Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Archangel62 09-12-06, 04:10 AM	These are not here as orders or demands, just reccomendations, feel free to add and debate as we go. 1) Design the world and build it how you see fit, but remember that the players can and will shape it if they so choose. Do not use fiats to stop them from altering your landscape. 2) Design the world for games, not players. Encounters may not always be appropriate for their CR (If the group doesn't learn that they can't always win and rushes the Tarrasque at 3rd level...well in that case I'm not sure) 3) If something doesn't fit your world you don't need to allow it, but that also doesn't mean you need to ban everything without first looking it over and listening to your players. 4) Remember, the power in your games is determined by your players, if you make an ass of yourself and railroad/ruin/etc. then they will leave and you'll find that it's hard to run games without players. 5) If you have a story, fine, but if the story doesn't leave room for the players doing things differently than you envisioned then it becomes a straightjacket. 6) Be as neutral as you can, favortism can ruin games fast. 7) Learn to wield your power carefully, very often you know you've done things right when they wonder if you've done anything at all.
jaspercrey 09-12-06, 08:19 AM	8) Keep in mind that it's only a game . . . and the only game objective that matters is that everyone at the table have fun . . .
oxybe 09-12-06, 08:25 AM	1) Design the world and build it how you see fit, but remember that the players can and will shape it if they so choose. Do not use fiats to stop them from altering your landscape. i tend to build the world alongside the players, so we all have an active role in defining the type of world we want to play in. I tend to cater to my player's whims quite often. also, the world will continue if the players do nothing. if they ignore the BBEG, then he will continue with his plan (and not sulk in his "pillow fort of solitude" because the heros aren't interested in him). 2) Design the world for games, not players. Encounters may not always be appropriate for their CR (If the group doesn't learn that they can't always win and rushes the Tarrasque at 3rd level...well in that case I'm not sure) i tend to design my world with the players in mind: will they have fun? will they be challenged? i really don't see a point in plopping the lvl 1 players dead center in Troll territory during mating season... cohesiveness is good, but not at the expense of fun... Any new material is revised for a week, then allowed/disallowed. i tend to allow most, since very few material is broken to the point of no return. 9)What they can do, you can do. What you can do, they can do. 10) the Sulaco Rule of House Rules: is it going to add to the fun? if it is not a resounding YES, then drop it immediately. 11) rule 0: the DM has the final word on any rulings. 12) rule -1: players have the right to vote with their feet.
Arganis 09-12-06, 10:52 AM	12) rule -1: players have the right to vote with their feet. Coolest wording of Rule -1 ever.
necrom99 09-12-06, 11:29 AM	13) If you don't reward players for roleplaying.....they won't roleplay more than the bare minimum, or at all. 14) If you don't want your players to powergame or min/max then reward as much XP for roleplaing as you do combat. 15) don't ever railroad your plots just because you like the story as is. players need to feel acccomplishment, and sometimes that means just feeling a sense of control 16) If you can manage 4 players in your gaming group, don't waste your time with a DMPC, they only ruin it for players....stick to NPC's. 17) dont be afraid to ask a player to leave your group if he/she ruins the game for others, nothing is worse than everyone losing out because one person can't be cool. 18) dont be afraid to kill people.....in fact do it just often enough to make people fear death, but not think that your trying to kill them. 19) learn to paint miniatures 20) purchase power metal albums for battle, and dead can danse albums for non-combat______this entry is entirely interpretive 21) never argue at the table 22) go over the players characters sheets once a week and double check what all there abilities do, so you don't trip up mid-combat.
oxybe 09-12-06, 11:39 AM	the fonts... THE FONTS! :ghosted: 14) If you don't want your players to powergame or min/max then reward as much XP for roleplaing as you do combat. as a powergamer myself, all this will mean is more XP in total. i will put a wee bit more effort in RP, but i will keep the same effort in min/maxing the combat aspect of my character. i can also powergame in aspects outside of combat if needed to (diplomacy, bluff, intimidate, sense motive, ect... all these skills can help), and i'm not the only powergamer who can do so. powergaming combat is just easier to do then any other aspect of the game. 19) learn to paint miniatures not everyone is artistic enough for this. i do not have an eye for the minute details on a fig an inch high. unless we're playing with figs the size of the colossal red dragon mini, i doubt i will start painting my own anytime soon.
