"It Has to Ignite Their Creativity": Opportunities for Generative Tools for Game Masters

In this paper, we describe the results of interviews we conducted with experienced game masters (GMs) of tabletop role-playing games. In these interviews they discussed the challenges they face preparing and running game sessions, as well as the tools they use. From these interviews, we used qualitative analysis to discover three guidelines for designing generative tools for GMs: 1. provide inspiration, not answers; 2. allow for customization of the generative possibilities; 3. prioritize ease of use (speed, portability, and online accessibility) in design. While there are some limitations to our approach which we describe in this paper, we found these rules summarized the needs of the GMs we interviewed and provide useful advice for those interested in designing generative tools for GMs.