I
Immortal Sun
Guest
As a GM, it is far and away more important to me that my players know the rules, rather than I know the rules.
Seems odd I guess, but I find that the GM knowing the rules often seems to come across as a very top-town authoritarian feel to things, but when players know the rules, other players seem to roll with it easier than the GM telling them "this is how it is".
I will often recruit whoever turns out to be the rules lawyer in the party to co-DM. It fulfills their need to be final arbiter of the rules and it saves me a whole lot of trouble fighting with them when I deviate, instead they get to enforce my rule deviations! MAWHAHAHAHAAA!!!
I mean, ideally everyone knows the rules, but the reality is that everyone has their own homebrew ideas, everyone has played at different tables that do things differently.
At the very least, the DM should know their rules, the official ones they're interested in enforcing and the ones they've made up and keep their rule deviations consistent.
Seems odd I guess, but I find that the GM knowing the rules often seems to come across as a very top-town authoritarian feel to things, but when players know the rules, other players seem to roll with it easier than the GM telling them "this is how it is".
I will often recruit whoever turns out to be the rules lawyer in the party to co-DM. It fulfills their need to be final arbiter of the rules and it saves me a whole lot of trouble fighting with them when I deviate, instead they get to enforce my rule deviations! MAWHAHAHAHAAA!!!
I mean, ideally everyone knows the rules, but the reality is that everyone has their own homebrew ideas, everyone has played at different tables that do things differently.
At the very least, the DM should know their rules, the official ones they're interested in enforcing and the ones they've made up and keep their rule deviations consistent.