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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 399911" data-attributes="member: 4937">I don't put up with it.If a player continually challenges me on rulings I tend to take them aside after the session and say, "I think you are being disruptive.  Continually challenging my rulings is slowing down the pace of play, preventing me from telling a story, preventing the other players from sharing in that story creation, and forcing the session OOC.  Please stop.  IF you have a legitimate complaint, talk to me after the session.  I'll probably be more sympathetic."If I've made a mistake, cheated a player, or decided that I ruled incorrectly, I'll probably admit it at the start of the next session, BUT I never retcon except to clarify (I said that the wall was black but I meant it was white, then it was either always white or always black.  IF you interact with it, it becomes that color and I rewrite the scenario to account for my mistake.)This brings me back to the point that you as a DM have the burden of knowing the rules as well as your players or preferably better.I have several general rules.  I as a DM am always free to assume certain things about your characters behavior UNLESS you've said otherwise. If the door gets opened, I'm free to assume that everyone nearby looks through it UNLESS you say before you open the door "I'm not looking." OR "From no on, I never look through doors, unless I specifically say otherwise."  This tends to stop alot of arguements, though some players simply can't play with me because they prefer that they are given the chance to arrange situations to thier advantage after the fact.I try to make the basis of all my rulings 'common real world experience' whether there are rules or no rules.  If there are rules, assume that they hold so long as it is not ridiculous for them to hold. (Don't expect that if your arm is amputated by an axe that you will only take 3d8 h.p. damage and the wound won't bleed because 'that is what an axe critical does'. Don't expect to climb a cliff in plate mail and not be tired, etc.)  If there are no rules, I try to base the ruling on what you would expect to happen in the real world.  I've done alot of things in my time, usually more than most players, so I generally feel that I have a good handle on this.  I NEVER retcon (I don't know if that is the general term for 'doing something over' but it is the one I've used for as long as I can remember.)  That is a point that bears repeating.  Once you start reversing time and letting players have a second chance of doing something, players start acting like whiny students who have learned that if they weedle the teacher long enough they can get a few more points on their grade.Generally, the more respect that exists at the table, the less this is a problem.  Players respect the DM, then they don't challenge him or her.  DM respects the players, then he or she tends to listen when they do object.</blockquote>

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