Great DM experiences [Archive] - Wizards Community

Great DM experiences [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
PeteRR
07-03-04, 11:03 PM I just got thru reading 20 pages from the Ridiculous House Rules thread and I've got a headache from all the bad DMing. I figure I'd start a thread detailing a good DM. Before I started playing with Ray I was getting burned out with D+D and had considered quitting.

I played in a Saturday game for about 6 years back in the '90s. Ray had never DMed before. He met an influential S. Jersey gamer at a Con and asked him to find 5 or 6 people to start a 2nd Ed AD+D campaign. I went to the inaugural game with a friend of mine who was invited. None of us had ever played together before.

We started at 1st level in Cormyr. 5 out of 6 players ended with their original characters 6 years later. We were all right around 15th level when we stopped. I look back in amazement at how we jelled as party. Two Clerics(Gond, Torm), One Mage, One Dwarven Thief, and me, the Human CN fighter who became a Paladin of Torm and the Duke Of The Haunted halls in the Kingdom of Cormyr.

Ray was the best DM I ever had the pleasure to play with. He read Dragon and Dungeon mags for ideas. He lifted encounters from published modules. He was always prepared. He could change on the fly. He would plan story arcs in terms of reoccuring villains.

The best part was he didn't have a favorite terrain. We adventured in the Underdark. We went Spelljamming. We travelled to Sigil and some of the outer planes. We travelled all over Faerun from Chult to Tantras to Maztica. We fought a dragon invasion. I called it High Adventuring.

The day he followed a better job to Michigan was the worst in my gaming career.
Thorak
07-04-04, 01:05 AM One of the best campaigns I ever played in started off normally, until the party decided to explore an Ettin's cave a little more closely. The DM had tossed a passage in the back, but hadn't come up with anything back there, because he'd figured we'd pass it by. When we didn't, it turned into a tunnel through the mountains, opening into a hidden valley populated by civilized and heavily magical Dakkons (basically, human-intelligence gorillas). At which point, the game changed from an explore-and-find-goodies to a desperate attempt to stop the damn monkeys and their cities, which they'd ripped out of the ground and started using as flying fortresses, complete with their flying-dinosaur mounts.

When you consider that this started as a completely off-the-cuff twist on an adventure, and that the originally planned adventure got abandoned in favour of this more-interesting-than-I'm-making-it thing, and it lasted a good year or so before we wrapped it up, that was good DMing. Because he didn't force the PCs to do what he'd planned, he rolled with the punch and came up with something on the fly.
Nick_White
07-04-04, 01:32 AM One of my best playing experiences was when we were thrown into the middle of a conflict between six dictators who were all making desperate attempts to take over the world. We ran into conflicts of all kinds. A million-and-four encounter sprung up all over as we coursed through the political veins of the world. I played an anti-hero character, Count Mulehey Orisno, fighter\mage\thief\assassin. He was a renegade noble kicked out of the towers of the Arcane for drug smuggling. The story goes on, and the campaign lasted about eight months, it was a ton of fun. Well worth the money I’ve invested.

I still remember these lines I made to the Jarren rouge after he made a desperate assassination attempt:

“Do not do that again, lest ye’ want to find the sharp side of a dagger in your back. But I can hardly imagine you’d like the discomfort- but ‘t would hardly be a discomfort to have that done so.” – Count Mulehey Orisno

“Are you Evil?”

“Yes. I am.”

Yes, the good ol’ days in the evil campaigns. :) What fun.

Nick White
Jell_Moo
07-04-04, 10:58 AM Well, here's my story. A little more than a year ago I was DMing constantly, and playing in two games. Then, a little before 3.5 came out, I suffered the worst case of DM burnout ever. I had no ideas, no desire, no nothin'. My passion for the game simply vanished. I took time off playing (I haven't DMed since), and just relaxed and kept up with the game by reading the books. After about two months I started up with another group, but really couldn't get into it. That was the story of the next few months, joining up new groups, only to find that I really wasn't enjoying myself.

Then I had a game I was playing in totally fall apart. I had thought that I would give the game another hiatus, but then came upon a post on the boards looking for a player in the Montreal area. I thought to myself, "What the Heck?", and decided to inquire. After initial contact was made, I put together a character, and went to the first session.

What a breath of fresh air. It was a great experience, I played with good people, and with a very easy going and fun DM. The campaign was interesting, new, but not completely convoluted. The pacing was pefect, so it was just what the doctor ordered.

I'm still playing that campaign now, and I spend all week looking forward to game time. The guys in my group are close knit, supportive, and we get along well. Our DM is a great guy who works with the players, instead of against them, and is always willing to work through any problems a player might be having. The fights are never cakewalks, but he doesn't take perverse pleasure in PC death, so there is almost always an out.

