Author Topic: What makes a "Good DM?"  (Read 9754 times)

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Bozwevial

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #40 on: January 02, 2011, 11:00:37 PM »
How does one misinterpret an english accent?

 ;)
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Gods_Trick

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #41 on: January 03, 2011, 12:03:02 AM »
How does one misinterpret an english accent?

 ;)
It can happen. Don't get Cockney.

Beat me to it. Liverpool .... no pun but bloody ones come to mind.

Saxony

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #42 on: January 03, 2011, 02:04:43 AM »
The most important quality of a good DM is that they make me forget I'm playing a game.  I don't care if they do this by creating characters that I will never forget or by giving me ultimate freedom to act as I wish within their world.  If for even a moment they can make me genuinely contemplate the moral consequences of my actions, or find myself wondering after a session if I made the right (and I do not mean mechanically right) decision during an interaction with an NPC, they're a good DM in my book.

*claps* Well put old chap.
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Gods_Trick

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #43 on: January 03, 2011, 02:37:42 AM »
The most important quality of a good DM is that they make me forget I'm playing a game.  I don't care if they do this by creating characters that I will never forget or by giving me ultimate freedom to act as I wish within their world.  If for even a moment they can make me genuinely contemplate the moral consequences of my actions, or find myself wondering after a session if I made the right (and I do not mean mechanically right) decision during an interaction with an NPC, they're a good DM in my book.

*claps* Well put old chap.
I sense a 'but' coming.

Oh, wait. No I don't. They're but-less chaps.
:lmao

Also, well said Wings of Peace.

Err yes. Since I'd rather not comment on the state of Wing's chaps, lets just go with well said  :lmao

Mixster

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #44 on: January 03, 2011, 08:11:06 AM »
Actually this question can be very hard to answer but I made a test for the simplest of answers:

Are you having fun?
If yes:
[spoiler]Your DM is good, tell him.[/spoiler]
If No:
[spoiler]Your DM is not good, Tell him you aren't having fun.[/spoiler]
Monks are pretty much the best designed class ever.

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Sunic_Flames

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #45 on: January 03, 2011, 11:41:22 AM »
Actually this question can be very hard to answer but I made a test for the simplest of answers:

Are you having fun?
If yes:
[spoiler]Your DM is good, tell him.[/spoiler]
If No:
[spoiler]Your DM is not good, Tell him you aren't having fun.[/spoiler]

Fail. Try again.
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And don't forget:


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Huge amounts of people are fuckwits. That doesn't mean that fuckwit is a valid lifestyle.

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[spoiler]
Sunic may be more abrasive than sandpaper coated in chainsaws (not that its a bad thing, he really does know what he's talking about), but just posting in this thread without warning and telling him he's an asshole which, if you knew his past experiences on WotC and Paizo is flat-out uncalled for. Never mind the insults (which are clearly 4Chan-level childish). You say people like Sunic are the bane of the internet? Try looking at your own post and telling me you are better than him.

Here's a fun fact: You aren't. By a few leagues.
[/spoiler]

Wings of Peace

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #46 on: January 03, 2011, 11:04:17 PM »
I love you guys.  I give my two cents, walk away, walk back, and now you people are talking about my chaps (which being non-existent would qualify as butt-less).  Next time I'll have to see where a dollar ends me up.

Fadier

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #47 on: January 04, 2011, 12:38:38 AM »
The answers have been interesting to this question (almost to the point of being more interesting than the answers themselves). It seems some people have the right ideas and others seem to have answered "What I want in a GM".

Fun has been brought up and this is probably the best answer, though a bit more context might be better. A GM that wants nothing to do with the rules and just wants to tell a story with a group of people might be an awesome GM, to the right players. If the players want that then that person is a good GM, where as the same GM with different players (say people who want tactical combat) might be the worst.

In the end I think the answer is something like this: A good GM gives the players what they need in an RPG, Not necessarily what they want (though that might need some clarification).
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Gods_Trick

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #48 on: January 04, 2011, 11:41:14 PM »
The answers have been interesting to this question (almost to the point of being more interesting than the answers themselves). It seems some people have the right ideas and others seem to have answered "What I want in a GM".

Fun has been brought up and this is probably the best answer, though a bit more context might be better. A GM that wants nothing to do with the rules and just wants to tell a story with a group of people might be an awesome GM, to the right players. If the players want that then that person is a good GM, where as the same GM with different players (say people who want tactical combat) might be the worst.

In the end I think the answer is something like this: A good GM gives the players what they need in an RPG, Not necessarily what they want (though that might need some clarification).

Doesn't that become recursive? You need to have fun, otherwise why play a game?

Unless your desperate to show off your CO skills  :rollseyes Which seems to be fun for the kiddies.

Fadier

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #49 on: January 05, 2011, 01:36:06 PM »
Well that's why I said that my statement might need clarification :P


Even so fun should come from what you need in the RPG, its more a result I think.

For example when playing monopoly you need players, a board, board pieces, die, chance cards etc. The fun should come from the combination of those (if not maybe monopoly is not your thing).
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SorO_Lost

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #50 on: January 05, 2011, 10:16:19 PM »
Actually this question can be very hard to answer but I made a test for the simplest of answers:

Are you having fun?
If yes:
[spoiler]Your DM is good, tell him.[/spoiler]
If No:
[spoiler]Your DM is not good, Tell him you aren't having fun.[/spoiler]

Fail. Try again.
My turn!

