Hiya!
"When they [a Player] have done something stupid, or not taken precautions, then let the dice fall where they may!"
--Gary Gygax, 1e AD&D DMG, pg 110 under "Rolling the Dice and Controlling the Game"
That is one of the things I remember reading back when I was...what, about 12 years old or so I think, maybe 11. It stuck with me I think because it gave me "permission" to say no to players pleading to keep their PC alive. It was usually a plead revolving around them failing to do one, or both, of those things...and then the Player trying to convince me that it was my fault because of X, Y or Z. You know the pleading of younglings (we were all around 10 to 12 years old...I think I was the eldest of the group). Things like
"But I didn't hear you say it was glistening with something wet!", or
"No way would I have kicked the door in if I knew I couldn't close it! I wouldn't have broken it down! C'mon! I *meant* to just break the door latch...not the whole thing!" and that kind of thing.
Anyway, that little line gave me the confidence to say to myself, "Self? You're the DM. You provided clues, you described everything appropriately, and you gave them time to think and decide. If they weren't paying attention, or didn't think of what 'it' could be...not your problem. If you keep allowing take-backsies, then there's no point in even having dice or rules. So...let the dice fall where they may!".
I think that whole section of the DMG is super-important in my development as a DM. That, and the one line in the Mentzer Basic Set 1 (DM's book) that says:
"It is the most important rule of ALL the rules. It is simply this: BE FAIR! A Dungeon Master must not take sides. -- Frank Mentzer" Those two quotes (Gygax and Mentzer) probably have had the most significant impact on my career as a Dungeon Master.
Best two quotes in gaming!
^_^
Paul L. Ming
