A Realization [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Realization [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shedeo
03-08-06, 09:56 PM You know, I was running my game today and as I sit here at home, after the session, I come to a realization.

DMing is a heck of a lotta fun.

I mean, for me, it used to be a chore; something I'd do because nobody else wanted, or could, do it. But after the adventure today,... My mind has changed.

There's an sblock in my sig that has my party members in it. Large(ish) group, its a community group so I have to run a game for those wanting to play.

Anyways, I decided that I'd come on and let that be known, as well as share some of the more memorable moments in the campaign, and hope to hear a few others from my fellow dms here on the boards! I think the best of today's I now have in my signature, the joke about the paladin, the monk, and the wizard. Another happened in the adventure before this one.

The Paladin was enlarged, charging at an odd evil creature (homebrew Giant) from behind as it ignored him, yelling a blessing and screaming "Sinner!". Smote it in the back, cut through its side, spilling its guts. He stands triumphant, but the monster stays standing, and it turns around, fire burning in its eyes. He hides behind his tower shield, peeking out from it, and whimpers "...sinner?"

It gave us all a good laugh, but what about the rest of you, eh?
TheChilliGod
03-08-06, 10:17 PM HAH!

And here I am on the direct opposite of the scale! To me, DM'ing is, or has been, (might be turning around sometime soon) simply a thankless task—little more than a continuous homework assignment or an ongoing household chore—that involves keeping other people happy as much as possible, which may or may not involve their trampling of you under their shoes (with cleats).
And then they discard you like disposable nappies, when it doesn't happen to be fun for them anymore.
Yeah, and that's how my players think about what it means to DM, as well. They told me so. Don't know why, then, all of them started to DM their own campaigns after mine started.

Heh. I also have no extremely memorable moments I think are worthy enough to share neither. It's all just... well... Meh.
DaMullet
03-08-06, 10:24 PM I hover between the two.

Our group's humor is a bit spicy for this board, though.

I generally get my humor by making elaborate pranks to play on them. For example, they recently found 10 potions. They are ALL mislabeled, and three of them are actually 'trapped' so produce the opposite effect (the Haste potion is actually Slow, the Fox's Cunning is a Touch of Idiocy). They throw things at me, but then they laugh it off.

Mostly, it's harmless.
Marvos
03-09-06, 12:56 AM About a year and a half ago I explained to my PCs that I was done with DMing because "my efforts go unappreciated." I had GMed a Star Wars game before that and then Shadowrun before that. For some reason my players did nothing but complain. I started a DnD campaign back in July (after swearing off DMing :rolleye2: ) and it's been going great. Perhaps it's because of more experience and plus our group was a little closer. Maybe too it was my complaining that changed things. Who knows?
HerbalTea
03-09-06, 05:42 AM DnD can be a strange game sometimes
Szat
03-09-06, 09:13 AM It's hard right? It's a multi-faceted game beyond that of a computer. You're juggling player personalities, your desires, player desires and trying to fit that all into a set of rules. D&D is indeed a weird game sometimes.
Shedeo
03-09-06, 10:13 AM Yes, it can be a very strange game sometimes. I know that personally, I've prematurely ended two campaigns before they should have because of problem players. This new one I think has quite a bit of hope though.

I think one of the best things that you can do is to make sure that you know your players. If you dm over your friends, there's a small chance of them leaving. Unfortunately, such things are not unheard of, and TCG, I have heard of your plight from your thread. I'm sorry that it happened, and if there's anything I can do to help, drop me a pm or sommat.

On perhaps a lighter note, I was fishing around on the Eberron boards (a rare thing for me, actually) and I came across the "1001 Things the Worst Party in Eberron..." thread. I laughed, I cried (from laughture), and it was still fresh in my mind by the time I went to DM my friday game. By the end of a single session, we had 31 different things that my party was not allowed to do, and I cannot wait for more! The list was written in the same fashion that the Eberron one was, and I may post them here, just to get a laugh, but I may not.