necrom99 09-12-06, 11:50 AM	the fonts... THE FONTS! :ghosted: as a powergamer myself, all this will mean is more XP in total. i will put a wee bit more effort in RP, but i will keep the same effort in min/maxing the combat aspect of my character. i can also powergame in aspects outside of combat if needed to (diplomacy, bluff, intimidate, sense motive, ect... all these skills can help), and i'm not the only powergamer who can do so. powergaming combat is just easier to do then any other aspect of the game. not everyone is artistic enough for this. i do not have an eye for the minute details on a fig an inch high. unless we're playing with figs the size of the colossal red dragon mini, i doubt i will start painting my own anytime soon. It's not that hard to paint miniatures....trust me, you dont need any bit of artsy talent more than patience.....I could teach you to do it well within a week. as far as powergaming is concerned I meant it in the way that players make power characters and min/max in a negative way......you know___unbalanced characters created soley for the purpose of a combat manouevre, or ability. the way your describing it is more like, you effectively make intelligent character choices, theres nothing wrong with making a good character, as long as you have a cool backstory of course.
Arganis 09-12-06, 11:53 AM	It's not that hard to paint miniatures....trust me, you dont need any bit of artsy talent more than patience.....I could teach you to do it well within a week. Theoretically, patience enables you to do anything. In practice, however, painting miniatures is something only a very small subset of D&D players will ever do or enjoy doing. All hail WoTC's prepainted glory!
oxybe 09-12-06, 12:05 PM	@Arganis: i wish i could take credit for that, but i forgot where i got it from. i know i didn't make it up by myself though. @necrom99: heh... that's why i love the chameleon PrC... it is so... versatile. you can powergame as much or as little as you like (any divine or arcane spells from levels 1-6 & caster level 20 by level 15... :drool:, plus you can change your focus on a daily basis depending on the situation & the floating feat is quite nice) while not being totally off the charts, you just adjust as needed. can you guess one of my fave classes is the rogue? things like color schemes, matching colors, ect... seem to be lost on me most of the time... why else do you think my shirts are all gray, black or a dark navy blue? i'm far more comfortable doing a few quick sketches for my PC's portrait in pencil then painting a mini... the ratio is much bigger. even if it is only a 2.5 x 2.5 inch square, i can focus only on the face. if i try that with a mini... well... it would be funny to see a mini with only his face painted... wait... i think WotC did that with the War of the Dragon Queen... :P maybe i could practice on frost dwarves...
Shrindi 09-12-06, 12:05 PM	Theoretically, patience enables you to do anything. In practice, however, painting miniatures is something only a very small subset of D&D players will ever do or enjoy doing. All hail WoTC's prepainted glory! I feel like turning topic this into its own thread. So why do you think this is true? I don't feel like I am part of a very small subset. There are websites galore out there with devoted mini-painting fanbases. I know for a fact that I can outpaint WotC minis any day of the week. I am currently painting minis for all my players characters. One down and 4 to go. I should have them done inside a month.
Arganis 09-12-06, 01:54 PM	I feel like turning topic this into its own thread. So why do you think this is true? I don't feel like I am part of a very small subset. There are websites galore out there with devoted mini-painting fanbases. I know for a fact that I can outpaint WotC minis any day of the week. I am currently painting minis for all my players characters. One down and 4 to go. I should have them done inside a month. First, I make no assertion that the quality of prepainted minis is superior to the potential of painted pewter ones. It should go without saying that any work of art coming off of an assembly line is going to be sloppy. WoTC's minis have the following advantages: 1) Not as prone to breaking when stored in large piles or small bags. 2) Lighter 3) Less work And the following disadvantages: 1) Rudimentary quality 2) Random package contents* 3) Poor package offerings** * = This one I particularly hate. I would really prefer to be able to see the minis I am buying rather than collect them like baseball cards. ** = Where's the Undead Pack with 12 skeletons, 12 zombies, and 6 ghouls? Or the Orc Pack with 24 Orcs, 3 Orc Shaman, and 1 Orc Chieftan? Seriously, I should be able to buy iconic monsters in bulk. But, as to how many D&D players paint minis? In general, the D&D players who paint their own minis are almost always also involved in tabletop wargaming (or have been in the past), or were introduced to D&D by said individuals. In this day and age, the use of pewter minis in D&D is waning considerably, as is wargaming in general. All across the country, gaming shops with wargaming space are growing further and farther between. You may have a successful shop near you, but it's among the exceptions, not the rules.
