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What is adversarial DMing?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 8398939" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>I disagree here in that I see is as the DM's job to present the setting as it is, neutrally and without regard for what particular PCs the players decide to run in it. Thus, if the players have an all-wizard party and then bite on an adventure hook that takes them into a full-on dungeon crawl then so be it: I just run it neutrally just like I'd run it with any other group of PCs.</p><p></p><p>As for adversarial DMing in general: most would probably consider me as adversarial in that I see it as my job to, fairly and without malice, try to kill the PCs dead and-or otherwise make their lives miserable and I see it as the players' job to ensure their PCs survive...or at least some of them...and prosper. I also see myself as enforcer of the rules (my job) that players try to break or twist (their job).</p><p></p><p>This does not mean it's my job to throw ancient dragons at 1st-level parties; but it does mean it's my job to play the foes they do face to the best of their abilities given who and what they are (e.g. mindless skeletons won't know a thing about tactics or focus-fire etc.) and not to pull my punches unless the situation clearly calls for it. It means that yes there's going to be gotchas; it's on you-the-PCs to take precautions to ensure there's fewer of them, but they'll still happen now and then regardless. It means that combat is nearly always going to be war.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 8398939, member: 29398"] I disagree here in that I see is as the DM's job to present the setting as it is, neutrally and without regard for what particular PCs the players decide to run in it. Thus, if the players have an all-wizard party and then bite on an adventure hook that takes them into a full-on dungeon crawl then so be it: I just run it neutrally just like I'd run it with any other group of PCs. As for adversarial DMing in general: most would probably consider me as adversarial in that I see it as my job to, fairly and without malice, try to kill the PCs dead and-or otherwise make their lives miserable and I see it as the players' job to ensure their PCs survive...or at least some of them...and prosper. I also see myself as enforcer of the rules (my job) that players try to break or twist (their job). This does not mean it's my job to throw ancient dragons at 1st-level parties; but it does mean it's my job to play the foes they do face to the best of their abilities given who and what they are (e.g. mindless skeletons won't know a thing about tactics or focus-fire etc.) and not to pull my punches unless the situation clearly calls for it. It means that yes there's going to be gotchas; it's on you-the-PCs to take precautions to ensure there's fewer of them, but they'll still happen now and then regardless. It means that combat is nearly always going to be war. [/QUOTE]
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