How good of a DM are you?

[The Shaman]

I "take 10" as a GM - just average.

 

[A'koss]

No modesty here - when I'm on my game... when I'm gellin'... I'm very, very good indeed.

And when I'm not... I'm still pretty good!

Unfortunately, real life has pulled the rug out from under our group (strange how that happens as you get older...) and we only get together a handful of times a year.


A'koss.

"Excuse me, that's Mister Convoluted Plotline, thank you very much...."

 

[demiurge1138]

I consider myself pretty good, but that's just because I'm very critical of my own work. A lot of my players say I'm the best DM they've gamed with, but a lot of my players have spent most of their gaming careers as my players. I do know that there are areas I need to improve on (for example, I just finally realized that CR != EL in terms of experience given for an encounter. I know, I'm an idiot...), but I'd like to think that every game I run is an improvement.

Demiurge out.

 

[Ibram]

I like to think that I'm at least decent at DMing, though I know that I need some work.

 

[Algolei]

My DMing skills have always depended highly on the players at the table, so I voted myself "Average".

 

[James Heard]

I think most better than average DMs ask their players this question, so I'd hope that many of the answers to this poll are based on that knowledge.

Yeah, but too many of the people I've ran games for were complete morons and I've played in too many ages long games that lasted forever with no letdown to pretend that my own personal record of keeping a single game running for 3 years is up to snuff. I'm very, very good at running games for lots of players and very good at prepwork for my own (and other people's campaigns), but I tend to intimidate people too much when the games are tighter knit and I have no compassion nor tact when it comes to killing characters.

 

[ThoughtBubble]

On average, I'm above average, I have very large high spikes though, and some drops as well. So, overall I'm a little above average (firmly in the good category), but at any given time I can be spiking out of that range.

As prep time goes up, and work stress goes down, I tend to even out at a higher level.

 

[arwink]

I'm okay. I have great games that are balanced out by not so great games. A lot of it depends on how much time I've had to prep for the game, how far away from my comfort zone I'm stretching myself, and the interplay between the players.

 

[Gulla]

Normally I feel average, but after my third 'Best GM' win on convention I figure that I'm above average and only feel inadequate when I compare myself with my own GMs who are exceptionally good

Lucky me.

Håkon
[edit: spelling. I never catch all the errors]

 

[zeo_evil]

Ten of my sixteen years of gaming behind the shield. I'd say I'm probably the best I know but that being said I am really good but not great. I find that I need a rules lawyer (my friend James) to function but I trust him and I still have final say. I play the same role for him. I probably spend too much of my time as a DM on the planes. Can't seem to help that one. Voice acting is almost non-existent (I think it is corny but that is just me) but speech and tone is spot on.

I would like to point that I don't think any DM is great. We all have something imperfect about us. Otherwise we wouldn't continue to strive to DM all of you. Most of us DM-mostly types do it because we really want to impress and improve on what has come before.