10 Things You Always Wanted to Know
About GMs but Were Afraid to Ask

Interview by Changul

Ever since the first time I saw a GM in Ultima Online, with his sparkly
belt and uber god-like powers to rain magical ale and hams upon my
head, I have been curious about them. Questions flowed; Is this just a
job? Is it an adventure? Can I have your belt?

Although that GM was unable to help me with my housing dilemma, (and
would not give me a belt either,) I felt rather excited that I had
spoken to One Who Knows All. In today's interview, we spoke with
Vanguard's Norm Freeman about the Life of a GM.



[Ten Ton Hammer:] Describe a typical
day in the life of a Vanguard GM.



[GM Volson:] The typical day
for a Vanguard GM normally starts with downing multiple sodas and/or
energy drinks, and checking email for any outstanding player, bug,
and/or game issues. Our priority is however to get in-game ASAP to
assist with players’ petitions. Once in-game we spend a lot of time
researching issues that players are petitioning about. This involves
searching through logs, talking to the game designers, and lots of
research. Also, as it is impossible for one person to know everything
about the vast amount of content in Vanguard, we spend a lot of time
asking each other for help and advice.





[Ten Ton Hammer:] What is the most
frequently submitted type of petition?



[GM Volson:] The type of
petitions we get most can vary greatly. If there is a known issue that
is affecting a large number of our player base, we will hear about it.
If I would have to choose one type of petition we receive most, it
would be regarding people selling their services for powerleveling
and/or in-game gold sales, and reports regarding players “botting”, or
“macroing”. These types of behavior are not tolerated and we appreciate
our diligent player-base for reporting those players that are up to no
good.





[Ten Ton Hammer:] I’m sure policies
prohibit GMs from aiding players under certain circumstances. (For
example, I’ll bet you’re not allowed to give a player advice on a
quest.) What types of things do GMs not assist players with?
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[GM Volson:] The GM’s are all
avid gamers and we would love nothing more than to fix every issue a
player has. Unfortunately there are indeed times that we are unable to
assist. An example would be anything that is a bug (please make sure to
/bug in-game bugs you come across) that would need to be fixed by our
designers/programmers, name change requests for names that are not in
violation of our naming policy, game hints, and requests for free gold.
And no, I cannot change you into a seagull. Sorry. A camel maybe, but
not a seagull.  We also can’t go to that guy’s house that is
corpse camping you and slay him with our mighty GM powers.







[Ten Ton Hammer:] Petition wait times
are a common gripe among players. Is there something we, the players,
can do to help?



[GM Volson:] Due to the
ever-changing nature of MMORPGS and the vast size and amount of content
Vanguard has, there are times when a bug may be encountered. Please
make sure to /bug these issues instead of petitioning so that we can
help those that cannot reach their tombstones, have stuck characters,
or that may be experiencing other “game-stopping” issues. You will not
get a reply to your /bug report, however the issue will be looked into
as soon as possible.



Also, being gamers ourselves, we understand that a player may become
upset when encountering an issue that affects the character they have
spent so much time with. However there will be times when an issue is
out of our hands and we are not able to assist further. Arguing a
ruling we may impose only wastes our time and your time as well. We
humbly request that you remain calm and polite if we find that we are
unable to assist you further with an issue. You will find that if you
treat us with respect we just may be able to go that extra mile to
assist you with your issue.





[Ten Ton Hammer:] Are petitions
answered in the order received, or are they prioritized somehow?
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[GM Volson:] Petitions are
almost always answered in the order received however some issues are
more time sensitive than others. An example of this would be stuck or
missing tombstones, stuck characters, or any other issues that may keep
a customer from playing the game. We normally try to resolve these
issues first so players can get back to playing their character again
as soon as possible and so they don’t have to stare at the queue while
their friends play and laugh at them.





[Ten Ton Hammer:] Can you explain the
difference between a GM and a guide? How can players tell which is
which?



[GM Volson:] GM’s have more
in-game powers to assist players and more responsibilities than a
Knight. Knights however are on the front lines everyday answering
players’ questions, assisting the GM’s with time-intensive issues, or
forwarding issues to GM’s for further assistance. GM’s normally have a
“GM” title in front of their name, and Knights normally have “Knight”,
“Lady”, or “Squire” titles in front of their name.





[Ten Ton Hammer:] Do GMs actually play
the game while working, or do you just come in game to settle issues?
How often do you play Vanguard during your non-working hours?



[GM Volson:] GM’s are not
permitted to play games while on duty as we are here to assist
customers, not level up our Halfling warrior of doom. We do however
play Vanguard and other games when we get off of work and on our days
off. We love games just as much as you do!





[Ten Ton Hammer:] Do PvP Servers have
more problems/petitions than PvE?



[GM Volson:] Yes. Due to the
differing rule-sets between PvE and PvP servers, there are
unfortunately more harassment issues on PvP servers as players vie to
“pwn” each other. Players also tend to find “creative” ways of killing
others which can cause some disputes between players. We ask that you
please be polite when you gank other players on PvP servers. You never
know who that Half Elf is that you just destroyed. It could be a
grandmother, your next door neighbor Bob, or Danny Devito. Well it
probably won’t be Danny Devito, but be nice and treat others with
respect nonetheless.





[Ten Ton Hammer:] What kinds of
responsibilities do you have aside from answering player petitions?



[GM Volson:] Responsibilities
vary between GMs. I, for example, am in charge of answering customer
support emails as well as in-game petitions. I am also responsible for
taking care of Sigil’s extensive Lemur collection in our petting zoo.

(We don’t really have a Lemur petting zoo, but I wish we did!)





[Ten Ton Hammer:] I want to have
godlike powers! How can I become a GM?



[GM Volson:] Becoming a GM is
no easy task! You have to eat your vegetables, drink your milk, and be
able to lift a Volkswagen over your head. Actually, we look for someone
with extensive MMORPG and customer support experience, and for those
that enjoy helping others. If you think you have what it takes to be a
Vanguard GM, please email your resume to us at: href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected].
There is no need to send in photos of yourself dressed as a Raki. If
you do though, please keep them clean!





[Ten Ton Hammer:] Any last words? Any
message you’d like to get out to the Vanguard player community?
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[GM Volson:] We appreciate our
customers for choosing Vanguard and hope you will all stay with us for
a long time to come. I am very excited to see how Vanguard will evolve
over the years to come and I know that things are only going to get
better.

And to that gentleman that yelled at me the other day for not being
able to reimburse his sword, please don’t. I am a sensitive Lesser
Giant. Trust me; you don’t want to see a Lesser Giant cry. It isn’t
pretty.