1KM1KT Free RPG Community

When playing Icar over Roll20 there is an odd experience where you can see yourself playing. It's quite unnerving at first as you can see all your facial ticks and mannerisms that you might not have been aware of.

I was painfully aware that when the players had uncovered something too early or had made a logical leap long before I was hoping they would then my face would change. I can't control it. It's the same look my wife recognises when I've done something stupid. That was interesting in of itself, as much as there's nothing I can do about it.

What I couldn't do while watching myself live is dissect the way in which I ran the game. If a session went particularly well or badly, I'd usually know why. A scene falling flat, the players missing a clue, a great player idea or just everyone being on good form that evening. However, there are many nights when the game was just OK. Why was it just OK those nights? I would be keen to understand if there was anything I could do better and for that, I'd need a recording.

Watching the of others has given me a chance to study how other people play. I would quite like to do that for my group (when I start again) so that I can understand where I steamroller people or let the game sag. You can really see places where the game lifts and drops and how people react to each other. It's fascinating.

Is this something that you'd do?

I've recorded myself and other GMs on audio. I haven't recorded myself on video. I usually do so for playtests, but sometimes I do it for regular games. I still have some old recordings that were made on a tape deck. One in particular I keep because it involves the player completely misunderstanding the situation and then trying to cover up his mistake (in game) which is just hilarious to listen to.