We've had a lot of debate since the release of the Beta on rules and examining them. While this all well and good perhaps we should look at more than just the rules system. Yes, I'm talking about the role of the DM, the judge/jury/executioner and holder of the keys to Rule 0.
When assuming the mantle of DM, one becomes responsible for creating and maintaining a fun, balanced, and challenging fantasy environment. Using the rules book as a guide the DM creates an entire world/universe in which the players face scenarios to test their ability and creativity. Working together the players pit their skills against the DM's world, not the DM himself nor against the rules in play in the world the DM has created. Together the players and DM explore dungeons and the wilderness, or navigate the paths of civilized societies.
To better define/assist the DM in this labor I offer the beginnings of DM Dos and Don'ts -
1. DO understand the rules as written (RAW), and their common interpretation (RAI). Your players will look to you for this knowledge.
2. DO understand that the rules system is a GUIDE. As such it forms the background of your world. It cannot answer all possible questions, nor provide the mechanics to resolve every scenario. That responsibility falls to you.
3. DO try to create interesting, challenging, and fun scenarios. Your players will appreciate it.
4. DO learn what motivates your players. If your campaign touches on these points your players will enjoy it all the more.
5. DO try to maintain balance both amongst your players and their group within your world. Loss of balance can erode the enjoyment of role playing and turn your world upside-down.
6. DO understand that you will sometimes have to say 'no' to player requests, and that often those players are your close friends.
7. DO make your players earn the rewards they seek. Opening up the treasure vault and handing out goodies leads to a boring, short-lived game. It's OK to assist the group if they are struggling.
8. DON'T forget what it's like to be a player.
9. DON'T be to quick on implementing Rule 0, your ultimate control/decision making tool.
Please add to this list, or offer revisions. I believe rehashing this a bit will assist us in our quest to provide better playtest feedback on Pathfinder Beta.
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a) rule 0 dictates that the DM is responsible of taking away, implementing or changing rules for the sake of the flow of the story and the fun of the players
b) is DM responsability to knownand understand the rules... but not to memorize them (many players think this to be the case)
c) players areresponsible to at least udnerstandtheir charcaters, this can be expected of a newbie that needs to be shown how the system works... but experienced players should have this on mind.
d) ruleslawyer playerswhotake the fun of all the group and (specially) munchkins msut be shot on sight... and munchking DM who play thinking in having fun is that THEY have to win every game... must eb tortured and then shot
my 2cents :D
The point about having to win is interesting. I play in a Champions campaign where winning the combat against the super-villain oftentimes has no bearing on the storyline. It was hard to get used to at 1st, but that was a lot of years ago.
I should also point out that by using DM I'm likely showing my age. Feel free to sub GM instead.
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The point about having to win is interesting. I play in a Champions campaign where winning the combat against the super-villain oftentimes has no bearing on the storyline. It was hard to get used to at 1st, but that was a lot of years ago.
I should also point out that by using DM I'm likely showing my age. Feel free to sub GM instead.
its the same, i usually prefer to be called ST (storyteller) but that is more for how i am guide my games and the fact that i played for long gears mostly White Wolf products, and the term GM is also used form a long time, from Palladium books... so meh
but the point you refer is different about a super hero genre, or any genre
the villians aim to win... and as GM you should NOT call the shots, the villian will make everyeffort to win, and HE MAY DO IT
but one thing is the villian wining due to luck or fairness (or the players mistakes) and another entirely that the players are fighting against the DM, who is throwing every resource in his hand to ebatthem down like an angry god!!! i know, i have played agaisnt something like that :S (an old friend always won... his damnable dice always saved him from what only could be called "inescapable odds" from where anyone else would have died, his dices defended him with 20's in the face of the GM)
- DO not get your character in play as a GM, i know we all want to play, but unless its a support NPC no GM should have a character in game... we tend to favor ourselves, to give us better equipemnt and odds... and in game the Players and their characters are the mein characters... not our NPCs
whcih sends me to:
-Do not make any NPC the spotlight, ok the rulers and politicians usually have more power than the players, there are alwyas does that havemore experience, but that is one thing and other tell the story of Margrass, Sheriff of Norwen, where the players are nothing but shadows to him.
One thing is to play the 13 Warrior, where all of the characters were following a leader, it was his story, but it was fun because he saw them as their equal and they had their time to shine, if your party is about having a general followed by his men into battle that is ok, but give every player a chance to be in the spotlight.
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10. DON'T believe Balance is the begin-all and end-all precept of the game. When balance gets in the way of the entertainment the game provides, trash it.