necrom99 09-12-06, 02:01 PM	dude i've seen the WOTC mini's and let me tell ya......when i was 7 years old i played with better toys than that! go to a hobby shop and ask for a painting workshop, and then purchase a miniature carrying case. lead miniatures are not that heavy, even in large quantities. if i knew how to post images properly i'd show some of the ones i did when i was 12 years old.......not too bad, but by no means good......but are great for playing!
necrom99 09-12-06, 02:03 PM	In this day and age, the use of pewter minis in D&D is waning considerably, as is wargaming in general. All across the country, gaming shops with wargaming space are growing further and farther between. You may have a successful shop near you, but it's among the exceptions, not the rules. in montreal they keep opening hobby stores with progessively bigger wargaming sections, so i tend to disagree
oxybe 09-12-06, 02:05 PM	our local shop has a 3-layer widowed 4ft long-ish shelf dedicated to mini's. many skeletons & orcs are there for sale. I'm sure you can buy bulk mini's online somewhere, though getting the rarer minis will still cost a mint. (i was lucky i got all the skeletons, zombies, orcs, goblins & cannon fodder when the first few sets came out) while i agree that the pre-painted mini's sometimes have poor quality painting, it's only natural due to the process. some are of horrible quality, but overall, WotC is improving. i am happy with the overall quality of the latest sets as a whole. i can't wait to see what they come out with next. the randomization is a b***h but MtG players (like myself) have been saying that for years. It's just a buisness model, especially since the minis are tied to a competitive game. if the minis were for simple D&D play, then they would not be in random 8-packs, but in sets.
Arganis 09-12-06, 02:20 PM	in montreal they keep opening hobby stores with progessively bigger wargaming sections, so i tend to disagree You're arguing that your personal experience in Montreal, Canada is better evidence than worldwide sales figures for pewter miniatures and the increasing number of gaming store closures (per year) worldwide? Let me guess, next you'll suggest that fur coats are making a comeback because you see them worn all the time in the Yukon?
Shrindi 09-12-06, 02:29 PM	... WoTC's minis have the following advantages: 1) Not as prone to breaking when stored in large piles or small bags. 2) Lighter 3) Less work And the following disadvantages: 1) Rudimentary quality 2) Random package contents* 3) Poor package offerings** * = This one I particularly hate. I would really prefer to be able to see the minis I am buying rather than collect them like baseball cards. ** = Where's the Undead Pack with 12 skeletons, 12 zombies, and 6 ghouls? Or the Orc Pack with 24 Orcs, 3 Orc Shaman, and 1 Orc Chieftan? Seriously, I should be able to buy iconic monsters in bulk. But, as to how many D&D players paint minis? In general, the D&D players who paint their own minis are almost always also involved in tabletop wargaming (or have been in the past), or were introduced to D&D by said individuals. In this day and age, the use of pewter minis in D&D is waning considerably, as is wargaming in general. All across the country, gaming shops with wargaming space are growing further and farther between. You may have a successful shop near you, but it's among the exceptions, not the rules. I agree with you on the advantages and disadvantages wholeheartedly. I am just that person that likes ot customize things related to my hobbies. But I disagree on the part about coming from tabletop wargaming. I have never been into that. I just came into the D&D thing this past February and am having a great time. I am GMing a game for some friends that have played for a lot longer than me. I guess I am just an art dork that likes to make stuff.
