Mercule
Adventurer
Agreed. I DM because I like to DM. I enjoy the creativity that goes along with it. But, just as the player has to be willing to compromise with the DM's setting, the DM has to be willing to compromise with the players' expectations.I'm still confused.
Yeah, I put a lot of work into my game - but it's because I enjoy it, and I love running (and playing!) D&D. It's not a chore for which I need to be rewarded. A simple "Thanks!" is more than enough. I thank my players, too, for making the experience enjoyable.
My current group doesn't particularly care for the Byzantine political machinations I normally like to throw into my games. So, I didn't do those. I'm trying to focus on other things that they do like.
If I have a great idea for a campaign where the PCs are all knights and courtiers, but the players want to be mercenaries, then there will have to be a shift in someone's plans.
But, IME, most players come to the table saying "Let's play D&D," or "I want to play a brick." For anything beyond that generality, there is usually an implied "Entertain us." I'm cool with that. Part of the DM's job is to provide the stage for the entertainment. What I'm not cool with is the implied "entertain us" coupled with inflexibility and a lack of input for the larger campaign (e.g. "I want to play a blackguard, but Bob wants a knight. Make both work.").
The DM is not the players' lackey. It's a cooperative effort and the more responsibility the DM is given for the players' entertainment, the more power must go with it.
If the players (or even one player, seeking buy-in from the others) came to me asking me to run Age of Worms, I wouldn't feel much "entitlement". If the group decided that it wanted to play that AP in Eberron, that's more responsibility and must include the authority to change encounters and miscellany to reflect Eberron, even denying character options. When I'm running a home-brew setting with home-brew adventures (which is my norm), there is a lot of responsibility and a lot of "entitlement" goes with it.