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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 9622650" data-attributes="member: 2629">This is not a consistent experience with the wide variety of DMs that have shared a table with me.&nbsp; I do see it at times, but not consistently - and generally not at tables I make an effort to revisit.&nbsp; While a masterful storyteller can sometimes still run a fun game while often telling players they can't do things they ask to do, I have never seen a situation in which the DM made the game better through that shutdown.The first page of the new DMG has advice for DMs to remember.&nbsp; Including: You note that a DM may &quot;shut down&quot; spells in the name of &quot;challenge&quot; - which to me seems to mean they don't let spells reach their full potential because they fear it makes challenges too easy for PCs.&nbsp; Under the 'It's Not a Competition' section the DM is advised to challenge the PCs afterall ... but the adjective that modifies challenges is really important there.&nbsp; The challenges have to be fun ... and nothing crushes players more than being told &quot;No&quot;.&nbsp; In my experience, the players have more fun when they feel their PCs are more like super heroes than survivors.&nbsp; When they're told &quot;you can't do that&quot; it takes away from the feeling of them being the protagonists of a story and moves them more towards them being the characters in a documentary of a tragedy.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 9622650, member: 2629"] This is not a consistent experience with the wide variety of DMs that have shared a table with me. I do see it at times, but not consistently - and generally not at tables I make an effort to revisit. While a masterful storyteller can sometimes still run a fun game while often telling players they can't do things they ask to do, I have never seen a situation in which the DM made the game better through that shutdown. The first page of the new DMG has advice for DMs to remember. Including: You note that a DM may "shut down" spells in the name of "challenge" - which to me seems to mean they don't let spells reach their full potential because they fear it makes challenges too easy for PCs. Under the 'It's Not a Competition' section the DM is advised to challenge the PCs afterall ... but the adjective that modifies challenges is really important there. The challenges have to be fun ... and nothing crushes players more than being told "No". In my experience, the players have more fun when they feel their PCs are more like super heroes than survivors. When they're told "you can't do that" it takes away from the feeling of them being the protagonists of a story and moves them more towards them being the characters in a documentary of a tragedy. [/QUOTE]

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