My group is great, my DM is great, and I finally have that D&D passion back. Life is good!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
PeteRR 07-03-04, 11:03 PM	I just got thru reading 20 pages from the Ridiculous House Rules thread and I've got a headache from all the bad DMing. I figure I'd start a thread detailing a good DM. Before I started playing with Ray I was getting burned out with D+D and had considered quitting. I played in a Saturday game for about 6 years back in the '90s. Ray had never DMed before. He met an influential S. Jersey gamer at a Con and asked him to find 5 or 6 people to start a 2nd Ed AD+D campaign. I went to the inaugural game with a friend of mine who was invited. None of us had ever played together before. We started at 1st level in Cormyr. 5 out of 6 players ended with their original characters 6 years later. We were all right around 15th level when we stopped. I look back in amazement at how we jelled as party. Two Clerics(Gond, Torm), One Mage, One Dwarven Thief, and me, the Human CN fighter who became a Paladin of Torm and the Duke Of The Haunted halls in the Kingdom of Cormyr. Ray was the best DM I ever had the pleasure to play with. He read Dragon and Dungeon mags for ideas. He lifted encounters from published modules. He was always prepared. He could change on the fly. He would plan story arcs in terms of reoccuring villains. The best part was he didn't have a favorite terrain. We adventured in the Underdark. We went Spelljamming. We travelled to Sigil and some of the outer planes. We travelled all over Faerun from Chult to Tantras to Maztica. We fought a dragon invasion. I called it High Adventuring. The day he followed a better job to Michigan was the worst in my gaming career.
Thorak 07-04-04, 01:05 AM	One of the best campaigns I ever played in started off normally, until the party decided to explore an Ettin's cave a little more closely. The DM had tossed a passage in the back, but hadn't come up with anything back there, because he'd figured we'd pass it by. When we didn't, it turned into a tunnel through the mountains, opening into a hidden valley populated by civilized and heavily magical Dakkons (basically, human-intelligence gorillas). At which point, the game changed from an explore-and-find-goodies to a desperate attempt to stop the damn monkeys and their cities, which they'd ripped out of the ground and started using as flying fortresses, complete with their flying-dinosaur mounts. When you consider that this started as a completely off-the-cuff twist on an adventure, and that the originally planned adventure got abandoned in favour of this more-interesting-than-I'm-making-it thing, and it lasted a good year or so before we wrapped it up, that was good DMing. Because he didn't force the PCs to do what he'd planned, he rolled with the punch and came up with something on the fly.
Nick_White 07-04-04, 01:32 AM	One of my best playing experiences was when we were thrown into the middle of a conflict between six dictators who were all making desperate attempts to take over the world. We ran into conflicts of all kinds. A million-and-four encounter sprung up all over as we coursed through the political veins of the world. I played an anti-hero character, Count Mulehey Orisno, fighter\mage\thief\assassin. He was a renegade noble kicked out of the towers of the Arcane for drug smuggling. The story goes on, and the campaign lasted about eight months, it was a ton of fun. Well worth the money I’ve invested. I still remember these lines I made to the Jarren rouge after he made a desperate assassination attempt: “Do not do that again, lest ye’ want to find the sharp side of a dagger in your back. But I can hardly imagine you’d like the discomfort- but ‘t would hardly be a discomfort to have that done so.” – Count Mulehey Orisno “Are you Evil?” “Yes. I am.” Yes, the good ol’ days in the evil campaigns. :) What fun. Nick White
Jell_Moo 07-04-04, 10:58 AM	Well, here's my story. A little more than a year ago I was DMing constantly, and playing in two games. Then, a little before 3.5 came out, I suffered the worst case of DM burnout ever. I had no ideas, no desire, no nothin'. My passion for the game simply vanished. I took time off playing (I haven't DMed since), and just relaxed and kept up with the game by reading the books. After about two months I started up with another group, but really couldn't get into it. That was the story of the next few months, joining up new groups, only to find that I really wasn't enjoying myself. Then I had a game I was playing in totally fall apart. I had thought that I would give the game another hiatus, but then came upon a post on the boards looking for a player in the Montreal area. I thought to myself, "What the Heck?", and decided to inquire. After initial contact was made, I put together a character, and went to the first session. What a breath of fresh air. It was a great experience, I played with good people, and with a very easy going and fun DM. The campaign was interesting, new, but not completely convoluted. The pacing was pefect, so it was just what the doctor ordered. I'm still playing that campaign now, and I spend all week looking forward to game time. The guys in my group are close knit, supportive, and we get along well. Our DM is a great guy who works with the players, instead of against them, and is always willing to work through any problems a player might be having. The fights are never cakewalks, but he doesn't take perverse pleasure in PC death, so there is almost always an out. My group is great, my DM is great, and I finally have that D&D passion back. Life is good!