Are you a good Dungeon Master?

[kadath]

I too have received plenty of praise for DMing, but still feel the way you do.

I'm with you guys (or was, back when I was gaming). Despite hearing about how I was just the bestest DM, etc., I always had the feeling that everybody out in gamerland was throwing out boxed-text quality prose off the tops of their heads, surprising and delighting their players with twists and turns worthy of independent horror films, making hardened geeks cheer and weep with each emotional roleplaying session, and so on.

*** Of course, the real answer is that if YOU are having a good time, and your players tell you you're a great DM, you're a great DM. ***

 

[freebfrost]

I would say that, yes, I a good Dungeon Master. I keep the story moving; work with the players to give them experiences and stories that are appealing, fresh, and fun; and am willing to sacrifice my great and grand storyline when the players do something totally unexpected. I spend many hours preparing my adventures, maintaining my library of resources, and keeping up with current trends. Above all else, I actively ask for and listen to my players' comments on my games.

Some of my players were in my original gaming group, so I must be doing something right to keep their attention for 25 years!

 

[LostSoul]

But at the end of the day, I always feel like I'm doing a poor job. I never seem to be as good as I want. Despite my best efforts, and the positive feedback of my players, I don't consider myself a great DM.

The reason I post this, is I'm wondering how many of you other DMs are like that? Are we too hard on ourselves?

I'm like that too.

I've wondered about it many times. The players say they had a good time, but something always felt like it was missing. I always felt like I was railroading the players. But when I tried to have a more open game, I just ended up sitting around asking them "What do you want to do?"

I wonder if I've been playing the wrong type of game. So lately, when we've played D&D, I decided to embrace the powergamer within! and run the game with the express purpose of challenging the players using D&D's strongest point - combat.

There was an interesting setting, NPCs with backstory, lots of stuff going on; but I told myself I wasn't going to care if the players got into that, or if they wanted to find out what was going on, or if they got emotionally involved in it. If all they wanted to do was kill the monsters and take their stuff, that was fine with me. I'd run the encounters to the hilt, giving them the best challenge I could. And seeing if they could challenge me in return.

It went well.

So I've embraced D&D again, by not trying to have play accomplish something that I can't make it do. (Which is having a "story" without railroading the players.)

Next: I'm going to try a different type of game, using a different system.

 

[Odhanan]

If you're players are having a good time, you're a good DM. The rest is icing.

Quoted for absolute truth.

 

[KB9JMQ]

I don't think I am a good DM overall.
But I always have fun, my players always have fun and I have never had anyone leave my group other than moving.
So I do think I am good enough to have a good time the way my group plays.

 

[Odhanan]

I don't think I am a good DM overall.
But I always have fun, my players always have fun and I have never had anyone leave my group other than moving.
So I do think I am good enough to have a good time the way my group plays.

I don't think you're "good enough". Everyone's having a good time consistantly? You're a good DM. Plain and simple.

 

[Crothian]

If you're players are having a good time, you're a good DM. The rest is icing.

Being a good DM is not that easy or simple. That's being an entertaining DM. While players having fun is important, it does not determine if someone is good or not. In fact one can be a good DM and the players won't always have fun.

 

[IcyCool]

Ya, I pretty much suck at it. I never get the imagery right, I get impatient at times, I enjoy the NPCs and pets and role playing them too much, at times I feel like I steal the show, I antagonize the players, I don't care if the rules are right as long as the story flows, I have combats that end up being a lot harder then they should be, I have a tough time getting things across in game and establishing certain elements

Ditto. (Although I usually have fights that I think are going to be hard and that wind up being a breeze).

 

[Odhanan]

While players having fun is important, it does not determine if someone is good or not. In fact one can be a good DM and the players won't always have fun.

In this case, what objectively makes a good DM?

 

[Ambrus]

I've been DMing for most of my gaming career (yeah, calling it a career does seem odd but strangely accurate I think) of 15 years. I think I used to be a great DM when I first started simply because I put more energy and thought into the game than most DMs my players were used to playing with at the time. I used to get many awed players who liberally offered complements to me about my games.

As most players I game with are nearing or passing through their thirties though I believe the general level of maturity and commitment amongst my friends towards gaming has caught up to me. Now many of my players competently run their own campaigns. Nowadays I seem to get as much negative criticism as I do compliments. I've taken to keeping transcripts of the negative emails I've received over the years. I suspect that I may have let my early success go to my head and don't put in as much effort as I should to be truly great and I feel bad about it. It's hard to get motivated to improve though while dealing with lots of negative feedback.

This has led me to keep doubting myself and even to ask whether I should be DMing at all. I'm constantly second guessing myself, my style and story ideas. I even started up a thread here a while back asking for people's feedback concerning a plot development in my campaign to see if people though I had acted appropriately: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109045