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dragonfriend
Seeker
Italy
65 Posts |
 Posted - 21 May 2010 : 11:29:56
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I like my DM, two years we are finising the Red Hand of Doom...but he's so sloooooooooow. And quite often he doesn't study the secondary rules (grapple, spells he knows the npcs must use).
Worst of all, sometimes he makes a mistake, he realised that after some minutes and says "Sorry, I was wrong, that npc/monster doesnt do that. Rewind, replay the scene" I think is better if he doesn't say anything like that, just go on and play :)
But he's good and I like to play with him. |
Edited by - dragonfriend on 21 May 2010 11:31:09 |
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Katans
Acolyte
Germany
7 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 08:44:49
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I like my DM overall, he's a good pal as well as being an acceptable game master, but he's got a few things that really make me wonder.
1/ FR is supposed to be a high-magic setting with very powerful characters and magic items by the dozen, yet he's awfully picky when it comes to finding, buying or selling magical stuff. He rolls randomly for almost anything we find. As a result, all characters but one in our campaign are severely under-equipped, and one is a horrible powerhouse due to his stuff (rolled for gloves of dex +6 at character creation, has been unnervingly lucky every time, so... yeah).
2/ He sometimes focuses too much on a single character, leaving others aside while dealing with a single PC's side-quest. It's okay to do so for an hour or two from times to times, but running THREE whole sessions for a single PC while all other just sit around and wait is poor spotlight balance in my opinion.
But apart from that, he's a cool DM, with great reactivity and imagination, who lets us do things our way and leaves us a lot of freedom. So it's not so bad on the whole. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2010 : 10:15:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
My biggest gripe? Always being the DM!! I only rarely get to play. When I DM, I have problems with players who won't stick to one PC- they change every other session, it seems. Call it gaming ADD... And then they get mad when I forget some little detail one of them did because FIVE people are trying to say something at once, often out-of-turn.... Anyone know a good fix?
Well talking to them about the problem usually helps, but I would guess that that has been tried. Asking the worst offenders to try to do the job themselves is another alternative. The players making new characters all the time could start with none of the items the other one had earned and would be one level behind the others, but I guess there would be an argument over this? I am not the best person to answer the question of course, as I would probably loose my temper very quickly here. I don't mind people talking all at once, but players who get mad at either me or other players for missing small details or making mistakes can find another DM. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2010 : 06:46:32
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Yeah, as you said, been there, done hat. The one who kept making new pc's started with basic equipmen plus one or two items I approved each time, always low-powered stuff, and half of the gold of the others of whatever level he was. He would also be the same level of whoever was lowest in the party. didn't help. I blame his ADHD.
The othr problem ended up woth a lot of missed calls on both my part and the players, some of which caused bad feelings. And then there was the minor accusation that I intentionally killed off a pc by giving them too big a challenge. Mind you, this was the FIRST pc that had ever actually DIED in one of my games in 12 YEARS!! They were in an arena combat in a dwarven city, and had been warned that it was a lethal match. Three fairly powerful 8th/9th level pcs against two dire tigers. He just happened to be the unlucky one who kept getting attacked- I was rolling randomly to determine who got attacked each round. Everyone else got out okay, but he was a mage (go figure- fewer HP, DUH.) and took enough damage to bite the dust. And they wondered why he died..... |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Talwyn
Learned Scribe
Australia
222 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2010 : 08:41:29
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Ok,
worst DM experiences:
First - we have started playing the full camapign of The Temple of Elemental Evil. The party had just cleared out the small ruined fort that lay along the way to the temple of monsters and being a low level party and thus low on gold, we thought it was a real bonza when the DM informed us that there was a store room with old shields and spears. He said they were in reasonably good condition but might need some work to bring them back up to proper condition.
