Post/Author/DateTime	Post
isaac anthony 03-14-07, 02:02 AM	so this is the tread that asks: What d you want from your DM? What good/bad traits does your dream DM have, and not have? And from the DM perspective, and other PC's perspectives, what makes an incredible player character? i'll go first, what I want from a DM: a DM: sticks with the books most of the time, is dynamic enough to grab info from good splat-books (there is a lot of bad splatbook info, it takes a lot to sort it all out) and apply the info asap. Also, is open to changing old rules (on the fly) so that they are better suited to the current game world, and ASKS his players to give feedback to make the entire process a better one. and that everyone feels like that is the way it should be handled. I like as much roleplaying in possible when we play, it takes our DM a bit to get himself composed, and then he tries to get eveyone else on the same page, it's kind-of chaotic that way... maybe more later...
kelvinaw273 03-14-07, 01:16 PM	I like a DM that surprises me, who can talk up a good story, who can take details from my backstory and throw them back at me and then still blindside me with it on the peak of an adventure. I like a DM who can bend when we hold a gun to his head and demand to take the plot to Cuba, and yet still not lose trace of where we are in the big story. I like a DM with a sense of the Dramatic, who can get us on the edge of the seat with our hearts pumping ... who can glue us to the story so tightly that we will unhook the life support machine from ourselves to get to a session .... and who delivers with a flourish. Rules Schmules, you get a DM that good, you don't need rules ...
Pippa 03-14-07, 04:50 PM	Best people to play with are those that blatantly, shamelessly write the adventure in log-form as it evolves, and satellite-stories about backgrounds or NPC's, to fill up the gaps, plus poems and songs, and who draw their characters and the nice and cool parts of the story (plus joke-art), and who tell D&D-bedtime stories to one another! We're the r0xxorz!
Grod_The_Giant 03-15-07, 09:11 PM	nice, friendly people who are serious about the game. They roleplay well, but have plenty of combat too. the DM should be the same kind of guy, but always prepared, knowledgable, and good at improvising.
TheChilliGod 03-16-07, 03:08 AM	My best DM should be about my age, female, single, and likes long walks in the park. My best DM is someone who remains consistent. I'm all too happy to follow plot points that are presented, but I don't appreciate it when absolutely none of the quests connect to each other (side-quests excluded) and I end up playing tabletop WoW. Consistency in storyline as well as the rules would be appreciated; changing the rules on the fly, then turning them back, can get annoying. My best DM should also be flexible. Not in the number of hooks available, but in the creativity of those who decide to solve the quest. If I want to dig through the back of the hill to get to the unintelligent spider, bypassing dozens of unintelligent spider minions, then I should bliming well be able to do so without walls of force popping up in the way (just an example). But, over anything else, my best DM lets my PC do awesome things. If my PC doesn't do anything awesome in a whole game, then it was a bad game. So far, I've got one such DM. He rocks, and I would walk to his place (~20 km's from here) for a game, given the chance.
aotrscommander 03-16-07, 09:21 AM	Were I to formalise the unspoken agreement that runs in our groups, I would do it as follows: What I expect from my DM (in no particular order): Fair and consistant rulings. Not to utilise NPCs as a means with which to prove how hard the NPC is (unless this is directly related to the plot). Tolerance of my foilibles, especailly with rules, since I have a need to get things 'right'. Accept that in some generas, my capabilities are diminished (i.e, I do not do shades of grey, so I am hampered by such an environment, e.g. Shadowrun; I will still play to the best of my ability but at reduced capacity). Keep my character sheet. If I am not present, try (in concert with the players) not to get me killed, but otherwise to ensure my character contributes mechanically as if I was there. Advise and help the players on both mechanical and roleplaying issues. Have a consistant world. A good plot. A good plot that actually surprises me is even better. (I have a +27 in Knowledge (Guess Plot or Story)). Never to fall foul of the Stormwind Fallacy. Make the noises/accents as appropriate (or at least try!) Minimise railroading as much as is reasonably possible (at least visibly). Present a level of credible threat as best as possible. It's fine to say "I never kill PCs" so long as you don't say it when during the moment the PCs seems about to die, since it makes it hard to maintain my sense of seperation! Never to fall foul of the Stormwind Fallacy. Have fun! As a player I will (in no particular order): Repect the Authoritah of the DM. The DM most likely has spend many hours preparing the game, and he/she is not getting paid for it. I will therefore