Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Derulbaskul" data-source="post: 1386377" data-attributes="member: 1581">I think the first thing to do is make sure you're relaxed before the game.Next, try and win the players' confidence. Have a set piece encounter that uses a variety of rules: tripping, bullrushing, balance checks etc..., but carefully research those rules and take effective notes before running the encounter. And when you run the encounter, walk the players through it; teach them as you go. They will then learn you have a good grasp of some of the more obscure stuff... and then you will find it easier to have your later rulings accepted without argument.I realise that this suggestion is contrary to other suggestions to "keep it simple" but if you start like this you will convince the players that you can competently deal with difficult situations. That makes the "simple stuff" that much easier to run.As for the inevitable arguments, relax, and don't take it personally. Also, once you win the players' confidence sometimes you can simply say, "Let's not get bogged down here. I think it works this way. If I am wrong I'll compensate you later." I offer to pay a luck point (house rules mechanic but similar enough to other luck/fate/hero point systems out there) if I get a call like this egregiously wrong.Also, don't be afraid to sit down with the player between games or to exchange emails. I have a few really argumentative players in the three groups I DM (basically, two have lots of RPG experience but sometimes wonder why our 3.5E games use different rules to 1E and 2E... really... and one just isn't particuarly intelligent so each week we, for example, have to go through the rules for spell penetration/resistance checks) but I've been managing the games to reduce the amount of time spent on these arguments by using a combination of tactics: emails and 'phone calls between games, asking other players to assist with the "player management" etc....Anyway, DMing is convincing others that you are both confident and competent... a lot like real life, I suppose. Preparation is also a key. If you're well-prepared it is much, much easier to be confident.One last thing: after DMing for 20+ years I still find that the most fun that can be had from a night's gaming is on my side of the screen. There's nothing more satisfying in an RPG sense than --managing-- a great night of gaming with tension, fun, intrigue, wonder etc....</blockquote>

Verification