11. DO listen to your players feedback, what they like and don't like, and build the game around it. By providing the type of entertainment the players seek, you are reaching for excellence in DMing.
12. DO understand this is not "your" game, and these aren't "your" players. This is everyone's game, and the players are people just like you. They don't owe you respect. This is something you have to earn by aiming for excellence, fairness, knowledge, dynamism in DMing.
13. DON'T, EVER, say "no" to a player, particularly concerning character building and options, player's feedback, initiative and imagination without explaining the reasons why you say so. This might have to be explained after the game session (or campaign) is over (it's probably better that way, so as to not interrupt the flow of the game itself), but do take the time to explain the reasons behind your rulings. See #11 from there.
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11. DO listen to your players feedback, what they like and don't like, and build the game around it. By providing the type of entertainment the players seek, you are reaching for excellence in DMing.
*cof cof* this is why i don't DM any more in my home city
they wantsomething so different to what i want to storytell... that we can't arrive to any compromise... thatis why now i play online :P12. DO understand this is not "your" game, and these aren't "your" players. This is everyone's game, and the players are people just like you. They don't owe you respect. This is something you have to earn by aiming for excellence, fairness, knowledge, dynamism in DMing.
yes and no... as a person the other players owe the GM respect, not loyalty, not fealty, but respect fro what he does... so does the DM owes respect to their players... one should not thrash each other because he is less than perfect
13. DON'T, EVER, say "no" to a player, particularly concerning character building and options, player's feedback, initiative and imagination without explaining the reasons why you say so. This might have to be explained after the game session (or campaign) is over (it's probably better that way, so as to not interrupt the flow of the game itself), but do take the time to explain the reasons behind your rulings. See #11 from there.
other solution, insteadof saying NO, give him a fair chance, depending how impossible or difficult is what hewants to do, highten orlower the DC, then let him roll and see what thoes the Norns says about all this...
if its something unfair and abusive, tell that to theplayer but promise to explain later... if the player is not happy and would affect the game play, then take him aside and explain the situation right there... 5 minutes are acceptable where an hour is not.
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yes and no... as a person the other players owe the GM respect, not loyalty, not fealty, but respect fro what he does... so does the DM owes respect to their players... one should not thrash each other because he is less than perfect
Everyone should respect anyone as a human being, so long as they prove themselves worthy of that respect. I.E. Earn it.
My bottom line, really, is that respect is not owed, but earned.
The DM won't be respected by virtue of being a DM. A DM will be respected by showing all kinds of traits that inspire confidence from the players in the DM's abilities (consistence, fairness, adaptability, experience, understanding, empathy etc).
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The DM won't be respected by virtue of being a DM. A DM will be respected by showing all kinds of traits that inspire confidence from the players in the DM's abilities (consistence, fairness, adaptability, experience, understanding, empathy etc).
i have heard of tables where the DM is offended for not knowing every little rule or for making a mistake in the ruling.
also is as bad to thrash a player in front of the rest for any reason... ok we all can make a few jokes using the other... but otherwise respect is needed, as in any other human interaction
more than earnedi think the respect can be lost, if the dm is unfair, abusive and boring... he should not stay inthe post any longer
we see similar things, just take a different approach to it
I was playing Champions IV last night and came across a page devoted to the GM, titled What NOT to do - How to Ruin Your Campaign (or something very similar). I'll try to post the points later tonight but they are similar to ground we've already covered. It was funny to see a page like this in the rulebook, but I can see the necessity of it.
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I was playing Champions IV last night and came across a page devoted to the GM, titled What NOT to do - How to Ruin Your Campaign (or something very similar). I'll try to post the points later tonight but they are similar to ground we've already covered. It was funny to see a page like this in the rulebook, but I can see the necessity of it.
By far the best DMG I saw so far, is the 4e DMG. I don't like all of the 4e rules, but this DMG contains a lot of basic advice of how to DM. The only source offering comparably good advice during the 3e era was the Dungeoncraft column in Dragon/ Dungeon...
I'd be very happy if Paizo was able to include some fundamental information on DMing in PF "Gamma", too. Or maybe sometime later publish such a guide tailored to the setting/ new rule set.
Btw. I still call it DM. What's the sense in rechristianing the term, just because the D&D licence was plugged if it's still the same game?
Cheers,
Günther
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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By far the best DMG I saw so far, is the 4e DMG. I don't like all of the 4e rules, but this DMG contains a lot of basic advice of how to DM. The only source offering comparably good advice during the 3e era was the Dungeoncraft column in Dragon/ Dungeon...
I don't own the new 4e DMG but I did give it a good thumb through and have to say that it offers some solid advice. That said much of that advice can also be found in the awesome Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastery from Steve Jackson Games.
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I don't own the new 4e DMG but I did give it a good thumb through and have to say that it offers some solid advice. That said much of that advice can also be found in the awesome Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastery from Steve Jackson Games.
Hi there,
yes, I heard a lot of good things about Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastery. Unfortunately I was never able to lay hands on it here in Europe, but I'll certainly get the pdf version mentioned on the site you linked to.
Cheers,
Günther
Highlights from the Champions IV rulebook, page S49 -
How to Ruin Your Campaign
1. Never let your player-characters be best at anything.
2. Make sure the Plot and NPCs are more important than the PCs.
3. Force your PCs into roles their Players hate. (frame the hero for murder so that everyone hates him.)
4. Introduce Genre Conventions Your Players Hate. (tragedy, romance storylines)
5. Overcomplicate!
6. Always obey Die Rolls; Never surrender the scene.
7. Drone. (Narrate rather than role play.)
8. Get to know your players - and step on their psychological limitations.
9. Use characters as leverage on their players.
10. Ignore complaints.
There is a description for each of these but I'm too lazy to type them all. The points cross all game systems though.
It comes down to three principles almost:
Be fair, have fun and get everyone involved.
I do second the recommendation for Robin Laws. (The cynic in me notes that he included a lot of this advice in DMG II but the terms were much better in the SJG pamphlet.) This thread does have many excellent pointers.
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5::Do NOT be the PC's adversary.::
The BBEG is adverse to the party, as are his goons.
The DM controls the BBEG and the goons, but the DM is not the adversary of the PARTY.
The DM can always win. That isn't the point. The point is to *challenge the players*. The Players should always be able to win. (whether they DO or not is beside the point. but they should have a realistic chance of victory. Otherwise you are just murdering them. might as well just call the campaign quits. It leaves less of a bad taste in everyone's mouth that way).
6. do NOT cater to the demands of the players. Just because a player wants a rule changed or an item granted does not mean it is your duty to change it or grant it.
7. DO Listen to the players. Just because they want a rule changed doesn't mean you can't listen to them. You might even agree.
If you follow these 7, your campaign should do at least ok. Especially if you pay very close attention to 1-5.
-S
=)
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1) I bought in the meantime the Robin Laws pdf and really enjoy reading it. Somewhat off topic, but a sentence I loved (in the light of current edition fights):
Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering[/i], page 7]
The tendency to confuse personal taste with objective quality is nearly universal. When we have a negative emotional reaction to something, whether that be a song, a movie, or a rules set, we rarely think, “Oh, that’s not my cup of tea.” Instead, we think, “Ugh! That’s awful!” This basic principle of human perception is difficult to overcome, even when we’re intellectually aware of it.
There is no one best game system, but there is probably a game system that works best for your group.
Btw. a good hint - I never payed much attention to the authours of DMG II. But the similarities (e.g. defining of player types) is pretty obvious...
2) Another ressource for DMing came to my mind, this time of olden AD&D times:
The Zen and the Art of Dungeonmastering.
It's light on game rules and therefore well applicable for newer D&D editions, too. During AD&D times a very well known ressource - and did I mention that it is for free?
Here is the index of contents, you can see that the advice is pretty widespread:
Dungeon Master Tips 3
Character Creation Tips 15
Plot Ideas 17
Death of Player Characters 23
Frequently Asked Questions 26
Group Dynamics 33
The Illusion of Free Will 36
Leads and Excuses 38
Scare Your Players 45
So You Want to Write an Adventure 47
Alignment Guidelines 50
Bringing Player Characters to Life 53
English Titles 57
Building Game Worlds 62
Taglines 71
Classic Blunders of Evil Overlords 75
Taverns 81
Cheers,
Günther
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Tagged for later. All good info.
Something I've recently done in my campaign to improve my DMing quality is to ask the players for their top 3 things they like to see in a session and the top 3 things they hate to see in a session. Some of the responses can be generic ("I don't like wasting an hour on another players actions that exclude the party") but even reading it and seeing it in print helps me while running a session to keep all the "dos" and "don'ts" in my mind while running so that I'm mindful of time spent on various events and when I get a specific answer ("I like seeing puzzles, but I also like the option of a skill check for a hint just in case the puzzle's too tough and using too much time") it's really golden.
--- Ryan
The advice that I tell my players is:
"D&D is not serious business. Don't overthink it, don't fret too much about it, and remember to have fun playing it."