Hawk Diesel
Adventurer
So I think its dependent on the context. I run one group of fairly experienced role players. In those games, I typically won't remind players, but there are times I will when it is clearly something that the player and character would do in a situation. Often times, the reminder will enhance the experience and fun of the group.
I also run another group of first timers. They don't own any of the books and we only play once in a while (maybe once every 1-3 months). Unfortunately because of the situation, I feel like I know the mechanics of the character better than their players. I don't hold it against them and will frequently provide reminders. It can get frustrating, but that is because they are much more casual about the game than I am. As such, my frustration is more often my own issue and unmet expectation rather than an issue of the group. For this group it is less about the strategy and game aspect, and more about getting together with friends and telling cool stories. So as long as I keep that in mind, it's not really a big deal.
So in response to the question of it being an obligation, I don't think so. But a good DM knows how to cultivate a fun experience and game. If reminding a player about some ability will enhance that without negatively impacting the enjoyment for others, then a DM should consider it a part of their DM toolbox.
With these examples, I think I might have an out of game conversation with the player. Those aren't just small abilities but core aspects of a class/subclass identity. I might ask the player if they liked the lore/fluff around the class, or were more drawn to the mechanics. If the lore/fluff, I might suggest they choose a class they like better mechanically and find ways of reskinning it to better meet their expectations with how the character relates within the game world, rather than how they function. For example, a name like a Battlemaster is pretty cool, so a player may want to play a battlemaster without tracking all those maneuvers and superiority dice. In which case I might suggest player a champion but allowing them to call themselves a battlemaster.
On the other hand, if a player is less than thrilled or excited about certain abilities like action surge, it may be a couple of things. They may not really understand the ability or how it can be beneficial, or they just might not like it. If the former, providing examples and explanations might help. If the latter, either let the player just not use the ability, or offer some kind of alternate ability. If it doesn't hurt the enjoyment that the player doesn't want to action surge, then no need to worry. But if the player feels like they are losing out by being shackled to an ability that isn't fun for them, I feel I have a strong enough grasp of the mechanics to adjust the ability to make it more enjoyable without breaking the game. But not everyone may be comfortable doing so. In which case, YMMV.
I also run another group of first timers. They don't own any of the books and we only play once in a while (maybe once every 1-3 months). Unfortunately because of the situation, I feel like I know the mechanics of the character better than their players. I don't hold it against them and will frequently provide reminders. It can get frustrating, but that is because they are much more casual about the game than I am. As such, my frustration is more often my own issue and unmet expectation rather than an issue of the group. For this group it is less about the strategy and game aspect, and more about getting together with friends and telling cool stories. So as long as I keep that in mind, it's not really a big deal.
So in response to the question of it being an obligation, I don't think so. But a good DM knows how to cultivate a fun experience and game. If reminding a player about some ability will enhance that without negatively impacting the enjoyment for others, then a DM should consider it a part of their DM toolbox.
h/t @Oofta @Ruin Explorer
To give you an idea as to the context of this conversation, the genesis was discussing a player in one of my campaigns who has a decided inability to remember that his Fighters have action surge. No matter how many times people (DM, other players) tell him, he just can't seem to remember that he has it and that he can use it.
This seemed to strike a chord, as Oofta noted that he has a player who, similarly, often forgets about his Battlemaster skills. Now these are particular examples, but I think that over time we all have either had players, or been players that have forgotten about abilities (or magic items, or spells, or whatever) that our characters had and should be used.
With these examples, I think I might have an out of game conversation with the player. Those aren't just small abilities but core aspects of a class/subclass identity. I might ask the player if they liked the lore/fluff around the class, or were more drawn to the mechanics. If the lore/fluff, I might suggest they choose a class they like better mechanically and find ways of reskinning it to better meet their expectations with how the character relates within the game world, rather than how they function. For example, a name like a Battlemaster is pretty cool, so a player may want to play a battlemaster without tracking all those maneuvers and superiority dice. In which case I might suggest player a champion but allowing them to call themselves a battlemaster.
On the other hand, if a player is less than thrilled or excited about certain abilities like action surge, it may be a couple of things. They may not really understand the ability or how it can be beneficial, or they just might not like it. If the former, providing examples and explanations might help. If the latter, either let the player just not use the ability, or offer some kind of alternate ability. If it doesn't hurt the enjoyment that the player doesn't want to action surge, then no need to worry. But if the player feels like they are losing out by being shackled to an ability that isn't fun for them, I feel I have a strong enough grasp of the mechanics to adjust the ability to make it more enjoyable without breaking the game. But not everyone may be comfortable doing so. In which case, YMMV.
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