So, as I've discussed before, I'm DMing my first campaign. I'm just going to share some random thoughts about my experience before, the things I like about it, and the things I miss about being a player.
A few questions for the group, and then I'll share my own answers.
Q1: Do you prefer to be a DM or a player?
Q2: What do you most like about being a DM?
Q3: What are moments in game that give you the most satisfaction?
A1: It's hard to say which I like better. I can say I enjoy being a DM, but it's undoubtedly a different kind of enjoyment. As a player I really love playing the character in someone else's story. You ever watch a superhero movie and say, "Dang it, Thor! Why didn't you immediately rip his clove off after he went down??" Now you get to BE Thor and be responsible for his actions. That's kind of cool. But as a DM I really enjoy creating the world that others get to play in. Which do I like better? Some people only ever DM. I can't do that, but I'm definitely enjoying the experience so far.
A2: I love creating problems for the players to solve, and seeing how they react. I love that the entire story is NOT just written by me. I only write part of the story, and the players are writing writing the rest by their words and deeds inside the story.
A3: I get satisfaction when I find the right balance for a combat encounter. The tension, the OMG should we fight on or flee? I get satisfaction when players come up with creative solutions to problems that I had not thought of or planned for. I get satisfaction when players add emotional moments to the story that were totally unnecessary. By "unnecessary" I mean they were not needed to progress the story forward. Lastly, I get satisfaction when they get into deep discussions about how to handle situations, and to develop plans of action.
1.) Do you have to like one over the other? Broadly, I like GMing and playing but do have the aptitude of balancing game planning with life balance so I usually find myself agreeing to GM. Consequently, I have more experience as a GM over a number of systems than player (it's one of the areas I'll actually pay to play one shots so I know I got the system right in my head and get a better sense of the player experience). To me the question is sort of like do I enjoy cooking more than eating? I know some folks may lean one way or the other, but for me it's a moot distinction.
2.) I enjoy the overall experience of being a DM and feel successful when I can feel the fun being had by the rest of the table. I guess that rubs off on me as a player as I only really enjoy the game if I get the sense the rest of the players are too, and will take the initiative so to speak to ensure other players get something out of my character's actions.
3.) feels it's asking instantiation of Q2 so right before one of my games took a hiatus, I managed to end on a cliff hanger which tied up a bunch of plot threads and brought back an NPC who ends the game with "so what now?" And getting a chorus of "Aughg!" and "Jesus Christ, Midnightplat, good job." That valuation, literal appreciation, is the juice. It's similar to the satisfaction of throwing a party folks will bring up days weeks and months later. But going back to question 1 I also like going to such parties, I just tend to host them more I guess.
A1: Sadly, I am a forever DM and therefore have only ever experienced playing once. I am trying to groom some of my friends to DM, but they all have lives and I don’t (which is part of the reason I DM all the time: I’m the only one who has time to study the rules)
A2: I love writing lore
A3: I like it best being a DM when my players can’t tell what’s the module and what’s the wacky stuff I make up on the spot.
A1: I vastly prefer being a player, as it allows me a lot more freedom and freeform enjoyment, to simply flow with the story and immerse myself in it. Being DM is ok, too, as I give our normal DM a bit of a break, but being entirely honest, I'd rather just play along, tracking, sorting, planning and keeping everything organized often takes on a feeling of "work" which is what I D&D o get away from, lol.
A2. What I enjoy most about being a DM is when my players get that feeling of superhero after defeating a strong enemy. I have been told that my combat descriptions are outstanding and they enjoy my descriptions of them tearing the monsters up (and even BEING torn up at times by the monsters) I also enjoy having a long path paid out for them, then shifting on the fly, because where I expected them to take the left or right path, they plow straight ahead, lol. It is fun, to me, to have a story laid out, then have my players alter it in ways I didn't expect.
A3. Most satisfying moment? Well, I get the greatest joy, as a DM, when my players are engrossed in the story and feel like they are the focal point, which they really are. Getting buy-in from some folks is really tough, finding that THING that captivates them and yanks them forcefully into the tale. One of my players I struggle with a lot, because while she plays along and does her role, I don't see her getting sucked into the tale and seeming to feel like she has an actual stake in things. Recently I had a goddess visit her, in person, for a little chat about where she is and where she's headed. I wasn't sure how effective it was, until after the session, when she said "A Goddess talked to me!" with a fair bit of enthusiasm. None of the other PC's know this happened, so the outburst OC made me realize that I apparently HAD hit on the THING to draw her in. They can (and will) derail my plans, do things to screw up the path I've hoped they would take and overall, create tons of headaches for me to deal with, BUT, if I get that buy-in, that immersion, where they feel like THEY are important, it's ALL worth it!
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Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
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So, as I've discussed before, I'm DMing my first campaign. I'm just going to share some random thoughts about my experience before, the things I like about it, and the things I miss about being a player.
A few questions for the group, and then I'll share my own answers.
