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Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.
Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.
I like that one :) And I probably have several, but will have to let my players point 'em out as I'm sure that I would think them perfectly normal ... though one I can think of is that I'm rather anal on wanting to have all my possible hand outs, maps, notes done up well in advance with possibilities I've thought of worked out to make my life easier during the game.
I don't allow Raise Dead or similar spells.
I constantly play with a large pool of dice in my hands as I read out boxed text and such.. or whenever, really. Either dropping several dice from one palm to the other (and the other way around continually), or throwing a dice in the air and catching it with the other. Inevitably, they sometimes fall on the floor and it is always a race against time to pick them up before one of the two dogs eat it.
I don't have that many dice anymore.
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Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.I like that one :)
My wife doesn't. I have a tendency to rush out and buy books to let players use options that I think are good. I think she wishes I would become a pirate.
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Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.
I do the same thing. Not everyone is a fan but it's a load off my back.
I also have all my player write backgrounds for there characters.
I think she wishes I would become a pirate.
*Dons pirate hat...
My quirk: I have no interest in micro-managing treasure and loot for my players, so I let them retool their equipment every time they go up a level based on the equipment by level guidelines.
Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.
I have that same quirk, but usually follow it up by telling them that if they want to use an option from something I don't own, I'm willing to let them buy it for me.
Otherwise, a personal quirk is that I tend to slip into an English accent when reading boxed text or character speech--I don't know why, but it happens.
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Depends on the group I'm playing with. I'm running a group of kids through RotRL right now. I gave the limitation of PFPG Beta only for classes and races. Simplified things a good bit (though one kept pushing for alternates before gaming began).
Typically, though, I also run with a policy of "if it is not in my books, it ain't happening" for classes, races, spells, etc. Of course, I've got a ton of book, so ...
Also tend to roll dice randomly ... more a habit than anything intentional, but it drives some players nuts ... the level of paranoia does rise a bit when I start rolling random d20s.
Also tend to roll dice randomly ... more a habit than anything intentional, but it drives some players nuts ... the level of paranoia does rise a bit when I start rolling random d20s.
Ditto.
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Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.
I used to do that, but then I had to sell off a bunch of books - though I'll still allow something if anyone in my group has it in hardback (w/full Veto powers of course, lol).
I am also bribable - Pizza, Mountain Dew, Coin of the Realm (Chocolate Chip Cookies) work just fine. =-)
I will also use theatrics to give different NPCs voices, personalities or to indicate events. Ran "A Dark and Stormy Knight" as the first adventure for the group and during the thunderstorm I smacked the wall next to me as loud as I could while the players were talking amongst themselves to indicate thunder - made everybody jump, lol.
And I've been known to randomly place miniatures on the table before he players show up and let them wonder as to what in the gods' names they're fighting tonight.
Also tend to roll dice randomly ... more a habit than anything intentional, but it drives some players nuts ... the level of paranoia does rise a bit when I start rolling random d20s.
You do know that's one of Ravenloft's tips for keeping your players tense and easily scared, don't you? =P
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Also tend to roll dice randomly ... more a habit than anything intentional, but it drives some players nuts ... the level of paranoia does rise a bit when I start rolling random d20s.You do know that's one of Ravenloft's tips for keeping your players tense and easily scared, don't you? =P
Never played the Ravenloft campaign setting. Pretty much gave up on premade campaign settings after Greyhawk. Got more out of creating my own campaign worlds. Hell, I had no clue what a Kender was until about 8 years ago.
But I tend to roll dice randomly regardless of whether I'm a GM or a player. It's a habit.
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yeah as many here I ahve the rule "if i don't have it, or haven't read it, or i don't like it... it doesn't come into play"
I prefer to play without using battlemaps or minies... I explain sometimes areas with minies or dices (when my players were under the same roof, this days i play mostly online), when someone asked why I didn't use battlemats (actually i had one cool battle mat, somewhere) I just say the truth "I am bored of people playing DnD like chess or tactics game... and I like combat being chaotic" :D
my villains learn... next time you try the same tactic (or in the sme combat if there is time) my player see that my villains begin using the players tactic or counter tactics to stop theirs :P, they absolutely hate it.
when I left home for game I carried about 2 backpacks and a laptop... that was the standar gaming equipment... was a pain with minis :P, maybe another reason to stop using them...
i keep my player's character sheets (now i save them in the computer)... hated when they lost or forgot them...
