What makes you happy as a DM

[Kroax]

In response to all the "What annoys you"-threads I'm creating an optimistical version of them.

So, what makes you put on a smile as a DM?

From the top of my head I would say:

• PLayers talking about how cool they thought one of the encounters that you spent hours planning on.
• Players writing good background stories with lots of plot hooks.
• When you describe a scene or place and gets the player into the right mood within seconds.

That's all I can think of right now. How about you?

 

[DragonLancer]

Lets see...

Player who actually get into the game, stop nattering OOC and get into character.
Characters who work together to achieve their goals, long & short term.
Players who say thankyou and that they had a good time.
The shocked looks on faces when something truely unexpected happens.
That one in a million session where it flows perfectly.

 

[S'mon]

Players who say thankyou and that they had a good time.

Yep, that's #1 for me.

I like it when the PCs use guts and ingenuity and just manage to defeat some powerful opposition - since I never fudge, failure or success is ultimately down to the players, not me. I like it when we all roleplay well, rollplay (run combats) well, and everyone has a good time. I like the happy smiley faces of new players when they realise how great the game can be.

 

[Buttercup]

When everything clicks. You and the players get into a sort of momentum, feeding off each other, and the session becomes something really special.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Female gamers willing to 'do what it takes' to get special treatment.



- I kid. I kid because I love.

 

[Gez]

World building.

 

[robberbaron]

Players getting into the back-story of the campaign world.
Makes me feel that all the work I've done is paying off.

Players who allow themselves to gel as a team and work towards shared goals.
Much of the time they are so busy with their characters that they can't see even the medium-sized picture, let alone the big one.

Yeah, and players who show appreciation.
That makes it all worthwhile.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

MY TOP 10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY AS A DM

1) Players who understand that getting a party to meet at a tavern for the first game can be cliche but still play it seriously to help set the tone for the whole campaign.
2) Players that say thank you and that they had a great time
3) Spellcasters who manage their own summoned creatures
4) The rare spellcaster who keeps track of rounds before his OWN spells wear off.
5) Players that are committed to working as a team
6) Players who create characters with such wonderful backgrounds that they practically write the campaign for you.
7) Players who are willing to try out a new game system that the DM wants to run even if they've never heard of it before.
8) Players who know the rules so well that they can help out other players while the DM concentrates on running the game.
9) Players who buy some of the books that are needed and then let the DM and the other players borrow them freely.

and finally....

10) The player who brings the beer to the game!

 

[Cor Azer]

I really get a kick when my players remember things like NPC names, place names, and the history of such and such a thing, even if it hasn't been mentioned in quite a while; it's nice to know that I'm able to make something memorable.

Players who don't make every one of their characters having had their entire family either unknown or already murdered in their background.

Players who make fun decisions about their character's growth instead of trying for an uber-build.

Players who are able to work off each other, creating truly interesting role-playing experiences that don't require the DM's interaction.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

While "everyone having fun" and "some show of appreciation" are #s 1 and 2, a strong contender for #3 for me is that the players actually show some initiative and help tell the story and come up with plotlines rather than be spoonfed "you need to perform quest #1, then go ahead and perform quest #2."