Why I Love Being the DM

[jgbrowning]

to be a bit more serious...

i like to DM because i like to make people happy. its very hard to do that in RL: DnD makes it easier to see those smiles.

joe b.

 

[heimdall]

Along the lines of that spot check... rolling dice for asolutely no reason. Just one or two. A pause to look at the dice. And then, "Okay, what are you guys doing?" Even the hardiest of souls gets shook up sooner or later.

 

[takyris]

I love watching the players get the wide-eyed look. It's the wide-eyed look that shows that they've just uncovered some big secret, and the combination of elation, pride, dawning terror at the realization of what they're facing, and then delight at the story I've created... that's what it's all about for me. That moment right there.

All that other stuff, they're onto now. I mean, heck, they've got macros of my sayings on our chatboards. Tafal is our automated assistant. For example:

Player: Tafal, what time is it?
Tafal: It's 8:02.68, Player.
Player: Tafal, be Player2.
Tafal: I become invisible, levitate 20 feet up, and then fireball everything with my haste action.
Player: Tafal, be Player3.
Tafal: Okay, I'm AC37.

Now, when it comes to me:

Player: Tafal, be DMP
Tafal: Half-dragon fiendish were-beholders!
Player: Tafal, be DMP
Tafal: It's not important. Don't worry about it. Probably nothing.
Player: Tafal, be DMP
Tafal: Does a 57 hit? Okay, how many hit points did you have? Okay, what's your Con? Okay, why don't you go check your e-mail?

And so on. That stuff is all good for fun and games, but the look... that's what makes it all worth it.

 

[Halivar]

Oh, gosh... the funnest thing I ever did:

DM: You see a chest here.
Rogue: I search for traps.
*DM rolls dice*
DM: What's your search?
Rogue: +10
DM: Remind me... do you have to meet for beat?
Rogue: Umm... meet... I think.
DM: You don't *think* you see any traps.
Rogue: Umm... I gues... I... open the chest...
DM: I see. What's your reflex save?
*DM rolls d20*
Rogue: Uh... +8?
*Rolls butt-load of dice*
DM: Hey guys, how many d6's you got? I need a few more.
Rogue: Umm... can I roll up a new character? I really don't wanna be a rogue anymore.
DM: It's empty.
Rogue: Huh?
DM: The chest. You open the chest, and it's empty.
Rogue: *cut string of expletives*

 

[Piratecat]

Last game one of the PCs did something that caused them to suffer from a hallucination, and I knew it was pretty likely ahead of time. So I emailed every other player and said, "When I do this, it's two years earlier in game time. You're in such-and-such a place, the last two years have never happened, and everything is normal. Run with it, and we'll see how long it takes the one player to figure out that they're hallucinating."

It worked beautifully.

 

[Numion]

I just like inserting a confirmation of

"Sooooo, you touch it?"

after a player declares some supposedly harmless action (like pcking up a coin, knocking on a door etc.). Backpedaling, ninja moves and hilarity ensue

 

[arwink]

I like the challenge of keeping it interesting over a long term. DMing is probably one of the hardest long-term hobbies I can think of, and that people still want to play the same characters in the same world after a year, two years, whatever, is a great feeling. I know few people who would spend so much time following a movie, a book, or even most television series.

I also like watching the look on peoples faces when they come up with plans I didn't anticipate - there's a level of satisfaction there that I know I couldn't generate with any adventure or plot twist I could create on my own.

 

[Mark]

I had described a very large, dead tree in the Viking game at the last gameday. The players seemed unimpressed. I further described that there were claw marks running nearly to the top of the dead tree, as made by a really big bear. Still, they were not paying much attention and were caught up in a bit of conversation about who was their leader. I drew a circle on the battlemap about fifteen feet in diameter, and a player moved onto the circle explaining, IIRC, that he was moving under the branches, and I slid him back off to the side of the circle and explained that he already was under the branches and the circle was the trunk. They stopped discussing their leadership all asked if they could hear any noises.

 

[Henry]

Last game one of the PCs did something that caused them to suffer from a hallucination, and I knew it was pretty likely ahead of time. So I emailed every other player and said, "When I do this, it's two years earlier in game time. You're in such-and-such a place, the last two years have never happened, and everything is normal. Run with it, and we'll see how long it takes the one player to figure out that they're hallucinating."

It worked beautifully.

OOO! OOO! I know where you got that from! (I think.)

Would me buying your dessert at dinner two weeks hence coax this little gem outta you?

 

[Enceladus]

.... um .... from the looks on your faces I'm guessing I'm the only one who does that?

Not anymore!