Arganis 09-12-06, 02:33 PM	But I disagree on the part about coming from tabletop wargaming. I have never been into that. I just came into the D&D thing this past February and am having a great time. I am GMing a game for some friends that have played for a lot longer than me. I guess I am just an art dork that likes to make stuff. But, as to how many D&D players paint minis? In general, the D&D players who paint their own minis are almost always also involved in tabletop wargaming (or have been in the past), or were introduced to D&D by said individuals. I never played D&D with wargamers either, but my first games were played right next to the mechwarrior table at the local shop, so that's how I was exposed to miniature painting. I would have painted more of them than the two that I did, but I was spending most of my allowance on models.
pres_man 09-12-06, 04:58 PM	I feel like turning topic this into its own thread. So why do you think this is true? I don't feel like I am part of a very small subset. There are websites galore out there with devoted mini-painting fanbases. I know for a fact that I can outpaint WotC minis any day of the week. I am currently painting minis for all my players characters. One down and 4 to go. I should have them done inside a month. Look at the bolded parts. You are painting the minis for your players, so what is that 1 out of 5 players that like painting? Seems a small subset to me. Of course you could be painting them because they are yours and not the other players, but if the other players enjoyed painting then should probably have their own mini and paint it on their own time.
Shrindi 09-12-06, 05:22 PM	Look at the bolded parts. You are painting the minis for your players, so what is that 1 out of 5 players that like painting? Seems a small subset to me. Of course you could be painting them because they are yours and not the other players, but if the other players enjoyed painting then should probably have their own mini and paint it on their own time. Actually, The players order and paint minis themselves, but I found some that fit their current characters to a T so I went ahead and ordered them. They like my style of painting and attention to detail so I am hooking them up. I just brought the druid his mini last week. They were all "ooh, ahh!" so I let the cat out of the bag that I had some more in the works. We game every week but i think it would be fun to get together and make stuff every now and then. I thought painting was just part of the D&D culture but maybe you guys are right.
necrom99 09-12-06, 06:09 PM	You're arguing that your personal experience in Montreal, Canada is better evidence than worldwide sales figures for pewter miniatures and the increasing number of gaming store closures (per year) worldwide? Let me guess, next you'll suggest that fur coats are making a comeback because you see them worn all the time in the Yukon? fur coats are making a comeback..... and i may also add that his comment was made by his own experience as well......I was merely illustrating that point by saying "my experience, bla bla bla"...I'll assume that you missed that. and I also taught most of my players to paint and some of them are now better than myself. they even purchase mini's on there own just to paint them. I say mini painting is key to the guidebook of DM's
Vaalingrade Ashland 09-12-06, 06:14 PM	24) 'Duh, but the book says...' is not an excuse. Have a reason in setting for it. 25) The rules in the book only matter if they're serving the tone, theme, group and campaign well. Dust anything that doesn't. Take not prisoners.
On_the_wings_of_TPK 09-12-06, 06:25 PM	2) Design the world for games, not players. Encounters may not always be appropriate for their CR (If the group doesn't learn that they can't always win and rushes the Tarrasque at 3rd level...well in that case I'm not sure) I fundamental have to disagree with this. Encounters should always be appropriate to there CR. The game would be unbalanced if not. I do not see how it would be fun in the least for players to die to a challange that is way out of there league, and I fail to see what that adds to the game. I understand the arguement about parties hunting for things stronger then them, but I have never ever seen a party actually set out to do this. I have seen parties attack, and take on things are way too strong for them. But I have to ask myself as DM why the encounter was in the campaign that I designed in the first place. Lets sappose for second that my 1st level party is feeling overly confadent after defeating some orcs, and decides to go dragon hunting. Now there are going to be dragons in my campiagn. However that does not automatically mean that the players will find one whenever they want. I'm sure my players would also love to find a +3 flaming battle axe. They aren't goping to find any of those untill they are of an appropriate level either. But what if they are determined to hunt down a dragon? Well i could put together a dragon that is apropraite to there level. I believe Wrymlings are about a CR 2-3 depending on type. Actually on this note last night levelled down an ooze to better suite my adventure. It was a ween bit too powerful for my PCs, but is managable now. ;). At its heart this is a game, and ment to be fun. If you can keeop the game fun for everyone at the table, nothing else is really going to matter.
necrom99 09-12-06, 07:09 PM	you take away realism if the party only believes that Dragons will only come into existence when they reach the appropriate level to confront them. do u see what i'm gettin at?
