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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Does the killer DM exist?
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<blockquote data-quote="Shiroiken" data-source="post: 8330941" data-attributes="member: 6775477"><p>Know one? I was one! Back in high school 1E, the game was fairly combative, with the Players vs DM mentality. The books were inconsistent about how to handle troublesome players, with "blue bolts of lightning from the sky," but "remaining impartial during play." Add in the immaturity of teenagers, and you get the idea. Of course, it doesn't have to be limited to high school, as I witnessed a Player/DM grudge match in college too.</p><p></p><p>I still have a reputation of being a "killer DM," but not for those reasons. I don't really follow the guidelines of encounter design, but rather use what logically makes sense (which requires the players to think before attacking). In addition, I don't pull punches, with dice landing where they may. I have usually have no remorse for slain PCs, because more often than not it's because of what I'd consider poor decisions (there was one poor monk who was critically hit at level 1 for 6d6 damage, killing him outright, which I kinda felt bad about). My players have learned that avoiding a fight is often better than going LEROY JENKINS, and fleeing is a legitimate option.</p><p></p><p>As for modern day killer DMs, they're rare, but probably still exist. They'll have a hard time keeping a group together, since most players won't put up with such nonsense. The internet has made the rules and common rulings fairly accessible, so players can know when the DM is up to shenanigans. I imagine they probably only DM for organized play or open games on VTT, since they can usually sucker a group together for at least a session.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shiroiken, post: 8330941, member: 6775477"] Know one? I was one! Back in high school 1E, the game was fairly combative, with the Players vs DM mentality. The books were inconsistent about how to handle troublesome players, with "blue bolts of lightning from the sky," but "remaining impartial during play." Add in the immaturity of teenagers, and you get the idea. Of course, it doesn't have to be limited to high school, as I witnessed a Player/DM grudge match in college too. I still have a reputation of being a "killer DM," but not for those reasons. I don't really follow the guidelines of encounter design, but rather use what logically makes sense (which requires the players to think before attacking). In addition, I don't pull punches, with dice landing where they may. I have usually have no remorse for slain PCs, because more often than not it's because of what I'd consider poor decisions (there was one poor monk who was critically hit at level 1 for 6d6 damage, killing him outright, which I kinda felt bad about). My players have learned that avoiding a fight is often better than going LEROY JENKINS, and fleeing is a legitimate option. As for modern day killer DMs, they're rare, but probably still exist. They'll have a hard time keeping a group together, since most players won't put up with such nonsense. The internet has made the rules and common rulings fairly accessible, so players can know when the DM is up to shenanigans. I imagine they probably only DM for organized play or open games on VTT, since they can usually sucker a group together for at least a session. [/QUOTE]
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Does the killer DM exist?
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