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Message: <blockquote data-quote="evilbob" data-source="post: 645018" data-attributes="member: 9789">Wow.  This is slightly off-topic and I sincerely don’t mean to offend anyone, but I have to say something here.  I’ve read through this whole thread and the more I see, the more I have disliked what I read.  Not about the Paladin question, or the moral implications, but about the justifications for some of these situations.  I have read lots of stories about different DMs, different DMing styles, and heard lots of things about people who run games and the sort of personalities some people have and the traits people show.  I’ve run a few games in my life as well, so I’m not just speaking abstractly here.  However, I must say that I believe all DMs that actively seek the death of their players – not just allow them to happen, but honestly try to set up PvP situations or lead players to places they couldn’t possibly survive – are truly bad DMs.  I know I would never run my games that way or choose to play under a DM who suffered from such a god complex, and I believe DMs who act that way make the world of role-playing less fun for people everywhere.I know I can’t be alone on this, either; we’ve all played games under crappy DMs.  I’ve seen my share of people who are new to role-playing get turned off and never try again due to the bungling of bad DMs.  Some people just aren’t good at running games because they can’t tell stories; others can’t understand complex rules, and still others just have no imagination.  But the worst DMs are those who only DM because they could not stand to be players.  They always have to be in control and enforce their whims on others, simply due to the demands of their own personalities.  The love to manipulate and control, and play their games as if it were “me against them” – instead of “me telling a story they interact with (and sometimes control).”  DMing is not about trying to find new and interesting ways to destroy other people’s fun.  It’s about leading others to having fun, and watching as they discover new things.  If the DM is the only person having fun, or the person having the most fun, then something is wrong and the DM should be replaced.The worst DMs make gaming a bad experience, and that’s just not what gaming is all about.  And occasionally – albeit rarely – they come to a forum and publicly belittle their players by taking their posts and condescendingly attacking and refuting each statement one by one.</blockquote>

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