After reading the horror story thread, and the "Worst DM Ever" page, It occured to me that we might draw from these experiences what kind of things a DM should always do, or not do, or various points. Without getting overly critical, or overly technical, let's see if everyone can contribute one thing a DM should always do, and one thing they should avoid. The result migth be a sort of Dm study guide, a way to check how you are doing.
Do: Be organized. It makes the game go faster, reinforces your authority, and will keep the PCs involved.
Don't: Use too many house rules. While options and rules are great, try to stick to published stuff, and deal with things on a case-by-case basis. Established rules have often been tested more thouroughly.
...Don't: Use too many house rules. While options and rules are great, try to stick to published stuff, and deal with things on a case-by-case basis. Established rules have often been tested more thouroughly.
I agree very strongly.
Another rule: ALWAYS remember it's about the players and their successes, not the NPCs' -- and don't ever introduce your own character unless he/she/it is expendable. The only individuals that are not expendable are the PCs. Always. Without exception. Don't forget. Write it at the top of every page of all your notes.
Yeah, this rule is a big deal to me :)
Nothing will kill a game faster.
Jack
Do.: Have fun. Remember that this is a game, and that everyone at the table, including the DM, must have fun.
Do Not.: Penalize players for being abscent, for missconduct or poor roleplaying. Instead, reward players that are present, who roleplay well and incite the good flow of the game.
Keep things positive. Penalizing players will only make a bad situation worse.
Ultradan
Do/Don't: If the players want to do something outlandish, stop and think. Why are they going to do this? Are they just trying to be stupid, or do they actually have an interesting point? Are they angry and in need of venting?
Whatever happens, don't just say "no", let them actually do it. If they're just trying to be stupid, make them fail, but don't be obvious about it, then they'll get it out of their system, or learn why people don't do it in real life if they just didn't think something through enough. If they need venting, let them vent and succeed. It will get things back on track.
Even if they're trying to be stupid, sometimes they'll just make a point out of something if you don't let them get away with it sometimes (It's been my experience, and if that's what they want, they're entitled to some of that, too). Just let them do it and get back to the plot. Either way, don't be vindictive about it.
Finally, if they are onto something, and have a novel and/or inventive new prospect on some issue, go with it! Reward ingenuity.
Do: If someone in the party has a specialty, such as an unusual favored enemy or tons of spells that only affect very specific things, make sure to throw them a bone once and a while. If you've got a big enemy sorcerer that they've been after a while, and he needs a meatshield, but it doesn't really matter what it is, and you've got a ranger with Favored Enemy (orc) and a wizard focused with enchantments (which only work really well on humanoids until much later), make the meatshield orcs!!
Don't: Don't use a huge string of random encouters where the enemy appears on a distant hill or something, the party shoots an arrow or fireball or something, and goes on. It's boring, for both DM and players, and they rack up XP for something without any real challenge (unless you ad hoc modify it).
Do: Use random encounters with interesting creatures the party hasn't seen before, including the players themselves. It's a good way to use some of the cooler things in the MM and other books that might not otherwise fit into your campaign, rounds out XP very nicely between adventures, etc. Plus, coming up against a whole new creature and threat is really exciting.
Don't: Don't overload the party with information when beginning a campaign or at a key point. Hand it out a small bit at a time if you want the players to remember it. Let them discover things on their own, they remember it better. Don't get frustrated when they forget: You, the DM, have put a lot more time into this than they have, so it's only natural that you know it better than they will.
That's all I've got for now. I'm sure I'll be back later with some more personal preferences, which are all these are.
some random encounter stuff
Don't: spend lots of time and effort on random encounters and tables for them. Random monsters should be generic MM monsters. These encounters don't further the plot or the PCs' fortunes (literally and figuratively); they should be short and simple, with little resulting XP.
There are better places for DMs and players to spend their time.
IMHO
Jack
apologies to Saern for some differences of opinion :)
Do.: Have fun. Remember that this is a game, and that everyone at the table, including the DM, must have fun.
Ultradan
I will throw in my two coppers worth too, and just want to reiterate what Ultradan said.
