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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swarmkeeper" data-source="post: 8725942" data-attributes="member: 6921763">To be fair, I'm pretty sure this is me as DM at some point in the past.  I had a plot in mind and, dangit, I was going to follow it! And while something would very likely feel off to me about such interactions after the session, I wasn't sure exactly how I could change things to make the sessions better.  As we all know, there is a lot on a DM's plate - environment descriptions, monster stats, NPC voices, maps, managing the schedule, sometimes managing player personalities, and more.  After a session I would be drained and just wanting to rest up and prep for what would be, hopefully, a better next session.  It was fun enough to keep me coming back but not quite as satisfying as I hoped it could be.It was only by spending time reading and contributing to this forum - and (trying to) keep an open mind while doing so - was I able to gradually pick up on approaches by DMs (especially DMs such as yourself) and try them out in my own games.  Or avoid certain approaches, for that matter (like the one you present here).  Through doing so, I was able to break through that feeling of incompleteness and start racking up strings of sessions that I found truly satisfying. I think my efforts to improve have filtered through to some degree to the players and player-DMs in our group (and their efforts to improve have likewise influenced me - it's a cooperative game after all!)  Habits of old editions that don't jive with 5e gameplay have mostly been shed and we're having far more great sessions than lackluster ones. I'm certainly far from perfect now and there's always more to learn and master, but I do feel like I have a much improved ability to self-reflect after DMing a session on what I can do to make things better for the whole table.  And I owe a good part of all that to this community.</blockquote>

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