I am running something next week that is just ripped straight from the pages of Dune Messiah (pro GM tip literally no one will notice if you do this). It got me thinking: What are the books you've read (I'm thinking Sci-Fi/Fantasy but I guess anything) that you feel have had the biggest influence on the way your games run? For example: I wouldn't say they're my favorites, but the old REH Conan pulp stories have had an outsized impact on how I run games. I love the mystery of the wilderness and the idea that magic is ancient and dangerous, and I love that the action is usually driven forward because Conan is trying to steal something or kill someone, and not because the action finds him and he gets wrapped up in it. What comes to mind when you think about SF/F books and the way you play and run your games?

…and where would you like to grow? One of the greatest gifts in my gaming career was discovering that I don’t have to GM like anyone else, and can find and build my own strengths into the GM I would like to be, someone I enjoy. I have plenty of examples and ideas, and I’m going to resist the urge to put my thumb on the scale and let y’all kick it off. I promise I’ll chime in later. ☺️

It's been a pretty long time since we've had a poll, so let's get one rolling! This week, I'm curious how much people prep for sessions, and in what way. To keep the poll simple I'll just add prep amount here, but feel free to leave a comment describing your style of prep (bare-bones bullet points, notebooks, notion, etc). Personally, I'd say I'm a medium prepper. I always do it in notebooks, and I'll usually prep more than I need because I enjoy using it to wind down before bed. I'll usually have a few pages of notes for a session, and I'll put some sticky notes where I need them.

If you were asked to play in a super hero game, are you expecting or wanting a combat or Drama focused game? Obviously we would like a mix, but I feel that most games I have played/ seen played are commonly one or the other. Trying to not give away my preference, just curious what people prefer.

What was the first system you played (or ran) that wasn't DnD? (The purpose of this post is to give people a few ideas of games they could try if they are going to skip D&D 5e 2024. It isn't for D&D bashing - that's how nearly all of us started!) For me it was GURPS. We wanted to run a Halloween game about shapeshifters infiltrating our friend group and DnD 3.5 didn't fit the bill. In hindsight, it was way over engineered and not the right system for the game. Should have gone with something simple and freefrom (next year I ran the same thing with RISUS).