The above is Cardinal Rule #1, and the whole reason this hobby even exists imho, so NEVER loose sight of that.Other than that I'd warn DMs not to get caught up in an adversarial mindset. Speaking from past experience, when the PCs thwarted "MY" NPCs or Monsters I always had to remember that it's not "THEM VS ME", its a story ABOUT the PCs and i'm just the story teller (by the way...off topic...I like that title so much more than DM or even GM...but I digress).
ALWAYS remember your manners (this goes for DMs AND Players)...and be considerate of others...eventhough the goal is to have "FUN"...make sure its NEVER EVER at someone else's expence.
Lastly, no 2 games will ever be alike...and I cannot hope to give advise to everyone covering every possible interaction...its a game in a social setting, and depends largely on who is participating...but always remember as the DM your job is to entertain THOSE players, so find out what THEY enjoy, and tailor the game to meet their needs.
Hope that helps in some small way...and its really heartening to see this hobby of ours thriving...keep the game going guys....and be safe.
P.S. Ultradan...you're in Montreal eh? sigh...where were you the 17 years I lived there =pp lol.
DO: Challenge the players and their characters. Dont go easy on them, ever. Make them work hard for everthing. Trust me they will thank you for it afterwards.
DONT: Get precious about anything in your campaign. Everyting is there for them to interact with which can include murder and maiming. Just learn what the party is capable of and up the ante if necessary.
DO: Look at your players.
DO: Listen to your players.
DO: React to your players.
Ultradan...you're in Montreal eh? sigh...where were you the 17 years I lived there =pp lol.
Probably in Sarnia Ontario, where I grew up. I moved to Montreal in 1983. Sorry!
Ultradan
There's a blog post over at Treasure Tables that's a list of GM tips and ideas, including keeping a DM "naughty" list - things that you need to improve upon.
Here's my two copper piece:
DON'T railroad the players.
DON'T be afraid to toss out the adventure plot you just wrote.
DO remember to keep it fun.
DO remember that it's just a game.
DO remember that "canon" sometimes needs to be fired from a "cannon" for the sake of gameplay and fun.
DO: Maintain a dynamic, random world where encounters are not designed exactly with the party in mind - for they are not the only adversary in the world.
DON'T: Adjudicate player actions without a die roll; regardless of how outlandish a stated action, create the odds of success and roll a die - arbitrarily telling a player what happens based on your own point of view makes the DM "God", figuratively removes the player from the game and sucks the fun out of it for all players.
DO: Listen to rules objections and protests with objectivity and a cool head.
DON'T: Lose your temper arguing with anyone else - doing so means that you've stopped being a DM and become one of the players.
DO: Remember rule #1 - the ultimate goal of playing is everyone's MUTUAL entertainment.
M
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DO: Take the time to narrarate the action. Breathe life into your dice rolls. 'He hits you for 7 points' is an ugly statement and should be avoided. Instead, try: 'The ogre raises the club over his head and sends it crashing down on you. Your shield absorbs the worst of the bash, but the powerful blow numbs your arm, nearly breaking it. You take 7 points of damage.'
DO: Know the rules well and apply them *subtlety*. Do not make rules a central part of your descriptive action, but have them firmly in mind as you describe what is happening.
DO: Maintain consistency on rulings made at the table. Have a strong understanding of the core rules so any modifications made for situations are done with a nod toward the spirit of the rules.
DONT: be afraid to let the PC's win. You can always raise the difficulty of challenges later and they will feel good about themselves for succeeding.
some random encounter stuffDon't: spend lots of time and effort on random encounters and tables for them. Random monsters should be generic MM monsters. These encounters don't further the plot or the PCs' fortunes (literally and figuratively); they should be short and simple, with little resulting XP.
There are better places for DMs and players to spend their time.
IMHO
Jack
apologies to Saern for some differences of opinion :)
No apologies needed! I've even considered throwing out random encounters all together before, but decided that they need to be there for the campaign world. A quick way to handle them is to flip through the MM or other supplement before the session and find a few things appropriate for the party's current terrain and that you like. Then just throw them in when needed to spice things up. Making the random encounters scaled exactly to the party level all the time can make the world seem unrealistic. For example, if the party is going to Baldur's Gate along the Coast Way, every encoutner shouldn't be CR 7 or up or something like that, or no merchants would ever make the journey!
