GM Tips: How being a player makes me a better GM

As a GM, I’m constantly striving to improve the experience I offer my players. One of the most effective ways I’ve found to level up my GM skills is by playing games myself. Whether I’m joining a one-shot, or a campaign, exploring different systems, every game I play sharpens my ability to run games for others.

Being a player gives me firsthand insight into what makes a session enjoyable, frustrating, or memorable. I notice what excites me in a game - whether it’s a well-timed plot twist, clever use of mechanics, or opportunities for deep role-play. These experiences become invaluable lessons when I’m the one behind the screen. I can see which elements create engagement and fun, allowing me to replicate those feelings in my own games.

Playing also teaches me the importance of pacing, challenge, and balance. When I’m in the player’s seat, I notice how it feels when a session drags on, when encounters are too easy or too hard, or when my character’s choices matter - or don’t. This gives me a better understanding of how to structure sessions that flow smoothly, challenge players without overwhelming them, and make sure their decisions drive the story forward.

Beyond that, playing in games run by other GMs is like attending a masterclass in game-running. Every GM has their own approach to storytelling, mechanics, and player interaction. By experiencing these different styles, I gain new tools and techniques to improve my own game. Some GMs excel at improvisation, while others are masters of world-building. Every GM teaches me something new, whether it’s how to handle unexpected player choices or how to build tension in a scene.

Conversely - and thankfully this has happened so few times that I can count it on one hand - you can see what a GM is doing and decide ‘that is not something I want to do’ and make sure to manage yourself because learning is as much about what not to do as it is what to do.

Ultimately, playing games makes me a better GM because it keeps me connected to what makes TTRPGs fun and rewarding from a player’s perspective. The more I play, the more I grow as a GM and fundamentally, I’m always trying to do better and I think we all are. Even if it isn’t something you do actively, there’s often like a ‘oh that’s cool, i wonder how i can modify that to use myself’ and that just happens more often when you play different games with different players and different groups.

I can already hear some of you, ‘But I’m a forever GM!’ And hey, that’s real. I’ve been there. Sometimes it’s because you love it, sometimes because no one else steps up, and sometimes it just... happens.

But with all the low-stakes, low-commitment online games out there now? If you’re only GMing, at some point, it’s a choice. And that’s totally fine! Just don’t pretend you’re being held hostage by fate. I’m a card-carrying enabler most days, but I can’t do the mental gymnastics on this one. Just own it.

That said, if you do get the chance to play—even once in a blue moon—take it. Being a player gives you insight you just don’t get from behind the screen. You’ll feel when pacing drags, when a choice hits, what it’s like to want the spotlight or not get it. That kind of awareness and empathy levels up your GMing in all the best ways.

And yeah, that might mean biting the bullet and playing with folks you don’t already know. I get it-making friends as an adult is hard. But a one-shot with strangers doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment. It can just be a few hours of shared creativity - and honestly, that’s often how new friendships start. Especially when you’re doing something as weird and joyful as collaborative storytelling.

If you’re not sure where to start, join some Discords for creators you like. There’s already shared interest, and there are a lot of TTRPG-focused ones. I haven’t had a lot of luck with specific game ones but content creator spaces have been pretty welcoming and wonderful. I hang out on the Adventures in Lollygagging and Tales of Myth and Mayhem servers, plus a few private ones with friends. Just dip your toe in.