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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9439306" data-attributes="member: 6790260">My players generally are dealing with creatures or people who use skills the players don't have direct access to. Cults and hidden black dragons and insular death-druids don't tend to share their secrets with others. And, likewise, the magic and skills they've acquired are often special, allowing them to do stuff forgotten by the modern day or developing a new branch of magic.That said, I do emphasize to my players that they reap what they sow. It's one of the reasons they aren't murder-hobos. They try to follow laws, because law enforcement actually works with them (even if it is imperfect and at risk of corruption at times). They show mercy to their enemies, because mercy is both morally right and NOT subject to "no good deed goes unpunished". Etc. As a result, instead of viewing things in a ruthless, mercenary, exploitative way, they work with me. They think about the consequences of their actions, short, medium, and long term, ask good questions, and really try to do the wise thing, not just the thing that gets them the most benefit right away and damn the consequences.As a result, I am free. I can use the Rule of Cool for both players AND opponents. I can deploy enemies that do crazy and cool stuff and make memorable encounters that people talk about literal years later with a smile.But this is only possible because NPCs and PCs work by different rules; because I don't use death as a main consequence, but rather consequences much more meaningful and personal and motivating; because I spend almost all of my GM energy working as hard as I can to earn, and retain, my players' genuine and heartfelt enthusiasm for the game; and because I (as GM, not necessarily as the characters I play) am always honest and above board with them.My players know where I stand, and know that I have their back. The single greatest goal for me is for them to enjoy the process of playing to find out what happens, to enjoy facing difficult challenges and overcoming or at least struggling past them. My players are essentially always excited to see where the next session goes, so I think I've done a good job.</blockquote>

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