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Message: <blockquote data-quote="timbannock" data-source="post: 9647369" data-attributes="member: 17913">1. GMPCs - I used to care about my NPCs to the point of having feelings when they got killed or denied something that seemed reasonable for them to get from the PCs. I realized this was badwrongfun as soon as my players could clearly read the situation: they could tell I wasn't acting with their input (what RPGs are all about), but acting against them. It wasn't fun. They are fine with failure, difficult challenges, and all that, so when they weren't, I quickly realized it was because my framing of their failures and challenges was unfair or antagonistic. I stopped being a jerk by instead specifically setting up every major NPC to be expendable (or their position/power flawed), and enjoying their demise or downfall if and when it was brought about. Put somewhat more accessibly and very simply: in my campaigns, the gods have stats, because if the PCs can kill them, that's going to be freaking awesome.2. Overprep & "Plots" - I came up from the 2nd Edition super-module days, and thought earth-shaking plots and long campaigns were where it's at. I've run quite a few, and at least half are fondly remembered by everyone involved. But let's face it: the amount of work, the things I thought I needed to focus on, and the occasional wasted storyline or 10 among the players (because so-and-so dropped out of the group, or someone grew sick of playing a PC that was "important" to a plot thread, or whatever) -- all of that was wasted effort. When you prep situations, not plots, and you prep each adventure as a consequence of "Where do you want to go next week: the kobold-guarded dungeon in the Caves of Chaos or the swamp-mound where you saw those lizardfolk disappear into?", then 75% of your prep will get used. And the rest of it is likely still tables, stats, maps, or other topics that can be easily plopped down in some future adventure, even if it's in a totally different campaign.3. House Rules and Systems - If you want to design your own game, go crazy, I say! I've done it and it's fun. But I've had to dial it back over the years, because nearly every game I ran was so heavily house-ruled that players couldn't use books and other stuff that they paid money for in some cases. In others, their inability (and let's be honest, sometimes unwillingness) to reference my documentation created inconsistencies or gaps in the rules that caused them confusion or changed their expectations. I now refrain from more than a couple sentences of house rules at the most. Or, because I've done game design, I'll (very rarely) just create my own rulebook for a thing, so it's ready to roll and won't get anything more than the usual couple sentences of errata (I make simple games, obviously).As a corollary to that, I try to stick to running games my players are familiar with, nowadays. We'll still venture out and try something new from time to time, but overall, we're all happy with a few "core" games (maybe 2-3 of those), and then doing other stuff as a hack of some familiar game, like a Mork Borg or the like. It's just easier to jump in and play that way. When we play something wholly new to us, we make a big event of it, so that we're all equally invested in learning the new thing.</blockquote>

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