Smoke and Mirrors: on the role of the GM

Some time ago on a convention far away we had an arguement fueled by Ben Robbins' articles on GM-less gaming.

It was mostly me vs. my old-school friend Tomasz considering Vampire: the Masquerade as a milestone in gaming (and they never felt any urge to be more up-to-date with games). And the WFB game the rest of the crew played gave us an opportunity to run quite long conversation about games, gaming and GMing.

I do agree with most of the ideas from Ben's GM-less playing panel - but Tomasz gave me very interesting concept on the purpose of having GM. Besides all the common reasons (run game, watch rules, police the group, invent scenario, play npcs) he said something that was quite strange to me - GM is there to deceive the players, enforce their suspension of disbelief. His act is like a magician's one - you know it's all smoke and mirrors, a sleight of hand. But you can't see it (and won't, cannot nor even should). The sacred mystery is saved. When you're playing GM-less game there's no place for smoke and mirrors. Everything is happening right here. No kunstwerk, as zie Germans would say.


Tomasz knows some of the 'modern' games - we've played Fiasco and a piece that I wrote called Turing's Anatomy. The difference between the games is in Fiasco you do the prep and TA gives you the situation - you have to came up with the characters and their connection (so, it's more Norwegian Style). He said the difference was almost as if there was a GM. In Fiasco one will see all the cogs working against each other, in TA one just (almost) starts playing. There are some props - piece of string, an apple, a stone pebble which have to be prepared before the game by person facilitating it.

I feel there is a connection of this 'smoke and mirror' thing to the Czege Principle - they relate on some level. My story is already developed. It's just boring duty to have it spoken out, not entertaining at all - I've already told it to myself in my head. The reaction of the rest of the players is what I need and look for. And if there is the same level of creative potency it might, in some way, cease to be fun - we are all sumbmerged in the same cultural sauce: visions, movies, pictures, words - with slight differences, we're all alike. If one is not a professional writer it's story won't  be much interesting (in other words: I already know it, even if I don't). GM is there to mask it somehow. Twist the plot - when your  players say "I know that the gardener is innocent" make him the killer. It's a deception they want and the only source is the GM.

[the art is stolen from here and it is Vance Gellert's Carlos Prado performing Ytiri coca ceremony, Cochabamba, Bolivia,]