Vaalingrade
Legend
The dice don't care about the game. A good DM does.
Go Fudge.
Go Fudge.
I don't mind that philosophy in a DM. To me it's just a different style of DMing, like Sandbox vs. Linear. My issue isn't with divergent styles. It's with being depicted as cheating(it's not) or abusing my authority(it's not) when talk about how I fudge the way I do.Based on what I've read of your posts, I never would have assumed that you did... but...
...this is where our philosophies diverge, I will let that TPK happen if that's where the players' choices and the dice have taken things. To me and my players that's simply part of the game. One of my regulars always smiles at the prospect of a new character - "I hate losing my current guy, but I love making new ones... so I'm torn!"
And the cycle continues.
I don't mind that philosophy in a DM. To me it's just a different style of DMing, like Sandbox vs. Linear. My issue isn't with divergent styles. It's with being depicted as cheating(it's not) or abusing my authority(it's not) when talk about how I fudge the way I do.
I've definitely been guilty of that in my first years of DMing. I recently watched a video by Questing Beast that very succinctly and elegantly phrased the lesson learned. "DMs should create situations, not plots". It feels bad to create a storyline to be played through and have the group go elsewhere. It feels awesome to create a situation and discover how they make their way through it.The bug in my craw about fudging the game comes from my experience with Adversarial DMs, and more commonly: self-proclaimed 'storytellers' who will see the players through their scenarios come hell or high water!
Yep, when I play monopoly or pay day or any other game; I love to win. But I don't always do. My wife loves to win too and it shows. Sometimes, you win, sometimes, you don't.Depends on the reason. We're primarily here at our table with our extremely limited free time to have fun. "Fun" doesn't always mean we win or have it easy, but you know what else isn't fun? Whiffing at a single monster for nearly an hour because the GM refuses to tweak the math. Or, you know, just say "okay, you won." Which is its own type of fudging.
That said, I'm much less positive on fudging to increase the difficulty of an encounter. If excellent planning or sheer luck cut an epic encounter short? Take the L. That can be it's own kind of fun, and those are definitely the stories we retell each other the most.
I mean, if this does happen then, yeah, just cut it short and say "Sorry guys, I think this one was a bit overtuned." But it's not something that should be happening frequently. If you have this situation every other session and have to fudge the rolls not to bore your whole group then that's an entirely different issue.Depends on the reason. We're primarily here at our table with our extremely limited free time to have fun. "Fun" doesn't always mean we win or have it easy, but you know what else isn't fun? Whiffing at a single monster for nearly an hour because the GM refuses to tweak the math. Or, you know, just say "okay, you won." Which is its own type of fudging.
Makes me feel like I'm on a railroad. Very negative. Don't like it. Why bother rolling if the GM is going to change the results to fit their pre-written story?
That's not fudging though. Most DMs I've known will ask some random rolls of players to hide some real perception rolls, or roll some fake rolls to hide the real ones. It does not lead to any of the aforementioned consequences.As a DM, I often roll the dice (then feign a concerned look on my face, and pretend to look something up, and shake my head ominously) and dont even look at the result.
The dice are a tool, not just a random number generator.
I don’t think it’s bad DMing, but to me, extreme luck is part of the game. It’s what allows the game to organically take turns no one expected, which for me is one of the most appealing parts of the game. That doesn’t mean it’s inherently wrong, but it is wrong for me.Some kinds of fudging are an abuse of authority. Others are not. I do not fudge to favor either myself or the players. In the extremely unlikely event that A) the players made no bad decisions, B) the players are having extreme(not just plain ole) bad luck, and C) I am having extreme(not play ole) good luck, I will fudge a bit to allow them a fighting chance at survival. A TPK should not happen due to extreme die luck. That's not an abuse of authority. That's just good DMing.
The dice not caring is exactly why I use them. If the situation isn’t appropriate to resolve by way of uncaring number generators, then I don’t think dice should be getting rolled in the first place.The dice don't care about the game. A good DM does.
Go Fudge.
This is, in my opinion, the absolute worst piece of advice in the DMG. If you feel like you have to hide something, it’s a sign you probably shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. You’re literally doing something the players wouldn’t like if they found out. That’s not cool.I think that there are some important things for everyone to remember regarding Fudging. The DMG talks about fudging and gives advice about it. So it is part of the game and cannot rightly be called cheating. If the game says it is a tool the DM can use IT IS NOT CHEATING.
BUT, and it is a BIG but (I like them, I can't lie) you have to consider what the DMG actually says about fudging, basicly: Don't do it too often and don't let your player know you are doing it.
So while it is not cheating, it is advised it will likely lessen the players enjoyment of the game if they know you do it.
I mean, legendary resistance has a set number of uses, and typically you announce when you’re using it. You don’t have to hide it from the players, because it’s not something they would be upset to find out that you’re doing.Come to think of it, what is legendary resistance other than sanctioned fudging.
It’s intentionally ignoring the dice rolls a number of times to prolong the encounter. The only difference is that it was written down somewhere that this could be done.I mean, legendary resistance has a set number of uses, and typically you announce when you’re using it. You don’t have to hide it from the players, because it’s not something they would be upset to find out that you’re doing.