Q1: Do you prefer to be a DM or a player?
Q2: What do you most like about being a DM?
Q3: What are moments in game that give you the most satisfaction?
A1: It's hard to say which I like better. I can say I enjoy being a DM, but it's undoubtedly a different kind of enjoyment. As a player I really love playing the character in someone else's story. You ever watch a superhero movie and say, "Dang it, Thor! Why didn't you immediately rip his clove off after he went down??" Now you get to BE Thor and be responsible for his actions. That's kind of cool. But as a DM I really enjoy creating the world that others get to play in. Which do I like better? Some people only ever DM. I can't do that, but I'm definitely enjoying the experience so far.
A2: I love creating problems for the players to solve, and seeing how they react. I love that the entire story is NOT just written by me. I only write part of the story, and the players are writing writing the rest by their words and deeds inside the story.
A3: I get satisfaction when I find the right balance for a combat encounter. The tension, the OMG should we fight on or flee? I get satisfaction when players come up with creative solutions to problems that I had not thought of or planned for. I get satisfaction when players add emotional moments to the story that were totally unnecessary. By "unnecessary" I mean they were not needed to progress the story forward. Lastly, I get satisfaction when they get into deep discussions about how to handle situations, and to develop plans of action.
1.) Do you have to like one over the other? Broadly, I like GMing and playing but do have the aptitude of balancing game planning with life balance so I usually find myself agreeing to GM. Consequently, I have more experience as a GM over a number of systems than player (it's one of the areas I'll actually pay to play one shots so I know I got the system right in my head and get a better sense of the player experience). To me the question is sort of like do I enjoy cooking more than eating? I know some folks may lean one way or the other, but for me it's a moot distinction.
2.) I enjoy the overall experience of being a DM and feel successful when I can feel the fun being had by the rest of the table. I guess that rubs off on me as a player as I only really enjoy the game if I get the sense the rest of the players are too, and will take the initiative so to speak to ensure other players get something out of my character's actions.
3.) feels it's asking instantiation of Q2 so right before one of my games took a hiatus, I managed to end on a cliff hanger which tied up a bunch of plot threads and brought back an NPC who ends the game with "so what now?" And getting a chorus of "Aughg!" and "Jesus Christ, Midnightplat, good job." That valuation, literal appreciation, is the juice. It's similar to the satisfaction of throwing a party folks will bring up days weeks and months later. But going back to question 1 I also like going to such parties, I just tend to host them more I guess.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
A1: Sadly, I am a forever DM and therefore have only ever experienced playing once. I am trying to groom some of my friends to DM, but they all have lives and I don’t (which is part of the reason I DM all the time: I’m the only one who has time to study the rules)
A2: I love writing lore
A3: I like it best being a DM when my players can’t tell what’s the module and what’s the wacky stuff I make up on the spot.
Hi, I am not a chest. I deny with 100% certainty that I am a chest. I can neither confirm nor deny what I am beyond that.
I used to portray Krathian, Q'ilbrith, Jim, Tara, Turin, Nathan, Tench, Finn, Alvin, and other characters in various taverns.
I also do homebrew, check out my Spells and Magic Items
"That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange eons, even death may die"
Coll thread, nice questions, IMO.
A1: I vastly prefer being a player, as it allows me a lot more freedom and freeform enjoyment, to simply flow with the story and immerse myself in it. Being DM is ok, too, as I give our normal DM a bit of a break, but being entirely honest, I'd rather just play along, tracking, sorting, planning and keeping everything organized often takes on a feeling of "work" which is what I D&D o get away from, lol.
A2. What I enjoy most about being a DM is when my players get that feeling of superhero after defeating a strong enemy. I have been told that my combat descriptions are outstanding and they enjoy my descriptions of them tearing the monsters up (and even BEING torn up at times by the monsters) I also enjoy having a long path paid out for them, then shifting on the fly, because where I expected them to take the left or right path, they plow straight ahead, lol. It is fun, to me, to have a story laid out, then have my players alter it in ways I didn't expect.
A3. Most satisfying moment? Well, I get the greatest joy, as a DM, when my players are engrossed in the story and feel like they are the focal point, which they really are. Getting buy-in from some folks is really tough, finding that THING that captivates them and yanks them forcefully into the tale. One of my players I struggle with a lot, because while she plays along and does her role, I don't see her getting sucked into the tale and seeming to feel like she has an actual stake in things. Recently I had a goddess visit her, in person, for a little chat about where she is and where she's headed. I wasn't sure how effective it was, until after the session, when she said "A Goddess talked to me!" with a fair bit of enthusiasm. None of the other PC's know this happened, so the outburst OC made me realize that I apparently HAD hit on the THING to draw her in. They can (and will) derail my plans, do things to screw up the path I've hoped they would take and overall, create tons of headaches for me to deal with, BUT, if I get that buy-in, that immersion, where they feel like THEY are important, it's ALL worth it!
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.