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My quirk is house rules, and alternate rules...
I'm constantly thinking striving and tweaking rules...if something strikes me as odd in the way that it works; I try to tweak it to work better.
I'm actually going to cement some of my dynamic combat ideas and publish it sometime...
I also like my players to write backgrounds, and I like flaws...but not the ones in Unearthed arcana, they just suck...So I used a point based system to buy stats/flaws/advantages/traits/extra feats etc.
I like to give bonuses based upon a good background.
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Okay, I have a quirk as a DM that I only allow my players to use options out of books I own. This cuts down on a lot of the, but it's in the book I have at home, crap that I had to deal with when I first started DMing. I wondered if any of you other DMs out there have any quirky habits or traits like that.I have that same quirk, but usually follow it up by telling them that if they want to use an option from something I don't own, I'm willing to let them buy it for me.
Otherwise, a personal quirk is that I tend to slip into an English accent when reading boxed text or character speech--I don't know why, but it happens.
Hah, it's the Narrator in you...
Actually I should investin a decent mic, and pre-record boxed text...then I could just play the file when the players get to that point...heh.
While I don't consider acting an NPC's voice to be a 'quirk', when I do GM in meatspace I tend to be rather onomatopoeic whenever there's a sound I consider relevant for whatever reason.
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My quirks are many, so I'll be brief. :p
I play with the "If I don't own the book, it's not allowed" rule, though I own a TON of books. I have yet to hear a complaint (except for one player who complained when I wouldn't let him bring Mongoose materials into my games).
I like to write my own adventures. To be honest, it's because I'm really mediocre at running modules; I tend to forget things and I remember them better when I've written them myself. I will admit that running Pathfinder Society Scenarios has helped me better myself in this department (running modules).
I enjoy puzzles, as such, I intend to implant them into adventures that I write. They're often simple (a riddle with hints strewn around, or a basic move-the-objects-in-a-certain-way puzzle) but my players and I enjoy them.
I enjoy fiddling with rules, I make this known to my players before we even roll up characters. This has led to me having a roughly 4 page document that lists all of my houserules.
I make it known that I have final say over rule disputes. If a player wants to argue my ruling that's fine, but I reserve the right to say 'deal with it.' I have yet to have any complains (because I generally make rulings in the favor of the players).
I also do voices for NPCs.
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*cough cough* ahh yes...
I get accused of boring too early in campaigns (5th to 9th level) and resetting them somewhere else
I blame the amny games/rules/adventures out there
but 2 of those times where not my fault... at least 1 was a TPK they deserved (don'as ask nuissansces of your DM when he is deperssed so you can own another group of players of different alignment), and the other between sessions we got to play 2 or 3 times eevry 6 months :S so no one remebered what happened last :S
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I don't Use house rules, I hate them with a passion. With players changing all the time and me moving all the time, it is easier just to use the rules as written.
I don't let my players touch 'unearthed arcana' I have had many a player upset about that.
I hate when players don't put a miniature exactly in the center of a square on a map.. I am always adjusting them when a player does not have them in the middle of the square.
I hate hand written character sheets, If a player comes to my game with a hand written character sheet , i will take it from them and hand them back a digital one, if they don't have the ability to make one themselves I will put the changes myself in to the system and reprint it for the next game.
Don't Leave a Mess! *I mostly get that from my wife*
If a player just sits there all the time and does nothing all the time, I will try to get them to play, but if all my attempts and other player attempts fail to get them to play, I will uninvite them from the game *Only happened once*
I get sidetracked easily with social chatter, but the way I see it that is ok, it is a social event.
I don't 'Fudge" Rolls, If a player dies becuase of a roll I made, that is way the dice fall.
My gaming group has three rotating DMs, including myself. Which I suppose is a bit quirky right there. We don't always stay out of each other's campaigns either. My buddy Francis, who owns our gaming space, ran the first couple of AoW adventures, I ran then the next six or seven minus I think one that was run by a guest DM; then Francis finished them off. It sounds more bizarre than it is.