Neat we all thought, this will make us a few hundred extra GP when we haul all this stuff back to the village and flog it off. But our DM suddenly realised what our plans were for making a quick buck and started getting egdy. When we said we were going to use a fews horses as pack animals, he suddenly informed us that each horse could only carry two shields apiece  Needless to say we were all a bit stunned at this news as we only had 3 horses in the party and that would take a few weeks to completely loot the armoury clean. In a matter of minutes tempers can began to flare as the ridiculousness of the DM's ruling became apparent. If, we argued, a horse can only carry 2 shields, how can it carry the weight of the cleric who wore splintmail armour? And when did our horses suddenly get polymorphed into pissweak glasslegged andulusian stallions anyway? Our DM got extremely defensive because he knew he was in the wrong but he wouldn't back down and neither would us players, so we wasted 3 weeks of game time walking our feeble horses back and forth from the ruined fort just to be spiteful  The irony was that we earned more from killing monsters and nicking their treasure from random encounters going back and forth than we did from selling the shields!  So the DM's attempt to try and limit our money making enterprises blew up in his face. He'd have been better off just letting us loot the place and RP'ing an NPC merchant who buys the goods at a cut price rate.
Second worst DM experience - The party is divided into two parts, both sent on seperate quests to find 2 pieces of a rod. Our half of the party gets the short straw and heads out into the desert. The cleric is then given a vision by his god [via DM] during the long thirsty trek across the wastes that we "must make a leap of faith" when the time is right. So we come across an Oasis which is devoid of life. I was saying to everyone, "hey guys this isn't right, where are the birds etc?" but the cleric, being egged on by the DM, says NO! We ALL must make a leap of faith and jump into the still waters. All or nothing and everyone thus joined hands and jumped into the water....
only to have to save vs poision or die.
We all died.
Not one person made the saving throw! And the DM, who was a miserly bugger, did not relent or change anything so for us players in the half of the party had nothing to do for the next 6 weeks of that summer as our campaign was over and we had to wait for the other guys to finish their quest in order to roll up new PC's and join in. By this time, the level differences were huge, the n00bs and the old PC's had like 6 levels at the lowest high level difference between them and thus us guys playing the low levels tended to die with alarming regularity. As a result, I left the campaign as it was no longer fun having to turn up and watch your PC get nerfed by high level encounters and then having to roll up a new character and then wait till there was an opportune moment to join the party.
Needless to say the campaign ended up being a failure as the main party were decimated by the penultimate boss fight and the players gave up in disgust. |
Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on.
Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun.
EAT LEADEN DEATH DEMON!
Terry Pratchett
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Laerrigan
Learned Scribe
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2010 : 04:10:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
My biggest gripe? Always being the DM!! I only rarely get to play. When I DM, I have problems with players who won't stick to one PC- they change every other session, it seems. Call it gaming ADD... And then they get mad when I forget some little detail one of them did because FIVE people are trying to say something at once, often out-of-turn.... Anyone know a good fix?
A fly-swatter?
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"Your 'reality,' sir, is lies and balderdash, and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever." (Baron Munchausen)
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was not made for this world." (C.S. Lewis, "Surprised by Joy") |
Edited by - Laerrigan on 08 Aug 2010 04:11:09 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2010 : 08:23:24
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My DM's tricks have gotten a little tired.
DM: "Turning the corner, you encounter a stunningly beautiful elven woman ..."
(entire party groans)
Player: "So is this one a monster, a trap, or an NPC?"
or
DM: "Among the Githyanki bodies you find a gleaming silver sword."
Player 1: "I don't go anywhere near it."
DM: "The sword looks like the finest quality workmanship, covered in exquisitely ornate designs. It's obviously very valuable."
Player 2: "I'll start examining all the other bodies, while very carefully avoiding the silver sword."
DM: "You notice that the sword has a magical glimmer, and that the blade remains razor sharp even after-"
Players: "We don't want the sword!" |
[/Ayrik] |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2010 : 09:07:43
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| LOl, that's pretty funny. Then again, I had a party member find the cursed Black Pearl from the old Phantom's Wake module in the bottom of a pool of water in the Underdark after they killed an aboleth, and it had previously been in the possession of a wizard with the letters HP on his robe.... Yes, I'm a smart-a$$ that way. Another time I had a druid's cougar companion sit on the party's halfling mage when he was knocked out of the fight. And another member of that same party stole a statuette from a shrine to Bast, and ended up with a curse of feline allergy AND attraction until she could go on a quest for Bast to remove the curse.... |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2010 : 13:02:08
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| I suffer from the same curse! So, uh, I've gotta go on a quest then? |
[/Ayrik] |
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Ionik Knight
Learned Scribe
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2010 : 14:36:19
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| Like several others, my complaint is that I'm always the DM. |
Fools to right of them,
Jesters to left of them,
Clowns in front of them
Pun'd and parody'd. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2010 : 16:43:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
I suffer from the same curse! So, uh, I've gotta go on a quest then?
why, have you stolen any statues from shrines of Bast lately? Lol, the two DO seem to go hand-in-hand, more often than not...