*flies away like a supervillain*
Kragar's Shadow
03-09-06, 12:01 PM I find I really enjoy DMing. I like coming up with crazy ideas and figuring out how to present them. I like throwing these things at my players to see if I'm as clever as I think I am and am always surprised at how they react. Yes, I miss playing sometimes and I hate when I have trouble coming up with names on the spot, but overall I enjoy it.

What I hate about DMing and will be the thing to make me quit is scheduling. Trying to get together 6 people for 3-4 hours every 2 weeks shouldn't be as hard as it it. And if I ever wanted to do a 6-8 hour session? Hah! Forget it!
Bruunwald
03-09-06, 12:27 PM That reminds me of Paul McCartney.

Paul started out on guitar and only ended up playing bass because there were too many guitarists in the band. At first he resisted; he thought it was a chore; a lesser, unglamorous instrument meant for sticking in the back.

Pretty soon, though, he came to the realization that the instrument was "really beautiful" (his words). He embraced his new position, and then, well... then you get The Beatles.

We are resistant, at first, to plenty of things. It is human nature to seek glory, I think, and to want it easy. I also wanted to be a player. Twenty-five years ago. But I'm glad those other kids shafted me and killed my first PC on the first round of his first battle. It's not my nature to sit idly, passively awaiting my turn.

We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams.

--EDIT--

Hey! I'm number nine.

"Number nine. Number nine."
JakWote
03-09-06, 12:32 PM I absolutely love it when my party comes up with some interesting and creative way of thwarting my plot to kill them, or when the take some off-hand comment I make and turn it into a recurring joke. For example: I gave them a mission of recovering a noble's signet ring from a lad who worked as a kitchen-***** at a local front for a thieves guild, expecting them to bluff their way in, take the ring and leave (this was before I got to know the characters very well). The rogue snuck in through the roof, crit-sneak attacked 3 of the 9 guild members, killed the rest and put out all teh lights, letting the party into the building. They then killed everyone else in the building, getting in trouble with the law and everything. Then they bluffed their way through the SALE of the building they had just claimed via finding the deed in the basement. Of course, they wanted to know the name on the deed, and I came up with Alexander Vasquez. So now the name has become a running joke, and indeed a plot point, up to the rogue naming his horse Alexander Vasquez, and the actual man being an undertaker of considerable infamacy.

I find that DMing is much more fun if your players have a good sense of humor about the game, and you can roll with what they want to do. Sure, I intended to run a mostly good campaign with them ending up saving the kingdom from invaders from another plane. Well half of them are CN (pirate, bard, wizard) and I've got a CG cleric and a TN rogue (due to his death and resurection, plot hooks and divine influence), so what I intended to do got thrown right out the window. The worlds remain the same though, right? So I go with it, see what happens.

Does make it awfully hard to plan for though, never know what they want to do.
BladeMage_1
03-09-06, 06:25 PM Its been half and half for me as well as of late. I love the creation process, but usually by the time I get to the table I just forget things and screw up some of the things that happen (but it's due to a bare amount of prep time). But the last 2 weeks I've been making awesome ideas and have actually written things down.

It sucks when you get to the table and you run a game, then at the end all the players pile their character sheets on you and don't even give feedback (maybe I should ask now, or do some surveys)

I'm the only one that has ever really done it so, eh whatever.
Warboss Morgrum
03-10-06, 03:26 AM I'm in the same boat as TheChilliGod. I can count the number of times my players have given me positive feedback on one hand. Conversely, if I screw something up or, God forbid, make an encounter hard, someone will inform me quickly.

I usually enjoy creating monsters and NPCs, but actually using them is a pain, as they players will either have the exact spell/ability to overcome them is one round, or someone will be griping out how "That monster wasn't fair man, it couldn't have been our CR." as they are looting its possessions having suffered no casualties again.

