D&D 5E Restrictive DMs and player enjoyment

[Oofta]

That's not my experience at all, thank goodness. I wouldn't have been playing D&D all these years either as a DM or as a player if that were true.

Engaging in an RPG with people who aren't enjoying it (or who don't care if I'm enjoying it) would be the worst way to spend four hours on a Saturday afternoon.

Not sure what you're getting at either I wasn't clear or you're misreading what I said... Hopefully everyone at the table is having fun. My point was that people playing PCs instead of DMing simply have a different focus. If I'm playing a PC I'm primarily concerned about my PC; I'm part of a team as well of course and making other people laugh is part of my schtick but my main concerns are about how my PC can help the team succeed. The DM has to think about how to make a world that's fun and engaging for everyone.

 

[abirdcall]

Why the hostile "deference"? It's just a simple fact that the DM does more. In addition, a player only really cares about whether they are personally enjoying the game they aren't really concerned with the rest of the group. Hopefully they're not being a jerk, but beyond that players are by their nature self centered. Throw in that if a player picks a build that really doesn't work for them, they can almost always switch out.

The DM? They have to think of everyone at the table, not just their personal enjoyment. They're trying to balance what's fun, challenging, engaging. They're thinking about the game far, far more than the players. They have to come up with the setting, the challenges, the NPCs, how much treasure to reward, on and on. The world has to make sense to the DM. More than that, figuring out that world, upcoming encounters and challenges, all that planning has to be fun and rewarding for the DM.

So yes, the DM has more say in a campaign than players as far as I'm concerned.

We play with very different people.

At my table everyone is there with the goal of making it fun for everyone else.

 

[billd91]

We play with very different people.

At my table everyone is there with the goal of making it fun for everyone else.

That’s not actually incompatible with the GM having more influence over or say in the development of the campaign.

 

[Irlo]

Not sure what you're getting at either I wasn't clear or you're misreading what I said...

It’s the internet. Why not both?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Why the hostile "deference"? It's just a simple fact that the DM does more. In addition, a player only really cares about whether they are personally enjoying the game they aren't really concerned with the rest of the group. Hopefully they're not being a jerk, but beyond that players are by their nature self centered. Throw in that if a player picks a build that really doesn't work for them, they can almost always switch out.

The DM? They have to think of everyone at the table, not just their personal enjoyment. They're trying to balance what's fun, challenging, engaging. They're thinking about the game far, far more than the players. They have to come up with the setting, the challenges, the NPCs, how much treasure to reward, on and on. The world has to make sense to the DM. More than that, figuring out that world, upcoming encounters and challenges, all that planning has to be fun and rewarding for the DM.

So yes, the DM has more say in a campaign than players as far as I'm concerned.

There are a lot of folks here who just seem not to like DMs.

 

[Thomas Shey]

There are a lot of folks here who just seem not to like DMs.

I'd say its more a case of a fair number of people who don't like some combination of how GMs have been taught to act or the "revealed wisdom" of what they are supposed to do.

 

[Oofta]

We play with very different people.

At my table everyone is there with the goal of making it fun for everyone else.

Sure, but you're still doing it from the perspective of your character. It's also quite optional, I mean I certainly want everyone to have fun but I've also played with plenty of people who don't seem to really care.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'd say its more a case of a fair number of people who don't like some combination of how GMs have been taught to act or the "revealed wisdom" of what they are supposed to do.

So they want to act in a way they like better, and would prefer the rules restrict them actions they don't like? No thank you. Deal with these issues non-mechanically please.

 

[Thomas Shey]

So they want to act in a way they like better, and would prefer the rules restrict them actions they don't like? No thank you. Deal with these issues non-mechanically please.

And I bet they'd tell you "We've seen how trying to deal with it non-mechanically works out. Pass."

So there you are.

 

[abirdcall]

That’s not actually incompatible with the GM having more influence over or say in the development of the campaign.

It is a response to the part where the players are only there for their own enjoyment.