DMs -- How Open Are You to Suggestions?

[DDK]

In my experience player input has done more harm than good. It might be fine for a group who has been friends for awhile or if you've got a homebrew world that needs fleshing out. If you are just new to a group or the group only gets together to play, then it tends to be a lot more difficult since incorporating a players ideas requires time and effort OUTSIDE of the game.

If it's something that doesn't impact the mechanics of the game too much or will lead into greater roleplaying, like a player saying, "Hey, I'd like to learn more about the Dreamworld in-character and will be researching stuff about Lucid Dreaming," then that's fine, but if it's a PrC or a feat or a rules change, then for the most part I'm simply not interested and would rather not destabilize the game with new input.

At least, that's my philosophy from now on. Previously my philosophy was, "Great, yeah, bring it on..." which didn't work for me.

 

[clark411]

As a DM, if my players want to create something, I'll ask em to write up a proposal- and we'll go over it together and see ultimately what the player wants and what I need out of it (be it an organization, township, or PrC). I think it's great to have people actually willing to work on my campaign world- they like it enough to dive in and work with me on it.

As a player, I respect the DM's wishes, but this is conditional. Currently, I'm about to start playing a Cleric of St. Cuthbert in a now 2 year old campaign, and I'll ask the DM if a) he could design the church hierarchy/dogma to the extent where I won't blindly walk around screwing up, or if b) I can submit a proposal for how the church is- including drafts of a couple PrCs that go along with it. If my DM produces something in a few weeks, turning down my offer- great... but if not, there's no way in heck I'm going to flounder about clueless of what my responsibilities are and who my higher ups are. If I have to I'll make up names on the fly and ask to report to them (clearly stating they are the supervisors that have never been defined for me.)

Hopefully this won't happen, but I think it illustrates that players often ask to make things because a) they have pure interest in the setting, or b) they find something missing in the setting that they need filled (be it for character-building purposes or simple comprehension.) As far as I'm concerned, neither of these should be shunned or pushed to the side.

 

[haiiro]

Open to all sorts of player ideas, but wary of unbalancing things. I like it when players want to tweak their characters, or add elements to the world or its history that appeal to them. As long as it won't break the game, I generally allow it.

 

[Xeoble]

I am completely in favor of players making up material

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[Barcode]

Setting wise, I love it.

I was initially glad to hear about ideas for prestige classes, until it became a contest of "Spot the Clever Way the Player Has Invented to Break the Game". Unfortunately, my initial laissez-faire attitude towards the characters development resulted in me having to completely disregard the CR system after some deceptively innocent prestige class powers resulted in massive power increases (from the party's Bard, no less!). Now I am more on guard, a state I do not like.

-B-

 

[megamania]

Extremely open. With a few exceptions, most of the D20 stuff is balanced. This proves to me the players are looking and enjoying the game (only a few are pure munchies). In the same token, This means I can introduce anything I feel is balanced as an antagonistic NPC.

 

[megamania]

Another thought I just had is it encourages the buying / sharing of books and materials within the group. Though at times I feel overwhelmed but the shear volume of material players want me to check out I try to soak in as much as possible. This keeps everyone's creative juices going.

 

[Reprisal]

Elusive Player Input

I think it really matters what form of player input that we're talking about...

I can't remember how many times that I've tried to extract some form of feeback from the players. While it's not exactly an interrogation session -- far from it, I would think -- I find it somewhat frustrating that I don't hear much one way or another from the players.

Of course, I'm looking for input that has to do with the narrative and character element of the campaign, since that's where I'm most concerned about quality.

To be honest, I don't think the players in my group are all that interested in thinking about and working on the campaign outside the allotted time. I don't fault them for it, of course, but I sometimes feel the need for a brainstorm session and what-not. It's hard to do so online, especially when one would have to really explain most of the major elements within any given campaign to get to that critical level of details and nuances.

Rules and setting-wise, I'd be open to any work the players would do outside, but I'd have to take a look at it first before I start installing things left and right. As a GM/DM, I think my greatest strength is my ability to know where the plot would go if something -- whatever that thing may be -- happened to alter its course.

*Shrugs*

Hopefully, the players in my group understand that I'm pretty open to any suggestions, as long as they're relatively well-thought-out and sincere attempts at making the campaign better. I suppose that's the biggest bottleneck, as it's very easy to deal with the issues of their own character and the little world surrounding him or her. I think players, generally speaking, are loathe to trod on a GM/DM's turf for fear of some unholy retribution exacted around the table.

At this point, it should be obvious that more than a few DMs aren't like that,

- Rep.

 

[jgbrowning]

Very open, in fact I encourage players to do so. Seems to work well, haven't had a player take the offer yet!!

ROFL..... hehe this is sooooo much like my experience....


joe b.

 

[DDK]

Re: Elusive Player Input

I can't remember how many times that I've tried to extract some form of feeback from the players. While it's not exactly an interrogation session -- far from it, I would think -- I find it somewhat frustrating that I don't hear much one way or another from the players.

I know exactly how you feel. I begged my players for feedback until I just snapped one day and said, "Fine, if you aren't willing to give me feedback, I'll assume everything I'm doing is BRILLIANT!"

The only thing I got in response to that was a casual, "Eh, if I hate something you do, I'll tell yah." Nobody said anything after that so I assume I run the best game in the world