I did have a DM once in WoD whose sole goal was to kill off the entire group. He started with my Bruhah Fianna werewolf/vampire(abomination). We were in the African sahvanna, fighting a group of vampiric werejackels. At night. His werecroc NPC/party leader used a sun burst power, and my poor Richard bit the dust in two rounds- had nowhere to get out of the sunlight. Needless to day, when I discovered he had done it INTENTIONALLY, I never played with him again. Some people do NOT need to be running games.... |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 06:45:37
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Actually that does bring a bad DM gripe to mind. One that I don't see often (these days) but it bugs the hell out of me.
Many DMs have party NPCs. Hey, that's fair enough, they want to play too. I often do it myself. It's not a problem when the DM carefully avoids playing favourites (lol, or at least manages to not make it obvious and objectionable). Plus it's always good to have another body on your team. It's even handy to have a "spare" character to loan to a new player or help bridge those uncomfortable moments after a PC gets killed.
It's a real pain when the DM has a blatantly munchkin character who accomplishes all the mightiest deeds and yoinks the lion's share of the heroic rewards, while the rest of the party (the players) are basically just sidekicks and support. Oh sure, you get to swing your sword or cast your fireball and soak up some damage (so it seems like you're actually involved in something epic). But we all know who the REAL hero is; the one who always hits, always inflicts ridiculous record-breaking damage, always scores the deathblow, somehow manages to covertly "pick up" all the goodies the party might overlook. Of course this mary-sue NPC ends up getting all the fame, recognition, finest equipment, and finest babes the setting can offer.
Woe be to ye who should dare to defy such a DM, for he shall use his uber character to bully the party and punish all who oppose his quest. And he can kick your entire party's ass. And every nearby NPC in the land (even the monsters!) immediately rushes to his aid. This DM is indeed enjoying the game, while his players are not - he should simply remove the character or hand out a henchman instead, so he can focus on more important elements of the game. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 12 Oct 2010 06:54:17 |
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mensch
Seeker
80 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 13:59:13
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The DM's pet NPCs are indeed a nightmare for players!
Personally I dislike having to play party NPCs who perform in combat as well. Most of my NPCs are only with the group for a short while and always in the background, they won't interfere with the decision making of the group. Often I wait for the players to give the NPC some direction.
I played a NPC Rogue once, who had long since retired and went along with the group for one dungeon delve to collect his pension. I deliberately played him as a character whose skills were rather rusty, so I made sure he was the first to walk into one of my traps without doing all the roguish things, like trapfinding and scouting. |
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to know that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice. – Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) |
Edited by - mensch on 12 Oct 2010 14:00:49 |
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Ionik Knight
Learned Scribe
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 14:52:28
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| I like to bring in my NPC/PC's to interact with the party myself. I have a few rules to keep it from getting out of hand though. Most of my DM's PC's only interact with the party in a roleplay only setting...ie drinking and bragging at the tavern. This prevents, normally, any conflict between them. If I do bring my characters into the party it's either temporary (like one encounter), or they are there as filler until the party recruits a replacement. |
Fools to right of them,
Jesters to left of them,
Clowns in front of them
Pun'd and parody'd. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2010 : 02:01:19
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| Aye! I have one or two N/PC's that I use to occasionally bolster the party's weak points- like my bard, since no one ever seems to want to play a cleric or other healer-class- but I try to keep them low-pro. Most of the time they are simply there as back-up for the big fights if the party is getting stomped badly, and only really come out when there is actual role-playing going on. Foe example, in one campaign, my bard decided to spy on the female party members while they bathed (Okay, he's young, he's kinda a "pervert", and he's a dark elf- go figure...) and it led to some funny moments when he got caught. But he was also one of the first to learn the secret curse of one member because of it. And then there was the monk, whom they first encountered in an arena gladiator match- as part of the opposition. He KISSED the party's female ninja in the middle of a grapple during the fight! Led to a lot of laughs, and now she's sort of interested in him.... I LOVE playing flirty males!! |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2010 : 11:50:46
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my beef with the dms are mostly from the first few years of playing
