Signs your DM is an imcompetent twit.

[reapersaurus]

Another dump gas on the flame war post from reapersaurus. Who could have predicted that?

Thank god kamosa came in on his horse and protected everyone on the boards from reaper's devious flaming posts!

Wow.. kamosa, you did it this time.
ya got me, coppers.

and here, i thought the switch of boards had blissfully ridded us of your blight.

and to respond: it's ironic that I warned of hyper-sensitive DM's saying the player's a "whiner" if they even have ANY problem with the DM, and right after that, the whiner card was played (or revealed by Doc, if memory serves).

classic.

In my estimation, if there's a problem in a game between a DM and a player, it's MORE LIKELY that the DM is in the wrong.

I'll discuss that point gladly, if anyone would like...

 

[hong]

In my estimation, if there's a problem in a game between a DM and a player, it's MORE LIKELY that the DM is in the wrong.

I'll discuss that point gladly, if anyone would like...

In my estimation, if there's a problem in the game between a DM and a player, the DM is likely to think the player is in the wrong, and the player is likely to think the DM is in the wrong.

 

[Zarrock God of Evil]

In my estimation, if there's a problem in a game between a DM and a player, it's MORE LIKELY that the DM is in the wrong.

I'll discuss that point gladly, if anyone would like... [/B]

I'm really curious what your reasons for this estimation would be. As far as I'm concerned I think you cannot make any such estimation. It would have to be build on two facts (and I don't support these mind you!):

1. DM's are more excentric people than the average gamer - eg. in a way that makes them handle social situations with greater difficulty than the average gamer. This could be due to character traits such as narrow-mindedness, stubborness, introversion, arrogance and/or patronising behaviour.

2. DM's have a poorer grasp of the rules than the average player and/or have a greater level of dissatisfaction with the rules as written and thus modify them to a greater extent than the average player would be comfortable with.

I don't believe any of the above to be the (general) case. So what's your reason for this estimation?

-Zarrock

 

[Wolfspider]

Being a DM is a more difficult and complex role than being a player, and perhaps the added complexity makes the DM more likely to err, whether it is a rules violation, encounter imbalance, poor adventure design, or simple bad judgement.

 

[Simon Magalis]

It is worthwhile to point out that all of this thunder one way or the other is insignificant when the game starts. All that matters is whether or not the people involved in the game (the players AND the DM) are having the time of their lives. If you weren't having any fun, then you did the right thing by leaving the game, whatever people who like to argue with a monitor may say. If the other players are enjoying this DM (or are getting some much needed rest ), then they are correct by staying. So many of us forget that, while more complicated certainly, we are arguing about a game here. To each their own.

 

[Macbrea]

Over the years, I have become kind of jaded on how people run the game. I have only two real pet peeves that a DM can do to make me look at them and cause me to walk out on a game. They are:

1. Start the game with the following statement, "Well, i didn't like how the combat system or magic system worked in DnD. So, I have reworked them......"

2. Every now and then I run into the one man game.
Example:

DM: "Ah you guys have reached the mouth of the cave"
Player 1: "I would like to check out the mouth for tracks"
DM: "Seeing no traps you enter the cave and head down the tunnel"
Player 1: "Ack, ok, well.....ah do I see anything interesting about the cave enterance?"
DM: "Nah, nothing of note at the cave mouth but as you turn the corner your struck in the chest by a ballista bolt from the ettin at the other end of the hall. It severely wounds you."
Player 1: "ACK...can I jump back around the corner?"
DM: "Sure, but it would be quicker to just charge the Ettin at this point"
Player 1: "I am that close to the ettin?"
DM: "Yah, you moved to right there when you came around the corner"
Player 1:" Ah, sure.....I am gonna grab a coke tell me if I kill him."
DM: "So, you jump forward and swing" (DM rolls all dice)

......

 

[kamosa]

Withdrawn.

 

[Piratecat]

Thanks, Kamosa.

Remember, everyone, please stay polite. If you feel the need to post an insult, you're better off walking away from the keyboard.

Thank you.

 

[Piratecat]

To stay on topic, I've seen good GMs, horrible GMs, and a lot of okay GMs. Same thing with players. Some times a good GM with one group has the wrong kind of players, and a disaster results. *shrug* If your GM loves hack and slash (and is great at running combat), but you as a player don't, it's just a bad match. Also, if a decent player dislikes a DM's style and acts out as a result, it makes things worse for everyone.

I think the best way for an outsider to tell whether or not it's the GM at fault is to see if all the players agree. If the complaining player is in the minority, that says one thing; if everyone agrees that there is a problem, that says another.

Hopefully, people are at least a little self-aware. My suggestion to DMs is that once a year, they should hand around a little questionnaire asking for feedback. Ask what people like and what they don't like, what they think could be improved. Without feedback, a GM will never improve, and people are more likely to give you honest opinions when you ask for them.

What suggests to me that there's a problem with DocM's DM is the list of problems taken as a whole. As 7thLvlDM showed, each of those alone can be explained. Taken as a whole, though, they do present something of a damning picture to me. I know I'd be reluctant to join a campaign where some of those techniques were common.