D&D 5E 9 Things "Pro" DMs Do That You shouldn't

[Reynard]

Absolutely. Some adventure types work better on rails.

Also, some folks conflate railroading and “having stuff happen regardless of what the PCs do”, which muddies the discussion.

That's the definition of the term, isn't it? Otherwise it is just "linear" which doesn't have the inherently negative connotation.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That's the definition of the term, isn't it? Otherwise it is just "linear" which doesn't have the inherently negative connotation.

This is exactly why I mean. Things happening regardless of the PCs is not railroading. They king they’ve been helping getting murdered while the PCs are away, or a natural disaster hitting, or the guilds overthrowing the aristocracy, is not railroading. You can railroad while doing those things, but they’re not inherently railroading.

 

[Mort]

This is exactly why I mean. Things happening regardless of the PCs is not railroading. They king they’ve been helping getting murdered while the PCs are away, or a natural disaster hitting, or the guilds overthrowing the aristocracy, is not railroading. You can railroad while doing those things, but they’re not inherently railroading.

On this 100% agree. Too many people conflate linear with railroading, and it just isn't.

It's just one way for an adventure to progress.

 

[Reynard]

This is exactly why I mean. Things happening regardless of the PCs is not railroading. They king they’ve been helping getting murdered while the PCs are away, or a natural disaster hitting, or the guilds overthrowing the aristocracy, is not railroading. You can railroad while doing those things, but they’re not inherently railroading.

Ah. I misread your statement I quoted. That is to say, I agree with you: a world that moves regardless of the PCs is not railroading.

 

[Guest 7034872]

Matt Colville gave us nine really helpful minutes about this. It definitely made me more willing to include stronger linear elements in my campaign. Well, that and reading/listening to @payn's comments about linearity on one of the forum's old threads:

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The DM's Lair guy definitely comes across as having a couple different axes to grind.* These just as easily could've been called "Seven Things Not to Do as a DM." Of course, except when they work for your group. I can think of an exception to each bullet point that's happened in my games over the years. Like the fights with Demogorgon at the end of Out of the Abyss and with Tiamat in The Rise of Tiamat, those pretty much took up an entire session.

Wait a minute... what "pros" do these things???

Sorry, but most of those a most definite no-nos in my book, personally, the only exceptions being possibly 4 and 5.

#4 because I know some fights are going to be long, drawn-out, slug-fests of wave after wave of enemies. They are rare, of course, because they can be rather intense, but they happen.

#5 because (if this is what this means) often elements of the story drive the game, but sometimes the outcome of the game drives the story as well.

*I've really soured on DM's Lair after hearing his spicy take on Thaco in Wild Beyond the Witchlight.

 

[Mort]

The DM's Lair guy definitely comes across as having a couple different axes to grind.* These just as easily could've been called "Seven Things Not to Do as a DM." Of course, except when they work for your group. I can think of an exception to each bullet point that's happened in my games over the years. Like the fights with Demogorgon at the end of Out of the Abyss and with Tiamat in The Rise of Tiamat, those pretty much took up an entire session.



*I've really soured on DM's Lair after hearing his spicy take on Thaco in Wild Beyond the Witchlight.

Any links to that take? Interested and can't seem to find it.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

It's this video:

Any links to that take? Interested and can't seem to find it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It's this video:

Something must be up with the audio because I only heard sad oinking noises.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Matt Colville gave us nine really helpful minutes about this. It definitely made me more willing to include stronger linear elements in my campaign. Well, that and reading/listening to @payn's comments about linearity on one of the forum's old threads:

His thumbnails always look like I’m about to watch an angry neck ears yell about girls reading and/or not reading comics or something.

Which is especially funny since he is nothing like that, of course.

But that face is just so “How dare XYZ do ABC!?”