In my group the way this theory hits the road is that the GM interest has determined game system for my group but that good pre-campaign dialogue helps determine what happens in the campaign. This helps players describe what they’re interested in doing but also helps them write characters that have the skills/background/personality that help them succeed during the campaign.

So I offered another suggestion, one that was on my “want to try someday” list: Scion. Ears perked up immediately, and character ideas poured forth. 90% of the players were sold on just the concept, and most of the players popped out at least two different character ideas while I perused the materials. And while I’m not a fan of the system itself (I preferred Aberrant to the Scion method for superheroic characters), I’m finding the high player interest a boon to getting the game up and floating. Most of the stuff I’m planning for is running off the various ideas the players floated my way, instead of my normal MO of trying to come up with a skeleton plot before I start character generation. It’s an interesting experience to be riding the wave of Player Buy-In this time around.

There’s a number of games I want to run and play, and a few others that I really don’t want to play, but would happily run. Maybe it’s just a case of us GMs loving being the centre of attention? Like, we might not like the system, but if we’re in charge, we’ll put up with it?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/3090052564_d40a8cc749_o.jpg

We can see the areas of player and GM buy-in. The ideal zone is where both groups have buy-in, but Martin’s “Zone of pleasant surprises” resides where GM noninterest meets Player Buyin. This leads me to believe there’s a second Zone of Pleasant Suprises when GM Buy-in meets Player noninterest.

So, I’d say your priority should be:
Ideal
GM Suprises
Player Suprises
General Noninterest
GM NFW
Player NFW
Mutual NFW

http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc93/Telas_photos/?action=view&current=Chart.jpg

Labels may not be for everyone’s tastes…

(But yeah, I’d like to see Matthew’s chart… Tempt us, good sir gnome!)

However, to be accurate, I think you need to take into account that the two items are actually independant of one another via a two-axis model. I’ll send you a crappy chart of my own to see what I mean.

Thanks for the stories; I love hearing how ideas like this have their own permutations in each group.

Thanks for this. It’s truly useful.

I *JUST* pulled together a few interested people who are willing to role-play. I would like to GM, but there’s one player who is adamant on playing WoWRPG. Being completely unfamiliar with the intricate workings of World of Warcraft, and the Warcraft universe, I felt it best if I did not try to run it. The player who wants to play it said he would be willing to run it (with a GMPC, which isn’t a problem for us).

As much as I want to protest, I’d rather play with an excited player/GM than a disinterested one. And we’re all making concessions. He will run/play the WoWRPG, and I will start up my own game, and we’ll take turns running. We’re going to start the WoW game first as I’m still converting myself from Iron Crown’s Rolemaster FRP to the newer Iron Crown’s HARP, which is far less complicated. The WoWRPG GM/Player–I suspect–is going to collaborate with me for GMing, as he’s never GM’d before, which I think would be great fun!

So I’m making some concessions, but as long as I’m Roleplaying with happy players, it’s a good game.