how do YOU DM?

[JohnD]

There is an underlying understanding that I as DM have a story prepared. Going off the board on a tangent as a player is fine - but "winging it" is much easier in a face-to-face game than on-line via a VTT or say NWN or NWN2.

IC hints are much more preferable than OOC, but sometimes you just can't help it (and other times, the player you're going OOC with responds with "yeah I know but this is how my PC would react in this situation" and can provide previous examples of how it is in character.

After 32 years (yikes...) "winging it" gets easier, but it is a decided skill I think.

[bennis1980]

Dr_venture,

We had a similar situation last week when a new character arrived on the scene while one of the other players was still frenzied. After all the goblins were slain, our frenzied character failed a self discipline roll and couldn't distinguish friend from foe. He of course ran towards the stranger who had just arrived. After a couple of hairy rounds with the newcomer parrying everything he had, the regular character calmed down (successful SD check).

Now I just let things run because I don't like to interfer (particularly as I'm aiming for low powered realism in this campaign) but things could have ended up pretty badly. They are now firm friends (after two sessions).


On the question of GM style, my usual method before starting with FG was high powered, story driven and prepared fully. Ironicly, I have chosen a different route for GMing online with relative strangers. I am trying to prepare as much background setting as possible, limiting the story to one town but try to develop it fully. Then I unleash the PCs into the town and let the players decide what interests them, and let the story unfold based on their decisions. But none of the stories are truely dependant on the PCs so risk of death is always there.

I don't know what this is? Austere sandbox with lots of preparation?

[Willot]

how do YOU DM?

With Dice....