Or, more fully: How can you be a good GM while also being able to participate in the roleplaying aspect of the roleplay?

In 1x1s and small group roleplays, a GM also is (often) a character and part of the story - not just someone running things. I really like that aspect, though I am sure others perhaps will disagree or have different preferences. But the couple of times I attempted to run things like that on my own, one of two things happened:

1.) The RPers went all gung ho, inventing monsters and fighting them and really not paying attention to my posts at all. (And also leaving me way behind - I went to work one day and came back to a page of posts.)

2.) I had a plot that had certain things that needed to happen in the beginning before the main portion of the story, otherwise the story wouldn't make sense. However... I couldn't gently nudge the player into the direction it needed to go, and the RP fell apart.

Now, I know with the second example, I should have been clearer that there were events that needed to be established. I also needed more room for the player/character to make decisions. (Though I did not expect for the character to decide to hole themselves up in their house...) However, the main point of starting the story where I did was to introduce one of the possible love interests/allies before everything in the characters world went to hell in a handbasket.

So here I am, asking you: What makes a good GM? How do you personally GM? How does one GM a fairly linear plot without making the other RPer(s) feel like you are just pulling them along without a choice? How can one GM a roleplay and still be involved as a character? And any other tidbits you might like to share, along with any experiences of GMing or failing to GM.

A Good GM Is unbiased, knows what to do in the plot at most if not all times, is willing to call out players on their misbehavior, has a passion for their roleplay, is willing to be active in the roleplay they made, is willing to compromise on characters and their actions as long as it doesn't ruin the story/lore of the roleplay, from a character standpoint will not put his or her own character above the others as some sort of god and is friendly to their roleplayers.

In my experiences my failure as a GM seems to come from my iron will to not let people do as they wish in roleplays. I however say that I don't let things on in the basis that they will drag the roleplay down. I also am very blunt and to the point if I don't like someone or something I will say it while keeping to the rules of the cool fonz of the almighty mahz god set. Likewise my plots are slow in the start and I lose interest before I can even get to the better parts. Other times I make roleplays and I find out half way into it I have no idea how to move on due to lack of forethought on how to bridge certain plot points. To put it bluntly: I know what I want, and I don't tolerate BS for any reason unless it is a good reason. I will give you the same thought that I'd give anyone else unless you've proven incapable or unreliable. I will not force others to do things unless I absolutely have to and I will give forewarning to players doing things they shouldn't in roleplay as opposed to just killing off their character like an asshole like I was subjected too on my very first roleplays on this site. I make relatively well thought out roleplays but my problem is the gap between the good points and the slow points and or my inability to make the cool points come out as I wanted

What makes a good GM?

Someone with a strong, clearly articulated vision that remains flexible.

How does one GM a fairly linear plot without making the other RPer(s) feel like you are just pulling them along without a choice?

I have a lot of thoughts about this, but I'll just share this one for now:

I think if you want to tell a linear story, one thing that will help you out a lot is curating what characters you let into the game. If you take just any character from any background, aligning all of those disparate personal trajectories with your story will be pretty much impossible. Tell applicants whatever you need their characters to be before they start crafting. Common enemies, common goals. For a very simple example, all the characters in my game had to belong to a particular mercenary company. To get them started on the same path, all I have to do is have their boss give them orders. Even though in one sense you're "pulling them along without a choice," really it's their characters that chose that life and now they have to deal with the consequences. It makes a huge difference.

Also, to specifically address your point about the story that had crucial events that needed to happen before the main story, don't be afraid to give your the players a prescribed a backstory. Since so many games die because the story hasn't really kicked in, I highly recommend rethinking your story structure, and starting as late in the story as makes sense.

How can one GM a roleplay and still be involved as a character?

I personally choose not to. Maybe it can be done well, but every GM I've seen do this seems to have just figured out the socially acceptable way to god-mod. That said, technically speaking, NPCs are a way to be involved as a character or characters. Just don't get too attached to any of them.

And any other failures or successes you'd like to share?

Here's a failure: there was a point when two of my players were getting along really well and having a lot of back and forth while the other three had nothing to do. So I pushed the story forward, cutting the scene short. What I probably should have done is add something new to the scene for the three players and let the couple keep making magic.

Anarchic delegation. Or some sort of administrative appointment of power to individuals that share the same vision or who have been around forever, such is the way Precipice is ran.

I don't often let people in without confiding in several trusted parties and referring the applicant to anyone in the RP's region that they want to set up in.

i end up forgeting im the GM, so hats why i never make myself the leader or have a active role in it.

I have RolePlayed without a GMPC (Game Master controlled Player Character) exactly once! The players harassed the character I'd designated to be their contact to the underground for no reason, they shot an old man to death, and burnt down a building (That last one was by accident, but still...). Then they spent the next couple of days roleplaying the downtime they had in between missions, which I had no involvement in what so ever. The next in game morning, I introduced my GMPC, who had her own sub-plot that was never fulfilled by the campaign's end unfortunately. After that the game was our second most successful RP amongst our group.

Now that I think about it, the best GMPCs that have been involved in our group were characters who were some-how incorporated into the campaign's storyline.

I don't have much experience with RolePlaying with people who aren't close friends who I didn't meet outside of setting up the RP, so things like God-Modding, misbehaving players, DMs being an asshole and Munchins aren't really things I've ever had to deal with.

---

One of the biggest obstacles I've encountered as a DM is actually getting the players to let me actually DM. One RP we did, somebody wanted to play as a Chaotic Good Changeling. I rejected the idea out of hand (Both because Changelings are arrested on sight, ESPECIALLY if they try to disguise as another race, in this particular setting and because we already had another special snowflake in the form of a Chrystal Pony, who I'd already established beforehand didn't exist in this setting but the player really wanted to play a Chrystal Pony (And their character ended up sucking so hard that they single-handedly ruined the RP anyway!)) and they cracked the shits at me.

Another example is when I ran an evil campaign where the players were part of a necromancy cult and one of the players (The same one who made the terrible Crystal Pony) came up with some bullshit reason why their neutral character would be hanging with Necromancers, involving being based on some con-artist character on TV, because they didn't want to play an evil character (Even though they seem to be perfectly willing to play as a character who is a total jerk to everyone. I really hate that Crystal Pony). I ended up telling them to actually make an evil character or just don't play. They chose the latter. (This would technically count as a failure, since having such a limited pool of players means it's more important to try to get everyone involved than to just have the RP run the way I want it to. But at the time I was already frustrated at them)