Do You Consider Yourself A Good DM -- If Yes, Why?

[Privateer]

Wow, what an outpouring of ideas. I should take notes. Oh, wait, I am

Now, as creator of this thread, I want to throw out two more questions, in addition to the old ones:

1) What are you doing now to help overcome your weaknesses as a DM?

2) What do you reccomend for a DM (say, me or fusangite) that has trouble with female NPCs?

3) What do you reccomend to do with trouble players (besides remove them)?

4) What snacks do you reccomend that don't clutter the table or destract the players (last time I served salsa... it got everywhere)?

5) What is your ideal (and feasible) gaming environment?

6) For those with little time to scan the posts: What one sentence can sum up your accumulated DM wisdom?

 

[Crothian]

1) What are you doing now to help overcome your weaknesses as a DM?

If one of my weakness comes up into game I try to focus it a little more then the other parts to get myself more game time dealing with the weakness. It might hinder the game a little but I think that it helps me get better at the things I'm not good at

2) What do you reccomend for a DM (say, me or fusangite) that has trouble with female NPCs?

I just got comfortible doing them like any NPC. That's the best thing that can happen. Don't do a steroetype, do a person. Maybe modeling the NPC after a mother or a sister would help to give you something to draw upon.

3) What do you reccomend to do with trouble players (besides remove them)?

Depends how they cause trouble. But approaching them out of game and talking to them and making them understand what the problem is can help.

4) What snacks do you reccomend that don't clutter the table or destract the players (last time I served salsa... it got everywhere)?

If you can have an area set aside to store snacks and plates and napkins to keep things clean, it helps. I like vegitables personally, but other use chips, pretzels, pizza rolls, etc.

5) What is your ideal (and feasible) gaming environment?

Someplace big enough for everyone, but private. A room away from disractions is all I need. Even better is over someone's house where we will be the only people and not have to worry about anything or anybody else.

6) For those with little time to scan the posts: What one sentence can sum up your accumulated DM wisdom?

Go with the flow. Every game is different, be prepared to have to bend the rules and make compromises. The goal is to have fun for everyone, as DM the job of everyone's fun is mostly controled by you.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

Players usually enjoy running in my games. I tend to try to include alot of roleplaying and I run my villains in a challenging manner.

I would say my best quality as DM is the ability to keep things flowing. I don't allow for alot of downtime and I try to keep everyone involved.

I like to build relationships with the characters with NPC's, so that they gain a sense of belonging in the various areas they travel. I feel NPC relationships are an important part of character building.

I am also very good at improvising adventures. I can whip up an interesting adventure off the top of my head and have it ready to run in less than an hour or two.

If you want to be a good DM, I really feel it is important to keep the game flowing and moving forward. Alot of downtime due to deaths, rules discussions, or just not being prepared will really make players unhappy and bored. That is definitely my number one concern when I run the game.

 

[EarthsShadow]

Wow, what an outpouring of ideas. I should take notes. Oh, wait, I am

Now, as creator of this thread, I want to throw out two more questions, in addition to the old ones:

1) What are you doing now to help overcome your weaknesses as a DM?

2) What do you reccomend for a DM (say, me or fusangite) that has trouble with female NPCs?

3) What do you reccomend to do with trouble players (besides remove them)?

4) What snacks do you reccomend that don't clutter the table or destract the players (last time I served salsa... it got everywhere)?

5) What is your ideal (and feasible) gaming environment?

6) For those with little time to scan the posts: What one sentence can sum up your accumulated DM wisdom?

I will summarize then answer the above questions.

Depending on the game and how much preparation, I can be a really good GM, or a bad one. My worst adventure, and also one of the funner ones that got into it, was when I attempted to play a star wars game by implementing elves and dwarves as spacefaring races that have their own unique kingdoms, and then set it in the Star Drive galaxy, so I had those races also. I had a good concept down, of course wrote lots of notes, and my conversions of the races were pretty accurate to those in Alternity. The fault I had was that I never explained the differences between the races in d&d and the races in stardrive, and needless to say the players played those races (those picked) as typical d&d races, and it ended up being a horrible session, and it was my fault as GM.

Most times, however, I do a good job, I can come up with awesome ideas for adventures, but sometimes its hard for me to implement them. I am also the type of GM to feed off of character backgrounds and well developed characters, and when players don't create backgrounds and/or don't try to implement some kind of personality into their characters, its hard for me to run games for them. In other words, I don't do hack-n-slash, at least as a preference.

