Can't Find Trees- Damn Forest. Secret of Good DM'ing?

[Guilt Puppy]

1) Remember, it's you versus the players. If you kill them, you win; if they kill every creature in the Monster Manual, they win. I prefer to go through the book alphabetically.

2) It's your story, make sure you tell it your way. Don't let the players get sidetracked -- after all, do you really think a spur-of-the-moment voyage with the pirates you threw in for flavor is really going to play better than the dungeon you spent all yesterday afternoon planning? When in doubt, use cutscenes: Everybody loves movies!

3) Sex sells, so use it early, and often. Should one of your players refuse to act out the striptease that your mind flayer has suggested, respond with accusations of bad roleplaying and throw dice at them.

Aim for the eyes; they are soft and easily injured.

 

[kigmatzomat]

1. Never, ever, never-never have a situation where the players absolutely positively must do X/must not do Y or the whole game ends.

2. The corollary, be prepared for the players to do the exact OPPOSITE of what you want/expect.

3. Look at your players and try to think what each one of them will do. Then guess what the smartest person and the stupidest person you know would do. Plan for all of that.

4. Never show fear. They sense fear. Like squids.

5. When stumped, don't admit it. Furrow your brow, say "hmmmmmmm" and tell them they better take a smoke/soda break because it's going to take you a few minutes to get the notes together for that scenario. Then fake it, fake it like the wind.

6. Don't be afraid to do the scooby-doo ending. It was a tired schtick when they got ahold of it for a reason; most people will try to throw the blame on someone else whenever possible. A kobold with a periscope, a big robe and a squid on a stick makes a decent Mind Flayer.

 

[Vlos]

Yes can't agree with a lot that was said above (except for Guilt Puppy).

Recently took up the GM rod again and funny how you forget these things. My thing I have to think of is to remember to have as many different solutions to an encounter as possible planned out. Last session I had a beautiful encounter setup. The party did not do what I had planned and I spent a few seconds covering tracks. Everything should be fine, but being they missed an important clue, the new clue I left them is not as obvious. Its not needed, but could cause trouble for them down the road, making it harder for them.

For creating adventures. I like to get the whole arc, then as mentioned break it down into smaller chunks/adventures. Then I detail what I think is the most basic approach through that adventure. I then go back and try to think up alternate methods at getting through the same adventure by a different means. This could be avoiding it all together. Hopefully with proper planning the PCs will end up along the same adventure "path" for the next arc. You may have several "alt" arcs to get back on the main arc path though.

 

[spider_minion]

Here are the three most important rules, in my opinion:

1. Don't forget D&D is an interactive game. Unlike video games, the story is shaped by both DM planning and the players' response as well as their own initiative. When the players make meaningful choices and influence the outcomes, the game is at its best.

2. Don't be afraid to steal ideas. There are few original ideas left in the world. The DM should focus more weaving the different ideas into a compelling whole rather than trying to come up with everything alone. A good deal of those gaming books are packed with them, so don't be afraid to make the most of your money. However, this does not mean the game need be cliche either.

3. Be fair. If the DM applies the rules in an even-handed way, (s)he gains a lot of credability and the players are likely to respect how the game plays out. Don't arbitrarily hurt or kill the PCs. Fudge the dice only when really necessary.

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

All of these replies are great! And as expected, they've reminded me of obvious things I'd forgotten .
If I had to pick out the ones that I'd make absolutely certainly sure a new DM was aware of (other than mine, because I am smrt), I think I'd go with:

"4) Don't let it get personal: Too often, DM's start to see their relationship with the players as adversarial. You are the DM -- you can always defeat the party. There's no challenge in that."

"6) Don't play favorites. Nothing can kill a game faster than a DM who capriciously favors one player over the others"

"9) Let the players play. Don't say no to their cool ideas, say yes but just make it difficult if its a difficult manuveur. Reward creativity and enthuisism. It can be contagious and bring the other players into the game even more."

"12) Figure out the major story of the campaign, then break it down into workable chunks. Try writing your campaign like a TV series. All this can help keep the campaign cohesive, make writing it much easier, and keep the action flowing at a good pace."
-- And in case your thinking "how can I write sequential scenes like a series, but also not railroad?" my answer would be-- the NEXT scene is a "level-up" above from the area the PC's are currently investigating. They can solve the current "scene" in whatever manner takes their fancy... but they also hear the townsfolk talking about rumours of a dire prophecy spoken mid-sermon, or they see that the Prince has mapped an enemy strike force on a map that he gruffly tells them "Is not today's problem"... ie hints for the next 3 possible scenes in the current one, and clues divulged that show links to one of the other things going on in the campaign world.


