RPGaDay 2020 #17 Tower

 As a lifer GM, it might seem that I am in a tower of sorts, lording my ability to run games over all the mere players beneath me. But that's not really true.

You see, I've long held the belief that GMs are players, too. I'm not there to be all-powerful enforcer of plot. I'm there to present the players with a situation and see how they respond to it. And that's fun to me. That's how I get my entertainment. I'm a player, there to have fun, just like every other person at the table.

I'm finding that games where I plot less tend to bring me out of that tower and more into the player realm. I still do lots of prep, but it's fleshing out the world and making sure that I'm ready for what the players try to do rather than crafting a set of hoops for them to jump through (or avoid). But without a set plot, I'm not trying to corral the players or push them in a specific direction. There's no need to be heavy handed. I'm just as much a participant of what unfolds as the players are.