Here's another facet of communication at the gaming table - players wanting to give feedback to their Game Masters. I've had plenty of experience having serious conversations with Game Masters and weighing in with feedback. In the last article, I wrote about how to get feedback from your players, but now I'm interested in exploring the other side of this topic.

If you want to give your DM feedback on their role-playing game, start the conversation over text. You can also discuss feedback in-person with the DM, but considering the availability and convenience of texting, you have nothing to lose by maintaining open communication with the DM over text.

If you want to hear about some realistic ways of giving your DM feedback, then read on. I've personally tried and tested all of what I'm going to cover.

Give your DM feedback privately, over text

Giving feedback to a DM has never been easier. Texting is readily available. You're likely in a group chat for your game, already.

If you're reading this article, then it's possible that your table isn't very open to feedback and/or you're not comfortable bringing feedback up. Let me make this easy for everyone: bring up your piece of feedback privately with the DM, and do it over text.

The benefits of bringing-up feedback over text are worth noting:

• It allows you to word your message the exact way you intend on conveying it
• It allows both of you to discuss things on your own terms and at your own pace
• It allows you to take your time and respond objectively, without getting too heated
• It allows your feedback to be heard without getting talked over
• It's more convenient and available than talking in-person

Here's some examples of how to initiate feedback over text:

"Hey, do you have time to talk about the game some time? I don't feel like I'm having as much fun as I should. I've got a few ideas why that is, and I'd like to discuss them before my enjoyment of the game gets worse"

"Hey, I don't like having to say this, but I didn't really like the way that the inter-party conflict was handled in the last session. Can we take some time to discuss it?"

If you want to provide some positive feedback, then you don't have to work so hard to be sensitive. You can go ahead and compliment the DM however you want.

"Hey, I loved the game last night! You did an awesome job juggling the group's actions - I didn't feel like any of us were waiting too long or taking a backseat for the session!"

Even little positive feedback comments like this are valuable to the DM. It let's them know what's working for them in their style of running the game. A good DM will also see what's not being complimented, and consider what's working for them and what's not.

Engaging the DM with a positive comment is also a good way to initiate a candid conversation. The DM might text back asking for feedback on other specific areas of the game if they see that you're open for more discussion.

Even after many years of experience playing RPGs and providing feedback to DMs, I still find myself initiating all my meaningful feedback over text. If texting about the game isn't addressing your concerns, you can always suggest meeting up in-person to discuss further.

Give your DM feedback privately, in-person

Although I'd say you can get all of your feedback needs addressed over text, discussing feedback in-person can have the benefit of communicating a tone that suits your message.

You can quit a game apologetically over text, but quitting the same game one-on-one with the DM can actually look and feel more apologetic, genuine, and honest. Over text, you might come-off as a flaky individual. In-person, you come-off as a person that can't seem to make the game work.

You can talk about another player's negative behavior over text, but you can also talk about it with the DM in-person. Over text, you might seem whiny and needy, but in-person, your body language shows that you regretfully have issues them.

It's all about maintaining relationships and acting with integrity. This whole article assumes that you have some kind of appearance or relationship that needs to be maintained. Otherwise, you're free to tell people off as you see fit!

Be honest - Don't lie when giving feedback

I often find myself put on the spot at the end of a session, when the DM asks the table "so what did you guys think of that?" or "how was today's session?"

If your DM asks vague questions like that, they're really just looking for compliments. They'll appreciate compliments, but they'll only shrug or scratch their head at negative feedback or feedback that they weren't expecting.

Unless your DM is exceptional at asking for feedback and taking it like a leader, avoid giving negative feedback in front of the group. If you did this in the workplace, it could be seen as insubordination, which is subject to discipline. Humor your DM by giving some genuine positive feedback, and keep the serious feedback topics for between the two of you.

If you want to be more helpful than just giving a generic compliment on how they "ran the combat well", genuinely give feedback in one specific area and elaborate on it. Don't lie. Focus on one aspect or part of the game that you liked, and discuss why. In a recent game, the DM asked me how I liked it. The session was entirely boring and lame, but it started out strong. That's what I focused on. "I like how the session started out really strong..." and then I elaborated, "You had music all lined-up, vivid descriptions for the new landscape, an interesting climbing challenge we had to overcome." and I left it at that.

I didn't mention any of the uninteresting combat, I didn't mention how I thought it was stupid that the other player could just steal my magical orb with ease multiple times throughout the session, I didn't mention how nothing was interactive and how I felt railroaded to do something we weren't compelled to do. The list goes on, but I chose to focus on what I actually liked about the game. It's just a shame that I only liked the first 10 minutes.

It's not always easy to address conflict or give feedback, but it's a skill that not only would improve your enjoyment of your games, but would also benefit other areas of your life.

For an article that goes deeper on this topic and explores the table environment needed for a strong gaming group, check out what I wrote last time about how to get feedback from your players.