Players: do you help your DM? DMs, do you like getting rules reminders?

[Arnwyn]

DMs, do you like getting rules reminders?

DMs, do you like this kind of help? I know when I'm DMing any assistance in remembering what's going on is appreciated.

Absolutely - in fact, I expect it. I have made it clear to my players that they are expected to know the PHB - and if I make a mistake or don't know how to adjudicate something, I want their input.

Sadly, my players are incompetent boobs (but I love 'em anyways), so I never get the help that I'd like. Oh well.

 

[nopantsyet]

My players are patient enough to correct me. For my part, I really need to do a better job with the rules. I let things slide more often than I should, and forget too many important rules too often. Time to crack out the old core rulebooks and give them another run-through.

 

[Hypersmurf]

We had one the other day where the monster went to Bull Rush one of a pair of PCs.

"Do I get an AoO?" the target asked.
"No - Improved Bull Rush," the DM replied gleefully. "His feats suit the tactics I've come up with."

Something was nagging at me, so I flicked to Improved Bull Rush.

"He doesn't get an AoO... but he still does," I pointed out. "IBR only prevents the AoO from the defender, not anyone else who threatens."

So the monster Bull Rushed one PC off the cliff, and the other PC killed it with the AoO.

While some other stuff was happening, I read through the Special Attacks section again, and realised we'd forgotten something important.

"Oops," I murmured to the player who'd taken the AoO. "Roll that d8, would you? A 1 or a 2 is bad."

He rolled a 3, then asked why.

"We forgot the 25% chance that you'd hit the wrong guy in the Bull Rush with your AoO. But it's okay. You didn't."

We later pointed out the oversight to the DM. If he'd rolled a 1 or 2, we'd have felt obliged to tell him on the spot, in case he wanted to roll back time a round or two...

-Hyp.

 

[Henry]

We help each other out. In fact, for the relatively new DM in our group (he's DM'ed all of about 6 times so far) he asks for the help and we volunteer it. For me, if another player reminds me of a rule, or if I possibly flubbed something, it doesn't bug me.

None of us are so immersed in story that we will intentionally ignore rules to further it. If we do, we usually tell the players so ahead of time.

They'll also understand if I tell them that something DOES make sense, for reasons they don't understand, even if it doesn't seem like it does at the time.

 

[der_kluge]

My players remind me of stuff all the time. 3.5 is far too complicated to remember all that stuff.

I'm always forgetting to take AoO for large-sized monsters, for example. I'm bad with that one.

Of course, while my players do remind me of things, I don't have a second DM reading my notes to remind me of special powers I have. For example, the sorcerer cast a otiluke's telekinetic sphere on a lizardman barbarian preventing him from attacking, and then the party was able to surround him and take full-round attacks on him after he deactivated the sphere.

I forgot the barbarian wore a helmet that granted dimension door 2/day. D'OH!

 

[Augurian]

As a DM I tend to forget many tiny details 'cause usually I'm pretty busy keeping the attention of the group on the roleplaying (I DM a group of eight, and that can get pretty chaotic at times). Luckily I've got 2 of my most experienced players who can and, most importantly, will assist me in any and all DMing things when I'm letting things slip. One of them is a rules lawyer (a good one, in all ways), and the other is very good with talking things back together. I really appreciate their help a lot.

As a player, I have gotten the title "walking rulebook" for I know (nearly) any rule anyone needs. Our DM makes frequent use of this, and I'm always happy that I can help.

 

[Ranes]

I'm getting better at remembering the rules but I don't know if I'll ever run a game in which no one reminds me of or corrects me on a rule issue. I'm flattered by the number of times players compliment my DMing but without their support, I doubt I'd be half as good as they seem to think I am. I am grateful to them.

As a player, I... Well, I have a philosphy of helping the DM but we're talking theory here, because I never get to play!

 

[pogre]

My players are great about giving me reminders - both for and against their characters. We work together to try and understand the rules. It makes for a very friendly, non-adversarial table. I even had a player remind me of a rule that cost his character his life last year.

 

[Nifft]

When I'm a player, I'm helpful -- to the point of reminding DMs about secondary poison saves. Pesky Lawful alignment trait...

When I'm the DM, I like helpful players -- especially for stuff like Grappling, Bull Rushing, and similar. I fully expect each player to know their PC's spell list well.

-- N

 

[Steve Jung]

As a DM, I'd appreciate getting rules comments. It's difficult keeping track of all those things. As a player, I do look up rules and such. Unfortunately, my group tends to play in systems I don't know very well.