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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bullgrit" data-source="post: 5705278" data-attributes="member: 31216">I have what I think is an interesting anecdote about learning and getting better over time as a DM.I recently ran a one-shot adventure for my son and his friends.<a href="http://www.totalbullgrit.com/2011/07/25/boys-delve-into-the-dungeon/" target="_blank">Boys Delve into the Dungeon  Total Bullgrit</a>In running this session, I cheated, faked, hand-waved, made up stuff, and even re-mapped the dungeon on the fly. This goes completely against everything I have ever held sacred about running a game of D&D.Although I rolled a lot of dice for everything, I ignored the results and went with what I thought would be most dramatic and fun for the boys at that moment. Every monster encounter, (wandering or in a room), I placed in the moment. Every treasure, I placed in the moment. I let them find secret doors and treasure if they simply looked.The only "honest" die rolls were in combat, where everyone rolled on the table out in front of everyone else. But I even adjusted monster hit points for drama and excitement.Essentially, I broke every rule I have ever played by as a DM. I ran the game, behind the scenes, in a way that I would HATE as a Player.But the boys, (and dads), being completely ignorant of my tricks, had an absolutely wonderful and fun game session. They all LOVED the game. It was the best gaming experience I have presided over in at least a decade. It was among the best gaming experiences I have probably ever had. No one was unhappy or disappointed at the end or even for a second throughout the session. The excitement in the room was intoxicating.But as a DM, I felt dirty. I cheated, faked, and was completely dishonest in how I ran the game. Imagine having the best "romantic" performance of your life, but you got there by convincing your partner that you were a wealthy freelance brain surgeon with the CIA.How can this be explained? I did everything "inappropriately," (according to all my experience), but the result was a fantastic game session. I've had many game sessions where I stuck to my core beliefs of a status quo style -- what I feel as a DM and a Player, through many years of gaming, is the best style -- that just completely bombed. But as soon as I do one game session where I break all my personal style rules, I get a great session.Bullgrit</blockquote>

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