D&D General What is the worst piece of DM advice people give that you see commonly spread?

[FallenRX]

What is a piece of DM advice you see commonly spread around the DnD/TTRPG community that you simply think sucks and is bad?

 

[jdrakeh]

For me, it's still the ever popular "The DM is God!" - Yes, the GM does have a lot of power at their disposal in traditional games (including D&D), but this doesn't mean that their will should always override that of the other players. This is part of why I prefer the term "referee" for game runners, as I think it more accurately describes their role in traditional games (or, at least, the role I prefer they play in my own games).

 

[CleverNickName]

...on second thought, this isn't the thread for me.

 

[pointofyou]

Anything having to do with the GM having a story to tell plotted out past the current situation.

Anything implying the players don't need to know or maybe even shouldn't know the rules of the game.

 

[Retreater]

A GM is responsible for their party's fun.

 

[TerraDave]

Anything that says the DM should work more (versus good advice, which tells them how to do more with less time).

Back in ye olden days, this meant a bias for home-brewing over using modules, as they were called (even though there were excellent modules available, and people played them). Later it might mean creating an elaborate sandbox, or really trying to understand your players and going out of your way to cater to your players (though this can bog the campaign down and, in various ways, actually annoy those players).

There are other examples, many, of "here is all the extra work you can do to be a better DM".

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Any variation on the "well you're the DM, you figure it out" reply to a request for assistance. It's the most actively unhelpful "advice" I've seen in any hobby, the more sophisticated cousin of the outright insulting "git gud."

"The rules are just suggestions" is a major runner-up though.

 

[Clint_L]

Most of the advice I'm seeing commonly spread...is pretty good advice. Like, you guys are definitely pointing out some bad advice, but commonly spread?

The best advice I would give is "it's okay to be wrong."

 

[Charlaquin]

Anything to do with preventing “metagaming” or punishing players for such behavior.

 

[overgeeked]

What is a piece of DM advice you see commonly spread around the DnD/TTRPG community that you simply think sucks and is bad?

It's bad advice to tell referees to railroad players or use illusionism. It defeats the purpose of having players. The players are at the table to make choices that matter. These two rob the players of their ability to make choices (railroading) and ensures their choices don't matter (illusionism). If you have an immutable story in mind and can't let those pesky players ruin your precious story, go write a novel instead.