Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Argon_Asimov 09-25-05, 06:33 PM	...what would it be? I'm primarily a DM and always looking for ways to make my games more enjoyable. Perhaps this may be a topic more accurately suited for the DM's forum, but I'd rather have input from people who are primarily players. So, what do you like to see in a game? What -don't- you like to see? What could your current DM improve about thier style? What do they do best? Please, share any input you have, but lets not let this become a senseless my-DM-is-worse-then-yours thread : /
20goingon1232 09-25-05, 06:51 PM	A DM that follows RAW and not make "logical" house rules. A DM that plays fair and not give the Level 1 Human Monk with 14 Dex and 16 Wis an AC of 19, even though the Monk's player is his best friend.
Salla 09-25-05, 07:27 PM	Use the rules consistently. Whether or not he has house rules isn't the issue, so long as they're actually USED consistently and applied to all characters, PC and NPC alike. Example: NPCs start suffering self- and ally-mutilating critical fumbles when the DM realizes he's overpowered us (what with the 6th level halbardier against 2 2nd level characters ... and he had backup). That's the *only* time anybody suffers critical fumbles, and it always turns into an instant NPC-dies. Now, I'll admit, I've had to fudge encounters before to keep things interesting, but I can make it not-blindingly-obvious. Additionally, he keeps no notes for the adventure, not even stats for planned enemy encounters. He supposedly keeps track of everything in his head, but the opponent's armor classes vary up to six points depending on just how far his attention is being stretched, and they aren't doing anything resembling fighting defensively, total defense, or using Combat Expertise. And since he doesn't use a battlemap despite there being two available in the group (and a metric $*@(load of D&D minis), there's no cover, concealment, flanking, sneak attack, or attacks of opportunity ... or rather, there's ALWAYS those things, provided the PCs need them, while the NPCs never get them. I suppose I should be happier that if he's going to be unfair, he's being unfair in my/our favor, but still ... I'd rather be challenged on equal footing and pull out a tough victory than go from 'we're dead in two rounds' to 'we can stand here and the opposition will kill themselves ... by the way, can we *PLEASE* do something interesting and tactical instead of engaging in a stationary slugfest?"
UltimateReality 09-25-05, 07:39 PM	Make him start DMing again. :)
Tyler Do'Urden 09-26-05, 12:57 AM	Bigger boobs.
Slyde Shadowdart 09-26-05, 01:55 AM	I'm the DM right now, and I'd have to say that I should spend more time on adventures. The game hasn't started yet (just did a character creation night last Thursday, first game this Thursday), but already I'm looking out across my upcoming schedule going "man, I'm not going to have much time to get ready". Other than that, I won't know what needs improving at the moment until we start. In the past, I had a hard time giving each player equal spotlight time, but I've done a lot of (mental and reading) work on fixing that. I really just need time to read read read read read the rules. :D I've finally become somewhat of a PHB "index", but now I need to work on applying the rules instead of just knowing where to find them. (I think finally having a game will improve this drastically!) Now, my current GM (Shadowrun) could use more experience. I think that most if not all of my "problems" or gripes with him really just originate in my knowing the material a bit better (I've GM'd SR several times, this is only my second time as a player), and just his general lack of GMing time. This will most likely improve over time. Specifically, he needs to work on incorporating all of the characters, not spotlighting one or two of them for hours and hours while one or two sit in the background listening. Also, more rules knowledge, and more consistant application. Again, mostly experience stuff. He also has a really bad tendency to go "GM vs. Players" mode on us. If we do something that works out well, we can expect something to go wrong, happen to our character, not work out for us, you know the drill.
Lord Gwydion 09-26-05, 02:25 AM	My DM is doing a really good job, but he's trying to play things by the book (aside from a few houserules we all agreed on), and it's driving him a bit crazy and he's starting to dislike the 3.5 edition because "everything's already in the books somewhere." Personally, I don't mind if he makes up DCs for various challenges on the fly, as long as it's an approprate DC for the activity vs. our character level. I'm not going to pull open the book and say, "Hey, the DC for that tumble should have been 20, not 25!" I might point out the typical DC for something I want to do before I do it, but if he feels like he needs to modify that, or if I don't point out the DC listed in the book so he makes one up, I don't complain. Anyway, what he does right--creating a good mood in the campaign, keeping the story flowing, using interesting and memorable NPCs, giving all of the players adequate time, varying the sorts of encounters we have, and giving us challenging fights and puzzles.
JD 09-26-05, 04:25 AM	For one of my DMs, it's be getting rid of critical successes / failures on skill checks. They annoy me too much. For the other, I'd like him to be more creative in combat. All of our opponents seem to march blindly into a whirl of blades and get chopped to shreds, whereas the first DM has enemies that flank, aid attacks, trip, disarm and (usually after seeing the fighter and paladin in action) drop back to use ranged weapons.
Solidcobra 09-26-05, 05:23 AM	I'm the DM, but i can still think of ways to improve myself, right? I'd say...more descriptions. My games are mostly pretty low-to-no description, i'd like to try and change that.
