Where do you shine?

[ThoughtBubble]

My strongest area is in imagination. I can make a campaign out of anything. Gimme a consistant rules set, half an hour, and a cup of coffee and I can get almost anything going into a campaign. I'm also pretty good at winging it, which falls into the above. I'm decent at making NPC's, throwing a lot of body acting into the mix, and speaking from different areas, though finding those typically requires NOT winging it. I've been told that I'm really good at having those 'important moments' in my game, when everyone knows that something's about to happen. I'm also fairly good (or used to be, before work picked up) at those moments of revelation when a whole bunch of little things that were wrong fit together and the situation changes; suddenly all that was hidden becomes revealed.

And, finally, I'm really good at parameterization. I can tell you what the game is going to be about, what characteristics will fit into the game well, what the goals of the game are, how much the rules will come into play, how much things will 'bend' in the players' favor, things you can expect to see a lot of, and the sorts of behavior I'm looking for.

And, just to even it out, what I'm bad at. I burn quickly. I tend to be really awesome for the first short burst, then start cooling down until my attention is diverted. If I'm not being told that my game is cool, I begin to question the purpose of running it. Likewize, grumblings about the game really bring me down. I expect a lot out of the people I'm playing with, probably too much. I tend to push things too. I want to get on to the next part, and I oftentimes hurry through more 'mundane' events that the party goes through. That whole part earlier about hidden stuff getting revealed? Yeah, that means that there's always another reason for someone asking them something (plots within plots), and my players have never picked up on it. Finally, my games all seem to self-destruct after six months.

 

[Darkness]

I find many DMs shine on the top of their heads...

Not me, fortunately, nor is it too likely in the future, looking at my relatives. E.g., my dad's 65 and still has much more hair than many men who're 20 years younger than him.

He also regenerates, kinda like a D&D troll, but slower. So do I.
He also looks like a D&D troll, except smaller and less green. I'm happy to say I do not.

 

[exile]

Adapting existing material, pacing, creating interesting NPCs, creating plots, creating subplots. These are my greatest strengths.

Improvisation kind of goes both ways. I can improvise the role-playing of NPCs with little difficulty. I cover my below average ability to adapt to unexpected PC decisions, by placing most such decisions near the end of a session, leaving myself plenty of time to prepare for the next session.

 

[Allanon]

What I'm good at:

Winging it, my players have on more than one occasion wondered if I had suspected things all along. Mostly I don't but having a good poker face and a lot of creative luck helped me wing it almost every time

Character Building/Hooks, My players love coming to me with bizarre character creations and workout an interesting backstory for it within the campaign world. They even ask me to help them build their PC's, although that is mostly due to me owning all the books (and having read them all).

Monster desciptions/fights, I love describing fights and the actions of their opponents.

What I'm weak at:

Enviroment Descriptions, I loathe my own descriptions of locales or scenes. My players don't seem to mind but I always feel that fail to convey to important aspects or the feel of a place.

(near) TPK's, I've put my party in more deadly situations than I dare count. Sometimes because I play monsters too good, sometimes because I relied on CR ratings to much.

Campaign design, I struggle in creating interesting backstories and overarching plots. I usually give up on doing it on my own and pilver the boards to get good ideas. That or using an existing adventure.

 

[Romnipotent]

You wrap it all up in a game and find me some players who like it too and Im there. Unfortunately most people here like the hack and possibly slash. I can do political, know wilderness, and love puzzles (no matter how bad I am at them).

 

[Wraith Form]

Where do I shine?

As the Smiths say, "The sun shines out of our behinds...."

Ah, you're not asking about that. Never mind.

 

[Piratecat]

I need work on my great big battles; I have more rules gaffes than I'd like, and how I run really combat-heavy encounters sometimes disappoints me.

In comparison, I have a lot of fun with NPC characterizations and political maneuvering. I'm good with mood and descriptions, and I think my plots tend to be fun (if sometimes overly complex.)

Overall I'm a better DM than I am a player.

 

[Lord Judas]

"Small Games" is probably mine. I can really bring a town of about 100 people or less to life and have them seem like more then cardboard cutouts. Extreamly Grim settings; my players often say my descriptions are downright disturbing. I also do well with long term planning as in "the thing that was marginally important now, is critical 10 sessions from now". I've been told I am good at preparation as well

Weaknesses: Game mechanics/rules, especially in large battles. If it means anything, all the mistakes I make help the players (forgetting creature buffs/abilities, etc). I love 3.X, but remembering all the feats and buffs is taxing on the brain. "Large Games"- when the game moves from town to city, or sprawling overland, it gets like "Vanilla D&D". Winging NPCs; with no-preprep, they come off like cliches. I also sometimes forget to have well established NPCs forget to say something that was important/hint then have to work it in later.

 

[Darkness]

Overall I'm a better DM than I am a player.

Me too, unless the DM meshes well with my style, in which case I rock.

Meaning, I need a DM who lets me work my mojo and thrives on anticlimax. DMs who let their story get in the way of my tactics need not apply. I revel in the thrill of taking out the BBEG (or BBGG - I killed an astral deva once) with 1337 sk3311z and a clever trick, not a fair fight.


I much prefer being a DM than being a player, though, so the question doesn't come up often. Curiously, my DMing style doesn't do much to encourage my playíng style. (I.e., my players don't generally need to act like commandos or assassins.) Well, not always, that is.

 

[Ghostwind]

I do really well with DMing on the fly. Most of the campaigns I run are very fluid with little preparation time spent because I am telling a story that relies on the characters actions rather than running a campaign. All I do is put together the general plotline and story framework in my head and take things from there. It makes for very interesting gaming because things can happen at the drop of a hat and force me to change tactics or story direction. As a result, it keeps things very fresh for both myself and the party.

Case in point, in the campaign that Buttercup is currently playing in with me, the party has been thrust into an unfamiliar world, handed the bodyguard (aka babysitting) responsibilities of a young noble, fought off slaver ships on more than one occasion, survived an asteroid impact and a hurricane at the same time, and awakened the power of a legendary sword. Oh yeah, did I mention they are currently marooned on an island and just successfully fought and killed a T-Rex? And that they are part of a prophecy that could be fulfilled? Life is fun...

Another example is my epic group (45th level) who are currently in modern New York City trying to rescue a companion they lost 15 years ago when she stepped through a time portal by accident. Considering the fact that she was a master thief who ran a guild in her home world, New York has been the stuff of dreams after a short period of acclimation. She now is one of the most powerful, wealthy, and influential people in the world and isn't all that keen about returning to her "home" now that her friends have arrived to rescue her. Now add in the fact that the magical boundaries that separate the realities are breaking down because the bad guys that the group has been pursuing now have 5 of the 6 artifacts needed to access Nexus, the center of all reality, and it starts to get interesting. In the last meeting, the group found themselves under attack at the NY Museum of Natural History during a celebration dedication to Kiana (the time-displaced character) for her generous donations. They had to contend with an attempted assassination on Kiana by mobsters and then the appearace of 36 mind flayers followed by an attack by the evil bad guys. Now mix in the appearance of a 45th level good-aligned drow bent on vengeance against his kind and a 45th level half-titan warforged fighter (2 new players to the campaign) and it's no wonder there was carnage everywhere.
I'm definitely at my best flying fast and free. I'm weakest when I am following a published adventure closely because it tends to be more restrictive to the creative streak within me...