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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dykstrav" data-source="post: 5312819" data-attributes="member: 40522">I believe that most DMs that I've played with are simply mediocre, not necessarily "bad." In some ways, I'm glad for the bad DMs though--they've shown me several pitfalls to avoid and reminded me that the game is supposed to be fun.To break it down, the DMs that I have played under would fall into the following four categories (with their approximate distributions in my experience):Good (10-15% or so) The DM understands how narrative structure works, characters and settings are plausible and interesting, the DM understands how the rules work and doesn't modify of fudge rules without thoroughly examining the issue and discussing it with the players. The game is engaging and challenging, and the DM must constantly turn away new players that want to join because the group is getting too big.Passable (20-30% or so) The DM can run a prepared adventure well and they understand the basics of narrative structure. They take the time to design their own settings, character, and "crunch," but it's hit and miss. Some is good and some isn't. The game goes on, suffers some player turnover, but finding new players usually isn't tough either.Mediocre (50% or so) The DM struggles to run an adventure, either because they don't have a solid grasp of how the game works or because they don't understand narrative structure or character motivations. Railroading is common. Such DMs probably don't design their own material, or if they do, it's not very good. Such DMs may have been "forced" into the position to keep the game going or because they can't find a game to play in themselves. Turnover can be high until a core nucleus of players commit, it's usually a struggle to find new players that want to join.As a note, most DMs seem to begin as mediocre DMs. However, those who are willing to pay attention to player desires and pick up tips and tricks from other DMs can quickly become passable or even good DMs.Bad (20% or so) These DMs either just don't get it, or they have abrasive or confrontational personalities. It's rare that a bad DM doesn't understand the game or elements of storytelling--usually, a bad DM has personality issues or a my-way-or-the-highway attitude towards control. Some bad DMs believe that it's their job to "win" the game, taking pleasure in shooting down player ideas or simply making sure that the characters fail when he wants them to. Player turnover is very high under bad DMs, most players catch wise to a bad DM very quickly and won't tolerate their personal issues. Finding new players is difficult for the group. Many groups under bad DMs fall apart after the players get a chance to see other DMs in action.Words to live by, sir. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> We all have room for improvement. Fortunately, the things that make a game good are usually easy to improve with practice and honest feedback from your players.</blockquote>

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