"13) Don't get bogged down by over using miniatures... Miniatures should not become a burden or take the place of good roleplaying or having an imagination."

"Never PLAN to capture the party"
-- Oh GOD YES. One DM made it literally impossible to not be captured by a bunch of guards. They were uber-knockout-ninjas... as 1st level town guards.


"Never strip-search or violate the PCs after you capture them"
!!! Definitely! Remember, the threat of what "The Master" will do to them can be lewdly divulged by an ugly guard... but like all good fantasy, the heroes will escape before The Master arrives.. or if he does, he'll only have time to gloat a bit before being called away on urgent business.
Just accept your NPC's will have to display possibly uncharacteristic stupidity whenever the PC's are captured, if you can't find an alternative manner to help them "realistically" free themselves (like an unknown ally on the inside...) accept that if the game was wholely realistic the PC's wouldn't get beyond 1st level. Ever. Similarly, how is it that the fighter who does nothing but kill things is a better Armourer than the guy who's spent the last 200 years doing nothing but Armouring (he's a Dwarf).

"2) Cheaply won victories do nothing for the game. ...They may think they want a vorpal sword and that is what will make the game fun. But if you just hand that over it will not be appreciated and ultimately cause dissatisfaction.
The same can be said about all aspects of the game. It is the toughest victories that will stay with the characters and, more importantly, the players."

"3) Less is more. If every encounter is tooth and nail down to the wire, they will become boring and lose their significance."
Yeah! Send some fodder the PC's way once in a while. Maybe to slow them down, maybe to distract them. But let them be proud of their funky new abilities!

"Having necromancy use a series of named bells was a huge ripoff in a short game I ran, but it certainly made things a lot more interesting."
Is this referring to the Abhortion Trilogy?

And ALWAYS Remember these 3 principles!!

"1) Remember, it's you versus the players. If you kill them, you win; if they kill every creature in the Monster Manual, they win. I prefer to go through the book alphabetically."

"2) It's your story, make sure you tell it your way. Don't let the players get sidetracked -- after all, do you really think a spur-of-the-moment voyage with the pirates you threw in for flavor is really going to play better than the dungeon you spent all yesterday afternoon planning? When in doubt, use cutscenes: Everybody loves movies!"

"3) Sex sells, so use it early, and often. Should one of your players refuse to act out the striptease that your mind flayer has suggested, respond with accusations of bad roleplaying and throw dice at them.

Aim for the eyes; they are soft and easily injured."

Sidenote: If underneath a table, groins can be easily kicked if you think the halfling player's voice should be a bit higher.

but seriously, there's more good stuff

"2. Don't be afraid to steal ideas. There are few original ideas left in the world. The DM should focus more weaving the different ideas into a compelling whole rather than trying to come up with everything alone."

"3. Be fair. Don't arbitrarily hurt or kill the PCs. Fudge the dice only when really necessary."

Cheers to everyone who put their thoughts down! Though I think a lot of it might be for those DM's who have leveled up beyond "newbie"

 

[deltadave]

Here is the cheat sheet that I stick on the back of my DM screen during every game. Run down the list whenever you get a quick chance and doing these things will become habit.


*Pace - keep the game moving
*Time - be aware of passing time
* Don't give the roll if you don't want it to happen
*When in doubt - Throw Orcs. (Orcs being generic for some small monster or bandit type)

1) Physically plausible and consistent
2) Discipline at the table - No negativity, no Metagaming
3) Reward and Punish
4) Don't talk players to death - less is more
5) Difference in Levels - 7th is better than 5th
6) NPC's are people too
7) Don't buy players
8) Speed is better
9) Make it like a movie - eliminate the unimportant - if it doesn't move the plot it doesn't belong
10) Monsters are fell
11) Details matter - give the world texture
12) Stop with the DM control
13) Story - invest in the players
14) Entertain
15) Self contained Game world - no outside stuff, leave the real world at the door

Start campaign small and work larger.
Remember the little things, small details that add depth
weatherbeaten, careworn face
ship needs paint
equipment is well worn
Countdown clock - to stress players force them to act quickly.
Conflict moves the story forward.
Go against expectations often
Use twists and turns

DONT’s
dwell on one player - spread DM time around.
forget the NPC’s.
Be predictable

To get better -
Consistently DM
Don’t get discouraged if you flop at first
Enjoy the game - Have fun.
Stick with it - Don’t quit.

