A DM's main priority is...

[Bran Blackbyrd]

Nudity. There is no excuse for wearing clothing when your players expect to see you naked. Weather permitting, I try to do right by them.

That and I think the DM owes it to the players to make it fun for his own self. If the DM isn't having fun with what he's doing, then the campaign will start to suffer as he loses more and more interest in the game. The players can usually tell when you're just phoning it in, and that's no fun. If you can find something that will challenge, interest, and amuse both yourself, and your players, then the campaign will be all the better for it, and more fun will be had by all parties involved.

If the Dm gets sick of the game and quits, what good does that do the players?

 

[novyet]

My goal is to make certain that everyone is enjoying themselves and the campaign, but that's only the main thing everything else is quite important as well.

 

[Ashrum the Black]

Well I agree with almost all the options being the DM's job at one time or another. But the number one job is to make sure the players, AND the DM are having fun. If it's not fun the do something else.

I've played in a campaign were the everybody except the DM was having fun. It got so bad he left and hasn't been seen since. A real shame as he was a great DM and an even better friend.

On the other end of the spectrum I've DMed and had DM's that were in total love with their non linear open ended campaign so much it sort of fell apart. I don't like to be led around by the nose, but I don't want so many options handed to me that I can never actually finish one.

As for me when I DM. I try to keep things fun for everybody. I listen to my players when they complain. Sometimes I favor the role players to much, sometimes my Hack and slashers. But if one side is feeling left out, then just add in a few ncounter to compensate. DMing is a balancing act in my few, keeping everybody happy, including youself.

Enough running on at the mouth. Ashrum.

 

[MonkeyBoy]

rounser:
'at a more specific level than "make sure the players and I are having fun"'

The dm's ONLY priority should be to ensure that everyone at the session has fun. (that includes themselves)

You don't want to get more specific than that; if you alter your focus from that, you're going wrong.

Look at it this way;

Whatever you are doing, if the players and you enjoy the time spent in the session, what you did was the right thing.

On the otherhand, whatever you are doing, if the players or you don't enjoy the time spent in the session, what you did was the wrong thing.

It doesn't need to be more complex than that. Every other variation or focus is secondary, and needs to bend or compromise to fit the first.

 

[Darklone]

Yeah fun

You gave a good list, but each group is different. Some want this, some want that ... Your job is to give to them what they want.

 

[Darklone]

Nudity. There is no excuse for wearing clothing when your players expect to see you naked. Weather permitting, I try to do right by them.

Hmm, that's all a female DM would need to do to make a good evening for a stereotypical GEEKS group

 

[Umbran]

Re: Yeah fun

You gave a good list, but each group is different. Some want this, some want that ... Your job is to give to them what they want.

You (and Monkeyboy, and a bunch of others who have said "making it fun is the only priority") are correct, but that response may be somewhat begging the question.

We already know that the game is supposed to be fun. Rounser admitted to that when he initiated the poll. The question is, how do you go about that task? Answering "make it fun" does not give a game designer, adventure writer or a new DM much information. What do you have to do, in order to make it fun for your particular group?

I'd also say that perhaps there'smore than one question being asked here. The responses about making things interesting on the encounter, adventure, or story arc are really answering a separate question from whether the action focuses on kicking down doors or on heavy PC/NPC interaction.

 

[SableWyvern]

Re: Re: A DM's main priority is...

I'll vote in your poll as soon as you can tell me how long a piece of string is

That would be four times half the distance from the centre to the end.

 

[Voadam]

I focus on each individual encounter, making them as evocative as I can. Overall goals and themes for a campaign are good background but it is the individual scene or encounter that is the action. Being descriptive and evocative whether they are in a crowded city slum or a temple full of faithful is how I tend to focus during the game. this overlaps with versimilitude a bit.

 

[kengar]

I voted "Other"

A DM's main priority is keeping the players focussed on the game. aka "Herding Cats"