7 Tips for being a great DM

[Cookiemobsta]

1) The rule of fun is the only rule.

Your job as DM is not to tell a great story.
It's not to build an immersive world.
Nor is it to obey and enforce the rules.

Your job as DM is to make the game fun for the players.
Period.

Everything else is vetoed by the rule of fun.
If you have an awesome story/immersive world/whatever, that's great, as long as it adds to the fun. If it doesn't add to the fun the players are having, throw it out. The game rules are important, but the rule of fun always overrules the rules of the game. If the rules say a player would die, but dying isn't fun, keep the player alive. If the rules say the player can't do something, but that something would be awesome and add to the fun, let the player do the thing anyway. Obviously, rules are important, and in general you should follow the rules to add structure to the game, but never let a game rule overrule the rule of fun.

2) The party should be heroes from day 1.

The PCs should feel like they are the A-team. They should be accomplishing heroic acts that NPCs are in awe of--and they should be doing this from the very first session.

Yes, even if the PCs start at a low level. Obviously, if your party is level 1, they're not going to be slaying any dragons or frost giants. But have the party save a town from a tribe of goblins--and have the town erect a statue of the party as thanks. Have the party hear of a plot to assassinate the king, and race against time to warn him (and get the king's personal thanks, as well as a knighthood.)

For the PCs to feel like heroes, they should feel like heroes from early on. Harry Potter didn't run around doing wizard fetch quests--he was doing heroic stuff starting early in book one. Give the party significant stuff to do, even if they are low level.

And have NPCs react. If you save a town from bandits, have the town throw the PCs a parade. Have people from the town ask the PCs to marry their daughters (or sons). Have the town declare one of the PCs their mayor. You get the idea.

3) Keep the spotlight on the PCs at all times

Similar to rule 2. For PCs to feel like heroes, they should be the most heroic people in the room. Want to have an awesome epic level wizard in your campaign? Great--but instead of putting him in a scene where you can show him off, have him need the PCs help. Want to have an NPC tag along with the PCs? Sure--but make them noncombat so the PCs have the chance to shine.

If at any moment, one of your NPCs is cooler than the party, you are doing your job wrong.

4) Make memorable, recurring NPCs.

One of the most powerful ways to get the PCs invested in the game world is by allowing them to build relationships with NPCs in the game world. So create memorable NPCs, and then bring them back regularly. If a kindly old wizard gave the party their first quest, maybe later suggest that they return to him so he can decipher a scroll they found.

Have a quirky shopkeeper who has a different eccentric item to sell the party returns to town. Give party members love interests or rivals, then use those relationships to drive the plot (have the big bad evil guy kidnap the love interest, or force the party to work together with their rivals to accomplish some larger goal.)

Remember that NPCs are only memorable so much as their interactions with the party is memorable. If you make a really cool character that doesn't interact with the party much, don't be surprised if the party forgets them entirely. But a completely bland barkeeper that the party pulls into a drinking competition will still be talked about in weeks to come.

Also, one particularly good recurring character trope is the "Ultros" character. Ultros is an octopus from final fantasy 6 that would come back repeatedly to throw a wrench in the party's plans. He wasn't a true villain--he wasn't evil per se--but he was always opposed to the party. Having a character like that can be very useful.

5) PC death should always be chosen by the player.

It's no fun to be killed by a lucky crit. If a character dies, it should be because the player has chosen that--either they want to roll a new character, or they see an very epic way for their character to go out. If the player has not chosen to let their character die, their character should never die. Have the character fall unconscious, be captured, lose an eye, whatever--but never die. This goes back to the rule of fun--it's not fun to lose a character you invested months into.

6) Think qualitative, not quantitative for rewards and penalties

Numbers are boring. A sword that adds +2 to a roll is boring.

Abilities are exciting. A sword that lets you run up a wall is exciting.