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

Awesome list! Thanks for sharing... consider it *yoinked*

 

[Doug McCrae]

9) Make it like a movie - eliminate the unimportant - if it doesn't move the plot it doesn't belong

11) Details matter - give the world texture

These would appear to be mutually exclusive.

 

[deltadave]

#9 mostly refers to things like sleeping or eating, if something significant doesn't happen during the activity then move on. There is no need to spend an hour travelling between towns unless something dramatically significant happens.

the conflict between tip #4 and #11 is much more difficult. without some detail there is no depth or texture to the world. Detailing stuff like important NPC's is very important. You may decide to describe a low level npc as 'fresh faced' or a higher level one as 'scarred' or 'weatherbeaten'. all of these things give the players clues as to the level and experience of the npc without giving game mechanic type specifics. The real balancing act is between too much detail and too little.

I've gotten my players to the point that I can describe an NPC and they can guess about what level he is within 2-3 levels just by my description, no game mechanics involved.

 

[Nareau]

Not that I'm just playing Devil's Advocate or anything...

Railroad your players. Yep, you heard me. Tell them what to do, and make sure they do it. Don't give them a bunch of "options" or "choices". DM's don't have time to try and predict every crazy little thing the PC's might want to do.

There are 2 tricks to successful railroading:
The "Shrodinger" trick:
OK, so the PC's need to encounter El Bob, the mexican necromancer, in order for the story to advance. They're in town, and they decide -- out of the blue -- to go hang out by the docks. Coincidentally, El Bob is also down at the docks today, <i>at this very moment</i>! The players get to do what they want (hang out at docks), and you can have the plot waiting there for them. If you're good at it, they'll never know the difference.

The "Big Boss" trick:
Not so much a trick, as a campaign structure. I'd highly recommend newbie DM's talk with their players about playing a group of old friends who have enlisted in the city guard. Or the military. Or as special ops for the crown. This will allow you to give the PC's assignments, which overcomes the terrible issues of player motivation, plot movement, etc. The railroading can be macroscopic (allowing the PC's to choose the path to thier goal, but not the goal itself).

As far as "multiple solution" problems go: another way of looking at is to create "no solution" problems. Come up with some challenge, have a rough idea of what kinds of things will overcome it, and don't worry about the specifics. For example:
One of the first adventures I ever DM'd (it was a homebrew prologue to RttToEE) found the PC's wandering through caverns, hot on the trail of some priests of water. In one big chamber, they found a dead priest (with his gear). He was draped across a rocky outcropping in the middle of the room. The entire floor was filled with water, getting about 4' deep in the middle, and being about 10' across. The only exit was on the other side of the room. And the water contained a couple of tough elementals.
The idea here was that the priest had been killed by the elementals after losing control of them. He still had some Dust of Dessication (or whatever) with him, that he had planned on using to defend himself. The elementals planned on laying in wait for any interlopers, and then drowning whomever tried to cross.
I didn't know how the low-level PC's would fare here. They had Water Breathing cast on them, so drowning wasn't a major concern. If they could get to the DoD, they'd stand a good chance against the elementals. But they didn't even know it was there. They might be able to jump over the water, but certainly not all of them. Maybe someone could distract the elementals long enough for the others to cross. Maybe they could use a rope somehow. But straight-out fighting the elementals would be bad, and I let them know that by various clues.
I still remember that scene because of all the open-ended problem solving the players got to do. They tried a few things, made some good checks, and managed to make it across. Ever since then, I've tried to make sure that most situations like that could have many solutions.

More recently, I just ran a short story arc where the PC's were trying to free some eskimo-type tribe from the rule of an evil, vampire-like lord (and his many guards). I had figured that the PC's would assess the situation, beef up, and go in for a "surgical strike" type attack. Instead, they decided to rally the neighboring tribes (who had been at war with the first tribe for decades), gather a small army, and storm the castle. It turned out to be way cooler than what I had in mind. There was some great role-playing as they tried to convince the other tribal leaders to join their cause. There was some fun combat as their forces clashed against the evil lord's. There was some great planning as the party worked out their best route of assault. All in all, it was a lot of fun.

On a somewhat related note, I think it's often good to talk with the players about what they'd like to see for the game/their character. More specifically, I've come up with a few scenes where 1 or more of the PC's are "in on it". If you "need" something to happen, you can often talk with a player before the game and say, "Hey...El Bob is going to be down at the docks today; remember how your character loves fish? Why don't you get everyone to go down to the docks with you sometime early in the session."


Spider