Vaalingrade Ashland 09-12-06, 07:10 PM	And if you keep realism, the party will die by level 3.
oxybe 09-12-06, 07:16 PM	realism... and dragons... yup, ever an epic conflict if i ever saw one ;) . i think it's more along the lines that a party should only worry about a dragon attacking them when they are strong enough for the dragon to take notice. why would a grown, powerful dragon attack a handful of level 5 or 6 people? their equipment is salvageable, but unusable by the dragon (well, the armor and weapons at least. the potions can be used, and maybe the wands and scrolls). what little gold the party has is either already invested in the equipment itself or is hidden away in their base of operations (or even a bank). mini painting is not in every group's d&d culture... just some groups. especially since the d&d culture is as varied as the cultures that play D&D
pres_man 09-12-06, 07:25 PM	26. Not all combats need be to the death. If an encounter ends up being overpowered (usually obvious after a PC or two drop), tell the (remaining) PCs to surrender, do non-lethal damage and capture them, or have the foe retreat because it is badly injuried. Unintelligent monsters usually attack for food or to protect something, once a PC or two is dead, have it drag off the corpse. A TPK is often the result of the DM not being able to adjust their think fast enough. 27. Be courteous even if a player whose character just died is not being. Keep the comments about "Well if you would have ..." to yourself. 28. Don't over plan. Develop a general world view on events, but only plan in specific detail a session or two at a time so that it can develop and change as the party makes choices. 29. Try strange builds and wierd combinations, see what you like. 30. Discuss with your players the views of the alignments prior to character creation. More than one game has gone down in flames due to different views on how far a paladin can act before falling from grace. Make sure you are comfortable with the views as you will have to run all of the creatures and NPCs with respect to it. 31. No shallow NPCs, no you don't need 20 pages of backstory, but have some idea of their desires, alliances, and traits. Goofy NPCs are good occasionally, but as with all things, moderation. 32. Nobody wants to follow around your 85th level demi-god even if he is funny and cool. And no it is not cool for him to follow the party either giving "advice" from the peanut gallery. Leave Gandolf at home and bring Pip along with the group if they need a bit of aid (fool of a Took). 33. Allow table talk. This is a game, people should have fun while playing. Also it gives you ideas about things they like or dislike as you listen while looking for that stat sheet.
fatal error 09-12-06, 08:07 PM	34) If your battlemap doesn't have anything but walls on it, you need more interesting terrain in your combats. 35) If no one wants to play anything with adequate healing abilities, research an alternative healing system over forcing someone to be a cleric or running one as an NPC. 36) Play your monsters with tactics appropriate to their intelligence and wisdom scores. 37) Don't give the PCs all the time in the world and then complain about them taking 20 and resting all the time. 38) Always ask about a Character's background and general concept while it is being made, else the Player might end up with a +5 Piece of Paper of Optimization rather than a +5 Character of Effectiveness and Roleplaying. 39) Never give out treasure solely based on Randomized Distribution by the DMG charts. 40) Never conjure up some obviously made-up excuse for a Player's clever plan to not work. Example: Mage casts Tentacles, don't randomly give the guy they're fighting a ring of greater dispelling just because you hadn't thought of Tentacles. 41) Never allow a rules 'discussion' to last longer than either A) the amount of time it takes to look up relevent informatin or B) 1 minute. This can be ignored in the case of possible character death. 42) Never use Pyro or Cryo hydras on equal level and unprepared parties.
