Are you a good Dungeon Master?

[Agamon]

I was thinking about this, and I was wondering how you guys feel. I've been DMing for the better part of 16 years. I've had, on several occasions, been told by players that they really enjoyed my games, and I've been told moro than once that I was the best DM they'd ever played with. I put WAY too much energy into gaming, and I'm very passionate about it.

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.

I couldn't put it better myself. Though I'm told all the time that my game is the best, I just don't think I do what I can the make it really good. There are times when the game is great, with both the players and myself clicking on all levels, but a lot of times, I'm left thinking, "That could have went better." I just don't think I spend as much time as I'd like prepping my games.

But if my players are pleased, I suppose it's not so bad.

 

[Agamon]

I'm an above-average Fantasy GM--which I actually think is par for the course here at ENworld-- but I might be one of the best Supers GMs in the world (if I do say so myself )

It's the one genre I am really comfortable with.

Yeah, genre really matters. I rule with fantasy, but I pretty much suck with Supers, and I'm even worse with SF. I'm average/above average with contemporary, non-super genres.

 

[The Hound]

I was thinking about this, and I was wondering how you guys feel. I've been DMing for the better part of 16 years. I've had, on several occasions, been told by players that they really enjoyed my games, and I've been told moro than once that I was the best DM they'd ever played with. I put WAY too much energy into gaming, and I'm very passionate about it.

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?

Sounds like your the type who's reach is always higher than their grasp - which is a good thing - and maybe a bit of a perfectionist too. You'r in good company. I've read about several great actors, authors, etc. who have the same attitude and the same reaction to their own efforts - seems to be a rahter common trait for those at the top.
Maybe your never as good as you want to be in yoru mind's eye, but you are obviously doing a far better job than the run of the mill GM who just tries to put out an average or minimal effort.

 

[Hammerhead]

I consider myself a good DM. Like Piratecat, I try and play under as many DMs as possible to learn skills to improve myself. I would trace most of my success to my friendship with my players...I know what they want in a game and how to make it fun for them. The most important thing I've learned has been here at EN World, which is to make sure every PC gets the spotlight at least once a game.

Still, I'm sure someone other than me could say if I'm a good DM or not...Victim?

 

[Severion]

i consider myself to be a decent DM, all my players are close friends first, and i don't think that any one of them would play otherwise. I mostly run Dungeon(R) adventures as i tend to Monty Haul when left to my own devices. I have never DMed outside of my own circle of friends, but i have occasionally played with other DMs and found them to be insufferable twerps with a god complex (only like three in 20 years, i'm sure its not an indicative of the larger communituy).

 

[Penfencer]

For the most part, I consider myself a good DM. I think my DMing abilities work better in an online setting--Play by Post or Chat-room based--, mainly because I find it easier to improvise when I don't have people's eyes watching me.

I try my best to put a lot of detail into my DMing; I work up long backgrounds for my NPCs, draw out detailed maps of the areas the PCs are exploring, etc. Most of my players consider this to be a good thing, though they sometimes complain when I don't want to run a session on the spur of the moment.

 

[Caliban]

I think I'm an average DM. I don't prep nearly as much as I want to (ADHD tendencies), I tend to focus on combat more than roleplaying, and I often take the story in unplanned directions at the last minute. My story arcs also tend to be epic things involving forces well beyond the players control, yet they somehow become pivotal in resolving.

 

[Aeric]

Running a game is an artform. DMs, like most artists, are prone to be overcritical of themselves, to focus on the flaws and gloss over the strengths of their work. It is part of that eternal quest to be the best artist you can be. As both an artist and a DM, I know that this is certainly true for me.

 

[Mercule]

I think I'm better than any other GMI personally know, in terms of being able to entertain a broader variety of players for longer, grasping the rules and metarules, synthesizing rules on the fly, and being fair to all the players.

I'm somewhat weak on pacing and in drawing my players deeply into the story/setting. I also don't have the breadth of experience in GMing as many games as I'd like to have. Some of that is from bad habits I picked up early on, some of it is from the sorts of groups I tend to game with (usually, it's like pulling teeth to try a new system).

 

[Nathal]

Robin's Laws are not worth diddly imo

Why is that?