I also smack of lacking in some physical descriptions, and although I know I shouldn't use monster names, I am so used to being in other groups that use 'orc' so much instead of describing them that its a bad habit I need to break out of.

My good points do include ad-libing NPC's, I love doing that and i have more fun playing npc's than playing a single character as a player. When I am prepared my descriptions are pretty good, and I can play them pretty freeform and wing it if need be. My overall stories are good, they add depth to all the characters (of course the more a player gets into their character, the easier this is). Best example: I had one player play neutral evil wonderfully. His character hated his hometown, and all he wanted to do is travel around, gain lots of gold and knowledge, and someday planned on going back home and taking it over and enslaving the rest of the villagers because he just didn't like them. How did he do this? He followed a God that didn't exist (there were no clerics in the group) to start, then actually followed Mask to alleviate some supsicions that were arising in the party. He had convinced two other party members through roleplaying that this god has chosen them as his helpers (one a barbarian and the other a fighter) and that his overall goal was to help people in need. He gained the trust of these players whom he used to his ends and they had no clue. He failed in trying to control a woman, whom he insulted one to many times and turned him into the paladins in the city they were staying in, and he got hung. Best games I ever had.

Point of this: if a player had a good idea, go with it and allow him to succeed in due time, make it feel good for him/her to succeed, provide challenges and it will be more fun.

My other difference between most GM's and myself I have found out is that I roll all combat rolls in front of my players. Both defence rolls (variant defense rule) and attack, all damage but I do hide healing points from spells and potions they may drink. This way no player can say if I screwed him/her out of something during combat. Personally, if I am a player I totally detest DM's that hide all their rolls, especially in combat.

1) For me, to help get over my problems, I just read these message boards, think on what everyone else has said, the absolutely wonderful advice on these boards is awesome to read from all of you, each of you deserves lots of credit for replying to boards like this one. I study my mistakes, like the star wars one, and now at the beginning of each campaign I type up a brief few pages of common knowledge all characters would probably know for the players, and if they create a good character, write up another one for just that player directed at his/her unique abilities and character concepts and perceptions. This gets them into their characters. And I let them play what they want, so if I end up with a group of three mages and two rogues, so be it.

2) For female npc's, wow this is hard. I just picture them mostly on pms for a while (nothing personal to any women reading this) and go from there. It's hard for a guy to really roleplay a woman well because women are so vastly different in perceptions and outlooks on life. Watch movies, read books on various time periods, study history. How were women treated in the middle ages/victorian periods of history? How did women view society? if you can answers these, your on your way.

3) As stated previously, talk to them, find out what is bugging you/everyone else.

4) SODA!!!!!! CAFFEINE!!!!!! CHIPS!!!!!! PIZZA!!!!!!!! (on a seperate table) ummmmmmm......and I guess you could put cookies and anything else that is easy to pick up with fingers on the list as well.

5) This is much easier. I prefer to stand and walk, allows me to react quicker and think easier. I hate to sit behind a game screen, makes me feel like, well, uncomfortable. I like the players to sit at a small table, close together so they can communicate easier, and I like a table for all my stuff myself. I like to walk around them, point at them and roll a die, not tell them why, look at their character sheets, smile evily and continue. I don't like to stand on just one side, if I can't move, my sessions are going to suck a whole lot more, plain and simple.

6) Know who you are, what kind of DM/GM you are, what kinds of players you like in your games, and seek like-minded individuals. Nothing stinks more in a session where everyone but one person plays that way and that player ruins it only because he is different than everybody else.

I have a question for anybody reading this who can publish books: Why doesn't anybody write all these ideas down into a really easy to read book that is written in lamens terms for those like me, written in general terms, ya know what I mean? Nothing to expensive, all our accumulate wisdoms and knowledge in a GMing guide book that anybody can pick up and go, "oooooooohhhhhhhhh, so that's what that means."

