What do you like best about being a GM?

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Watching players tear up as I laugh like a maniac while I pull out the large "DEAD" stamp and blast it down on the sheet with a *KA-CHUNK*. Then I hand it back to them as thier lower lip quivers and I just bask in the moment.

At that moment I Know I've won.

 

[genshou]

Personally, I like my wife's practice of "Put the DM in a good mood" the night before, so that I won't kill the party during the following evening's session!

Hmm, I'll have to remember that one.

Edit: Yep, I'm the DM, not the player.

 

[Lupa270]

Easy worst thing is dishing out xp, because it is not the same for everyone and that's not saying everyone didn't play well, just sometimes some characters flash during a session more than others and get more credit. Best thing is being able to create and the reason I keep getting asked to be the GM over and over again....I think on my feet! Have to be quick to modify the scene for the unexpected bomb in the backpack scenario.

 

[Acid_crash]

I like to GM because I like to be in control of the situation, I like to create and play God, and I like to be the center of attention and create intense situations for players to figure out and resolve and thereby create stories to last the centuries.

Having been a player a few times under the eyes of a few DM's that used game screens to hide their rolls and cheat on those rolls to fit whatever they wish for the encounter to happen, and having been told by a couple of them that they did indeed cheat after I questioned them on it, I just have a hard time trusting other DMs who use game shields, which most do.

But, I think the other main reason is that I just don't like being a player as much. I have too many thoughts flying in my mind, and just being a single character in the world doesn't cut it.

 

[LostSoul]

I love it when my players surprise me with unexpected, cool things.

When I was playing in a Star Wars d6 game, the PCs had an issue with a certain Hutt. He was good to them in the beginning, but then started screwing them over every time he had the chance. In one of the last game sessions, enough was enough: the PC who had suffered the most from him pushed him out a window.

The splat was very fulfilling.

I had another experience, back in the good old days of 2e, where bandits were attacking some towns. The PCs had to go to one of the local barons to get some support. They didn't know he was behind it all. I had fully expected them to turn on him when they found out he was evil. But instead they decided they needed his help so much that they were willing to let him be evil. That threw the campaign into a totally different direction.

 

[Aaron L]

Creating a setting and its history. Aside from that I'm awful at DMing.

 

[Particle_Man]

Best: The Trick (i.e. the well-crafted illusion).

Worst: Statting up "classed" or "advanced monster" npcs, and trying to maintain some illusion of game balance.

 

[Herobizkit]

I enjoy creating an atmosphere where people can forget about reality and enjoy playing the role of a, well, "hero biscuit".

The NPC character creation process is what I like the best... and I'm not talking stat blocks, either. I enjoy creating "real" NPCs on the fly; attitudes, personalities, quirks, jobs, relationships... and how they fall into the PCs lives. By shaping the NPCs around the PCs, I give the PCs a sense of worth, of being someone important in the game world.

What I really, really dislike is the whole tactical aspect of D&D 3.x. I had the pleasure of having a 'wargamer' style player join my gaming group; he owns no less than 1000 bucks worth of miniatures, plus a pretty cool dry-erase tile set that comes in 12 pieces and has a grid printed on each tile (plus, they're modular, so you can up and move 'em to make an interactive dungeon map on the fly).

But... he knows the tactical rules inside and out and treats the game more like a wargame than an RPG. Couple that with the facts that I'm used to winging most fights and that I've generally used a grid only for large numbers of opponents, and I get pretty frustrated. Now I have to worry about things like moster positioning, whether they're being flanked, what actions are best for the monsters to take while accounting for their intelligence (or lack thereof)... and I'm not a strong tactical thinker, so I end up making silly mistakes that the players can capitolize upon. :\ But, it's a learning process...

 

[Ant]

Worst: Handling a large group; occassionaly having to deal with personality conflicts; seeing friends leave the group due to real life (including said personality conflicts).

Best: Seeing my friends have a good time; book-keeping; tactical combat; orchestrating a perfect moment in an adventure that gets added to our long, LONG-running group's list of RPG anecdotes; seeing friends return to the group.

 

[qstor]

I never have to be a player with a bad DM.

I wouldn't play with a bad DM again. I guess you'd have to know before hand if the person is a bad DM. A few times I've played with bad DM's but I didnt know before hand they were bad

Mike