Do: Cut the recommended percent chance of encounters per hour by half, maybe half again at night depending on the situation. When I ran Cold Stones Keep with 3 5th level players, there were sooo many random encounters, they were SEVENTH LEVEL by the time they got there! The adventure is written for 4 4th level characters. All because of random encounters. That's when I knew something was broken.
some random encounter stuffDon't: spend lots of time and effort on random encounters and tables for them. Random monsters should be generic MM monsters. These encounters don't further the plot or the PCs' fortunes (literally and figuratively); they should be short and simple, with little resulting XP.
There are better places for DMs and players to spend their time.
IMHO
Jack
apologies to Saern for some differences of opinion :)
I think your right to a certian extent but random enconters are a great way to add realism and forshodowing to your campaign. This is especially true if your running a combat heavy campaign. I'd consider making lots of non-combat random encounters that emphasize whats going on in the background. Its one way to actually add to the plot without making things seem forced. You could meet anyone on the road - so maybe knows a great time to meet some refugee's fleeing from the Half-Dragon Kobolds who are going to feature prominently in the campaign in a few levels.
I'm not sure about the concept of a do's and don't list.
I'm not sure I agree with some of the points being raised here at all. The always let a player have a chance of getting out of death is one I don't follow. I'm not out to kill the players or anything but I'm not letting them escape death either. Partly because I feel that death adds tension to the game. Plus some of teh worst favourtism comes about once the DM starts fudging death - if some characters die some of the time but life lines are thrown and dice are sometimes fudged then there is a strong danger that the DM decides to fudge more for a favoured character or worse yet player.
The statement that the dungeon should always be challanging is another one I don't agree with - sometimes its fun for the players for them to just go on a rampage - their powerful characters after all and using supreme greater cleave to mow through the goblins can be a lot of fun for them once in a while.
I tend to often agree on limiting the house rules...except when I don't. Sometimes house rules allow one to emphasizd asome aspect of teh campaign and make it feel more authentic to the look and feel of whats being done. Dark Suns rules for example make sense for that world. I'd just make sure that your house rules are spelled out - that you know why your using them and that your open to fixing them in the likely event that they are not perfectly balanced.
Even the magic issue is one I'm not sure I buy into - every campaign is different and there may well be nothing wrong with players with lots of magic in yours.
I'm not sure about the concept of a do's and don't list.
Its not a bible, or a straightjacket, or even an order. Its a list of things we can offer to other DMs that have worked for us. You may be thinking too much into it. these are things that work for these people, and are suggestions IN GENERAL.
I'm not sure I agree with some of the points being raised here at all. The always let a player have a chance of getting out of death is one I don't follow. I'm not out to kill the players or anything but I'm not letting them escape death either. Partly because I feel that death adds tension to the game.
It also can ruin the fantasy of the game. I personally think that death should be a threat, and it should add tension, as you say, but it cannot be omnipresent. If I have to reroll a charcter every two weeks because of tension, I'll still be pissed. The point being raised is that the PCs should not be punished with death unless they earn it. Not just because the boss is a badass. Or the DM wants it to feel challenging. Nothing will take the wind out of a campainn liek arbitrary death.
Again, this is just a helpful bunch of tips. There is no need to read into it, or challenge it. Offer your own tips, even if they contradict the existing ones. Thats the point: advice for DMs.
Random Encounters have been mentioned alot, but what about random players?
Don't: Get bent out of shape when the players decide to go in the opposite direction of the adventure you had planned.
Do: Have a list of random NPC names sitting next to your elbow to cover the above mentioned situation. (Gotta love them players, they make the game thier own!)
My two coppers,
-Rath
some stuff bashing random encounters :)
I think your right to a certian extent but random enconters are a great way to add realism and forshodowing to your campaign...
Though it wouldn't seem so, I agree with Jeremy about random encounters. My approach is to have a few (fairly unexotic) random encounters to increase the players' sense that the world is real, including the random person (or people) with their own things to do.
But I put little work into it, and the list of possible encounters is short -- so short that the PCs are likely to end up meeting most or all of them. They'll never know the difference.
