I must say that making props may work MUCH better than most people will realise. I’m am totally not artistic and won’t be able to make anything nice, even when using “choose and use” programs. But then I said “Oh, whatever!” and made maps for almost every scene we would run into and little small characters for each of the players.
Even though they were simple and not that nice, they were the best I could offer and everyone loved them just because I made them after their characters…

It’s like saying “I like your character, please keep it up”, that’s why players will like whatever you make. They know you had to put some effort into it.

And I haven’t even gotten to how it makes every session more fun! Having that map and those character pieces over it makes the job of understanding what’s happening much easier, and then they can all focus on what to do… Having more fun while at it!

I still have to find what I’m good at when GMing, though >.>. Great post, thank you!

It works best, I think, if you add one or more tricks:
* The context of Cut Scene makes no sense to the players at the time, but becomes clearer over the course of time (example: two distant NPCs talk about the torrid past of an unnamed character, who is revealed to be someone the PCs already know during play)

* The Cut Scene reveals gives otherwise expendable NPCs some depth (e.g., the bad guys debate what to do about the PC onslaught, acknowledging their mistakes and reacting like round rather than flat, characters)

* The Cut Scene foreshadows something Truly Dire (e.g., aforementioned bad guys conclude with ‘We need to call a cleaner’ or ‘institute Plan Omega’.)

* The players have some choice in what the NPCs they are obstensibly playing do. It’s easy enough to restict this to a pick A, B or C option.) This works best if they know the NPCs well and the GM is willing to prepare multiple story forks. (Another example: the player can choose whether or not the corrupt chancellor either tries to frame the PCs for his own misdeeds or eliminate the witnesses.)

–Devin Carless

We did, however, have one of those knife-edge, seat-of-your-pants combats that 4e is so damned good at delivering.

Is free beer a prop?

The best moment I had in GMing so far was in 3.5 for the group of 10-year-olds I run. The rogue had both hands inside the intricate, trapped lock mechanism and had to choose whether to pull the red vial of fluid out or the blue one. He was the only one doing anything, the rolls were already down, but the whole table had baited breath as he slowly pulled out a delicate vial of crimson fluid…

But for a GM, the trick is cultivating an atmosphere of support and sharing.

Maybe it’s as simple as a GM simply asking his players for help with this, that, or the other. If the GM takes the first step to ask for help, then the players will stop assuming that they are there to be catered to.

Seriously, the best way I know to engage the players is to find out what makes them tick. Their character sheet may provide a clue, but if you can find a way to read the ‘player sheet’, then you’re golden. Get a peek at their likes/dislikes, the parts of gaming they like most (and least), and what they really want out of a gaming session.

This is not easy, especially in one-shots, con games, or the first few sessions of a campaign. It requires some sensitivity and a willingness to ask for (and take) feedback. Also, some players may change over time, with different genres, or even with different characters. But once you know what your players want, you can play them like an orchestra.

As far as props go, I have never been able to get the hang of them. I run with such a seat-of-the-pants, player-driven, improvisational narrative that usually making props beforehand would be completely meaningless.

I’ve found that simple is fine. Even a scrawl of a simple puzzle on a sheet of paper gets everyone involved. So don’t think you have to do much.