The Internet doesn’t always know best.

Just as no two people are exactly alike, no two gaming groups are exactly alike. I’ll say it loud for the people in the back, “There is no wrong way to play or run your tabletop roleplaying game!”

I can’t count the number of times recently I’ve seen someone on YouTube or TTRPG related social media calling someone a “bad DM” or “terrible Game Master” just because they run things their own way. It’s like no one stops to ask if its working for the group or what the players had to say about the situation. Of course a GM with fewer than 20 years of experience has no idea what they’re talking about according to a lot of us old fartz.

I think the real trick here is not to view the same situation through every lens. Take the nuggets of wisdom wherever you find them. Sometimes younger or newer GMs see something us old timers might have missed.

Don’t be a jerk to other Game Masters. Somebody could be just starting out and trying things we old guys found out don’t work as well. Sometimes people have to learn through their mistakes. Let their group and their experiences guide them. It turns out we don’t always have to comment on someone’s YouTube video or social media post.

Sure someone can always improve. Last I checked it’s not my job or anyone else’s to fix the real world. It’s not that someone is necessarily running the game “wrong” or giving “bad advice.” It’s that their play style/GM style is different than yours.

Is the group having fun? Good enough. If the players are disgruntled and the GM needs advice, that’s when it’s a good idea to speak up if you see something that could change for the better.

Don’t be a gatekeeper.

Yes, it’s okay to give advice online. Ask questions and really listen to what people are saying in a constructive way. Tell the critics and vitriolic, abusive commenters to go kick rocks. If someone is being nasty in the comments, obviously anything they say is worth next to nothing. Let it go and move on.

There are GMs in the TTRPG hobby who legitimately seems to want to keep out the younger generation, anyone with green hair, tattoos, or piercings, and basically anyone who is not-them. We need to invite more and more people into the hobby, not chase them away from it with spite and bitterness.

Is it really worth it to push others away from the hobby? Did anyone ever cut you some slack when you were starting out, Mr. or Mrs. Gatekeeper? Just because some piece of advice works one way doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone in every situation. Don’t be a jerk about it.

That’s really about all it boils down to.

Please be kind to new players and especially new GMs. They’re a special breed and we need to keep encouraging them. Otherwise we’ll be sitting through another round of talk about a “GM shortage” that doesn’t exist and was made to push closer to AI Dungeon Masters.