The 5+ Styles of DMing: Contrasted/Compared/Mocked

[WaterRabbit]

Well, I'd disagree with WaterRabbit's analysis, but it's clear he put a lot of time into writing it up

It would be more interesting if you indicated where you disagreed.

Constructive feedback, insightful observations, and pithy comments are always welcome.

 

[Desdichado]

It would be more interesting if you indicated where you disagreed.

Constructive feedback, insightful observations, and pithy comments are always welcome.

In your stages, naturally. And the order in which they occur. Also in your lumping. Why is winger lumped with sadist when they have nothing in common, for instance?

 

[tonym]

In your stages, naturally. And the order in which they occur. Also in your lumping. Why is winger lumped with sadist when they have nothing in common, for instance?

Me, I was looking at it flowchart-wise...like WaterRabbit meant that you could develop into a Winger or a Sadist at that particular step of development.

WaterRabbit, is that what you meant?

* * *

Yet another example...

You are at the DM’s house or apartment. You say you are thirsty and ask if he or she has anything to drink. The DM replies...

PLANNER: Yes. I have tap water, unsweetend tea, Mountain Dew and a bottle of Killian’s ale. What would you like?

WINGER: I think I have milk....wait, nevermind...and to answer your question about what loot the defeated NPC was carrying...um...he was carrying nothing. And the chest he was guarding is empty.

RAILROADER: You will drink this glass of cherry Kool-Aid and then you will place your empty glass in the sink, and then your PC will pick-up a level in Cleric.

SADIST: So you’re thirsty, huh? Describe your thirst to me.

 

[WampusCat43]

90% Planner, 10% Winger, combined with an absolutely terrible memory. Makes for situations like the following, all of which occurred last night:

GM: "You can go down either of the these hallways into the temple you've been exploring, or this long one that leads east away from the temple into the darkness."
PC's: "Yoikes, and away" (East).
GM: (Frantic shuffling of papers...)

GM prepares encounter with BBEG, complete with huge, trap-laden entry doors and multiple levers to control said traps and even individualized notes along the lines of "Your god tells you that 'This is the big one, Elizabeth'".
PC's: Promptly ignore the doors, find a back entrance to said encounter room that GM had overlooked (Who wrote this piece of ?), and prepare to enter in a decidedly weakened condition
GM: Sudden gastronomic event, followed by (winged) addition of locked door at the last second, allowing just enough time to realign the encounter sufficiently and scare them off long enough to rest.

PC's: (Having waxed BBEG ridiculously quickly) "Our job is done".
GM: (Realizing there's a whole lot more to do in this adventure) *flopsweat*

Fortunately, we ran out of game time at this point, so I have a week to tweak the situation.

It's enough to drive guy to drink (which might have something to do with the memory problem...)

 

[Desdichado]

Me, I was looking at it flowchart-wise...like WaterRabbit meant that you could develop into a Winger or a Sadist at that particular step of development.

WaterRabbit, is that what you meant?

In which case I have an even bigger problem with it, then. For example, a winger isn't the second stage of devepment for a juvenile GM, it's (in my case, at least) quite likely the last stage, and the one that is most suited to my style. With just enough planning to make winging possible, I think I'm at my ideal GM style, and I've been around long enough to have tried them all. I like what I do now and think it's the best for me, so a flowchart that shows it as an early stage in GM development, with many more "improvements" left to make doesn't work.

 

[Emiricol]

It would be more interesting if you indicated where you disagreed. Constructive feedback, insightful observations, and pithy comments are always welcome.

In your stages, naturally. And the order in which they occur. Also in your lumping. Why is winger lumped with sadist when they have nothing in common, for instance?

Just as Joshua said. It's simple really. I didn't offer a counterpoint, WaterRabbit, because well, I don't believe that there's really any order, other than newbie coming first and DM Nirvana coming last - everything in between is purely subjective.

 

[Desdichado]

Emiricol = exactly what I should have said.

 

[d4]

In which case I have an even bigger problem with it, then. For example, a winger isn't the second stage of devepment for a juvenile GM, it's (in my case, at least) quite likely the last stage, and the one that is most suited to my style.

i agree. i went from a newbie DM to being a compulsive planner / railroader. it wasn't until much later that i was able to "break the shackles" and become a good "winger" -- which is now my preferred GMing style. i never passed through the sadist or thespian styles either (since i intensely dislike them).

"winging it" is much harder to do effectively than planning, but IMO it can lead to much better sessions.

and i disagree with most of the "Winger" examples given so far. i'm never at a loss for names or descriptions when i'm playing. the only prep i do for sessions is making up generic NPC stat blocks and writing down lists of NPC names to use on the fly.

 

[RFisher]

I disagree that planner is the best...

I'm a winger (the best, IHMO). I'm also a bit of a planner. I'm trying to be more of a planner, but I'm must remain more of a winger than a planner. I've also acquired a bit of newbie. (Logic worried me more when I was a younger DM than it does these days. )

P.S. I love the Zogonia strips as well!

 

[WaterRabbit]

Just as Joshua said. It's simple really. I didn't offer a counterpoint, WaterRabbit, because well, I don't believe that there's really any order, other than newbie coming first and DM Nirvana coming last - everything in between is purely subjective.

I see. The order of the intervening stages is not hard and fast -- just my observation of myself and others through out my gaming career. I have seen some GMs skip stages. I have also seen GMs revert depending upon the players he had.