 

[jdavis]

I think I do a ok job at DM. My best advice to any DM is when you are in a bind toss the rulebook and just make a call. Nothing kills a game like stooping for ten minutes to look up the rules on some off the wall attack. For that matter a good DM should not be afraid to throw everything out the window and just wing it. Not every adventure idea works. I have had games with other people running where it went bad but they just kept plodding along, everybody sitting at the table just wanted out, but the DM kept to his module even though it was bombing. I try to make sure the people playing are enjoying themselves, what I have written on the paper is just a guideline, the dice are a aid but I never allow a role to mess up a adventure. My Monsters are notorious for lasting past 0 hp just to keep excitement up (you never want the big boss to die 2 rounds into the climatic fight.), It's not unknown for my monsters to die early if it makes for a good climax either. (don't let the PC's know, they have to think they might die or they loose interest in trying.). Keep it exciting and keep the pace up I always like it when the PC's barely win and have to pull the victory out with a strategy rather than just winning on lucky roles, those are the kinds of fights we still talk about, the old "hey remember when we fought the Trolls and we almost died". I feel it is better to make the game exciting to play than it is to rules lawyer it out.

My bad point is that I have problems comming up with Adventures, I get a idea and run it, then I can't think of how to follow up, so I don't run for a month or two, the person DMing our game now likes to let other people guest run one shot modules so he can play every once in awhile, so this works out good for me, but I would have a problem running a campaign.

One of the people I game with loves to cook, so we normally have some pretty outlandish snacks (he's a food network junkie). it's good to have lots of drinks and I like to have chips (no dips, they are just trouble.

I have problems with Female NPC's myself.

We game in a friends living room, it helps if one of your friends owns his own house. I hate gaming at a table, I prefer gaming in recliners with TV trays.

 

[seasong]

My major strengths:

1) NPCs. Weaving in backstory for them, making them interesting, and then getting them the hell out of the way when the PCs need to shine. I play with a lot of narrative theory - I use flats and rounds where appropriate, and varying degrees of depth; I manipulate archetypes, and give them twists or rationales; I maintain a solid streak of character consistency, and manage NPC knowledge & POV rather well.

2) Setting. I construct detailed, lovely settings and then gleefully help my players set about changing (or destroying ) it. Probably the best compliment I got was when I was asking what kind of campaign I should run next, and one of the players asked for "something with travel, so we can see all the cultures you come up with". I also usually come up with a new magical structure/physics for new settings, but I don't know that that's a strength as a GM .

3) Villains. I consider this separate from NPCs. My villains are matched to my players - they usually want the villain's head on a pike. My end boss fights (with a few near-criminal exceptions) are usually very memorable.

4) Description. At heart, I'm deep into the whole "oral tradition" aspect of roleplaying. I like storytelling, and I try to make the details as interesting as possible. Word choice, interesting turns of phrase, vivid imagery, are all important to me. So is being clear - I try to make sure the players know what's going on.

My major weaknesses:

1) Plot. I'm actually pretty good at this, but there's a TON of stuff I want to improve on. For one thing, my players tend to get distracted easily if it doesn't involve one of my villains, and I'm not so good at maintaining focus on elements of the plot. 'm also terrible at setting up puzzles.

2) Long-term Memory. I forget stuff a lot. The players don't always notice, but the mistakes pile up and I end up having to make something up to fix them behind the scenes. I hate that.

3) Game System. I do rocking fights, but that's because a lot of our fights, we end up not rolling many dice. The players trust me to represent their skill levels fairly well, and I do, but part of why I can is because I have so much practice getting angry with the system. To answer one of Privateer's later questions, I have often gotten around this by having someone else actually run the fight, while I just handle the NPC tactics.

2) What do you reccomend for a DM (say, me or fusangite) that has trouble with female NPCs?

First, get some female players. They can help a lot. Second, and more important, play the characters as male, with breasts. It's not 100% accurate, but it goes a long way to helping you give a convincing performance.

5) What is your ideal (and feasible) gaming environment?

A circle of couches, a low table that doesn't separate anyone (below the knees) with a couple books on it, a few side tables by the couches, a clipboard for everyone, with me somewhere where I can see everyone.

 

[Mordane76]

First, I consider myself to be a good/fair DM; I get LOTS of practice, though, because when a game needs running, I usually get the duty.

I have good plot development, nice subplot weavings, and I'm an very good character actor, so my NPCs normally come across as unique and believable.

My attention to details and my relaying of details can be a little weak; if a misunderstanding of facts occurs in my games, it's usually because I didn't explain something clearly enough. We're also a little weak in the maintaining focus department -- we get off-track a good deal. Unfortunately, my art skills bite... HARD.


