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Message: <blockquote data-quote="touc" data-source="post: 8545678" data-attributes="member: 19270">Over 25+ years of DMing, I've created my own bad advice, adhered to it, and hopefully learned from it. Notably, as long as your players know you're working hard, it's going to be all right if you apply bad advice or F*-up because you're trying something that sounded cool. That said, my top 3 personal F*-ups:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Tell your players after they muck up an encounter what they could have done better. After all, the only way players are going to learn proper strategy and to properly use their character abilities is through an experienced DM that knows better than them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Everyone is welcome at our table because we have a shared love of D&D, which has uniquely enriched our lives somehow. This has been a rough lesson. No, life doesn't work that way. Just because I like to eat parmesan garlic chicken wings and you do doesn't mean we are going to get along. It doesn't mean you're going to get along with friends who are already at the table. I've nearly tanked friendships by inviting gamers who were disruptive, or simply were nice but didn't want the same out of the game as the other gamers did, and glossing over it. By keeping them at my table, it was sending a message to my long-time gamers that I didn't prize their feelings as much as I did my own egotistical need to have all seats filled. My friends would have been patient.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">This is the "best" way to play [insert style of play such as gritty game, superhero game, railroads, sandboxes, plot-immune characters and so on]. Draw on your own experiences as a former player or previous DM and presume all new players to your table will enjoy what made or makes you enjoy the game. Now, force this down their throats and make them feel like the way they like to do it is somehow outdated, or wrong, or they're a noob. They'll get in line so you can run the story you want to run. Then, if a player does anything that doesn't fit this mindset, get on a forum and complain about it. You'll quickly be surrounded by like-minded players that will reassure you that your perspective is the correct one.</li> </ol></blockquote>

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