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How Important Is Rules Knowledge In Being A Good D&D DM?
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<blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 3307459" data-attributes="member: 22424"><p>Rules knowledge is a very important skill for the DM. However, of all the skills required to be a good DM, it is probably the <em>least</em> important. What's more, it is also the one that it is easiest to improve - just practice.</p><p></p><p>Far more important are the aspects of storytelling required for the game - characterisation, pacing, creating open-ended plots to avoid railroading, and so on. These are pretty difficult to learn, not least since just plotting the campaign like a TV show or novel won't work (due to player input). But, again, these can generally be learned through practice, and by watching other DMs at work. There are also some good books about such things that you can generally lift one or two ideas from.</p><p></p><p>And then there are the aspects involved in handling the table itself. In some ways, the DM has to act as an informal leader for the group, keeping off-topic conversations to an acceptable level (for everyone), keeping an eye on intra-player personality conflicts, keeping everyone awake, etc. These are probably the hardest of all, since these are your friends (usually), and you have no actual authority, so have to exercise a light touch. This is made most tricky because you <em>can't</em> learn by practice - make a bad mistake, and you're likely to find yourself without a group, and minus a few friends as well.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="delericho, post: 3307459, member: 22424"] Rules knowledge is a very important skill for the DM. However, of all the skills required to be a good DM, it is probably the [I]least[/I] important. What's more, it is also the one that it is easiest to improve - just practice. Far more important are the aspects of storytelling required for the game - characterisation, pacing, creating open-ended plots to avoid railroading, and so on. These are pretty difficult to learn, not least since just plotting the campaign like a TV show or novel won't work (due to player input). But, again, these can generally be learned through practice, and by watching other DMs at work. There are also some good books about such things that you can generally lift one or two ideas from. And then there are the aspects involved in handling the table itself. In some ways, the DM has to act as an informal leader for the group, keeping off-topic conversations to an acceptable level (for everyone), keeping an eye on intra-player personality conflicts, keeping everyone awake, etc. These are probably the hardest of all, since these are your friends (usually), and you have no actual authority, so have to exercise a light touch. This is made most tricky because you [I]can't[/I] learn by practice - make a bad mistake, and you're likely to find yourself without a group, and minus a few friends as well. [/QUOTE]
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