How do you see the roll of DM/GM?

[drakhe]

This is a topic I've come accross in many a discussion about our hobby, so time for a poll I guess.

Personaly, I go for option one. I see myself as the benevolent guide who's 'job' it is to present a story and 'help' the players through it. This means I will fudge rolls or addapt creature, NPC/ or opponent stats when necesary. I will push my players to the limit, but they'll always get plenty of exit-signs and hints. If a player dies in my game it's either because he wants to (like a heroic sacrifice to save somebody) or because he's plain stupid.

Main reason for this: As a player I've had to restart from zero all too often. While once I died (actualy got locked in a magic mirror) of my own fault, I had to restart a couple of times because either a chalenge was too huge and even twice because a couple of players in the party plundered into a trap or ambush. And though I never have complained or spoken against my DM(s), this did make me decide to help rather than oppose my players.

In the end, the reason we play is : FUN and I don't want to stop people having fun by killing their character. They are heroes and as such they should have the god(s) on their side.

PS: <evil grin> also saving their lives gives me ample opportunity to mess with their sanity. If you ever come across a paladin named Arcturus Sendant, ask him about Zestra Mezaldvin and you'll understand...

 

[Darkness]

Hard to describe... Maybe "TV series director:" I have a general direction (and plot) in mind, but I get a lot of input from my main actors - who also sometimes evolve (and get my supporting cast to evolve) in ways that I couldn't have imagined.

 

[drakhe]

Hard to describe... Maybe "TV series director:" I have a general direction (and plot) in mind, but I get a lot of input from my main actors - who also sometimes evolve (and get my supporting cast to evolve) in ways that I couldn't have imagined.

OK, nice metafor. But what kind of a director are you? Do you help you're cast out or do you leave them to their own devices?

Do you shout "... and now there's a big hairy monster behind you, you're scared and you should use the flamethrower..."

or do you shout "action" and let the actors ad-lib

 

[EricNoah]

I think the most important role in-game (as opposed to adventure and campaign design and other stuff done pre-game or outside of the game proper) is to be the eyes and ears of the PCs. They are at an incredible disadvantage -- you can see what's in your head, but they can't. Whenever a PC is about to do something blindingly stupid, I try to step in and recap what they've seen, what they hear, what they smell, etc. The more accurately you can describe the dangers and hazards around them, the better they will respond.

Plus PCs dying is a huge pain in the butt. I try to keep 'em alive with nudges and fudges but not with big changes.

 

[Darkness]

OK, nice metafor. But what kind of a director are you? Do you help you're cast out or do you leave them to their own devices?

Do you shout "... and now there's a big hairy monster behind you, you're scared and you should use the flamethrower..."

or do you shout "action" and let the actors ad-lib

Good point.

I think I mostly leave them to their own devices.

Also, whenever possible, I try to have a strong (in personality, that is; not necessarily in fighting prowess ) supporting cast; I feel that this helps the PCs to become immersed more deeply into the world - which, in turn, makes ad-libbing easier for them.

 

[drakhe]

... is to be the eyes and ears of the PCs. ...

Very nice way of putting it Eric, and actualy another level between letting them fend for themselves and fudging and stuff. It's like a slowmotion or even a freeze-frame in a movie scene. Appart from giving your players a chance to review the scene, it hints to them there is something they've missed. That in itself could be all the hint they need. And you still can fudge or nudge afterwards if needed.

Plus PCs dying is a huge pain in the butt. I try to keep 'em alive with nudges and fudges but not with big changes.

I frind it's not just a pain for the DM, it's also very frustrating as a player to loose a character you had high hopes for. In a computer RPG, you just reload you're savegame and take another shot, but once you're dead in a pen&paper RPG... . And then you're a fresh character in a veteran, party...

For exactly that same reason, I'll also allow new players in the group higher level characters (generaly 1 or 2 levels behind the average of the party) and I also sometimes start a campaign with higher level characters, just to avoid my players remaining stuck in the lower levels all the time.

[EDIT: typo]

 

[Buttercup]

Maybe a little bit of all of them, at different times. For example, I'm not opposed to fudging a bit now and then, especially if I think I've misjudged the difficulty of an encounter. Like Eric does, I'll recap, summarize and sometimes even warn PCs if they're being stupid. On the other hand, if they continue down Stupid Road, I'm happy to let them die.

I try not to railroad them, so I usually will go with whatever direction they take the story, but sometimes I do have things I want to happen.

Mainly, I try to keep things fun. If that means breaking a rule or fudging, fine. If it means a bit of railroading, that's fine too. But you know, I've got a really good group of players. If I didn't, I might end up being a much more hard-nosed DM.

 

[drakhe]

... Mainly, I try to keep things fun. If that means breaking a rule or fudging, fine. If it means a bit of railroading, that's fine too. But you know, I've got a really good group of players. If I didn't, I might end up being a much more hard-nosed DM.

This nicely sums up the 2 main golden rules I've learned about playing P&P RPG's:

1: HAVE FUN (in the hugest letters possible)
2: People are what makes rule number one: a good party, a good DM, understanding, respect and coöperation!!!

 

[Desdichado]

My Personal DM Guidelines, or How I Do It

• A DM shall make sure the game is fun. Personally, although we rarely end up actually playing like this, I prefer to run a serious game with little to no OT chatter. I've even thought about instituting a "pay the pig" procedure, but with the group I play with now, the socializing and joking around is a big part of the draw, so I suck it up and go with the flow!
• A DM shall let the players make the decisions about what their characters will do. If it is completely counter to what the DM thought they would do, then tough! The DM shall suck it up and ad-lib. If the players seem stuck or uncertain about what to do next, the DM shall throw subtle hints at them, and then let them engage themselves rather than pull them around the pre-arranged plot.
• As a part of ensuring fun, the game has to be engrossing and tense at times. A DM shall never let the players think that he will fudge their way out of messes they get into themselves, as such encourages lazy, casual gaming in which fun is reduced. If a foe way oustrips the PCs in combat prowess and they're too stupid to figure it out and run away, then they face the dreaded TPK. However, the DM shall make sure that they don't have to face the TPK if they are smart enough to leave well enough alone. Also, I said a DM shall never let the players think that he will fudge their way out of messes, however, that doesn't mean that the DM shall never fudge their way out of messes if the occasion really requires it!
• A DM shall never tell players what kind of characters they must play. He may give guidelines as to what sorts of things they may not play because it simply won't work for the campaign premise he has in mind, but within fairly broad guidelines, the players make all their own choices about their characters. If this means you have a party of all bards, so be it! It's the DM's job to make sure the campaign fits the characters, not the other way around.
• A DM shall engage each of the characters personally. Give them hooks in their background, family members, mentors, or something else that they can lodge onto, and then actually use that info in the campaign regularly! Nothing worse than coming up with a great, interesting character concept, and then ignoring half of it because you spend all the time "in the dungeon."
• A DM shall not be overly generous nor overly stingy. Both are ultimately unsatisfying to players! Within the confines of the story (for example, I prefer low magic, so don't expect tons of magic items from me!) the characters should be regularly rewarded in some fashion. This doesn't mean characters should level up every session, nor that they should be able to buy Bolivia by 8th level, but some kind of regular reward serves as a good hook to keep players coming back for more.
• A DM shall make the world interesting even if the PCs do nothing! There are still plots afoot and things that are happening, so that eventually the PCs eventually find something that they either can no longer ignore, or something that catches their interest in a big way.

 

[the Jester]

Joshua, you have it right in my book.

Well said.