do my best to meet the DM at least half-way if not more. Play fairly; this includes bringing up rules queries that are to the determent of the party not just in favour. If we find out we did something wrong rules-wise, I will not attempt to abuse the same issue on the counts of "that's what we did last time!" Despite metagaming the heck out of everything, I will seperate that knowledge from my character's knowledge as appropriate. Query rules if they do not seem to match up as I know them; however, ultimately it is your game, and you may instigate any rules changes you wish. All I ask is that you hear me out and then make your ruling, at which point the discussion is over. If we are collectively unsure, I will often take the most deterimental result and attempt to find the right answer later. Play as part of team. this means trying to actively prevent the polarisation of the party and generally promoting well-being among both the characters and the players (and the DM too, come to that). I will also try to make my characters so as to be useful and to try and have a balanced party (in the sense of all roles filled etc.) Accept any mechanical (or roleplaying) advice from other players of the DM. Freely hand out mechanical, tactical or roleplaying advice to fellow players and the DM (this is acutaully more likely than the previous statement, especially for the first two). Make all the noises and/or accents as required. Shout Huzzah! a lot (if good-aligned) Treat all encounters and dangers as potentially deadly (up to conciously blocking the fact the DM doesn't kill characters off by their own admission). Not treat my character as if it was a precious item. If my character dies, I will be miffed, but I will not throw a hissy fit. If I like my character so much I want to use it fo other games, I'l make a copy myself. Right a backstory if required, and expect DM input to finalise it to fit in the DM's world. Make a character concept suitable to the campaign. This includes not creating a character that is a lone wolf or Chaotic Stupid. Accept that if I am using a homebrew variant of anything (or any other exploit that appears to be too powerful) that the DM reserves the right to bring it back into line and I will not complain about it. Assume that everything ever published is not open to me, and that I should ask for anything the DM has not specifically okayed. Accept a reasonable to high level of railroading. (Although not necessarily with a straight face!) Less is better, of course! Get over-excited frequently. Never interupt the BBEG's evil monologue, and make appropriate cliches comments as required. Try not to interupt the DM's atmospheric or narrative descriptions with comments, but probably fail. Quote and/or paraphrase Star Wars, Prachett of any other thing I've been subject to recently in the appropriate place. Loot the bodies, attempt to open every door in the dungeon, try to follow every plot hook and generally make the DM use all that he has prepared. When the DM says "shut up/drop it/stop doing that" I will immediatly be quiet, cease arguing and stop what it was I'm doing without rancour. Try to minimise OC chatter. Never fall foul of the Stormwind Fallacy. Have fun! When I DM, I expect more or less the same from the players and give the same as DM.
MagusBlack 03-18-07, 12:00 AM	A Player and the DM should always have: An open mind (Nothing worse than a someone with no vision) A good sense of humor (Worse, someone with no laughter in thier life/unlife) A respect of other peoples ideas (They dont have to agee with them, just be polite) A good understanding of evil (I'm lawful evil and nothing bugs me more than those that think that all evil is stupid or short-sighted) A good understanding of the rules and the foresight to change when neccasary (for the DM). Acceptable out-look at death (Players should know they can die and DM's shouldnt be afraid to let death take them...I mean a third-person party can alway bring em back...for a price:schemes:)
Drag0nUL 03-18-07, 03:07 PM	What I would like to see in a good DM: 1. Adaptability: when players come up with a way to solve your 3-hour long adventure in under 10 minutes, don't start thinking of adding ad-hoc reasons to say 'you can't do it', but instead find a creative way to move on. 2. Creativity: I like my DM to be able to react in creative ways to sudden plot twists and to be able to devise really captivating storylines(adventures can be bought/found, but linking them together depends on the DM). 3. Good knowledge of the rules: It slows down the pace of the game and makes players lose their faith in you somewhat if you start flipping through the rulebooks every 5 minutes. Of course it is almost impossible to know all the rules by heart, but at least the basics (attack, AC, movement, initiative) should be crystal clear to the DM. 4. Strong-willed: You control the game. And make sure the players know that. My current DM fulfills all of the above criteria but tends to give up easily under player pressure. He has lost quite a few adventures due to in game complaints like 'that's too hard', 'that's broken' etc.