I'm actually completely disgusted with DMing at the moment, but the alternative is no D&D at all. I have a few good players, but they are too busy to run a game. I suppose I'll keep taking it and settle with my "interesting monster concepts"

I'm probably being unfairly bitter, but this latest game has been torture to run.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shedeo 03-08-06, 09:56 PM	You know, I was running my game today and as I sit here at home, after the session, I come to a realization. DMing is a heck of a lotta fun. I mean, for me, it used to be a chore; something I'd do because nobody else wanted, or could, do it. But after the adventure today,... My mind has changed. There's an sblock in my sig that has my party members in it. Large(ish) group, its a community group so I have to run a game for those wanting to play. Anyways, I decided that I'd come on and let that be known, as well as share some of the more memorable moments in the campaign, and hope to hear a few others from my fellow dms here on the boards! I think the best of today's I now have in my signature, the joke about the paladin, the monk, and the wizard. Another happened in the adventure before this one. The Paladin was enlarged, charging at an odd evil creature (homebrew Giant) from behind as it ignored him, yelling a blessing and screaming "Sinner!". Smote it in the back, cut through its side, spilling its guts. He stands triumphant, but the monster stays standing, and it turns around, fire burning in its eyes. He hides behind his tower shield, peeking out from it, and whimpers "...sinner?" It gave us all a good laugh, but what about the rest of you, eh?
TheChilliGod 03-08-06, 10:17 PM	HAH! And here I am on the direct opposite of the scale! To me, DM'ing is, or has been, (might be turning around sometime soon) simply a thankless task—little more than a continuous homework assignment or an ongoing household chore—that involves keeping other people happy as much as possible, which may or may not involve their trampling of you under their shoes (with cleats). And then they discard you like disposable nappies, when it doesn't happen to be fun for them anymore. Yeah, and that's how my players think about what it means to DM, as well. They told me so. Don't know why, then, all of them started to DM their own campaigns after mine started. Heh. I also have no extremely memorable moments I think are worthy enough to share neither. It's all just... well... Meh.
DaMullet 03-08-06, 10:24 PM	I hover between the two. Our group's humor is a bit spicy for this board, though. I generally get my humor by making elaborate pranks to play on them. For example, they recently found 10 potions. They are ALL mislabeled, and three of them are actually 'trapped' so produce the opposite effect (the Haste potion is actually Slow, the Fox's Cunning is a Touch of Idiocy). They throw things at me, but then they laugh it off. Mostly, it's harmless.
Marvos 03-09-06, 12:56 AM	About a year and a half ago I explained to my PCs that I was done with DMing because "my efforts go unappreciated." I had GMed a Star Wars game before that and then Shadowrun before that. For some reason my players did nothing but complain. I started a DnD campaign back in July (after swearing off DMing :rolleye2: ) and it's been going great. Perhaps it's because of more experience and plus our group was a little closer. Maybe too it was my complaining that changed things. Who knows?
HerbalTea 03-09-06, 05:42 AM	DnD can be a strange game sometimes
Szat 03-09-06, 09:13 AM	It's hard right? It's a multi-faceted game beyond that of a computer. You're juggling player personalities, your desires, player desires and trying to fit that all into a set of rules. D&D is indeed a weird game sometimes.
Shedeo 03-09-06, 10:13 AM	Yes, it can be a very strange game sometimes. I know that personally, I've prematurely ended two campaigns before they should have because of problem players. This new one I think has quite a bit of hope though. I think one of the best things that you can do is to make sure that you know your players. If you dm over your friends, there's a small chance of them leaving. Unfortunately, such things are not unheard of, and TCG, I have heard of your plight from your thread. I'm sorry that it happened, and if there's anything I can do to help, drop me a pm or sommat. On perhaps a lighter note, I was fishing around on the Eberron boards (a rare thing for me, actually) and I came across the "1001 Things the Worst Party in Eberron..." thread. I laughed, I cried (from laughture), and it was still fresh in my mind by the time I went to DM my friday game. By the end of a single session, we had 31 different things that my party was not allowed to do, and I cannot wait for more! The list was written in the same fashion that the Eberron one was, and I may post them here, just to get a laugh, but I may not. flies away like a supervillain