When you reward players, don't reward them with stat boots or items that give them stat boosts. Instead, reward them with items that give them new abilities. These don't have to be abilities from source books--just think of creative things the party might like to do. For instance, you might give a soup bowl that is always full (and see the creative uses the party finds for it), or a earring that lets them understand the speech of animals. Be creative!

Same thing goes for penalties. If a player triggers a poison trap, don't give them ability damage, make them turn bright blue until cured (and have them deal with that in interactions with NPC). Give players opportunities to roleplay, because that adds to fun.

7)Say "Yes" unless you have to say "No"

If a player asks you whether the inn has a bard, say "Yes" unless there's a very good reason the inn should not have a bard. Chances are, the player has a cool idea that involves a bard, and by saying that there is a bard there, you allow that cool idea to happen.

The same thing is true if they try to solve a problem in a creative way. If they attempt to talk the orc chief out of his invasion, you should let them try--and if they do a good job of talking, you should make the orc agree. It doesn't matter if you've already decided the orc is tough and brutal--if it would be more fun for the party to talk him down, you should let that happen.

Hope that helps! It's a bit of a wall of text, but with luck these ideas might be inspirational for you in your games :) Let me know if you have any questions or comments, or if there are any tips of your own you'd like to share.

EDIT: So I added some clarifying thoughts in a post below, but based on the discussion that's been happening since, it looks like most people have not seen them. So I'm reposting them here:

Hi guys,

Thanks for your feedback.

Here's my four rationales for most of these tips. I'm a DM myself, and I've applied these tips to great success at my own gaming table. Hopefully this will shed some light on my thought process and why I believe strongly in these tips:

1) Fun is more important than realism.

Is it realistic for a level 1 mook to be a hero? No. It's realistic for the dnd world to be big and scary and cruel.

But that level one mook has a player, and that player is going to have much more fun if his character is allowed to do heroic things from the get-go. Players should not have to "earn" the right to have fun by slogging through low level grinds.

I'm not the first one to come up with this idea. Read books. The Fellowship of the Ring does not spend 30 chapters earning the right to be heroes by taking care of the Shire's dire rat problem--they are thrust immediately into an epic adventure. And that goes for the hobbits too--who certainly qualify as level one mooks.

Same thing goes for NPCs never being cooler than the character. Is it realistic for Gandalf to need the help of a level 1 mook? No. But is it super fun for a player to have Gandalf ask his character for help? You bet.

And this doesn't mean that all NPCs have to be chumps or wussies. The king doesn't have to be an idiot to need the help of the party--in fact, the party is cooler if the king is cool. When Chuck Norris needs your help, then you know that you're hardcore. The king just shouldn't be cooler than the party, because then it's less fun for the players.

2)Long term fun outweighs short term fun

Does saying yes to everything mean that you have to give your party wizard the ability to craft a Batmobile? No. Letting that happen would be fun for the moment, but it would destroy realism and immersion and sabotage the ability of the game to be fun in the future. So you need to be able to sacrifice short term fun if there is a long term fun gain. Most of the situations you guys threw out as reasons why the tips don't work is an example of short-term fun that sacrifices long-term fun, which was never intended.

When pondering a DM decision, ask yourself "What decision would lead to the greatest amount of fun to the greatest amount of players for the longest amount of fun?" The answer to that question will almost always lead you to the right response.

3)The party doesn't need to know to see behind-the-scenes.

I have never killed a member of my party unless the player was willing. But I don't tell my players this. For all they know, every combat could be their last. They feel the same sense of danger and realism, but I protect them from the pain of losing a character.

4) The DM will have the most fun when the party has the most fun.

If you are having fun and your party is not having fun, you are doing a terrible job as a DM.

If your party is having fun, you will have a very hard time not having fun as well.

Focus on the fun of the party, and your fun will follow.

