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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 6054287" data-attributes="member: 67">First of all, it's good that you can recognize these things.  It'll make it easier for you to embrace your own DMing style, rather than trying to emulate that of the last DM.  The confidence of doing so will, in turn, make it easier for your players to accept that you will not be doing things exactly the same way, either.It's pretty simple.  Try different things.  Do what works.  Discard what doesn't.  Be subtle and don't worry about where an idea comes from, or not.  Understand that the party's dynamic is different than it was with the previous DM, and is different than it is in any other group.  Realize, also, that that dynamic will change over time.  Don't sweat it.  And, certainly, don't worry about separating yourself from your predecessor.  Just try different things, do what works, and discard what doesn't.Ah.  So the players (at least the one who tried to bully you into running the game a certain way by trying to scare you away from looking like a "weaker DM") expect an adversarial relationship with the DM.  Is that the game you want to play?If not, run the game you're comfortable with and suggest to such players (both subtly and bluntly) that there is no room for a strong or weak DM in the game you wish to run--only an impartial facilitator in a setting that reacts with consequences for antagonistic game-play.Other than that, perhaps you may find <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/tabletop-gaming/316091-full-time-dm-part-time-prep.html" target="_blank">some more general advice</a> helpful.  You seem to have a pretty good handle on the material in <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/tabletop-gaming/316091-full-time-dm-part-time-prep.html#post5768788" target="_blank">lesson 2</a> already, but you might find <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/tabletop-gaming/316091-full-time-dm-part-time-prep.html#post5768795" target="_blank">lesson 4</a>, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/tabletop-gaming/316091-full-time-dm-part-time-prep-2.html#post5768818" target="_blank">lesson 12</a>, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/tabletop-gaming/316091-full-time-dm-part-time-prep-2.html#post5768821" target="_blank">lesson 13</a>, and <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/tabletop-gaming/316091-full-time-dm-part-time-prep-5.html#post6054265" target="_blank">lesson 16</a> applicable.</blockquote>

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