Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Vasquine_DeTsar 04-01-06, 06:33 PM	I've seen a lot of threads dedicated to bagging out DMs and pranking them, excentuating their bad qualities, helping you "trick" them, and giving examples of the worst DM imaginable, but what I'd really like to see, is some examples of what players think is the best DM imaginable. I'm thinking really good ways of handling situations, good rulings, funny lines, classic storylines. Not just DMs who roll over when the player wants something, or ways that you've taken advantage of them, just the best. DM. Ever. And....Go.
Terraneaux 04-01-06, 07:46 PM	The example i'm using is in the Stargate system published by AEG, but heck it's d20 so close enough. This is a real guy, and he's not perfect, but he's the best DM I've had in recent memory. Basically the DM is good at balancing challengesx and rewards. He's not afraid to ask people what they are looking for in in a campaign and makes it his job to see that these things happen. He's dealing with a diverse group of players, some of us could be described as "powergamers/munchkins" and others could be described as "RP Snobs" by someone who was trying to disparage us. He does an excellent job in making sure that everyone gets some "screentime," and making sure that people don't steal too much of other people's thunder. He does make sure that he's in charge in the session, but is open to honest suggestions and constructive criticism, and is the first to admit when he's made a mistake. He likes to see our characters succeed through determination and skill, and doesn't fall into the "DMPC" trap.
kelvinaw273 04-01-06, 08:14 PM	I cite Harry, an old friend who has sadly since moved to Ca and I hardly see anymore. Harry ran the campaign to end all campaigns, coping with rules-lawyering players and constant attempts to hijack the plot and take it to Cuba along the way. Not only did the game stay on track, Harry had an amazing ability to create an adventure on the fly, ad-lib and basically keep one step ahead. At the same time his campaign was extremely well-planed out around the characters; he took two years to build up to an event that shook the lives of two PCs to the core (and pretty much the rest of the party too) that he had planned from the very beginning. One player was reduced to tears when his character died (he came back as a ghost, though), and two quit because they could not handle the depth of the role-playing and what they discovered about themselves. The rest of us had a fantastic time, and easily voted the campaign the best ever.
stabs 04-01-06, 10:48 PM	I've played under *counts on fingers* 7 DMs, but one just stands out so far above all others (and especially myself when I fumble around behind the screen). He's a real old school type, and power gaming and rules lawering just won't fly at his table. Not because he'll start yelling at you, just because he'll start looking at you confusedly and say "oooh...kaaaay..." then continue on with the players who actually want a decent story. Speaking of which, he's very story orientated, and not his story, but -player's- stories. He will abandon the meta-plot to focus on what the players actually want to do in a second. And in a game where anything goes, he's so skillful at implanting plot hooks and making our characters rely on each other that there's only ever been one PC vs PC death. My only complaint is, strangely enough, that I would like a game where the rules play a bigger part. I love roleplaying the various nutter characters I come up with, but I also like the mechanical aspect of the game, and he has a tendency to handle things on the fly. You just have to remind this DM occassionally. "Disarm? Okay! You disarm him!" "Wait we have to roll!" "Oooh...kaaaay... *rolls*" But yes, when the story is so brilliant I don't care if the rules are off occassionally.