[slaydemons]

I know this a is a bit of a minor thing but rule 2 and 4 seem to collide and butt heads though and rule 7 saying yes to everything is also bad one of my players asked this "can I use a bear hip bone as a boomerang." more explication in this edit I made: my player also wanted to ride bears on bears on bears to make a super bear tower because the rules didn't say he couldn't

as for rule 2 and 4 butting heads how can you make a npc memorable if no spot light is put on them if the spot light is put on the players all the time then everything else is pretty much background scenery like it would be in a play and rule 1 about the bit where players die don't let them die, I personally would be more like "ohh god, this person got creamed by something. Well he spent a lot of time on this character. Fudge the rolls so he is jut mortally wounded and should probably not try anything else for the day but this is the only time he is getting it unless he is just annihilated."

Not letting the player die takes any bit of the challenge and makes it so I can take on a great wyrm gold dragon from level one all I have to do is keep attacking and hitting him with ones until he dies. I personally don't think they should be heroes from day one I love humble beginnings and their live should depend on thought, dedication and a bit of luck.

my last examples are really just taken on how you said them and how I processed it in my mind and I mean no disrespect if it sounds like I do sorry had to be honest.

[*.*.*.*]

5) PC death should always be chosen by the player.

It's no fun to be killed by a lucky crit. If a character dies, it should be because the player has chosen that--either they want to roll a new character, or they see an very epic way for their character to go out. If the player has not chosen to let their character die, their character should never die. Have the character fall unconscious, be captured, lose an eye, whatever--but never die. This goes back to the rule of fun--it's not fun to lose a character you invested months into.

I completely disagree, without the threat of death; the game gets boring. Being captured doesn't sound bad at all nor does falling unconscious, with losing an eye easily remedied with a regenerate spell. If monsters and NPCs can be killed by a lucky crit, so should a player. If you don't want your character to die, don't enter combat(or don't play).

[Kenneth]

Hmm I generally agree with what you said EXCEPT for the following 'rules'

RULE 2: FOr me the players have to earn the right to be heroes. They just don't wake up and everybody praises them showers them with gifts etc etc. Maybe it my group's playstyles but while the adventurer can do thing the common man cannot starting out, That don't mean that just becuase you are a PC that you are automatically a hero. TO me what makes is ahero is not the entlitelment but the fact that you could have ran away, paid somebody else or just said ' its another person's problem' but instead took teh bull by the horns and dealt with the situation yourself is what makes you a hero.


RULE 5: WHAT?!? this one makes no sense at all.. Time to be a lvl 1 commoner in your games and proceed to solo the pantheons... Again this may be a playstyle difference in the groups I play with, but just like in real life they accept and understand the fact that people die.

and i am semi against RULE 7: Just beucase you need to put better clearification on what is a 'yes' question and what is a 'no' question.

about character dearth

Spoiler

Show

Its just a character. ive literally had thousands of character in my decades of RPGs. if I got caught up and creid over any of them well.. i mean seriously.. Take this as an example. playing some pathfinder the evil mage a-hole that has been ******* us around the 3/4 of the cmapin finally made a mistake and let himself be caught off guard by my maximized/empowered disintegrate blah blah blah long story short he proceeded to wipe the party ( it had to be undone as the DM literally just made the guys abilities up) the onl person who was upset was our cleric and they looked at me and said ( fyi this was the clerics first RPG ever) 'aren't you upset' my reply was ' eh, its just paper with scribblings on it.. takes 3 minutes to make a new one no lose really, play for another 4 or 5 months and you'll understand what I am saying better'

[kyoryu]

Its just a character. ive literally had thousands of character in my decades of RPGs.

Well, that's the thing. You're looking at it from an old-school perspective, while the OP was looking from the viewpoint of modern campaign expectations. They're two *very* different views.

[Vortling]

I'd like to propose a new #1 rule for you. I would go so far as to declare these things about the rule I'm going to give you. No one will disagree with it. If you don't follow it, you're a bad DM. I'm not taking that back.