Regards,
Jack
Don't: Split up players at the table for more than a few moments at a time. I'm fine with the party breaking up some times to go do personal quests, but that should not be done with everyone at the table, since those other players have nothing to do. When it's time to get the players back together, make sure the session starts with that; don't wait an hour and a half for the moment to come up when everyone is reunited, with one person sitting over on the side with nothing to do up to that point. It hasn't been fun in my experience as a player (no offense to my DM who reads these boards).
Don't: Split up players at the table for more than a few moments at a time. I'm fine with the party breaking up some times to go do personal quests, but that should not be done with everyone at the table, since those other players have nothing to do. When it's time to get the players back together, make sure the session starts with that; don't wait an hour and a half for the moment to come up when everyone is reunited, with one person sitting over on the side with nothing to do up to that point. It hasn't been fun in my experience as a player (no offense to my DM who reads these boards).
Saern, I agree in principle with what you said here. It isn't fun for the players who are not in the group you are working with, and you can see it in their attitudes. My question is however, what if the players split themselves up? Is it right for you as the DM to say "No, you can't go off on your own?"
I ask because it just happened in my campaign. The party choose to split itself to accomplish more of the goals they had set for themselves in less game time. (Their current mission is time sensitive as far as they know)
I gotta back Saern on this one.
I think the DM should help in implementing the two most important rules of the Player:
1. Never split the party. Easier to die with less support.
2. Never summon anything larger than your head.
Rath, I would end the play session and work on modifiying (or designing, in case they took you by surprise with that move) the upcoming adventures, and then getting with then individual players to work that out. Don't call the whole group back togethether until almost the exact moment you plan on getting them together in game.
When I was experiencing this thing, just sitting over to the side, I was EXTREMELY bored, and ended up making comments and such to other players that started getting disruptive. Expect that from players with nothing to do. They come to play D&D with friends, not watch friends play D&D.
Don't: Split up players at the table for more than a few moments at a time. I'm fine with the party breaking up some times to go do personal quests, but that should not be done with everyone at the table, since those other players have nothing to do. When it's time to get the players back together, make sure the session starts with that; don't wait an hour and a half for the moment to come up when everyone is reunited, with one person sitting over on the side with nothing to do up to that point. It hasn't been fun in my experience as a player (no offense to my DM who reads these boards).
Oh I agree - but if the players themselves insist there is not much you can do about it. I'd try and subtly warn about the dangers of a split party and would at least give a few moments thought on whether this is worth breaking out of the game so that I as a DM can point out to those people on the couches over there - who are my players, that they are about to do something that will lead most of them bored for extended periods of time. That last is extreme - if what they are doing is only going to be for a short period of time I'd probably not break the mood but if they are about to split the party and head for full scale different series of encounters I'll probably bite the bullet and point out the obvious boring aspects of their plan.
Saern, I agree in principle with what you said here. It isn't fun for the players who are not in the group you are working with, and you can see it in their attitudes. My question is however, what if the players split themselves up? Is it right for you as the DM to say "No, you can't go off on your own?"I ask because it just happened in my campaign. The party choose to split itself to accomplish more of the goals they had set for themselves in less game time. (Their current mission is time sensitive as far as they know)
If you do find this cropping up in your game you can mitigate the worst effects for a short period of time by deciding that spirit voices are perfectly acceptable at your table. Its slightly more entertaining to watch D&D if you can suggest to an active player that their character Clarissa the Mighty ought to open the left side of the strange box first. At least then you have some peripheral input. None of this makes the players being split up desirable - it just helps slightly in such situations and makes short periods of being split up less disruptive among the players.
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This is what I wrote in a sticky-thread over at the WotC boards. So, here are my 2 cents:
DON’T: Be over-prepared! Of course it's good to know your stuff, but don't get nervous if you get the feeling you haven’t thought about every possibility - your players will come up with another one anyway! Just know the module, so you can improvise on the spot. Know what the adventure is all about, and know where to find things in the core books. If you can't find a rule fast enough, don't slow the game down by continuing to hunt for it. Just make up a rule and look the official rule up later on (you don't have to replay the combat/situation, just play along with the right rule thereafter).