High Octane 09-26-05, 08:36 AM	My favorite DM uses first edition. I wish he would convert to 3.5. It won't happen. Don't suggest ways to convince him, it won't HAPPEN.
eudas 09-26-05, 11:55 AM	1. FOLLOW THE RULES. Completely learn the Ins and Outs of the RAW, and understand the design decisions behind why things were made the way they were, before you start changing ANYTHING. If you just want to play Pretend and tell a story, we can save ourselves a lot of money on books and spend it on beer instead. 2. I'm with JD on the critical failure/critical success thing. 3. PREP! D&D is a game that involves a lot of prep time; you need to determine terrain so you can know if charging is possible, modifiers to DC's for various skills, DC's for traps, stat blocks for monsters encountered, stat blocks for NPC's, etc etc etc. If you don't prep, you're Making It Up As You Go Along, and if you're going to do that, then, again, we can save ourselves a lot of money on books if you just want to play Pretend. eudas
Callista 09-26-05, 03:04 PM	Bigger boobs.Please, please, tell me your DM is female... because, trust me, you would much rather be thought a typical male by all the females than be thought a very odd male by all the males.
Amphetryon 09-26-05, 03:16 PM	One way? How about getting rid of the following: PC: Can I take 10 on this open lock check? DM: Sure thing. Roll it. :blink: :twitch: :thinks: :ahem: :help:
TheErsatzFacsimileOfMe 09-26-05, 03:53 PM	If I could change my DM in one way....I'd make him not me. :weep: so I could play once in a while too... :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep:
On_the_wings_of_TPK 09-26-05, 04:05 PM	If I could change my DM in one way....I'd make him not me. :weep: so I could play once in a while too... :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: You can always do what i did. at the end of your current campaign. gentle fold up your DM screen and then set down on top of your campaign, then look out across the table at the party, and ask whop would like to DM next. If noby answaers, then saythat you are opening it up to a vote, and that poeple may nominate themselves of another person. However that person must accept the nomination. (do not accept nomination). Someone will vulenteer. What would i improve about my my DM. I 'd improve her time schedule sop she can DM.
Crimson_Concerto 09-26-05, 05:15 PM	I'd make him stop favoring one of the PCs. The rest of us have plots and goals too, you know? And they don't all need to converge into his, either... :ahem:
Light of Day 09-26-05, 05:17 PM	Oh dear god. Where do I begin? My DM may provide fun games, but there's a whole lot of room for improvement. I know we're only supposed to suggest one way to improve our DM, but mine's so bad I need to list 3: No. 1: READ THE FRIGGIN' RULES!!! :rant: I cannot stress this enough. This is the no. 1 cause of DM problems. My DM, for instance, has a nasty habit of making stuff up. Now I have no problem with DMs inventing new monsters, classes, spells and whatnot, except my DM has no concept of balance. By reading the rules a little more, he'd learn that half of what he was attempting to invent is already there, and the other half could easily be made by making a small modification to an existing monster/spell. He'd also, hopefully, learn how to invent new stuff without breaking the game, and some of the stuff he'll find might even inspire him to be a little more creative with what he throws at us. Speaking of which: No. 2: Develop a little creativity! Another little problem with my DM is that he's, well, not very creative. Of all the NPCs/monsters with class levels we fight, 90% are barbarians, and most of the other 10% are fighters and blackguards. He also lacks any descriptive talent, and the ability to devise any sort of challenge other than "smash the monster". We recently had to journey to the middle of a frozen wastland to a temple made of ice. I was expecting some hefty survival checks and fortitude saves to avoid damage from the cold, and balance checks to avoid slipping on the ice. Instead of this opportunity to mix things up a little and make things interesting, I get generic dungeon #552, the only sign of the ice theme was that all the monsters had something vaguley cold-sounding in their environment entry. No. 3: Take the time to plan things, and while you're at it put a little effort in! A little while ago, my party and I fought a juvanile Red Dragon. Being the humongous fan of dragons that I am, I know their stats fairly well. I know, for instance, that at juvanile age red dragons can cast sorceror spells. However, the dragon didn't even attempt to use spells during our fight. It resorted to breathing fire and using claw and bite attacks, and we put it down dissapointingly quickly. After the fight, I quizzed the DM on why he didn't have the dragon cast any spells, even though I could cite several occasions where a spell could have really helped even up the fight a little. There were several responses to this question I would have considered satisfactory, including but not limited to a good reason why the dragon didn't cast any spells, an admission that he goofed up and forgot the spells, or even "I don't feel like telling you. Do not question the DM". The answer I got, though, was "Yeah, I know. I couldn't be bothered to choose its spells though. Spells are a hassle". And yet he was surprised it didn't live up to it's challange rating. If you're gonna DM, at least put the time and effort in to do it right! Sorry about that little rant, guys. I like my DM, I really do. He just frustrates me a lot sometimes.
knowlie 09-26-05, 06:06 PM	I have DMed 90% (or something really close to that) of all sessions I have ever played and here are some problems I feel I have, and others can just as easily have them: READ THE FRIGGIN RULES!!!!! This is the most important suggestion I can give. As an addendum, do NOT rely on your players to know the rules. I have a problem with this, meaning that I figure "hey, she's a monk, she should know the DC for her stunning fist!" I find out more times than not, the players do not know the rules either and instead of them or I looking them up, we just guestimate and find out later that we were WAY off. If you don't know a rule, LOOK IT UP, and then try to commit it to memory so you know said rule later. THE GAME IS FOR THE PLAYERS This means that as a DM, you are playing an ENTIRELY different game than the players. Players need to know everything about 1 character, theirs. DMs need to know about the PCs, NPCs, monsters, dieties, cities, dungeons, planes.........It is the DMs responsibility to play to the PCs and make sure that they have a fun time, and 9.9 times out of 10, the PCs should be the victors in any encounter. These are my ideas as of now, if I can think of any more later, I'll post em for everyone. Hopefully this helps someone out.
