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Thread: DMing Style
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2015-06-11, 09:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2013
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Re: DMing Style
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-06-11, 10:32 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
Re: DMing Style
Here are the things that I try to incorporate into my "style":
(1) Always be fair. That doesn't mean always being "nice". That's different. But if someone has a clever idea and it ought to work, even if means killing the meant-to-be-a-recurring-villain guy in two seconds the first time he appears, then fine, it works; no hard feelings. There are always more bad guys.
(2) Give everyone their time to shine. Let the characters do what they were built to do. Don't frustrate the rogue by saying "Okay, from now on, you'll only fight enemies immune to sneak attack." Don't frustrate the wizard by saying "Every adventure takes place in an anti-magic field now." That doesn't mean that there can't occasionally be situations where a particular character is frustrated, but it shouldn't happen all the time.
Also, if a character has some particularly interesting quality, let them use it. If they speak some obscure language, have an adventure where that *matters*. If they have the ability to rebuke hippos, make an adventure where that matters. If a character has an interesting backstory, *use* it.
(3) No railroads. Sandboxes if possible. The rules for 3.x D&D make it hard to make sandbox adventures, but it's still possible. The best campaigns I've ever run have leaned towards the sandbox direction.
As a corollary: wherever possible, avoid "dungeons". I know, I know, that's half of the name of the game. But they tend to limit things into a very linear (or effectively linear) way which is great for a newb DM but not for me.Last edited by SimonMoon6; 2015-06-11 at 10:37 AM.
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2015-06-11, 10:47 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2011
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Re: DMing Style
Full sandbox. Zero hand-holding. Real risk of death.
Last edited by Sacrieur; 2015-06-11 at 10:47 AM.
[PF] HP Calculator - Fractional HP, now without math!
[PF] Initiator NPC Templates - Quickly applied maneuvers for DMs.
[PF] Initiator Balance Rule - A lightweight fix to balance casting and martial classes.
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2015-06-11, 11:28 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2006
Re: DMing Style
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2015-06-11, 11:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2013
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Re: DMing Style
Last edited by Keltest; 2015-06-11 at 11:34 AM.
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-06-11, 11:52 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2015
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Re: DMing Style
This. Sometimes you have to roll with the obviously stupid plans...
Once, the party was convinced a endless pit in the dungeon was a portal or a way out... Like... CONVINCED. Hints were given that is was not the case, I used the ultimate DON'T DO THIS plea and asked them "Are you sure?". But they jumped!
I actually finished the session, letting them think the pit led to another world... Then I explained it was hallucinations from starvation, and that they were actually endlessly falling....Last edited by AxeAlex; 2015-06-11 at 11:54 AM.
We are all the protagonists of our own story, and a supporting character in the story of the universe.
-Me, Inspired by many similar awesome quotes
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2015-06-11, 12:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
Re: DMing Style
Permissive, but tough. I prefer to sandbox things (though it's really hard, so i frequently fail on this front), I allow essentially any 1st or 2nd party (and some homebrew). World is a very metropolitan, highly fantastic place to account for all of this. I allow any plausible course of actions, including ones that could easily circumvent a challenge. However, I also allow you to make idiotic decisions. Your success in your hands, not mine.
Avatar by TinyMushroom.
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2015-06-11, 12:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: DMing Style
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2015-06-11, 09:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2012
- Location
- Georgia
- Gender
Re: DMing Style
I ask the players what they want to play, and guide them towards the most optimized way to emulate that concept. After all, your cool and flavorful idea is a lot more fun to play if the character works.
I encourage people to try different characters, and work with them to make their ideas playable, but I don't like deviating too far from the core rules. For example, one player keeps asking for a pet phoenix. That's not happening.
Yes, but not completely. As a DM, one of my jobs is being the storyteller. So, the players describe what they want to do, and I describe what actually happens. 90% of the time, what I describe lines up with what they wanted. The other 10% of the time, the player's idea breaks the rules of the game in some way, and I have to create a narrative excuse for it not happening.
