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23 Bad Habits of Otherwise Successful GMs
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<blockquote data-quote="Hautamaki" data-source="post: 6035937" data-attributes="member: 42219"><p>Interesting list; it makes me reflect which is always a good thing.</p><p></p><p>I'd like to hear some more comments/suggestions/opinions on each of these items.</p><p></p><p>For example with regards to railroading, I'd add</p><p></p><p>It's only railroading if the players are forced into doing something they don't want to do. It's never railroading if you are 'forcing' the players to have fun! The mistake that inexperienced DMs make is to either under-prepare or over-prepare. Over preparing isn't bad for the players at all of course, but very few people have the energy and enthusiasm to turn out 100 pages of material a week only to see 95% of it never used! </p><p></p><p>Rather, DMs need to take a hint from how the players have made their characters (and ask for hints if necessary!) Obviously a player who's created a good aligned Ranger wants to go orc hunting in the wilderness, defend sacred groves or tiny hamlets from abberrations, and probably shoot stuff from ambush and possibly set traps. Give that player a chance to do what he designed his character for. If it turns out he doesn't enjoy doing what he's designed his character to do, that's fine too, give him the opportunity to retire his character to NPChood and bring in a new one he'll have more fun with. The worst thing you can do as a DM is to ignore the characters your PCs have created and force them into situations that run against their characters' strengths or values </p><p></p><p>(eg I once created a lawful good fighter and was forced to slaughter a village full of women and children under the thrall of a cruel warlord. Obviously the DM wanted to emphasise the evilness of the BBG, but it felt like a railroad when the other players and I anticipated well in advance and took every possible precaution against this event only to have it thrust upon us no matter what we tried to do to avoid it). </p><p></p><p>Players all know (and desire) that the DM is in control of everything; but this only becomes a problem when the DM forces players to do things they didn't want to do even when the players take reasonable precautions to avoid them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hautamaki, post: 6035937, member: 42219"] Interesting list; it makes me reflect which is always a good thing. I'd like to hear some more comments/suggestions/opinions on each of these items. For example with regards to railroading, I'd add It's only railroading if the players are forced into doing something they don't want to do. It's never railroading if you are 'forcing' the players to have fun! The mistake that inexperienced DMs make is to either under-prepare or over-prepare. Over preparing isn't bad for the players at all of course, but very few people have the energy and enthusiasm to turn out 100 pages of material a week only to see 95% of it never used! Rather, DMs need to take a hint from how the players have made their characters (and ask for hints if necessary!) Obviously a player who's created a good aligned Ranger wants to go orc hunting in the wilderness, defend sacred groves or tiny hamlets from abberrations, and probably shoot stuff from ambush and possibly set traps. Give that player a chance to do what he designed his character for. If it turns out he doesn't enjoy doing what he's designed his character to do, that's fine too, give him the opportunity to retire his character to NPChood and bring in a new one he'll have more fun with. The worst thing you can do as a DM is to ignore the characters your PCs have created and force them into situations that run against their characters' strengths or values (eg I once created a lawful good fighter and was forced to slaughter a village full of women and children under the thrall of a cruel warlord. Obviously the DM wanted to emphasise the evilness of the BBG, but it felt like a railroad when the other players and I anticipated well in advance and took every possible precaution against this event only to have it thrust upon us no matter what we tried to do to avoid it). Players all know (and desire) that the DM is in control of everything; but this only becomes a problem when the DM forces players to do things they didn't want to do even when the players take reasonable precautions to avoid them. [/QUOTE]
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