Valgaav 09-26-05, 09:03 PM	I just want my DM to stop using premade adventures. nothing against them, but when you go scrambling at the first 'speak with plants' to find out what to tell us, it's kinda sad. Luckily, that's about it. He knows all but the more obscure rules, and trusts that I know the SRD, so it's easy to keep the flow going. Horjay for him!
digoraccoon 09-27-05, 08:40 AM	Please, please, tell me your DM is female... because, trust me, you would much rather be thought a typical male by all the females than be thought a very odd male by all the males. LOL. It sounds like there might be a story to that. :) gentle fold up your DM screen and then set down on top of your campaign, then look out across the table at the party, and ask whop would like to DM next. If noby answaers, then saythat you are opening it up to a vote, and that poeple may nominate themselves of another person. However that person must accept the nomination. (do not accept nomination). I've tried this once and even with not accepting a nomination I got elected DM again by default. DEFAULT! :D Not that I dislike being the DM, I really do love the job. However, I would like to take a break to free up time for my artwork and I haven't played D&D as a player since 1996... In my group, two others have DM experience. One is a decent DM, though one thing I'd change is for him to be a little more organized with the plot. You can tell when he's stalling for time when we have to role play out getting into a car, putting on seatbelts, and turning the ignition. :D The other guy is a bit lazy. He's been wanting to run a d20 modern game for about a year now and only recently is he completing the main outline of the game plot. He spends too much time online on mucks. :) A good DM knows that running games take a lot of time to manage and put together.
Phrennzy 09-27-05, 10:00 AM	I am the DM. Ways to Improve: More time reading the rules. More time developing adventures that are more than just hack and slash. More description. More NPC interaction with PCs. More time spent on the campaign in general. I feel as though I am putting off the campaign stuff because working on it isn't fun. It's stressful. And so I don't work on it until the last minute, and then I want to cancel the game because I don't have stuff done. And then we play anyway, and combat takes like 3 hours to resolve, which SUCKS. Spending the whole night on one or two combats SUCKS.
Papa_duval 09-27-05, 10:37 AM	This ones just follows on with a lot of what other people are saying READ THE RULEs - but as an addendum, apply them consistently, in fact, apply everything you do consistently. House rules are fine, as long as they apply to everyone (and i don't mean npc's and players - i mean every single player) In a space of 5 minutes, two players needed to 'not fall of a horse' during combat - one had to make a reflex save (???) and the other a ride check. Did it make a difference that the one who was asked to make the reflex save had a save mod of 9, and the one with the ride check had a ride of 0. Pick one or the other, apply them equally (granted, RAW says ride check, which makes sense and is what he should have gone with - but if he wanted to house rule it as a reflex save, it should be so for everyone) (i'm not even gonna get into mentioning favouritism and playing with your wife as a player)
High Octane 09-27-05, 11:32 AM	I'm a DM. I could stand to lose a few pounds.
Blazara 09-27-05, 01:14 PM	I'm a Dm. Ways i can improve. Stop spending so much friggin time preparing. For every session i cover every angle that the party could take. Seriously. This takes forever. So i come to the session with my 500 page campaign completely filled with intrecate plans and adventures. I take my seat at the end of them table, on the best seat in the house. Then the bloody rogue says to me ' Today we want to do something other then an adventure, like, Go fishing!!' Much to the delight of everyone at the gaming table, i stood up and slapped the idiot around the face with my dice bag, then went back to my seat and ran the game how I planned.
Judging Eagle 09-27-05, 03:28 PM	I'm a DM as well... Ways I can Improve: Threaten my PCs with death more (I got close to killing a PC and two different Cohorts last session) Throw more than barbarians at my PCs.... (bit of a problem since all of the 'grunt' troglodytes my PCs are facing are going to be barbs for a while, there are some Marshalls to command them, but they run from all combats). Don't let my PCs take easy way outs in combat (like pushing a boulder that would do 5d8 damage along a sloping floor-groove in the middle of combat, somehow the trogs grappling the barbarian also died but the barb survived b/c he was in a different square w/e) Get more NPC interations (most of the time they're just trying to kill the trogs, I also suck at just throwing in NPC interation, I can do it, but initating it is really hard since I've got confidence/depression issues) Improve speed of combat (even more, so far we can get an 11 PC vs 30 Monster fight done in.. 1.5 hours of actual play time, so we've gotten rid of a lot of slack).