Thread 96762725

I'll start...
>Players won't appreciate everything you plan
>Doing heaps of prep =/= quality
>Players will want to go their own way, usually in contradictory ways
>You can't plan everything precisely; players are going to deviate and be creative
>You can't rigidly play a game; don't safely plan for every hiccup; roll with the punches
>Players are sensitive and are going to feel upset if you didn't design for their specific wants or needs
>Don't just have a narrative in your head of where everything is going to go

>>96762725 (OP)
Sounds like you have shitty players and are probably playing a shitty system like DnD 5e. I am sorry this is happening to you, OP.

>>96762725 (OP)
>Players won't appreciate everything you plan
This is "no shit Sherlock" levels of general advice; there will always be people who don't appreciate what you do, regardless of what it is.

>Doing heaps of prep =/= quality
The only prep a GM needs to do is gather the materials to run the game and corroborate with the players to make sure they're ready to play.

>Players will want to go their own way, usually in contradictory ways.
Yes, and it's up to you as the GM to make sure either your game can accommodate that, or you properly set expectations before the game started that it can't accommodate separation.

>You can't plan everything precisely; players are going to deviate and be creative
The only plan you should have as a GM is to run the game, so familiarity with the game's rules and possible exploits is obligatory.

>You can't rigidly play a game; don't safely plan for every hiccup; roll with the punches
Not only can you rigidly play a game, but doing so is required to be a GAME MASTER. If you aren't running a game, you may as well call yourself a storyteller or arbiter.

>Players are sensitive and are going to feel upset if you didn't design for their specific wants or needs
Once again, it's up to the GM to properly set expectations before the game starts. This time should be used for players to air their wants and needs, and any house rules made in accommodation to those needs must be made clear before gameplay starts.

>Don't just have a narrative in your head of where everything is going to go
True. Any narrative involved should be handled through brief drip-feeds in the game material itself, such as descriptions of character options, environmental storytelling, and through the game's challenges to be overcome with player skill and luck.
Any narrative or story that isn't in immediate service to solving a challenge, or that prolongs playing the game, is unnecessary.

>>96762725 (OP)
>Doing heaps of prep =/= quality
>Players will want to go their own way, usually in contradictory ways
>Don't just have a narrative in your head of where everything is going to go
I feel like the third one is a direct contradiction to the first two. I've learned to set up situations, for my group. "You've gotta go rescue the kidnapped lady from the lords manor." It's not a dungeon I'm planning. It's a thoughtful, well-functioning noble's manor. I tell the players they've gotta get the girl and they're on their own from then on out. Whatever they throw at me, I know exactly what's happening where in response.

I didn't expect "travelling minstrels come to town," but it turned out well. Lots of climbing on rooftops, a few walls broken, and they missed every last piece of treasure.

Players are, to a man, babbling incoherent retards. It is your duty as a dm to create structure and order.
Even when a good dm becomes a player, something sinister happens, their mind melts and they join the gibbering mass. Its painful to watch.

>>96762725 (OP)
You sound like you woukd be happier writing a book. Have you tried writing a book?

Never expect your campaign to last longer than 1d4 sessions.
Use published adventures, your effort isn't worth the disappointment when the table falls apart.
Don't play with men in relationship. Their attendance 100% depends if their girlfriends let them play.
Don't bother playing with people who have to drive longer than 10km to get to you or blue collar workers. They'll just be too tired all the time and probably fall asleep right after work.

>>96762725 (OP)
If players were creative they would be GMs. You are just not a good GM if you can't predict what your players will do in any given scenario with at least 85% accuracy.

Playoids can be unpredictable but I've never accepted the "just make everything up on the fly" philosophy of GMing. I can always tell when a GM is doing it and it diminishes the game for me. There's just something cool about a really well planned out 90's era DnD dungeon or a Call of Cthulhu investigation with great props/clues etc.

If you know your players and aren't autistic you can usually figure out how to trick them into going the route you want with the proper bait. If a player is girl-crazy, use a pretty female NPC to start the quest. If a player is contrarian, drag your feet a little and act like you don't think the group is ready for the forbidden woods yet.

>>96762725 (OP)
If you are so miserable, change the hobby, instead of whining online to random strangers

>>96764500
>Use published adventures
Kill yourself.
A boilerplate scenario that was cobbled 30 seconds before the session starts is better than the best premade.

Player determine what their goals are. Not you. You're the referee, not the author.

>>96766066
Why would you plan ahead? You don't know where the players are going to decide to go or how they'll decide to interact with things and people.

>>96766066
Why do you think there's a "route I want"? That's counterproductive to the reason I run games.

What do you mean by "start the quest"?

96771838
96771846
96771853
>inflammatory contrarian hogwash posted exactly one minute and a few seconds apart.
These posts are made by the same faggot troll. Don't feed him (you)s, he's not here to have an actual discussion.

>Have a plan for if the players dont have any ideas of their own. Don't plan for the players ideas; roll with the punches and be flexible.
>Keep OOC enjoyment of the game in mind. Don't let one guy wander off for thirty minutes while the rest of the party just sits there. That's unfun.

>>96772528
It isn't inflammatory or contrarian in the least.

>>96773137
Why would the rest of the party "just be sitting there"? Turn order doesn't stop just because people are 200 yards apart instead of 199.

>>96762725 (OP)
>If you set up a multiple choice for players (who to invite to dinner, what project to research), expect them to put a lot of effort into "both" "neither" or "some retarded compromise that attempts to get all upsides and no downsides"

>>96774097
>>96774092
>>96771846
>>96771853
>>96771838
What? "Turn order" as you so gracefully put it - Initiative order, let's use proper language - is for combat, in 5e and most other games at least. Are you thinking of a different system where there's always a turn order?

>>96776829
You're giving (you)s to an obvious troll. Shame on you, anon!

>>96762725 (OP)
Your players can be, will be, and are fucking retarded. Punish them for it at every chance you get.