Players reading the MM

[AZRogue]

Show them the flame jets and spinning blade traps.

That's how I got out of DMing the first game of 4th

I will remember.

 

[Mort_Q]

Too many people in my group also DM for it to be reasonable to have them not read the MM.

I voted to spice it up... swap stat blocks, etc.

 

[vladbat]

For some reason monsters are attracted to that player's character.

We call this tastiness. Some characters have a much higher tastiness then any other stat on their sheet.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Reading the MM during a session is a definite no-no (except in specific cases which don't seem to be in 4e).

I'd tell them they shouldn't be looking through the MM during a session and to save it for after the game. If it became a habit, we'd have to have a talk about boundaries during a game session.

 

[Ulthwithian]

I don't necessarily have to worry about this, but I have made it clear to my players (and several of the players have made it clear as well!) that they definitely want a sense of 'wonder' and 'discovery' with 4E.

E.g., none of my players are looking at the monster entry excerpts.

Thus, if any of my players were reading the MM during the first session (and the only MM present would belong to my brother or I, both anti-'research'), preferential targeting would be the least measure resorted to.

I'm rather famous for being able to make any player sweat for the life and safety of their character... despite actually never being able to generate a character death. (I know; I am pretty poor as a GM.)

 

[Victim]

I don't have a problem with players reading the MM and being familiar with its contents. On the other hand, looking up what you're facing in the middle of the game is just poor.

 

[Oni]

If you set a 4e MM down near me and I'd never seen it before, I would be hard pressed to resist picking it up and looking at all the artwork. Pretty much my first action upon getting any new rpg book is going through and looking at all the pictures first.

 

[Vegepygmy]

I don't have a problem with players reading the MM and being familiar with its contents. On the other hand, looking up what you're facing in the middle of the game is just poor.

This.

 

[FireLance]

I game with a bunch of other DMs. The MM he is flipping through is probably his own.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Nothing at all.

Every player in our group runs a game at one time or another.