<b>1) What are you doing now to help overcome your weaknesses as a DM?</b>

To overcome my detail weakness, I've started working more on planning BEFORE the game than trying to ad-lib it DURING the game. I've found that my mind works substantially better when I have something on paper before I get to the table. For focus, I'm getting ready to institute a change-of-venue for our game to a place with long tables and hard-back chairs (classroom style), so that everyone is eye-to-eye and on the same playing field. It will also increase our chances to use visual aids like a chalkboard and battlemap.

<b>2) What do you reccomend for a DM (say, me or fusangite) that has trouble with female NPCs?</b>

Just remember that women and men, though different, don't have to played drastically different. People are people -- as long as you don't overemphasize the sexuality of the NPC, you shouldn't even have to worry about it. Men and women can, and often do, have the same motivations -- they just have different anatomy.

Obviously, these anatomical differences can be used, in a sensual manner, to achieve this motivations, if you're comfortable using sexuality to achieve goals. But never do anything with a character you aren't comfortable with.

<b>3) What do you reccomend to do with trouble players (besides remove them)?</b>

It depends on the trouble. Sometimes, simple counseling OOG can make the difference. Take the player aside after the game, and lay out your grievances in private. Be civil, calm, and mature, but firm; realize some players are going to take this as a personal attack, especially if done with any hints of sarcasm, anger, or derision. However, some problems cannot be solved by talking them out -- some people just need the boot.

<b>4) What snacks do you reccomend that don't clutter the table or destract the players (last time I served salsa... it got everywhere)?</b>

Pretzels. Lots and lots of pretzels. They're tasty, they come in bags (just don't spill or rip), and if they do, they're easy clean up (not gooey, wet, or otherwise messy). And lots of water -- doesn't make massive stains, easily cleaned up, not sticky or smelly.

<b>5) What is your ideal (and feasible) gaming environment?</b>

Classroom style with long tables, a center desk, and stacking chairs. Power outlets for my laptop. Put the tables together to make a big table against the desk (my seat). We used to game in a place like that, but now we're gaming in my apartment, and I'm just about at the end of my rope because of it.

<b>6) For those with little time to scan the posts: What one sentence can sum up your accumulated DM wisdom?</b>

Beware younger players with uberpower complexes; I've seen too many of them who unfortunately NEVER grow out of it, no matter what kind of counseling they're given.

 

[fusangite]

This thread is certainly bringing out the best in people. Thanks so much for everyone's contributions.

First thing, did people understand the distinction I was making about bitmap versus fractal GMing? If not, any advice on rephrasing the question so I can get a response or two.

A few comments/questions:

Seasong writes:

play with a lot of narrative theory - I use flats and rounds where appropriate, and varying degrees of depth; I manipulate archetypes, and give them twists or rationales

This is terminology with which I'm not familiar. What are flats and rounds?

And,

I also usually come up with a new magical structure/physics for new settings, but I don't know that that's a strength as a GM

I have done this to great effect in my non-D&D games but I don't see how to do this within D&D without turning it into D20 something else.

Also,

I do rocking fights, but that's because a lot of our fights, we end up not rolling many dice. The players trust me to represent their skill levels fairly well, and I do, but part of why I can is because I have so much practice getting angry with the system. To answer one of Privateer's later questions, I have often gotten around this by having someone else actually run the fight, while I just handle the NPC tactics.

Again, I do this in other games but it seems to me that I'd be transgressing genre by doing this in D&D. Do you feel the generic restrictions of D&D still allow for this?

And

First, get some female players. They can help a lot. Second, and more important, play the characters as male, with breasts. It's not 100% accurate, but it goes a long way to helping you give a convincing performance.

Damn. That's my current strategy. I never run an all-male game and that's typically how I run female character motivation. Any further thoughts?

Privateer asks,

4) What snacks do you reccomend that don't clutter the table or destract the players (last time I served salsa... it got everywhere)?

I recommend the holy trinity of Greek dips: Homous, Tzatziki and Melitzano. By being thick and creamy they don't drip the way salsa does and because they take pita bread instead chips, you're using something more absorbant, again to prevent dripping. My other recommendation: use something that people fear -- like pickled herring -- the consequences of getting herring juice on oneself or ones character sheet are so great that people are extra careful.

