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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stumblewyk" data-source="post: 5591921" data-attributes="member: 67606">I'd like to say that my DM'ing has gotten better in recent years, while my tricks and tactics have gotten worse...I've been exposed to different gaming styles than the one I was immersed in from my very first days of gaming (where I essentially taught my close group of friends how to play - incorrectly, I'll confess - after learning from another group of friends).I've played and DM'd with different people, using different rules, with and without the safety net of my comfortable friends who played the game the same way I did.  And as a result, I've tried to make myself open to different styles of game mastering...to my detriment.I suspect that if you asked my primary group of players, they'd tell you that I run a fun game, but that I need to just stop trying so damn hard.  I'm notorious for reading about the latest and "greatest" tip or trick that DM [x] is using, and firing off an email saying "What do you guys think about trying this?"  And usually, the response is somewhere between "Meh," and "Oh, hell no."On the plus side, that tells me my players like my core DM'ing style.  On the negative side, that kinda deflates me.  I want to give my players the best experience I can...I enjoy seeing them have fun.  And I think I sometimes clutter the game with so much other crap that their fun factor drops.  I attribute that to the input of the internet.  I feel like other DM's are doing X, Y, or Z, and it's JAWESOME.  And I don't do that.  Or it's not one of my strengths.  So my game must be lacking.To wrap it all up, I guess what I'm saying is, I think sometimes it's best to just ignore everyone else and do what you do well.  That's you're game.  Your wheelhouse.  Your comfort zone.  Be open to constructive criticism, but understand that sometimes certain degrees of change are just outside your capabilities and be okay with that.  I still struggle with it, but I think I've finally gotten to a point where I'm okay with the idea that my players don't want more (but if they ever tell me they do, I'll do what I can to provide it, if I can make it work.)</blockquote>

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