RetiredThief 03-20-07, 10:18 PM	People who play furiously hard without taking even the first bit of it seriously. ... Does that make ANY sense at all? :P
Dragonsblood 03-20-07, 11:03 PM	A great DM creates a believable, immersive gameworld (or uses a pregenerated one to good effect), encourages roleplaying by setting a good example, runs a fun and dynamic storyline without railroading, acts as a fair authority figure for the group, and consistently follows a set of game rules that all of the players agree to ahead of time. Great players make an effort to roleplay to the best of their ability, show up consistently to games (and give ample warning when they can't make it to one), know their class abilities, and aren't disruptive to the other players.
Saytr 03-23-07, 04:58 PM	People who play furiously hard without taking even the first bit of it seriously. ... Does that make ANY sense at all? :P Sigged :tiphat: ..when I get around to it.
Eric888 03-23-07, 07:44 PM	for players the most important thing is just that they are people you like. D&D is mostly a social gathering, so the same rules apply. aside from that a few unanimous opinions: 1) doesn't argue with the DM. the DM is god and his rule is final. 2) doesn't point out flaws or mistakes of other players. you are all on the same teem. i never remembered shaq calling a foul on coby (when they were on the same team.) 3) doesn't play confrontational loner types when the players are trying to work together and/or goes wandering off and expects just as much game time as the other PCs who stuck together. 4) doesn't talk about other charecters or games that the other players don't play or were never in a game with. for DMs 1) doesn't change his mind based on players arguing. if the DM lets himself get manipulated, the whole game will fall apart. 2) doesn't have powerful NPCs tag along and/or solve their problems. the players should be the center of everything, even at first level. 3) doesn't guide the players by the nose (railroading).
Eric888 03-23-07, 07:52 PM	The dungeon master is not final because he is infallible, he is infallible because he is final - Robert Jackson, Asociaste Justice of the Supreme Court, Brown v. Allen
Dragonsblood 03-24-07, 12:43 PM	Never argue with the DM? The DM is God?? Wow I'd hate to play in that game.
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-25-07, 12:38 AM	My typical gaming group agreements (mostly unwritten): 1) The DM reserves the right to veto any class/feat/skill/etc... for any reason, but should explain their reasoning to the player at the time of veto. Vetos should have solid reasons beyond "I don't like that," or "I don't like you." Solid veto reasons include Storyline, Group Cohesion (Sorry, no Blackguards in the Pally-filled party), or Difficulty with the Rules (I'm just not comfortable with...). The Player should not argue this point, complain loudly, or try and find ways around it. 2) If a Player wants to do something particularly important that is clearly "off the path" in regards to the DM's story, they should give the DM at least a one week warning so that the DM has time to prepare. (i.e.: "I want to join the Rogue's Guild next time we're in town.") The DM reserves the right to refuse to let characters take actions he is not prepared for (in extreme cases), but should include such items in his plans for a game in a reasonable amount of time. 3) Players should avoid extreme amounts of inter-party animosity. A little conflict is acceptable, but serious game-damaging fights should be avoided. By the same token, the DM should not introduce (too frequently, or extreme examples of) situations that would produce such conflicts. PC vs. PC conflict that takes more than half-an-hour of game time, or results in character death, is unwelcome. ("You're a team. Act like it.") 4) Players and DMs alike should accept the fact that this is a game, and it will include downtime, laughter, and other forms of general chatter. Don't get too caught up in "serious" gaming. 5) Show respect for other players and the DM by focusing on the game. Do not take unnecessary time away from the game. Take long phone calls (over 1 minute), important conversations, or other major issues outside if necessary. 6) Respect the other individuals around the table. If someone finds the joke offensive, don't tell it. If someone finds the word offensive, don't say it. Keep your conversation clean. (In particular, avoid using the words "G.. D..." and avoid lewd sex jokes.) And b/c I'm usually the one hosting the game... 7) Be a good house guest. Clean up after yourself. Put things back where you got them. Be willing, at least occasionally, to chip in on things like chips, cokes, or pizza. If a game runs late, have the sense to leave relatively quickly. Don't make me force you out the door.
Corpsekin 03-27-07, 08:16 PM	By The Deathless Beauty(come on its an undead goddess of love who else do you think i'd worship nerull?) I'm realy glad that I already have a core group of dedicated gamers and don't have to wish for one. my only real complaint would be that id like to play with people slightly more interested in the RP side of D&D