dm's, be honest: how often do you make mistakes?

[Lord Xtheth]

I have a 30th level Rules Lawyer in my group that is very adep at picking out the slightest mistake I may make and find for me the actual rule or refference right in the middle of my DMing. Sometimes it comes in handy, sometimes it's plain annoying.

I try to make as little mistakes as posible.

 

[brunswick]

Comedy of errors

As others have said, they usually do not matter, they usually affect me more than the players (forgetting to regen the troll, dropping continued spell damage, missing special attacks, etc.), and the tend to increase throughout the night as my players volunteer to get me another cold one more often.

This! I make mistakes, probably several every session but they are rarely noticed and if they are then its usually something minor (if the mistakes are in the players favour, most of them dont tell me and they grumble if one player actually tips me off). Unsurprisingly, if I partake of a drink (or two) when DMing then the chance of a mistake increases proportionately, depending on the amount consumed.

 

[Henry]

Hell, I don't get to breakfast in the morning without having made some small mistake in my morning routine -- it would be silly for me to say I never made a few in the course of any given game session.

Usually, I make one or two per session that I or the players catch -- I'm sure I make more than that that none of us catch.

 

[CleverNickName]

I screw up at least once each encounter, but I'm the only one who notices. Or at least I hope I'm the only one who notices. When I forget or fudge something, it is usually in the party's favor, so there are few complaints and the players are loathe to call me on it.

The fighter (after the battle): "Hey...don't drow have spell resistance?"
Everyone else: "Ssshh! You're gonna get us killed!"
Me: "Oops. I'll try to remember next time."

 

[Wombat]

This is one of matters that tends to scare away non-gamers from rpgs -- the sheer number of rules.

Yeah, years of gaming, many different systems, and so I forget basic rules now and again. I don't count obscure bits, rules that only apply in limited, specific situations, but the rules that are considered more-or-less the norm.

Ah well, we roll with the punches.

 

[messy]

thanks, guys. this makes me feel better.

messy (btw, i voted "sometimes")

 

[El Mahdi]

I make mistakes every single game. But, it's kind of like improvisational acting, is there really a right or wrong way to do it, other than whether your audience likes it or not. Sometimes mistakes can turn into some of the best parts of a game. They will sometimes take your game in directions you never planned for, which sometimes can be a very cool thing. It's kind of like falling down the stairs and landing on your feet.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I voted "sometimes", but it really depends upon what qualifies as a "mistake".

RC

 

[Sagiro]

"Comedy of Errors."

Fortunately, my players appreciate comedy.

 

[Wormwood]

Aside from math mistakes and the like, most of my mistakes are memory errors (forgetting things like conditions and ongoing effects). Errors like that don't really bother me however, since they are easily corrected or compensated for.

The ones that haunt me are the story mistakes. Forgetting an NPC, plot point or story element can have long-term negative repercussions.

The only solution is preparation, preparation and more preparation.