To this day, I both play and GM like I’m still part of a squad. It’s not so much fun as a player as there are very few players I’ve met how understand how to work together in a fire-team.

But, it’s a lot more fun (for me) as a GM. I can take down the players with half their number, because I use squad tactics. I don’t have my NPCs just stand there and take fire; they maneuver into good tactical positions, use teamwork, etc.

I have to tone down the number of NPCS, otherwise my players would never survive. But, sometimes, it’s still a turkey shoot. I once had two gunbunnies take out nine PCs because they went into the CZ one at a time. I even had a GMPC to keep them from doing anything foolish, but the first thing they did was leave her behind.

Professionally, military peers interact in a very structured way. It’s crucial to understand both the purpose of the group effort and how you fit into it. You have to know how to be a good follower as well as a good leader, and recognize when to be which.

It follows that it’s no surprise we make good gamers.

In basic training, some recruits were cheeky enough to play D&D in the barracks on Sundays (the only real downtime available). They drew numbered chits of paper, 1-20, from a patrol cap to make their rolls, and the DM kept the rulebook in his head. They posted a lookout for indications and warning against Drill Sergeants. They bragged about their characters’ exploits in whispers in the chow hall line.

“once the leader embraces his or her role, nearly everything is easier for the entire group”

The number of times I’ve forgotten this simple rule and fucked things up as the GM is depressing.

I wish lots of gaming to both of them– and hope to sit around a table and enjoy another game with them over the holidays!

Plus my brother has made comments following someone saying that they want “gritty and realistic” combat like:

“You want realistic combat? Fine. You get shot, stabbed, whatever. Now you are out of the fight hoping that your buddies get you stabilized. If you do make it to a proper medical facility in time to save your life let’s hope that the doctors don’t have to amputate anything. How about we just play the game without the realism?”

He gets something that most gaming geeks don’t – combat is not fun, and most RPGs are about cinematic moments and not realism.

http://www.treasuretables.org/2007/04/the-game-master-is-the-leader-of-the-group

I plan to give a seminar on leadership and GMing at Gen Con 2010, as well.

Fascinating. Please write as many posts on the lessons you learned while serving as you can. Heck, if you wrote articles just about the military and leadership and skipped the D&D stuff, I’d still be eating them up.