Think like a DM or a PC?
- Thread starter Crothian
- Start date
Dr. Strangemonkey
First Post
PC Monkey
I always think like a PC and I'm nearly always DMing, drives my players freakin crazy. I almost never map anything, my NPCs are madmen, and I'm constantly trying to get them to kill each other.
At first they were weirded out, but later they came to like it.
And when I am a PC I scare dms silly.
Sadly, I've had to switch groups, cause of a move, and I am now much toned down so I do not freak out the new DM too soon.
I always think like a PC and I'm nearly always DMing, drives my players freakin crazy. I almost never map anything, my NPCs are madmen, and I'm constantly trying to get them to kill each other.
At first they were weirded out, but later they came to like it.
And when I am a PC I scare dms silly.
Sadly, I've had to switch groups, cause of a move, and I am now much toned down so I do not freak out the new DM too soon.
Kai Lord
Hero
Both. When I think up a character I also think of ideas I can pitch to the DM to introduce into the campaign. I constantly do this throughout the course of my characters' campaigns, though it should be noted that I only play/DM solo adventures.
Whenever I consider a campaign idea or new set of rules (ELH, BoVD) I think about the best things to milk for story purposes but also how I can exploit the most interesting elements through my character.
For the last decade I've traded off DMing/playing with one person and we found ourselves trying to match/one-up the other's stories as DM's and heroics as players. The friendly competition has helped our campaigns grow continuously.
I'm playing with a new DM now, but he shares my love for movies and cinematic adventures and we feed off each other's ideas both as a player and DM.
Whenever I consider a campaign idea or new set of rules (ELH, BoVD) I think about the best things to milk for story purposes but also how I can exploit the most interesting elements through my character.
For the last decade I've traded off DMing/playing with one person and we found ourselves trying to match/one-up the other's stories as DM's and heroics as players. The friendly competition has helped our campaigns grow continuously.
I'm playing with a new DM now, but he shares my love for movies and cinematic adventures and we feed off each other's ideas both as a player and DM.
jollyninja
First Post
well, i do not actually dm that much but by the definition presented, i think like a dm. more then the dm i play with does most of the time. i tend to use my characters to give new rules a context within his homebrew. for example, the warmasters are deciples of one of my old characters who became a diety in his world. the dm is better then me with stories but often asks me rules questions at the table in stead of looking it up and asks me about the campaign between sessions.
during the game however i do what i can to think like a player and just focus on what my character would do, i leave the second guessing at the door, and take it with me when i leave. constantly though in my head i am thinking of what i would have done with the villians both in and out of combat and what style of organisation i would have them involved with. i constantly second guess the dm, i just never tell him because that would only make the game suck.
during the game however i do what i can to think like a player and just focus on what my character would do, i leave the second guessing at the door, and take it with me when i leave. constantly though in my head i am thinking of what i would have done with the villians both in and out of combat and what style of organisation i would have them involved with. i constantly second guess the dm, i just never tell him because that would only make the game suck.
Leopold
NKL4LYFE
act like a DM think like a PC.
I run a game so I must think in global long reaching terms for the plot's and ploys ahead. When combat does ensue then I go into PC mode and make sure that each one of the combatants thinks like they normally would if they were a PC...
it's a tough balance but I have pulled it off so far..
I run a game so I must think in global long reaching terms for the plot's and ploys ahead. When combat does ensue then I go into PC mode and make sure that each one of the combatants thinks like they normally would if they were a PC...
it's a tough balance but I have pulled it off so far..
I think during the game, the wrong thing for a DM to do is think like a DM or even worse a PC. They have to think like an NPC, which is a slight variation, because an NPCs job isn't to be the centre of attention, but as a backdrop and second to the interests/motivations of the PCs; to assist in the story, nothing more.
Sometimes, a DM feels their job is to prod the characters or story along a certain path, which is fine for long term planning outside actual playing time...thinking about how the events in a general sort of way "should" or "can" go. But the game has a flow all to itself, and the DM can only play the characters that are in play, and should not try to use a heavy hand to micro-manage the events, even if the players sometimes make "mistakes" in terms of where you want the story to go...accept them and respect the players choices. Their choices then becomes the story...analyze the situation and the consequences after the game and then go from there.
The story is not yours to control fellow DMs, be the npc when it's time to be an npc, but nothing more...but that's just MHO.
dren
Sometimes, a DM feels their job is to prod the characters or story along a certain path, which is fine for long term planning outside actual playing time...thinking about how the events in a general sort of way "should" or "can" go. But the game has a flow all to itself, and the DM can only play the characters that are in play, and should not try to use a heavy hand to micro-manage the events, even if the players sometimes make "mistakes" in terms of where you want the story to go...accept them and respect the players choices. Their choices then becomes the story...analyze the situation and the consequences after the game and then go from there.
The story is not yours to control fellow DMs, be the npc when it's time to be an npc, but nothing more...but that's just MHO.
dren
Last edited:
Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
I tend to think like a player. I'm more interested in creating spell combinations, or feat/item combos, than adding world reaching elements to the campaign. I like creating characters, but my backgrounds aren't the best.
This, of course, means I'm not a great DM, although I'll have a go every now and then. I tend to fall down on following through with detail of campaign worlds, or remembering little details that the PCs may have enjoyed.
This, of course, means I'm not a great DM, although I'll have a go every now and then. I tend to fall down on following through with detail of campaign worlds, or remembering little details that the PCs may have enjoyed.
Aeris Winterood
First Post
Post a poll question...
Why doesnt someone post a poll asking what percentage of the people on here play or DM... It would be interesting. Myself, I play maybe 10 percent of the time so most of my mindset and thinking is in the Dm mode...
Why doesnt someone post a poll asking what percentage of the people on here play or DM... It would be interesting. Myself, I play maybe 10 percent of the time so most of my mindset and thinking is in the Dm mode...
Crothian
First Post
Re: Post a poll question...
Done
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27532
Aeris Winterood said:
Done
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27532
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