 

[maddman75]

First, I feel that I am a good DM. Reason? Players always want to play my games, and I'm the most frequent DM in our group.

Wow, what an outpouring of ideas. I should take notes. Oh, wait, I am

Now, as creator of this thread, I want to throw out two more questions, in addition to the old ones:

1) What are you doing now to help overcome your weaknesses as a DM?

I tend to make the adventures a little too seperate from the PCs. To remedy this, I'm making an effort to make sure that every game each player has a spot where his character shines. Maybe the dwarf can recognize some construction techniques, or there's some tracks that they'd never have found without the ranger.

2) What do you reccomend for a DM (say, me or fusangite) that has trouble with female NPCs?

Play the stereotype. In most cases her social class and alignment will be bigger indicators of personality than gender.

3) What do you reccomend to do with trouble players (besides remove them)?

Demonstrate to them that their tactics/troublemaking will not help them. Preferably by something with a lot of hit dice.

4) What snacks do you reccomend that don't clutter the table or destract the players (last time I served salsa... it got everywhere)?

Granola bars are cheap, don't make a mess, and give you energy to play all night long. Mt. Dew in the morning to fill up the kidneys, and beer in the evening to empty them.

5) What is your ideal (and feasible) gaming environment?

Basement rocks - it keeps everyone away from TV, phone, and other distractions. Big table with enough room for all the stuff.

6) For those with little time to scan the posts: What one sentence can sum up your accumulated DM wisdom?

Not one sentance, but I'll list some of my philosophies.

- Make sure the group is having fun. Having overarcing plots, deep NPCs, verisimilitude in the world, and consistant rules are all worthless if no one is having fun.

- Roll with it. Whatever the PCs want to do, go with the flow. If upon hearing about some mysterious ruins outside of town and shrug, wanting instead to go kill some orcs -- invent some orcs.

- Know the characters.

- Know the players.

 

[seasong]

This is terminology with which I'm not familiar. What are flats and rounds?

A flat is a character that the reader can grasp in one go. For example, you might say "an angsty loner necromancer with a terrible temper". A cardboard character (which is different) is an extreme of this, and also has no real "depth" of character.

A round is a character who has hidden elements which nonetheless make sense. For example, you could make your angsty necromancer round by giving him some interesting background elements that change his behavior under certain conditions, like an unrequited love or a desire to change his ways. These would not be immediately visible, but would fit the character in a plausible manner.

Flats are exceedingly useful for plot devices, foils for PC development, and other supporting roles. For example, Batman's butler is an excellent flat. Although flats are often seen as stereotypes, they don't have to be - they just have to be reasonably succinct, and reasonably predictable/stable.

Rounds are useful for complicated emotional relationships with PCs, generating interest in a storyline, and villains. Virtually every villain I've ever made has been a round .

Damn. That's my current strategy. I never run an all-male game and that's typically how I run female character motivation. Any further thoughts?

Honestly, there isn't any single issue which plagues every male trying to roleplay a woman. There are plenty of subtle differences in social behavior and delivery - most male roleplayers (the ones who aren't really butchering it) miss a few or exaggerate them, and others pick up on this. The trick is to observe, observe, observe. Find what you're missing, and introduce it into one or two NPCs. Then learn to tone it down until no one consciously notices it, but it's still present.

The biggest issues I've seen (and the most common) are: the female is too horny (femminine lust tends to be more subtle in execution than masculine lust); the female comes on too strong (which is fine individually, but isn't very common); the female is too idealized.

One of my players is particularly guilty of the latter: every female he has ever played has been an idealized mate. They also tend to alternate between being horny hedonists and Catholic abstainers - 99% of all women are somewhere in the middle of that. The result is that his female characters simply aren't convincing, unless you're a fourteen year old male.

Hm. One other trick I can suggest is to give the female a serious quirk or two, something that makes her a vibrant archetype, and that has nothing to do with her femaleness. For example, one of my female NPCs in a Marvel Avengers game was Rahne (at 40 years old) - I played her as a sweet-natured, motherly figure with a really sharp Irish tongue. Players were quoting her "What are ye, WEAK!?" for weeks. Another GM I know has exactly one female NPC in his current campaign, and she's a one-eyed, one-armed samuraii who can parry bullets. Almost no one really thinks about his performance of her as a woman - she's just too cool in too many other ways.