For example, D&D 5E just doesn't have called shots. They conflict with my interpretation of what "hit points" are, and if called shots are a thing, the archers will just call headshots every time, and go for the instant kill.
So, in my games, called shots chronically get caught in armor, simply graze the target, or otherwise have no effects other than the damage caused by a normal attack roll.
I relish plot twists as much as my players do, so I'm just as thrilled when they do something unexpected as they are when I surprise them. There is a direction I want the game to go, but I am not afraid to let my player's actions find a new route.
I've recently been trying to loosen up even more with my storytelling. I'm slowly transitioning from a very Mass Effect-ish storytelling style (railroads with branching paths) to more open-ended campaigns.Last edited by Freelance GM; 2015-06-11 at 09:57 PM.
Check out my 5E Foraging/Alchemy Rules!
God help me, I've made a 5E Magical Girl and people liked it.
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2015-06-12, 10:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: DMing Style
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-06-12, 10:53 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: DMing Style
I'm not confused. I'm indicating that, in my experience, what you're describing as an effort to avoid making them unhappy about it will, instead, make some Players more unhappy about it, because they perceive it as a combination of sugarcoating the garbage-flavored sandwich (rather than being up-front about things) and rubbing their noses in it (by going into "as great detail as possible just how spectacularly my party's ill-conceived plans fail"). If it works for you, great; your experience is not mine. It's a recipe for annoying Players, in my experience.
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2015-06-12, 11:01 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2011
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Re: DMing Style
Even I ask my players, "Are you sure you want to do that?" when they come up with a stupid plan.
[PF] HP Calculator - Fractional HP, now without math!
[PF] Initiator NPC Templates - Quickly applied maneuvers for DMs.
[PF] Initiator Balance Rule - A lightweight fix to balance casting and martial classes.
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2015-06-12, 11:30 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: DMing Style
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-06-12, 12:05 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2015
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Re: DMing Style
I think you don't get what Keltest means. If you simply refuse a plan because it won't work (Nah, don't do this, you will die), you are robbing them of their agency. Sometimes, they make bad choices, sometimes, these choices will kill them.
When that happens, you have some options, like:
-Create a Deus Ex Machina to save them, which, if done too much, will let your players know they can't really die, will lessen suspense and tension, and will make them take more and more risks, and put themselves in more and more deadly situations. (That does not mean it's a bad thing if you guys like it that way)
-Tell them they are dead.
-Try to play out their death scene, it's the end of the story afterall, there is nothing wrong if you try to make it as memorable (Epic/Funny/Gruesome/Dramatic) as possible.
Keltest isn't saying he taunts his players and insult them... They are his friends afterall!Last edited by AxeAlex; 2015-06-12 at 12:08 PM.
We are all the protagonists of our own story, and a supporting character in the story of the universe.
-Me, Inspired by many similar awesome quotes
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2015-06-12, 12:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: DMing Style
"As great detail as possible just how spectacularly my party's ill-conceived plans fail" is a direct quote of the approach he uses. My position was, and continues to be, that a DM who goes into that level of detail to make the failure of a plan 'spectacular' will make some Players feel taunted and insulted, regardless of whether that's the DM's intent or not. This position is consistent with my experiences on both sides of the DM's screen. I fully recognize, and have now acknowledged repeatedly, that others may have different experiences.
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2015-06-12, 12:45 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2015
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Re: DMing Style
Yeah the way he described it initially sounded wrong, but then he added: "That means going out of my way to avoid making them unhappy about it."
What I understood from this is that he just wanted them to have fun in defeat. And that is entirely possible without hurting the player's feelings.We are all the protagonists of our own story, and a supporting character in the story of the universe.
-Me, Inspired by many similar awesome quotes
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2015-06-12, 12:52 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-06-12, 02:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2015
- Gender
Re: DMing Style
Still finding my feet DMing but enjoying it so far.
On the scale of sandbox to railroad I am probably 80% towards sandbox. I have an overarching plot to the world and by the worlds nature powerful NPCs will have an effect on the PCs whatever they do.
