It's all about the story. You build a story around the interaction and lives of the players you game with. Without them you are nothing. Without you they are nothing. Together it's a great symbiotic relationship.
You, the DM, tell a tale that keeps the players going and motivated. Helps them move along and see things getting done and worlds being built. People changing as a reaction to their events. A static world is a dead world, the PC's choices make a difference in the littlest things they do.
For example: The cleric in the group has been donating heavily to the temple of st. cuthbert in the small village they goto. Since he has invested lots of time and money into it, the church has grown by having a wing added onto it, a new roof, some new pews, etc.
This shows the group they are making a difference and not just walking through the village everytime but they are PART of the villagers lives now. This keeps the players coming back time after time to the table.
sometimes you have to be heavy handed with them. Last night they wanted encounters to level. They bought a big cowbell and rang it to the high heavens everywhere they went. They are an EL 5 so I said "allright you want to play, let's roll". I sent these at them:
2 giant eagles
1 dire wolvering
1 harpy
2 griffons
1 hill giant
All were attracted to and attacking the bell ringer especially the dire wolverine who was pissed he got woken up and rended the snot out of the halfling rogue who woke him up.
The final battle with the hill giant topped it. He was wandering around when he though he heard a cow bell, cow bell=food, food=mine. There fore he chucked some boulders at the sound of the bell and squashed the wizard and tank by 20+ pts of damage. The bell wearer dropped the bell and the cleric wisely used his magnetism ability to take the bell and put it in his pocket. The rogue thought he was tough and charged at the giant (they wanted encounters so i gave them one to remember). The wizard flew up and away from combat and cast small annoying spells. the fighter and cleric screamed run away but the rogue came up to sneak attack and bluff the giant. The giant wanted none of that and saw no cow, so the halfling was a good snack, 1 round of smashing with a tree branch and halfling crepe suze he had! The cleric came up and the giant wacked him backwards for massive damage. The fighter sweating high holy bullets quaffs potions to beef himself up and charges in now hasted and bull strengths. The cleric after being used for a golf ball uses his Cure Critical wounds scroll. The sorcerer seeing as how the giant has shrugged off all his magic missles and acid arrows blasts out with his 5 charge wand of frost wounding the giant but making sure the halfing now must be microwaved to eat. The fighter charges in swinging his heavy flail and wounds the giant who then retaliates with a nice swift bash to the fighters head. 2 more lumps appear as soon as the giant brings down his club twice to land on the fighter. Now the fighter staggering is relieved when the cleric comes in to battle, deftly missing an AoO as the giant swats at the gnat. Ripping out a scroll (no AoO) he heals the fighter and the sorcerer lets loose his final magic missle and prepares to fly for help as all looks lost. The fighter manages to critical and wound the giant by knocking out his knee and deftly crushes in the giants skull as the giant falls down, dead.
End of battle summary: 1 dead halfing, lots of expensive items used: Cure Critical scroll, potions of haste and bull stregth, wand of frost with very few charges, and lots of spells gone for the day.
What did they do afterwards?: Smashed the cow bell to a pulp and buried it deep in the earth with the cleric stone shaping a mound around it to make sure it doesn't come back.
Moral of the story: Give the players what they want, till they realize what they get is not always what they want...