Code: [Select]
if ( Game is Fun )
return IsEveryoneElseHavingFun() ? Enjoy() : TalkToTheOtherPlayersAndFindOutWhy();
else
return TalkToYourDMAndExplainWhatWouldMakeThisFunForYou();

Tiers explained in 8 sentences. With examples!
[spoiler]Tiers break down into who has spellcasting more than anything else due to spells being better than anything else in the game.
6: Skill based. Commoner, Expert, Samurai.
5: Mundane warrior. Barbarian, Fighter, Monk.
4: Partial casters. Adapt, Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spelltheif.
3: Focused casters. Bard, Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, Martial Adapts, Warmage.
2: Full casters. Favored Soul, Psion, Sorcerer, Wu Jen.
1: Elitists. Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.
0: Gods. StP Erudite, Illthid Savant, Pun-Pun, Rocks fall & you die.
[/spoiler]

Littha

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #51 on: January 05, 2011, 10:52:18 PM »
Actually this question can be very hard to answer but I made a test for the simplest of answers:

Are you having fun?
If yes:
[spoiler]Your DM is good, tell him.[/spoiler]
If No:
[spoiler]Your DM is not good, Tell him you aren't having fun.[/spoiler]

Fail. Try again.
My turn!

Code: [Select]
if ( Game is Fun )
return IsEveryoneElseHavingFun() ? Enjoy() : TalkToTheOtherPlayersAndFindOutWhy();
else
return TalkToYourDMAndExplainWhatWouldMakeThisFunForYou();



I used to know someone who used variable names like that... it was a rightious pain to debugg anything he wrote.

my favorite one of his was TheOneThatControlsUpAndDown instead of Y...

veekie

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #52 on: January 05, 2011, 11:18:36 PM »
Actually this question can be very hard to answer but I made a test for the simplest of answers:

Are you having fun?
If yes:
[spoiler]Your DM is good, tell him.[/spoiler]
If No:
[spoiler]Your DM is not good, Tell him you aren't having fun.[/spoiler]

Fail. Try again.
My turn!

Code: [Select]
if ( Game is Fun )
return IsEveryoneElseHavingFun() ? Enjoy() : TalkToTheOtherPlayersAndFindOutWhy();
else
return TalkToYourDMAndExplainWhatWouldMakeThisFunForYou();



I used to know someone who used variable names like that... it was a rightious pain to debugg anything he wrote.

my favorite one of his was TheOneThatControlsUpAndDown instead of Y...
Better the one that calls everything Variable0X.
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[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
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Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

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Littha

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #53 on: January 05, 2011, 11:28:07 PM »
I did have a point when i first started programming that i named all my variables with single letters, in alphabetical order....

Dim a as Integer
Dim b as Integer
Dim c as String
.....


It pissed my programming tutor right off (plus I kept forgetting what each one did...)

veekie

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #54 on: January 05, 2011, 11:52:27 PM »
I did have a point when i first started programming that i named all my variables with single letters, in alphabetical order....

Dim a as Integer
Dim b as Integer
Dim c as String
.....


It pissed my programming tutor right off (plus I kept forgetting what each one did...)
I had a run where I named mine after various anime/game stuff at random. It was fun when people tried to copy the stuff.
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

There is no higher price than 'free'.

"I won't die. I've been ordered not to die."

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #55 on: January 06, 2011, 12:03:18 AM »
In my first CS class, we weren't graded on sensible formatting like line length or whatever.

To taunt the graders, I made a single line over ten thousand characters long.
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SorO_Lost

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #56 on: January 06, 2011, 03:57:44 AM »
I would have ran my code though a code obfuscator and seen if they drew the line after that :)
Tiers explained in 8 sentences. With examples!
[spoiler]Tiers break down into who has spellcasting more than anything else due to spells being better than anything else in the game.
6: Skill based. Commoner, Expert, Samurai.
5: Mundane warrior. Barbarian, Fighter, Monk.
4: Partial casters. Adapt, Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spelltheif.
3: Focused casters. Bard, Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, Martial Adapts, Warmage.
2: Full casters. Favored Soul, Psion, Sorcerer, Wu Jen.
1: Elitists. Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.
0: Gods. StP Erudite, Illthid Savant, Pun-Pun, Rocks fall & you die.
[/spoiler]

RobbyPants

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #57 on: January 06, 2011, 11:25:03 AM »
A good MC will:

W) Create an interesting world and not force you to learn all the mundane details before the game starts.

X) Will understand that as a player, you care more about your PC than his world.

Y) Will allow you to influence his world, even in ways that he didn't expect.

Z) Let you call him Mister Cavern. :p
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[/spoiler]

Sunic_Flames

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #58 on: January 06, 2011, 01:37:16 PM »
*facepalms*
Smiting Imbeciles since 1985.

If you hear this music, run.

And don't forget:


There is no greater contribution than Hi Welcome.

Huge amounts of people are fuckwits. That doesn't mean that fuckwit is a valid lifestyle.

IP proofing and avoiding being CAPed OR - how to make characters relevant in the long term.

Friends don't let friends be Short Bus Hobos.

[spoiler]
Sunic may be more abrasive than sandpaper coated in chainsaws (not that its a bad thing, he really does know what he's talking about), but just posting in this thread without warning and telling him he's an asshole which, if you knew his past experiences on WotC and Paizo is flat-out uncalled for. Never mind the insults (which are clearly 4Chan-level childish). You say people like Sunic are the bane of the internet? Try looking at your own post and telling me you are better than him.

Here's a fun fact: You aren't. By a few leagues.
[/spoiler]

veekie

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Re: What makes a "Good DM?"
« Reply #59 on: January 06, 2011, 01:40:05 PM »
Z) Let you call him Mister Cavern. :p
But you get caved in return.
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

There is no higher price than 'free'.

"I won't die. I've been ordered not to die."