DO: be fair all the time and remember - it's NOT YOU AGAINST YOUR PLAYERS!!! If one of your player’s characters dies, don't laugh - try to be emotionless, but tell him you're sorry (this is no big deal for you as the DM). In this way the player will know that you have nothing against him and that you judged by the rules. There are ALWAYS players who get angry when their character dies, but…well, there are always people who can lose and those who can't. By the way, if one of your characters dies, you don't lose – instead, you get a new opportunity to play a new, exiting character.
DON'T: favor any of your players. You have to treat everyone equal! Sometimes it happens (and you might be totally unaware of this) that you have a gaming session where you talk to almost only one of your players. That happens sometimes because the other players are not that fit and this special player has a lot of fun and his character has a whole range of useful skills. But as long as you KNOW that this can happen, you will notice it almost instantly. Then you have to try to get the other players into play. Talk to them directly, ask them what their characters want to do and give them opportunities to shine above their comrades from time to time.
DO: Read the adventure beforehand! My point of view here is that I owe my players a fluent game since they give up a whole day on their weekend to come and play with me. I don’t think it's fair if the DM has to tell them, "Just a minute guys, I have to read this paragraph to know what's in this room."
If at some point it happens that you, as the DM, don't know what a room looks like, make it up. If you know it's a gold mine, go ahead and describe what you think a gold mine looks like, and while the players discuss their course of action just skim over the according paragraph.
DON’T: Ever tell your players how their characters feel! I know…sometimes you make up a great BBEG and you know he's cool because you can picture him in your mind and know exactly what he is able to do. You know that this guy (in real life) would scare away the characters and make them run like hell. I (as a player) experienced a situation where my DM told me my character feels panicked and wants to run away. I looked at him and asked him why. His answer was: "Because this villain is scary like hell!" but he never role-played him like that. If you want your players to be impressed and fearful of an enemy, try your best in showing how evil, bad and vile your villain is. Let them experience how influential he is and what he's able to do (like ordering a dragon to burn down a whole village, or a wizard fighting off a dozen heavy armored knights on horseback with his blasting magic). In this way, your BBEG will have a lasting impression on your players (and therefore on the characters as well), and the victory over him will be all the more sweet!
DO: Be patient! Rome wasn't built in a day, and that's the same with a good DM! It takes time to become a good DM. Well, your players will decide this for you anyway, but you'll know how you want to DM and run your game very early on! Just take your time and don't get panicked if, after a couple of months, you're still not where you want to be. Some of us have played for over 17 years (some even longer) now, and there's ALWAYS room to improve. So take it lightly, and don't forget to have fun at the table!!!
DON'T: EVER SPLIT THE GROUP…at least when you first begin playing. You will have a hard job of getting everything done already, in addition to getting through the adventure. When you get more experienced, splitting the group can be great fun, but always keep in mind that as long as one part of group is at the table gaming, the other part is out of the game and they probably don't want to be out too long. If you have good players who can differentiate between gaming and metagaming it might be no problem to let them stay at the table. As said before - you have to know your players to decide this!
Fixxxer: In reference to Dryder’s comment “Never tell your players how their characters feel like”, this is great advice, but don’t be afraid to enforce Fear and Charm effects. While you should not dictate how a PC feels to the player, certain psionic or spell effects cause PCs to feel, see or do things that they would not normally do and you’re within your rights to enforce these effects.
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Well, there's more from co-posters HERE
Rath, I would end the play session and work on modifiying (or designing, in case they took you by surprise with that move) the upcoming adventures, and then getting with then individual players to work that out. Don't call the whole group back togethether until almost the exact moment you plan on getting them together in game.
When I was experiencing this thing, just sitting over to the side, I was EXTREMELY bored, and ended up making comments and such to other players that started getting disruptive. Expect that from players with nothing to do. They come to play D&D with friends, not watch friends play D&D.
Appreciate the advice Saern.
I have a feeling that the players will not tackle the actual "Adventure" part without the entire party present. I may speak to the group if this fridays session turns out to be yet another party split day. I can remember being a player and losing interest rapidly as the minutes ticked by where my PC was not "there".
To keep with the thread:
Do: Have fun as a DM, whatever that may mean to you.
Don't: Have fun at the players expense, you won't be DMing long.
I hope to DM soon so taking notes. This is all good stuff.