POV, Yeah You Know Me

[Xenolith234]

At least it’s not Derek.

Somebody’s watched Deficient Master. DEREK!

 

[MGibster]

Here’s the thing- I don’t get to play that often; more often than not, I’ve had to DM or run games. So when I do get to play, the one thing I look for … the one thing that I always look for … is a DM that is excited to run their game. A DM that has, for lack of a better way to put it- a point of view. A DM who wants to put thought and care into their world that I will be playing in.

I am a point-of-view DM. I make it very clear to the players what the campaign is about in regards to what their characters are doing, the tone, and provide them with parameters for making characters. Depending on the specifics of the campaign, those parameters may be more or less restrictive. Do not ask me if you can play a werewolf or a mage in our vampire campaign. I'M LOOKING AT YOU, TODD!

 

[Umbran]

Unfortunately, I've always let players bully me into running "kitchen sink" campaigns, in the past...

The trick is to let them choose whatever they want, and then use that set of things as the restriction and build something you can have passion about around that.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Why does Snarf hate bards? Is it because they are an anagram of BRAD?

Also DRAB.

Hmmmm…perhaps Bard is to Drab as Paladin is to Antipaladin.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Also, welcome back, Snarf!

AKA, HAWT, TEH TAEKR!

 

[Ryujin]

The trick is to let them choose whatever they want, and then use that set of things as the restriction and build something you can have passion about around that.

And what if "whatever they want" is everything?

My usual response ended up being to let that happen but anything that the characters could do, so could their opponents. The most dangerous adversaries in my campaigns typically ended up not being the monsters, but rather the NPCs because of this. "you can stack these feats from wildly different campaign settings? OK, so can everyone else."

 

[Willie the Duck]

Unfortunately, I've always let players bully me into running "kitchen sink" campaigns

Honest question -- have you ever responded to the attempt with something along the lines of, 'guys, I have an idea for this game world that I think you'll enjoy if you work with me. Can you see if you can find something you'd enjoy playing within the confines of of the campaign dossier?' I ask only because I've seen IRL several instances of someone saying 'I've always/I never get to..' were I know or later find out that they immediately folded and no one else even knew there was a proverbial battle of wills over how things were going to turn out (e.g. "I just asked, 'can I play a paladin?,' and he said yes.").

As a player, I find it much easier to work with a dm who's trying to do something.

Back when I played in game stores I'd occasionally encounter one who was simply running DnD because someone else asked nicely (or they were a store employee who was asked managerially) - those games tended to be dull. Dull in much the same way an empty sandbox is dull.

Whereas a dm who's trying to do something is someone I can work with - including the afore-referenced employee dm who realized he could do funky worldbuilding for his own amusement. Once I caught the vibe, I could play into it.

I found that out when trying to design a homebrew system for my group. I'd say 'just design a fantasy character, and we'll tweak the rules to make them possible. This'll help us realize what we need to focus on,' and the response was something like 'you don't understand, I need signposts and boundaries and scope to know what I'm building into. Even if I want to color outside the lines, I need to have the lines so I know how far outside them I am coloring, etc.' It becomes more obvious with superheroes -- if you don't know the whether you're battling purse snatchers or Galactus*, you don't know if you should be designing The Punisher, Wolverine, or Superman.
*power level not being the only quality, just an easy to describe one

 

[Emerikol]

Well said, well sort of. I want a detailed setting so I always want a DM who does the work and is enthusiastic for his subject. Are all of her subjects to my taste? No. But DMs forced into a setting they have no interest in is a campaign doomed to fail. I could see a DM offering a set of options.

I'm old school though and feel like each campaign should be recruited. Put out what it is about and how it will work. Then recruit people.

 

[Meech17]

I'm old school though and feel like each campaign should be recruited. Put out what it is about and how it will work. Then recruit people.

That's the dream, right? Picking and choosing your top candidates who would be the perfect fit for your game. I remember getting into D&D in high school and painstakingly considering my mental list of friends trying to figure out who had the correct attitude, and disposition to join the group.

These days, with jobs, and kids, and adult responsibilities it's more like "You're willing to play, are free on Friday nights, and you even have a pulse??? You're perfect!"

 

[Umbran]

And what if "whatever they want" is everything?

Typically, they're playing one character each. That gives you a handful of races that must be included, for example. They don't get to stipulate the existence of things they aren't personally using.