Typically my quirkiest feature, and the one I have to reign in the most when I'm a player is that I absolutely refuse to disallow most reasonable requests. I know that reasonable is a hotly debated qualification, but to me if it made it into hardcover from WotC I'm pretty fine with it. So unearthed arcana retraining, savage species characters (including the memorable "quarterling", a half-halfing half giant centipede who terrified most NPCs despite his sunny disposition), and so on. Every game I run therefore has the potential to be at least as bizarre as the planescape setting, but I feel it just frees me up to spring more strange stuff on the players. When one member of the party is a fiendish anthropomorphic tiger, they can't really complain about my thieves guild entirely staffed by wights or their personal encounters with a lesser god of torture.
I'm told that my ADD often shows though.
We generally assume that out of 7 or 8 hours of play on a Sunday, at least two are eaten by social chatter.
Quirks....
Different voices and mannerisms for all the NPCs, different voices for each of the humanoid races in combat (Kobolds are Labyrinth goblins, goblins are cockneys, hobgoblins are Klingons, and elves have come out Irish, oh and a gnome from Minnesota)
Finickityness about gold expenditure, equipment and encumberance. :D
Quirks....
Different voices and mannerisms for all the NPCs, different voices for each of the humanoid races in combat (Kobolds are Labyrinth goblins, goblins are cockneys, hobgoblins are Klingons, and elves have come out Irish, oh and a gnome from Minnesota)
Finickityness about gold expenditure, equipment and encumberance. :D
And what one can buy in the supposedly awesome markets of the Seven Pillared Hall. I don't remember the Irish elves.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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I don't know whether it's quirky or not, but I can't sit when I DM. I'll pace, I'll lean, I'll hope around, but every time I sit down the game goes south and I feel all sluggish in the creative department. However on my feet forces me to think that way, which tends to make for odder games, but definitely more fun ones.
And I always roll % checks in front of the players. I don't know why, but it seems like they expect a little fudging on the d20s occasionally but never on the % checks. I have no idea where that belief came from.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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One quirk I picked up from working Customer service. I'm prone to close my eyes when I'm talking at the table (no, not when I'm driving)
Can freak people out when they're not used to me playing. I'll be sitting there, eyes closed looking like I'm asleep then suddenly go "Ok, I'm manifesting claws of the beast and going to town on him. He works for <insert bad guy>"
I keep character sheets for my players. Not b/c they cheat, but because they are forever losing them. I hang them up with a magnet in my locker at the FLGS. I tried giving them folders: "Here you go, one for each of you, character portfolios!" but that didn't work--they just lost the portfolios and the other handouts I made for them.
I do voices too. The worst is when your accents become morphic. I had a Dwarf who started out Irish, then became by the end of the day, Newfie. He lost all credibility. Lately I started bringing props, a bag of pennies to jingle and a few other goodies, but my players just seem confused...
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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If you are an arcane spell slinger and you start spouting any Harry Potter cutesy prases for magic, expect painful retribution. I encourage making stuff up, not "Reparo" and "Experiamus" crap.
It's a pet peeve.
How about flickus Bickus *ducks*
I've joked about playing a wizard and announcing my spells like the Chairman on Iron Chef.
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goblin and other crazy person voices always sound like Toki Wartooth from Metalpocalypse, probably from the goblin druid I played named Toki.
If you want to try it, go for it, and I will adjudicat how difficult it will be. I.E. go for that jump on the chandelier / swing around to the table / quick draw and stab the king. Just don't expect it to be easy.
likewise, cinematic and cool actions garner better results, like surrendering mooks, bad conditions on the bad guys, free crit-chances, and the like.
if you argue about rules at the table, i get draconian with RAW, and can pretty much silence any "interpretation" quickly. especially when i outsource the research to the PhD of Philosophy student.
and finally, expect to get heavy treasure that is very difficult to transport from time to time (like 300,000 CP, or a dozen gold-plated statues worth 1000 gp each, and weigh upwards of 400lbs each.
-t
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If you are an arcane spell slinger and you start spouting any Harry Potter cutesy prases for magic, expect painful retribution. I encourage making stuff up, not "Reparo" and "Experiamus" crap.
It's a pet peeve.
How about flickus Bickus *ducks*
I've joked about playing a wizard and announcing my spells like the Chairman on Iron Chef.
@ the 1st... 10d6 fireball at you d*ckus.
@ the 2nd... I could work with that. Of course, I would make you have to pause to take orgasmicly extatic bites out of bell peppers on occasion.|
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...likewise, cinematic and cool actions garner better results, like surrendering mooks, bad conditions on the bad guys, free crit-chances, and the like...
