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<blockquote data-quote="The Fighter-Cricket" data-source="post: 6753032" data-attributes="member: 32852"><p>First of all: Thanks for sharing. An important thing for DMs is to acknowledge that you should also have a good time at the table, not to cater only to the other's needs. If you are stressed out and don't enjoy the game then of course take a break.</p><p></p><p>The others had some really good points here, let me just give some short input.</p><p></p><p>Communication is king: Talk about the game you want to play. If you are preparing several hours for a session etc. then tell the players. In most cases they will understand that your task is not an easy one and respect your effort and your devotion to the game. If you want to play for example a game of intrigue or (more or less) complex plot then tell the players. Share your thoughts about the kind of game you want to play. Nobody can read minds. Make stuff clear at the beginning of a campaign or adventure. If your players dig your approach and want to get on the adventure-train then that's great. But you have to tell your players what you expect from them. And maybe they will like your approach or they will tell you that they really just want to "loot donjons and smash teh orcs" (which can be also enormous fun for the DM too!)</p><p></p><p>Too high expectations can be a burden for you and the players: Telling grand stories is great and creating complex settings and stories is so much fun when you are sitting in front of your pc typing cool scenarios, NPCs and whatnot. And hopefully you can bring your ideas to the table and share them in the gaming experience. But... in a free-form game like D&D everything can go wrong. In my first 8 years of DMing I wanted to tell intricate stories and let the players play those stories... It turns out that the more complex something was the least likely it was that the players interacted with it "in the right way". They took sideroads, concentrated on the marginal stuff and so on. I expected them to play along but didn't communicate it to my players. Only when I started being a player myself in another DM's campaign I realized how complicated it could be to guess what a DM expects. I was totally lost and did all the things that I hated from players in my campaign.</p><p>So over the years I told myself that I could have more fun if I just let loose and content with small-scale adventures, with a handfull of NPCs and have a more satisfying time. </p><p>Short: Don't expect too much from you and from the players. You can have fun with some, as others said it, Beer and Pretzels gaming and relax.</p><p>(btw "The lazy DM's guide" by Sly Flourish is a great ressource that gives the DM useful tips for this kind of DMing.) </p><p></p><p>There are some other points but I think the other user's input sums it up quite good already. </p><p></p><p>Have fun, enjoy the game and off to a new start in the future!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Fighter-Cricket, post: 6753032, member: 32852"] First of all: Thanks for sharing. An important thing for DMs is to acknowledge that you should also have a good time at the table, not to cater only to the other's needs. If you are stressed out and don't enjoy the game then of course take a break. The others had some really good points here, let me just give some short input. Communication is king: Talk about the game you want to play. If you are preparing several hours for a session etc. then tell the players. In most cases they will understand that your task is not an easy one and respect your effort and your devotion to the game. If you want to play for example a game of intrigue or (more or less) complex plot then tell the players. Share your thoughts about the kind of game you want to play. Nobody can read minds. Make stuff clear at the beginning of a campaign or adventure. If your players dig your approach and want to get on the adventure-train then that's great. But you have to tell your players what you expect from them. And maybe they will like your approach or they will tell you that they really just want to "loot donjons and smash teh orcs" (which can be also enormous fun for the DM too!) Too high expectations can be a burden for you and the players: Telling grand stories is great and creating complex settings and stories is so much fun when you are sitting in front of your pc typing cool scenarios, NPCs and whatnot. And hopefully you can bring your ideas to the table and share them in the gaming experience. But... in a free-form game like D&D everything can go wrong. In my first 8 years of DMing I wanted to tell intricate stories and let the players play those stories... It turns out that the more complex something was the least likely it was that the players interacted with it "in the right way". They took sideroads, concentrated on the marginal stuff and so on. I expected them to play along but didn't communicate it to my players. Only when I started being a player myself in another DM's campaign I realized how complicated it could be to guess what a DM expects. I was totally lost and did all the things that I hated from players in my campaign. So over the years I told myself that I could have more fun if I just let loose and content with small-scale adventures, with a handfull of NPCs and have a more satisfying time. Short: Don't expect too much from you and from the players. You can have fun with some, as others said it, Beer and Pretzels gaming and relax. (btw "The lazy DM's guide" by Sly Flourish is a great ressource that gives the DM useful tips for this kind of DMing.) There are some other points but I think the other user's input sums it up quite good already. Have fun, enjoy the game and off to a new start in the future! [/QUOTE]
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