D&D General What Are Your Strengths and Aspirations as a DM?

[Clint_L]

The point of this thread is not to criticize, but to reflect on our own DM journey and hopefully offer inspiration to others. One thing I think we can all agree on is that nobody has perfected DMing and we can all find ways to improve.

Mine:

Strengths:
I'm pretty good at world-building and connecting plot pieces to individual character stories. I put a lot of work into those aspects of planning, and try to conscientiously take player concepts into account, leaving them room to make the important decisions about their character's journey.

I build great looking sets and am a generous host! We prioritize the social aspects of the gaming, and I think I do well at that.

I'm firm but not confrontational. I'm open to being wrong.

Aspirations:
My role-playing is kinda meh. I really try, but I still have trouble staying in character, and my accents are atrocious. Sometimes inadvertently offensive.

I sometimes lose track of plot elements, even though I write everything down. I get so invested in the moment that I can be inattentive to important details, so that I have to correct things later. I often forget or overlook tactical options for my creatures, making fights easier than they should be.

I am way too chill about attendance, and I don't know why. If I commit to something, I commit, but I hate trying to be a hardass with my players, so that games fall through more than they should, and I've worked my butt off for nothing.

 

[thullgrim]

I’m pretty about being open minded about what we are going to play and how we go about it.

I pretty good pace, both in combat and outside it, and keeping things moving.

I’m working in role playing, accents, and h pique NPC traits in my current game and that’s getting better.

I’m terrible at keeping a game going. Strong start and then I’m ready to move on after 6-10 sessions.

 

[Lanefan]

Reading that, it seems we're not all that different, you and I; both in strengths and aspirations.

I don't build the great-looking sets you do (honestly, I just don't have the patience!), though the flip-side is this leaves more flexibility in where they go/what they do next.

I too lose track of details, most notably if I make up an NPC's name on the fly it's nearly guaranteed I'll have forgotten it a half-hour later. And while "write it down" is the obvious comeback to this, I can't write and talk at the same time and don't want to interrupt my talking to write (also it'd be a too-obvious meta-clue that I'm winging the encounter).

The attendance piece you note as an aspiration in fact points to a strength we both share: commitment. Nothing ruins a game faster than a DM who isn't committed to running it.

Edit to add: one aspiration I have is to work on pacing - not that I mind a slow pace but I'd like to do something about the stop-dead points that happen because I get roped into table chatter or just can't think up anything for what happens next if-when I'm winging it.

 

[Voadam]

I feel I am strong on fleshing out my world and having it feel multidimensional with some depth with things that emerge in play.

I work hard on having players feel engaged and that their choices have impact and they are not simply there for the story I am telling even though I normally run modules.

I am pretty good at hitting the PG-13 Army of Darkness action comedy tone that I enjoy and strive for.

I am decent on doing interactions on the fly and running NPCs and monsters in a way that seems natural.

Accents are pretty terrible, sometimes I lean into that. I have played with people who are fantastic at accents and characterization that is amazing and fun.

I have done a little full improv DMing without a module but not a lot.

My VTT technical skills are enough to run a game, but are a real weakness for me. I would really like to be better with maps and custom crafting monsters and not just reskinning stuff in Fantasy Grounds but I find it not easy to find instructions on doing so that work for me and it is not where I want to put in my gaming hobby time to figure it out better.

 

[TheDelphian]

I'm Good at winging it, in fact I seldom prepare a great deal. I always have a back up plan and such so I'm not just standing there trying to figure things out but have learned to trust whatever I make up on the spot will be better than what I prep.

I do a good job of creating NPC's with background in mind and a persona (Not always a good accent but I use a lot of body language) I usually wing this as well. but list it separate as my players enjoy interacting with them.

And As I piece of advice to other GM's don't worry about notes on those Npcs. I tell players to write down the Npc info or else the next time they want to deal with them if they can't tell me who then that person is dead, gone to a wedding, closed shop etc. That's just the rules. Players need to care and keep notes.

I am also good with Mechanics. I know the rules, but am not super beholden to them. Not a stickler but I know how I am breaking the rules when I do. Saves time as well.


What I need to be better at is Pacing. Not always the best at keeping the story moving in a good pace.

Sometimes I am too complex in my plans and fail to tell players the things they need to know to make informed decisions. I think something is obvious but that is because I know the answers. I have trouble looking at things from the player side in those instances.

Not preparing a lot means I do sometimes waste game time drawing a map and things like that. I know rules well enough to wing monsters but it also means I use things from the books more often than I should when if I planned I could have focused on creating something better.

so other piece of advice. when you want to improve at something. pick one aspect and focus on it. You can't fix all the things that you may not be the best at. So if NPC interaction is a weakness pick a focus like the voices or like the personality of the NPC and for 2-3 sessions or more get better at that, tuck it in as a skill and pick something else and master or at least improve on it then shift to a new thing. It is hard to get better at everything at once.

 

[MNblockhead]

I did a 360 assessment for work once, with a 20 co‑workers, some managers, some direct reports, and others just peers from other units I worked with. One of the few assessments that I found very valuable, useful, and actionable. Would be interesting to have something similar to assess myself as a GM. We are often not good at assessing ourselves and how we perceive ourselves are often not how we are perceived by others. Lacking that, I feel that I am...

good at

• making sure the spotlight is shared equally among the players
• working PC motivations and backgrounds into my campaigns
• coming up with interesting NPCs
• weaving multiple plotlines through a long campaign
• collaborating with players and working to consensus on selecting game systems, campaign themes, character concepts, and kinda game we are going to play in general
• pacing
• improvising

bad at

• voice acting (I don't find it that important, but I would enjoy it if I were better at it)
• rule mastery (I like to spend most of my time on world building and adventure planning, I find myself having to take time to look things up or just winging it more often than I would like. I should probably run less crunchy games)
• remembering names (in general, not just in games)
• I tend to dive down technical rabbit holes, trying new features and mods in my VTT, which can cause issues in games, either when things break, or having to constantly explain how new things work. I've learned to pare things back and keep my experimentation outside of my life game)
• anticipating how effective the PCs will be, mainly in the form of encounters not being as challenging as I think they will be or allowing certain PC abilities, spells, classes, etc. without fully understanding how they will affect the game (I like to say "yes" and figure it is my job to make things work and challenging, I would make my life easier if I would say "no" to more things, more often)

 

[Shiroiken]

I'm great at making interesting challenges and NPCs the players love to hate. Because I don't really follow the encounter guidelines, focusing on more realistic setups, the players have to carefully consider their decisions. Additionally, I'm a big fan of tricks and traps that challenge the players to think, rather than just roll dice to overcome, which I think my player appreciate. I like making NPCs to interact with the party, and I tend to make them memorable. Sometimes they're rivals, sometimes they're enemies, but I just seem to know how to rub the players the wrong way with them.

I wish I was better at roleplaying. I used to be really, really good, but for some reason it's a skill that's waned over the decades. I tend to focus too much on the plot and trying to move things along, rather than sitting back and focusing on the moment. I'm trying to do more roleplaying as a player to help improve my skill, but the other DM has been overwhelmed with work, leaving me with the lion's share of DMing. Hopefully I can get back to where I once was.

 

[payn]

Strengths:

• Commitment to running games at length.
• Plot building, political intrigue, faction play.
• Being mindful of the players, checking in and taking feedback constructively.

Aspirations:

• Session pacing and including all players and giving their character spotlight time.
• Maps, minis, terrain virtual and table top. Often settle for templates and could raise my game here.
• Evenly distribute my time and interest in prep of games. Some weeks its all X, the next Y.