s no manual you can really consult–that’s the whole point of the GMT program.

Let me post you a scenario–completely hypothetical.

You’re not a Nuclear Engineer, but you’re told to fix a Nuclear Reactor, while being “supervised” by a senior Nuclear Engineer. But they have their own reactor to fix, you have no experience, and there’s no manual. Now what?

Answer me the now what for this program. How can a Senior GM really be there if the GMA (to abbreviate the proposed program) needs assistance, if they have their own ship to GM on still. Also, why should a senior GM go through all the work of building a sim–for a ship he’s probably not on–just to not run it?

Katy