Milandros 09-12-06, 08:42 PM	1) Design the world and build it how you see fit, but remember that the players can and will shape it if they so choose. Do not use fiats to stop them from altering your landscape. If you mean players will go out and change things through play, then yes, certainly. The world must be a dynamic playe, and if the players burn down the village of Little Whittering, then Little Whittering is ash. If you mean that they're going to add drow into my campaign world because they want to play a chaotic good twin-scimitar wielding ranger trying to throw off the reputation of their evil kin (which, according to TOoTS, the entire race now consists of), then no. The DM does have the final say in the design of his campaign world. Players of course have the right to comment, complain, ask for changes which the DM should consider, or play elsewhere/ It's kinda like the players' eqivalent rule: Design your character and build it how you see fit, but remember that the DM can and will shape it if he so chooses. It's not polite for either the DM or the players to push too hard on this rule.
Arganis 09-12-06, 08:50 PM	fur coats are making a comeback..... and i may also add that his comment was made by his own experience as well......I was merely illustrating that point by saying "my experience, bla bla bla"...I'll assume that you missed that. and I also taught most of my players to paint and some of them are now better than myself. they even purchase mini's on there own just to paint them. I say mini painting is key to the guidebook of DM's Why don't you look up the sales figures on the internet, put the numbers in an excel spreadsheet to make a graph, and watch the line go down, and then tell me that I was using personal experience. You're telling us that you should be good at painting miniatures to be a good DM? While that is awfully "rennaissance man" of you, it's also pretty dumb.
necrom99 09-12-06, 11:53 PM	realism... and dragons... yup, ever an epic conflict if i ever saw one ;) . i think it's more along the lines that a party should only worry about a dragon attacking them when they are strong enough for the dragon to take notice. why would a grown, powerful dragon attack a handful of level 5 or 6 people? their equipment is salvageable, but unusable by the dragon (well, the armor and weapons at least. the potions can be used, and maybe the wands and scrolls). what little gold the party has is either already invested in the equipment itself or is hidden away in their base of operations (or even a bank). ok obviously i'm not using the right terminology, i meant that if you don't allow your characters to foolishly attack a Dragon at a low level then they won't feel in control of the world around them. And will lose there suspension of disbelief. do you not agree that if a character wants to jump off a bridge to his obvious death, that even if he believes there is an invisible bridge, which there is no evidence of, then that character should fall to his death?
necrom99 09-12-06, 11:59 PM	Why don't you look up the sales figures on the internet, put the numbers in an excel spreadsheet to make a graph, and watch the line go down, and then tell me that I was using personal experience. You're telling us that you should be good at painting miniatures to be a good DM? While that is awfully "rennaissance man" of you, it's also pretty dumb. I see you have taken much time in building said graphs and have information above and beyond my own. for my lack of understanding I appologize, IMOO however i've seen an obvious increase in Gaming and gaming outlets.....perhaps I am wrong,however from where i stand however it does not apear so. and i never mentioned that not painting mini's made you a bad DM....all i said is that learning to paint mini's would increase enjoyment of the game, i hardly see how it couldn't....but again this is my own opinion. also if you see number 34), i suggest old board games like hero quest.....they had some interesting table top furniture and stuff.....
Arganis 09-13-06, 10:21 AM	I see you have taken much time in building said graphs and have information above and beyond my own. for my lack of understanding I appologize, IMOO however i've seen an obvious increase in Gaming and gaming outlets.....perhaps I am wrong,however from where i stand however it does not apear so. Your relation of the situation there (in addition to certain other political considerations) makes me want to move to Canada. There's only one major wargaming store left in Atlanta, and it's only half the size of the one that just closed. That's the "personal experience" that led me to look into the general trend. To be specific, by the way, wargaming isn't losing ground in terms of net sales, it's losing ground in terms of comparative net sales. That is to say, it is becoming less lucrative compared to other similar types of gaming. I'm not attempting to imply that wargaming is dying, just that it continues to occupy a smaller slice of the proverbial pie. and i never mentioned that not painting mini's made you a bad DM....all i said is that learning to paint mini's would increase enjoyment of the game, i hardly see how it couldn't....but again this is my own opinion. For my own part, I see a difference between playing a game as a game versus playing a game as a hobby. Many people, including myself, don't enjoy devoting time and money to something that does not significantly gratify them. also if you see number 34), i suggest old board games like hero quest.....they had some interesting table top furniture and stuff..... Man I loved that game!