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I agree. Especially, if it engages the players more and builds excitement. Not ALL DRAMATICS ALL THE TIME!!!!1!!11, but if someone tries something outside of the box every couple of fights or so, I'll knock down the DC of actually succeeding with a stunt-like plan.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Another quirk I have is that I keep all my campaign notes on a laptop, which serves as my GM screen. I even have a dice roller program so I can keep everything as compact as possible.
I've tried that, too attached to the feeling of dice.
I do have an electric die roller I use for the 'stealth' d20 (perception, search, etc.)
Are those quirks?
Rev - Ninaran from Shadowfell was Irish, as was her mum (in the flashbacks).
Rev - Ninaran from Shadowfell was Irish, as was her mum (in the flashbacks).
She was too, but I put that down to her family rather than her elvishness. Kalarel also had a slight hint, so I took it as a family trait rather than a racial one.
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I misplace things right next to me, it's a bad habit, at least once each game we have to stop and spend three minutes searching for a book, or printout, or marker etc. I don't know how, but I get so caught up in telling the story that I just set things down without thinking about it, and then have to interrupt said caught up story to find what I had in my hands two minutes ago.
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Bad quirk for me is I get peeved if players are no-shows for no good reason. I've booted 2 players for dropping off the face of the planet without notice.
Leaves the rest of the party in the lurch if the cleric or fighter is not there, and I'm not going to drag a playerless PC along for the *entire* module.
Maybe I'm just inflexible or expect too much.
I use a DM screen. At a recent convention, I was told by a player that he's had bad luck with DMs who use such screens. He then followed with the statement that such screens "are against the spirit of 4th edition".
Huh?
Don't listen to that punk. I love DM screens!
I don't use DM screens, in fact I have the players roll all the dice (a la the option in Unearthed Arcana)). I'm also a very by the rules GM. I know some of the rules don't simulate reality, but I like to think they were put into play for a reason.
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The only quirk that is kind of personal to me relates to dice. All of mine are the same (chessex fire - red with yellow spots and black numbers). Thats because, I've always said that dice roll randomly and so don't want to have favorite D20s and so on.
I think it's because I teach maths, but the result is whenever I go to a con or gameshop I'm looking for one sort of dice. If I see one I buy it.
Pretty much everyone I have ever played with has different coloured D20s and you occasionally see them flung across the room in frustration when they let the player down.
In a similar vein, the guys I play with have one taboo. Never touch their dice. If you do then the luck runs out. As the DM, they often come over and touch mine after I've rolled particularly well. Of course, I don't mind so everyone is happy.
Cheers
Back in the dawn of history, I was running a fighter/song-mage (2e Skills and Power?). Anyways, my DM required me to come up with songs for the spells, and to sing at least a phrase from when casting. Made for great fun at the table,as I am definitely not Faerunian Idol material.
The only quirk that is kind of personal to me relates to dice. All of mine are the same (chessex fire - red with yellow spots and black numbers). Thats because, I've always said that dice roll randomly and so don't want to have favorite D20s and so on.
I think it's because I teach maths, but the result is whenever I go to a con or gameshop I'm looking for one sort of dice. If I see one I buy it.
Pretty much everyone I have ever played with has different coloured D20s and you occasionally see them flung across the room in frustration when they let the player down.
In a similar vein, the guys I play with have one taboo. Never touch their dice. If you do then the luck runs out. As the DM, they often come over and touch mine after I've rolled particularly well. Of course, I don't mind so everyone is happy.
Cheers
I've got a similar (recent) die quirk. I was cleaning out my shed about 9 months ago, and came across my original D&D dice from 1984 that had been put away untouched for at least 23 years. I've been using those almost exclusively lately. (except when I need extra d6's or d4's to roll damage).
I would (only slightly) dispute the "dice roll randomly", only from a physics standpoint. If you've ever seen the Gamescience dice booth at Gencon, they have a display showing a stack of d20 from Chessex versus a stack of their d20's. Apparently the polishing tumblers that most dice manufacturers use to smooth out the edges will wear the die faces unevenly, resulting in some faces having more surface area than others. This results in some degree of patterns in the rolls of any one die. It's probably on the order of some numbers coming up a few percent more often than others, and nothing to dispute in a game. (It's probably not at all related to the "this die comes up 20's more than any of my other dice" feeling - that's probably more superstition than reality.)