with the first dm, our characters used to die up to five times per day
the other was too serious, no fun with that guy, the world is a harsh place
when the dms act powerful to spite the players and enjoy torturing them, have no idea about the job of the dm
then there was one who's stories sucked, soap-opera material and terrible cliches
lastly, when they are bored and don't want to run the story anymore, but still they prolong the farce, railroading into a disaster |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 06:42:46
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| Does anyone think the newer editions have successfully addressed the classic DM pitfalls? |
[/Ayrik] |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 08:15:50
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| All that writing, all those DMGs and supplements, over and over again, little actual improvement. No wonder the D&D franchise is a rollercoaster. |
[/Ayrik] |
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mensch
Seeker
80 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2010 : 09:19:00
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| Well, the second 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide does a good job of explaining a lot of the pitfalls. A lot of people say most of the content should have been in the first DMG. That book was co-authored by Robin D. Laws, who wrote Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering (http://www.sjgames.com/robinslaws) which I can heartily recommend. I hear a lot of stories about DMs who could have benefited from either the second DMG or the book by Mr. Laws. |
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to know that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice. – Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) |
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Kerrigan
Acolyte
Germany
31 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2010 : 09:29:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Nicolai Withander
Yeah,,, most ppl would. Me on the other hand, who have from the begining whanted to become the most powerful spellcaster on the face of toril, I need more power.
Roleplaying rule #1: You are not your character, but merely play him/her.
On the topic of complaints about DMs: One of my best friends usually leads our gaming sessions, and he's alright. The only problem is that he doesn't know the rules too well (in one of the last sessions he had to look up what tumble actually does) and we have one other player who knos (and uses) them quite well, which annoys our DM and leads him to acting the prima donna whenever he has been proven wrong. So, I prefer to be the DM myselfy as I'm mostly quite easygoing when it comes to rules. |
Edited by - Kerrigan on 17 Oct 2010 09:34:21 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2010 : 11:42:04
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| (other) Roleplaying Rule #1: It's not really a democracy. The DM has the final call. Minor mistakes and bad calls by the DM are sometimes inevitable and should be overlooked. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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vorpalanvil
Seeker
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 14:47:20
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| The good news: after reading all of that I've decided that I am a very above average DM. The bad news: You all lose 1 million xp for talking smack about your Dm's behind their backs'. Also, every 1d4 posters is struck by the vorpalanvil and is killed instantly. No tapbacks! |
"I'm a busy man! I got places to go, monsters to kill!" attributed to 1st level bard |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 03 Nov 2012 : 18:32:22
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My only complaint is the DM is a control freak.
Oh... wait... I AM the DM. 
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12194 Posts |
Posted - 15 Nov 2012 : 02:22:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
My biggest gripe? Always being the DM!! I only rarely get to play. When I DM, I have problems with players who won't stick to one PC- they change every other session, it seems. Call it gaming ADD... And then they get mad when I forget some little detail one of them did because FIVE people are trying to say something at once, often out-of-turn.... Anyone know a good fix?
Yeah, five people is the absolute MOST I'll ever DM (though in truth its usually only 3 or 4). I remember when I was much younger trying to DM a party of 8. It was insane. I did once do a group of 9 at a convention, but in that convention I had a female friend who I had let read the module and she was there to roleplay the triplets who were also ghosts. That was actually interesting, because she was free to do nothing but entertain them socially while I could focus on giving out clues, guiding side groups, etc.... Still, it was hard because with the more people, my attention was divided (and "luckily" some people died by being stupid). I will recommend it though if you have a module with an NPC of the opposite sex that would get a lot of air time.... bring in your wife, or your teenage niece... they don't need to understand the rules much, and it can make a unique experience. Just make sure to lay down the ground rules of what they CAN'T tell the party. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Gripe about your DM