On_the_wings_of_TPK 09-13-06, 11:46 AM	and i never mentioned that not painting mini's made you a bad DM....all i said is that learning to paint mini's would increase enjoyment of the game, i hardly see how it couldn't....but again this is my own opinion. It may if your into that sort of thing. If your not...then painting minis is a long and teadiouse prosess. I personally enjoy it, my wife laks the patients for it, and thus does not do it. We are both capable DMs.
necrom99 09-13-06, 12:08 PM	Your relation of the situation there (in addition to certain other political considerations) makes me want to move to Canada. There's only one major wargaming store left in Atlanta, and it's only half the size of the one that just closed. That's the "personal experience" that led me to look into the general trend. For my own part, I see a difference between playing a game as a game versus playing a game as a hobby. Many people, including myself, don't enjoy devoting time and money to something that does not significantly gratify them. If ya feel like moving to canada look me up. also I may add that i've found that devoting time to a hobby can be quite satisfying, albeit expensive at times. And I feel that gaming would go under a hobby-esque heading, but who cares. I do however have an impressive collection of mini's and a number of new companies creating and distributing minis have cropped up of late.....even if some are from table-top wargames. so bact to the OP 35) don't change a rule mid-combat because it seems "off" unless all your characters vote for the change, and you brought it up. 36) be very well informed before allowing different magic styles into your game...i.e. incarnate magic, psionics, etc.. 37) always have a couple of adventure's on the "back-burner" just in case your players feel like taking a different direction 38) have your players give you a compelling back-story before they make a character.......by compelling i mean more than two sentences. 39) don't be afraid to rip off adventure idea's from movie's books or video-games.....just give 'em a twist so its not a blatant forgery........someone once said that everything good has already been done, i just don't remember who. 40) if your playing a long-term campaign have the characters fame increase as they do good deeds......in the long run it becomes a reward unto itself
oxybe 09-13-06, 12:23 PM	heroquest... that brings back some old memories... I'm with TPK on the painted lead mini issue: some people have the patience for it, others don't. it doesn't make you any better or worse a DM. it's just one of those things. everyone is diffrent, but we can probly all say we each pay respect to our hobby in our own way. for me, it's complex undergound dungeons and intelligent combat... oh how i love my mazes and the critters within... they could make a kobold cry... @ necrom99 : if they wanna jump off a bridge, they'll take 1d6 per 10 feet of falling damage... with some negated by a proper tumble check of course. if they attack a dragon unprepared, well... dragon chow all around! there is a diffrence between the party doing something obviously suicidal and actively making an ogre mage with bodyguards as the antagonists of a level 3 party. in the first, you put the dragon there and they attacked it. in the second you put the ogre mage there and attacked them. big diffrence. -------------------------------------------------------- now, onto the list! 41) find your group's niche and focus on it. after a few good sessions you'll know what kind of games your group likes... so focus on that. don't give a hackfest to the actors and a stage to the brutes. give em what they want and they'll keep coming for more! 31. No shallow NPCs, no you don't need 20 pages of backstory, but have some idea of their desires, alliances, and traits. Goofy NPCs are good occasionally, but as with all things, moderation. 42) No shallow PC's, no you don't need 20 pages of backstory, but have some idea of their desires, alliances, and traits. Goofy PCs are good occasionally, but as with all things, moderation. most often a page is all that is necessary at most, a few paragraphs at least. this can vary from game to game on how much backstory is needed, but you should give the DM a few hooks a reason for your PC to adventure is enough
JamesDruidDM 09-13-06, 12:54 PM	rule -1: players have the right to vote with their feet. sig, heres yer :cookie:
oxybe 09-13-06, 12:56 PM	wow... i'm sigged... :eek: