DM ex Machina

[DMMike]

I've been thinking about ways to make DMing more personally satisfying. Not that creating a most excellent adventure and campaign isn't satisfying; but I want to give the game the feeling of being my "character," or means of interacting with the PCs.

What I've come up with so far is to have a good NPC that gets the juices flowing. Probably better as some sort of antagonist, since running a protagonist might have the creepy feeling of playing by myself. (Haha, I disarm me! Yeah? Well I cast invisibility. Me catch me now!)

The other option is in the vein of Dungeon Master, the PC game. The goal there is to create a dungeon that will kill the heroes. While that goal is a little too easy for pen and paper DMs, I wonder if there's a way to make it viable.

So what makes DMing interesting for you, and have you tried either of these approaches?

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

Creating an excellent, well thought out, enjoyable, memorable adventure does it for me. If my creativity has players talking weeks, months, or even years after a game, then i know i did my job well.

[Kalanth]

I find that the adventure and thick, juicy story does it for me. I will toss in the occasional BBEG to help move the plot along, but in general its just watching the players react to my own special brand of evil that gets me moving forward.

[nijineko]

I find that the adventure and thick, juicy story does it for me. I will toss in the occasional BBEG to help move the plot along, but in general its just watching the players react to my own special brand of evil that gets me moving forward.

a very weird variant of a folger's commercial just went through my head. and i don't like coffee, thank you very much. :D

[Steve855]

Yeah, I agree with most of the posts here, I really like laying out a town with interesting NPCs and stories that are pertinent to them. Another thing that sates my DMing is when the PCs say things like "Oh wow!" or compliment me after a session is over. Maybe that is just the ego talking but, I still appropriate nonetheless.

[Kalanth]

a very weird variant of a folger's commercial just went through my head. and i don't like coffee, thank you very much. :D

*Sips cup of coffee* Thank Juan Valdez, that is some fine, Columbian evil there.

[Grimwell]

So what makes DMing interesting for you, and have you tried either of these approaches?

Fundamentally, there are two basic things that make me want to DM.

The first is the creative process of creating things. Putting together a setting and creating adventure opportunities is just fun for me, pure and simple. I enjoy the mental exercise, even if nobody ever sees it.

The second is having fun with other people and fostering that as a key to the environment at my game table. Fun is actually the number one for me, if it's not fun I don't want to be there.

[tesral]

Most of it has been said,. I enjoy the creative process itself. The second point is creating a game that people have fun with. That is the most important part right there. I don't need a given character, or a certain thing to happen, I want everyone to have a good time.

[kirksmithicus]

I also enjoy fostering the creative process in others. When players start to add details to the campaign of their own free will (outside of their character and the characters possessions), you know they are hooked. It makes the game much more interesting and dynamic.

[Kalanth]

I also enjoy fostering the creative process in others. When players start to add details to the campaign of their own free will (outside of their character and the characters possessions), you know they are hooked. It makes the game much more interesting and dynamic.

I know what you mean. Recently one of my players added this little gem:

http://captainmikal.wordpress.com/

I love that he even did one entry there, though I do hope he adds more as the game moves on. It is really exciting to me to see the game from the players perspectives. That is why when we gather for a session I have them explain what happened in the last session to any players that may have missed the game.

[kirksmithicus]

That's awesome and very funny.

[boulet]

I like the Tempest already :D Hope he will write some more

[Kalanth]

I do too. The player is kind of fickle when it comes to things like that outside of game day and I don't want to preasure him into writting more because he will just ostrach right up, but here is to hoping. :)

[nijineko]

fun read. ^^

[DMMike]

Wow. I was expecting at least one person to say

"I love it when a PC walks right into a trap. MAN that's rewarding."

I'm currently enjoying encounter-building, focusing on the tactics used by the antagonists according to their abilities, environment, and resources. It's pretty simple at low levels, so I'm hoping it doesn't get too complex as those three features get more radical.

And even though the villain is a few sessions away from making his first appearance, I gotta say I'm looking forward to fleshing him out too. Mwa ha ha...

[tesral]

"I love it when a PC walks right into a trap. MAN that's rewarding."


Nooses. That is what I call them. Traps with TRAP!!! all over it. BAD IDEA! DON'T GO THERE! I set these up to sort out the smart players from the not so smart ones.

The last set was a bra of immense size at the cut rate magic shop run by "Roadkill" (explained elsewhere). He didn't know what it was, but it was magical. One of the characters (male) tried it on. Instant turned to female that fit the bra. (A female character would just fit the bra). Much consternation, and magic to reverse this effect.

Then they find the jock strap that would fit a horse. Do they leave it alone?

Well you're reading it here, so I think you know what happened. At least the PC started male this time. Quickly found out that "hung like a horse" is not a good thing. Much magic expended to reverse that effect as well.

[DMMike]

LOL? Yes.
Understanding what a jock strap is doing in a fantasy game? No.

One of my favorite tests of player smarts: enemies that will demolish them. It's a weird world out there - but biceps the size of your head are something to be afraid of.

[tesral]

LOL? Yes.
Understanding what a jock strap is doing in a fantasy game? No.

One of my favorite tests of player smarts: enemies that will demolish them. It's a weird world out there - but biceps the size of your head are something to be afraid of.

I use things you should run away from as well. I have one crypt that no one has been dumb enough to open. Covered in holy symbols, sealed with silver melted into the seams of the stone. So far everyone has left it strictly alone.

The "Evil Slayer's Guild". A sort of anti-PETA for monsters, every bit as sensible and rational. One runs into a member now and again off to become monster bait. So far no one has hired any of them. All possess a single minded drive to destroy any creature they have identified as evil. As you might suspect reality seldom intrudes on this list. They will get you in trouble.

[DMMike]

:( Poor monsters.

By "monsters," do you mean non-PC races and non-animals?

I've decided that from a natural selection standpoint, my world should be practically barren of non-natural creatures. That way normal ecology has a chance to allow humanoid groups to flourish and still feed themselves somewhat normally.

The impact on "monster" is that they tend to be fairy tales, told mostly to frontier kids to keep them from wandering into the woods or associating with foreigners. My real monsters are created by magic - undead, elementals, constructs - or vaguely natural, like the giant, owlbear, and monstrous spider (who doesn't love a 50 pound, hairy, eight legged thing that will jump on your face from 30 feet away?).

[Kalanth]

The impact on "monster" is that they tend to be fairy tales, told mostly to frontier kids to keep them from wandering into the woods or associating with foreigners. My real monsters are created by magic - undead, elementals, constructs - or vaguely natural, like the giant, owlbear, and monstrous spider (who doesn't love a 50 pound, hairy, eight legged thing that will jump on your face from 30 feet away?).

This is something similar to my personal habbits. I don't use "monsters" very often at all. By that I mean anything that is not humanoid and has a city or country. So there are few normal animals in play much less dragons, beholders, otyugh, and more. Undead, thats different, they tend to be a mix of mindless and overly intelligent and easy to make a game around. I over use them.

Right now the game the party will be going into they dock in a metropolis and are recruited by a PC turned NPC. Turns out a harpy has been luring children into the plains that border the city and feeding those children to her stable of "exotic pets." By that I mean things like drakes, spiders and more.

Thats another thing that I like, occasionally going out of my comfort zone. I mean, how many times can I threaten the world compaired to other potential plots and ideas?