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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 7410378" data-attributes="member: 2629">D&amp;D is an RPG.&nbsp; A role playing game.&nbsp; The DM and the players come together to tell a good story utilizing the rules and their imagination.&nbsp; What is the DM's role?&nbsp; To me, it is to create an immersive world in which the heroes can explore, adventure and be heroes (usually).&nbsp; It is not to beat the players.&nbsp; The DM is not playing *against* the players, they are *creating for* the players.&nbsp; To that end, we should, as DMs, support player decisions.&nbsp; You're making the world in which they adventure, but it is important to remember that the world exists for the PCs to explore and have experiences within... not for the DM.&nbsp; It is not the DM's world, it is the player's world.Let's look at this statement for a minute.&nbsp; You're making choices as DM, but are you making YOUR choices?&nbsp; Or are you trying to select what monsters and NPCs would choose?&nbsp; When I'm DMing, I try to put myself into the shoes of the monster or PCs.&nbsp; Am I starving wolf?&nbsp; Am I an arrogant orc?&nbsp; Am I a demon that revels in pain and torture?&nbsp; Am I an automaton?&nbsp; Am I a rogue more concerned with getting away with the money than killing my foe?&nbsp; Am I a just paladin that would rather not kill heroes, but must stop them?&nbsp; Every encounter is different.&nbsp; Every potential foe has different motivation.&nbsp; As a player, I've found games that are run the same way I DM.&nbsp; This gives me great opportunities as a player.&nbsp; My Deep Gnome Wizard casts Phantasmal Force *a lot*.&nbsp; The DM has been really good at allowing the monster to role play off of what I create.&nbsp; I've led enemies to abandon the fight in favor of treasure.&nbsp; I've made enemies flee the battle because they faced off against a Phantasm of what they most feared.&nbsp; I've had enemies leap off cliffs to their death because they thought there was a bridge... and I've had my phantasms backfire because the monster did not react as expected.&nbsp; All of it added to a great story... but all of it felt like cooperation between me and the DM to tell a great story.&nbsp; It never felt like the DM saying, &quot;It is on you to find something I can't twist against you.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 7410378, member: 2629"] D&D is an RPG. A role playing game. The DM and the players come together to tell a good story utilizing the rules and their imagination. What is the DM's role? To me, it is to create an immersive world in which the heroes can explore, adventure and be heroes (usually). It is not to beat the players. The DM is not playing *against* the players, they are *creating for* the players. To that end, we should, as DMs, support player decisions. You're making the world in which they adventure, but it is important to remember that the world exists for the PCs to explore and have experiences within... not for the DM. It is not the DM's world, it is the player's world. Let's look at this statement for a minute. You're making choices as DM, but are you making YOUR choices? Or are you trying to select what monsters and NPCs would choose? When I'm DMing, I try to put myself into the shoes of the monster or PCs. Am I starving wolf? Am I an arrogant orc? Am I a demon that revels in pain and torture? Am I an automaton? Am I a rogue more concerned with getting away with the money than killing my foe? Am I a just paladin that would rather not kill heroes, but must stop them? Every encounter is different. Every potential foe has different motivation. As a player, I've found games that are run the same way I DM. This gives me great opportunities as a player. My Deep Gnome Wizard casts Phantasmal Force *a lot*. The DM has been really good at allowing the monster to role play off of what I create. I've led enemies to abandon the fight in favor of treasure. I've made enemies flee the battle because they faced off against a Phantasm of what they most feared. I've had enemies leap off cliffs to their death because they thought there was a bridge... and I've had my phantasms backfire because the monster did not react as expected. All of it added to a great story... but all of it felt like cooperation between me and the DM to tell a great story. It never felt like the DM saying, "It is on you to find something I can't twist against you." [/QUOTE]

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