Kragar's Shadow 03-09-06, 12:01 PM	I find I really enjoy DMing. I like coming up with crazy ideas and figuring out how to present them. I like throwing these things at my players to see if I'm as clever as I think I am and am always surprised at how they react. Yes, I miss playing sometimes and I hate when I have trouble coming up with names on the spot, but overall I enjoy it. What I hate about DMing and will be the thing to make me quit is scheduling. Trying to get together 6 people for 3-4 hours every 2 weeks shouldn't be as hard as it it. And if I ever wanted to do a 6-8 hour session? Hah! Forget it!
Bruunwald 03-09-06, 12:27 PM	That reminds me of Paul McCartney. Paul started out on guitar and only ended up playing bass because there were too many guitarists in the band. At first he resisted; he thought it was a chore; a lesser, unglamorous instrument meant for sticking in the back. Pretty soon, though, he came to the realization that the instrument was "really beautiful" (his words). He embraced his new position, and then, well... then you get The Beatles. We are resistant, at first, to plenty of things. It is human nature to seek glory, I think, and to want it easy. I also wanted to be a player. Twenty-five years ago. But I'm glad those other kids shafted me and killed my first PC on the first round of his first battle. It's not my nature to sit idly, passively awaiting my turn. We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams. --EDIT-- Hey! I'm number nine. "Number nine. Number nine."
JakWote 03-09-06, 12:32 PM	I absolutely love it when my party comes up with some interesting and creative way of thwarting my plot to kill them, or when the take some off-hand comment I make and turn it into a recurring joke. For example: I gave them a mission of recovering a noble's signet ring from a lad who worked as a kitchen-***** at a local front for a thieves guild, expecting them to bluff their way in, take the ring and leave (this was before I got to know the characters very well). The rogue snuck in through the roof, crit-sneak attacked 3 of the 9 guild members, killed the rest and put out all teh lights, letting the party into the building. They then killed everyone else in the building, getting in trouble with the law and everything. Then they bluffed their way through the SALE of the building they had just claimed via finding the deed in the basement. Of course, they wanted to know the name on the deed, and I came up with Alexander Vasquez. So now the name has become a running joke, and indeed a plot point, up to the rogue naming his horse Alexander Vasquez, and the actual man being an undertaker of considerable infamacy. I find that DMing is much more fun if your players have a good sense of humor about the game, and you can roll with what they want to do. Sure, I intended to run a mostly good campaign with them ending up saving the kingdom from invaders from another plane. Well half of them are CN (pirate, bard, wizard) and I've got a CG cleric and a TN rogue (due to his death and resurection, plot hooks and divine influence), so what I intended to do got thrown right out the window. The worlds remain the same though, right? So I go with it, see what happens. Does make it awfully hard to plan for though, never know what they want to do.
BladeMage_1 03-09-06, 06:25 PM	Its been half and half for me as well as of late. I love the creation process, but usually by the time I get to the table I just forget things and screw up some of the things that happen (but it's due to a bare amount of prep time). But the last 2 weeks I've been making awesome ideas and have actually written things down. It sucks when you get to the table and you run a game, then at the end all the players pile their character sheets on you and don't even give feedback (maybe I should ask now, or do some surveys) I'm the only one that has ever really done it so, eh whatever.
Warboss Morgrum 03-10-06, 03:26 AM	I'm in the same boat as TheChilliGod. I can count the number of times my players have given me positive feedback on one hand. Conversely, if I screw something up or, God forbid, make an encounter hard, someone will inform me quickly. I usually enjoy creating monsters and NPCs, but actually using them is a pain, as they players will either have the exact spell/ability to overcome them is one round, or someone will be griping out how "That monster wasn't fair man, it couldn't have been our CR." as they are looting its possessions having suffered no casualties again. I'm actually completely disgusted with DMing at the moment, but the alternative is no D&D at all. I have a few good players, but they are too busy to run a game. I suppose I'll keep taking it and settle with my "interesting monster concepts" I'm probably being unfairly bitter, but this latest game has been torture to run.