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<blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5846630" data-attributes="member: 92305"><p>Yeah, yeah. Most of us DMs have done a lot of tweaking on games. When Traveller The New Era came out, I was so incensed that they changed the flavor of the established Traveller mechanics I wrote my own rules set too. So what. That's not what we're talking about here.</p><p> </p><p>Strong DM / Weak DM refers to influence on the game, just like I said. Just because you wrote the rules doesn't mean you're operating from a Strong DM perspective.</p><p> </p><p>What I mean by Strong DM is having immediate impact on the game. A Weak DM simply judges if the rules are being followed. A Strong DM makes up a lot of rules as the game proceeds.</p><p> </p><p>1E is a Strong DM's game.</p><p> </p><p>3E is a Weak DM's game.</p><p> </p><p>Neither is a comment on the ability of the person DMing the game. It's about the role of DM and that role's influence on the game.</p><p> </p><p>The more rules used in a game, the Weaker DM you need.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I'll give you an example to highlight my point about Strong and Weak DMs.</p><p> </p><p>You're playing a thief character, alone on the plain. You come upon a campsite. Nobody is there--just bed rolls and gear. The fire is burning, so you think whomever is camping here will probably be back soon.</p><p> </p><p>You decide to check the place to see if you can take anything quick--especially water or food--but light valuables as well.</p><p> </p><p>The Strong DM may decide to amp up the drama, roleplay a lot of this scene, and maybe make up some throws on the spot.</p><p> </p><p>The DM here is doing a lot--having a decent sized impact on the game with how he runs this scenario.</p><p> </p><p>The Weak DM simply implements a rule from the rulebook. The character moves around, makes a few Search and Spot checks, and the encounter is over.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Over the next rise, you, as the thief, find a second camp of about the same size. This one, too, is empty at the moment. It's like the camps of two squads on each other's flank.</p><p> </p><p>Strong DM decides that, while the first encounter is interesting, it will bog the game down to play the exact same situation the same way. So, under this circumstance, the Strong DM decides to reduce this encounter to a few dice throws and moves the game on. "OK, in searching this campsite, it's a lot like what you just did over the ridge. Roll 3d6 for 10+, and if you succeed, I'll tell you what goodies you find."</p><p> </p><p>The Weak DM handles the situation just like he did the first--he resorts to the rule in the book, has the character roll the Search and Spot checks, and moves on.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The point in this example is that the Strong DM actually directs the flow of the game. The Weak DM is more of a judge to ensure that the game rules (no matter what they are, RAW or something you wrote) is implemented correctly.</p><p> </p><p>See the difference?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Water Bob, post: 5846630, member: 92305"] Yeah, yeah. Most of us DMs have done a lot of tweaking on games. When Traveller The New Era came out, I was so incensed that they changed the flavor of the established Traveller mechanics I wrote my own rules set too. So what. That's not what we're talking about here. Strong DM / Weak DM refers to influence on the game, just like I said. Just because you wrote the rules doesn't mean you're operating from a Strong DM perspective. What I mean by Strong DM is having immediate impact on the game. A Weak DM simply judges if the rules are being followed. A Strong DM makes up a lot of rules as the game proceeds. 1E is a Strong DM's game. 3E is a Weak DM's game. Neither is a comment on the ability of the person DMing the game. It's about the role of DM and that role's influence on the game. The more rules used in a game, the Weaker DM you need. I'll give you an example to highlight my point about Strong and Weak DMs. You're playing a thief character, alone on the plain. You come upon a campsite. Nobody is there--just bed rolls and gear. The fire is burning, so you think whomever is camping here will probably be back soon. You decide to check the place to see if you can take anything quick--especially water or food--but light valuables as well. The Strong DM may decide to amp up the drama, roleplay a lot of this scene, and maybe make up some throws on the spot. The DM here is doing a lot--having a decent sized impact on the game with how he runs this scenario. The Weak DM simply implements a rule from the rulebook. The character moves around, makes a few Search and Spot checks, and the encounter is over. Over the next rise, you, as the thief, find a second camp of about the same size. This one, too, is empty at the moment. It's like the camps of two squads on each other's flank. Strong DM decides that, while the first encounter is interesting, it will bog the game down to play the exact same situation the same way. So, under this circumstance, the Strong DM decides to reduce this encounter to a few dice throws and moves the game on. "OK, in searching this campsite, it's a lot like what you just did over the ridge. Roll 3d6 for 10+, and if you succeed, I'll tell you what goodies you find." The Weak DM handles the situation just like he did the first--he resorts to the rule in the book, has the character roll the Search and Spot checks, and moves on. The point in this example is that the Strong DM actually directs the flow of the game. The Weak DM is more of a judge to ensure that the game rules (no matter what they are, RAW or something you wrote) is implemented correctly. See the difference? [/QUOTE]
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