I DM Standing up

[francisca]

I just wrapped up my bi-weekly game. I was standing about 60% of the time. Almost all of that was when manipulating minis and chucking dice during combat.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I'm one of those mix n' match kinda guys when it comes to a lot of things. Standing and sitting while DMing is one of those things . During combat, I'm almost always up and around, with a clipboard or something with a combat info sorta sheet. The rest of the time it just really depends on my mood and what's going on at the time. At home, I sit in a chair made for a drafting table which sort of lets me sit and still be very high up.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I stand up a lot during combat, it helps for describing actions not to mention I can move all the minis much more easily.

 

[James Heard]

I don't get it..

If you guys are standing up all the time, doesn't your players think it's weird?

I have ONCE been in a game where the GM was standing, and we all thought it was rather silly, and I have been in many different games over the years. Also, myself and several other players love to roleplay and get into character, but the time with the GM standing up all the time, it was hard for us, because it was somewhat intimidating and also kinda' silly.

Is it because you use minis, and can more easily move around your figs when standing, or what is it?? It seems the norm is standing up, so I would really love to "get" why this is.

That, but moving around is more like acting (which I'm comfortable with) and gives me a greater range of of intimacy with my players, I can control my voice by relative position as well as by pitch and such. Basically though, it's how well you pull it off. I mean, I could care less if my players thought I was being silly because in general they won't stay that way. I've seen some GMs over the years that couldn't pull it off, without the extra focus of a fixed position you sometimes have to actively persue your audience really. But these guys weren't overachievers in the charisma department anyways. I think the worst mistake you can make when you're standing up and GMing is when you turn your back on the players, because it's not hard to do if the group is sprawled around in certain formations and you've still got to somehow maintain the notion that 'all eyes are upon you' in a game to manage it I think.

 

[Zappo]

My lazy bum stays on the chair most of the time. However, I do stand up on occasion when I want to portray a particularly dynamic NPC. Not too long ago, your typical horde of zombies attacked the party, grappling and biting and whatnot, and I was going around the table making zombish moans and pretending to grapple the players. I can be very annoying at times.