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<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 2572338" data-attributes="member: 3424">I'm perfectly fine with this. After all, the rules don't cover every situation, and can sometimes be interpreted in different ways. In game, you sometimes need to make a ruling and move on.What I consider to be a poor DM is one who:1. Is not familiar with the rules.2. Gets defensive when a player displays better knowledge of the rules than he does, usually by highlighting a rule that applies in the situation.3. Doesn't bother to understand what the rule actually means or does.4. Declares what he thinks &quot;should&quot; happen instead.I'm pretty sure this type of DM was responsible for the &quot;90% chance of hitting a friend&quot; and the &quot;a gnome can't intimidate a dragon&quot; situations that were mentioned earlier.I'm not saying that you need to know all the rules to be a DM. Rules knowledge is only one of the traits of a good DM (and some might say not even the most important one). I'm not saying that DMs can't make mistakes. We're all human, after all. I'm not saying a DM shouldn't make up rules or interpret them on the fly. You need to keep up the momentum of the game. I'm not saying a DM shouldn't create house rules. You might want a game with a different flavor from the core assumptions, and tweaking and making up new rules, feats, spells, prestige classes, etc. is part of the fun of being a DM. I am saying that DMs should recognize their own limitations. If you aren't good at rules, don't feel threatened by a player who knows the rules better than you do, and don't punish him or try to put him in his place by changing the rule on the spot. Do understand the reasons for and effects of an existing rule, and try to anticipate how your proposed changes will affect the game before actually making them.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 2572338, member: 3424"] I'm perfectly fine with this. After all, the rules don't cover every situation, and can sometimes be interpreted in different ways. In game, you sometimes need to make a ruling and move on. What I consider to be a poor DM is one who: 1. Is not familiar with the rules. 2. Gets defensive when a player displays better knowledge of the rules than he does, usually by highlighting a rule that applies in the situation. 3. Doesn't bother to understand what the rule actually means or does. 4. Declares what he thinks "should" happen instead. I'm pretty sure this type of DM was responsible for the "90% chance of hitting a friend" and the "a gnome can't intimidate a dragon" situations that were mentioned earlier. I'm not saying that you need to know all the rules to be a DM. Rules knowledge is only one of the traits of a good DM (and some might say not even the most important one). I'm not saying that DMs can't make mistakes. We're all human, after all. I'm not saying a DM shouldn't make up rules or interpret them on the fly. You need to keep up the momentum of the game. I'm not saying a DM shouldn't create house rules. You might want a game with a different flavor from the core assumptions, and tweaking and making up new rules, feats, spells, prestige classes, etc. is part of the fun of being a DM. I am saying that DMs should recognize their own limitations. If you aren't good at rules, don't feel threatened by a player who knows the rules better than you do, and don't punish him or try to put him in his place by changing the rule on the spot. Do understand the reasons for and effects of an existing rule, and try to anticipate how your proposed changes will affect the game before actually making them. [/QUOTE]

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