If I have a set of factions and background set out for a port city at the start of a campaign and my players think "screw it, boats are cool - lets go overseas" then they can go but there is a serious risk that across the pond things may not be too different to where they started and similar things with different names may unfold there.
Otherwise I am about variety. I like fights that occasionally play to characters strengths - an occasional cluster of badguys round a campfire to be a prime fireball target for example but also some really tough running battles that need careful resource management against veterans using all their knowledge and tactics to fight effectively. Overall I am pretty tough.
I think the big thing I try and do is have enemies react, within combat and within adventure paths. If PCs crash down a door into a room to fight whatever is in there a round or two later the guys from across the hall will come in behind them. If they rob a temple then a bunch of paladins may come searching for them.
I do like dungeons - for a broad description of them. As a bit of an aside to a main quest they allow you to build an area in detail as they wont change much for most likely player actions. This can save one preparation as you can do a bunch earlier. Where the players want a more hack and slash session they might find their way into one.
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2015-06-12, 03:06 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: DMing Style
I prefer to run a cinematic and rules lite style of gaming. I don't have much time now days to read rules and/or create elaborate and intricate campaigns. And as long as everyone is having fun,why worry about the small stuff?
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2015-06-13, 08:51 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2011
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- Yes
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Re: DMing Style
[PF] HP Calculator - Fractional HP, now without math!
[PF] Initiator NPC Templates - Quickly applied maneuvers for DMs.
[PF] Initiator Balance Rule - A lightweight fix to balance casting and martial classes.
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2015-06-13, 10:08 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2015
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Re: DMing Style
I like games with solid rules on encumbrance and fatigue. We spend entire sessions keeping records on exactly how much gear the party is carrying and how it's packed. If it's questionable, I'll have them roleplay it.
Combat we just handwave away. We assume that if you're carrying the proper equipment that it's a non-issue. Slaying the dragon is the easy part. Invoicing all of the coins, gems, and magical artifacts and packing them in the most efficient and balanced manner is where the real gaming comes into play.
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2015-06-14, 07:52 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2010
- Location
- Dallas, TX
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Re: DMing Style
It often turns out to be a railroad trip from sandbox to sandbox. I pretty much determine what the first encounter will be, and how they handle it determines what the next one will be, and how they will encounter it.
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2015-06-14, 09:06 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2012
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2015-06-14, 11:03 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
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2015-06-14, 11:27 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2012
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2015-06-14, 11:55 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2013
- Gender
Re: DMing Style
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-06-14, 12:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2015
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Re: DMing Style
Ha, it's a trick question! No sane player would risk expending valuable resources like a crossbow bolt. PC's are assumed to conserve their expendable items, like potions, arrows, scrolls, etc.
Man, can you imagine?
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2015-06-15, 09:11 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2015
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2015-06-15, 09:19 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2015
- Location
- Tucson AZ
Re: DMing Style
Funny thing about this.
I once had a game scenario following the trope of protect the caravan. A player showed up on game day with four sheets of graph paper taped together on which he had plotted the marching order for the 10 wagon and 30 pack animal caravan, where the guards would be insert amongst the merchants, which wagons held the valuables mixed in with the more mundane goods and patterns that mounted scouts would use to circle the slow moving caravan as it advanced.
In addition he had a schedule for moving the herd which included time feed and rest the animals morning, mid-day and evening, very reasonable estimates of movement rate and hours per day.
It was very obsessive.
I let his work be useful. Then I saved it into a section of my content as an article about how caravans move.
That said, I do use encumbrance, but I provide a piece of inventory software I wrote for my players that does all the work. They just select what they have and it outputs encumbrance and movement rates.Last edited by The Evil DM; 2015-06-15 at 09:23 AM.
If I had a sock....
with a brick in it....
I could change the world....
One stupid person at a time.
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2015-06-15, 09:22 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2012
Re: DMing Style
That sounds awesome.