#1 rule: Communicate with your players.
Communicate what expectations you have for your game. Communicate to find out what the players' expectations are. Communicate the themes and style. Communicate what type of game you're playing. Communicate your house rules. Communicate why you have them. Communicate when you want people to show up. Communicate who is bringing the food.

Communicate and you'll end up with a great group which will turn you into a great DM for that group. Any other rules are details that depend on your group.

[Solaris]

1) The rule of fun is the only rule.

Your job as DM is not to tell a great story.
It's not to build an immersive world.
Nor is it to obey and enforce the rules.

Your job as DM is to make the game fun for the players.
Period.

Everything else is vetoed by the rule of fun.
If you have an awesome story/immersive world/whatever, that's great, as long as it adds to the fun. If it doesn't add to the fun the players are having, throw it out. The game rules are important, but the rule of fun always overrules the rules of the game. If the rules say a player would die, but dying isn't fun, keep the player alive. If the rules say the player can't do something, but that something would be awesome and add to the fun, let the player do the thing anyway. Obviously, rules are important, and in general you should follow the rules to add structure to the game, but never let a game rule overrule the rule of fun.

The DM is a player, too. He puts in many more hours than the rest of the players, and he doesn't get a character to call his own.

2) The party should be heroes from day 1.

The PCs should feel like they are the A-team. They should be accomplishing heroic acts that NPCs are in awe of--and they should be doing this from the very first session.

Yes, even if the PCs start at a low level. Obviously, if your party is level 1, they're not going to be slaying any dragons or frost giants. But have the party save a town from a tribe of goblins--and have the town erect a statue of the party as thanks. Have the party hear of a plot to assassinate the king, and race against time to warn him (and get the king's personal thanks, as well as a knighthood.)

For the PCs to feel like heroes, they should feel like heroes from early on. Harry Potter didn't run around doing wizard fetch quests--he was doing heroic stuff starting early in book one. Give the party significant stuff to do, even if they are low level.

And have NPCs react. If you save a town from bandits, have the town throw the PCs a parade. Have people from the town ask the PCs to marry their daughters (or sons). Have the town declare one of the PCs their mayor. You get the idea.

Allow me to supply a clarification to this: Have the world react to the characters. Stupid fetch quests generally exist only in computer games. The players aren't going to betreated like Big Billy Badass until they are Big Billy Badass.

3) Keep the spotlight on the PCs at all times

Similar to rule 2. For PCs to feel like heroes, they should be the most heroic people in the room. Want to have an awesome epic level wizard in your campaign? Great--but instead of putting him in a scene where you can show him off, have him need the PCs help. Want to have an NPC tag along with the PCs? Sure--but make them noncombat so the PCs have the chance to shine.

If at any moment, one of your NPCs is cooler than the party, you are doing your job wrong.

You don't like your DM, do you?
Actually, scratch that. Let me rephrase it and supply an example. I once crafted a Jedi character who was supposed to be a one-shot NPC that went with the party for a specific mission (they rescued him, actually). The players loved the magnificent bastard despite the fact that he was, by their own admission, significantly cooler than they - and being an optimised Jedi guardian a few levels higher than them, able to wipe the floor with encounters way above their pay grade. He wound up being a recurring mentor/advisor character who'd join them for the really important missions.
So, going back to your first rule, if the NPC - while possibly being cooler than the PCs - increases the fun of the game... He's kosher.

4) Make memorable, recurring NPCs.

One of the most powerful ways to get the PCs invested in the game world is by allowing them to build relationships with NPCs in the game world. So create memorable NPCs, and then bring them back regularly. If a kindly old wizard gave the party their first quest, maybe later suggest that they return to him so he can decipher a scroll they found.

Have a quirky shopkeeper who has a different eccentric item to sell the party returns to town. Give party members love interests or rivals, then use those relationships to drive the plot (have the big bad evil guy kidnap the love interest, or force the party to work together with their rivals to accomplish some larger goal.)

Remember that NPCs are only memorable so much as their interactions with the party is memorable. If you make a really cool character that doesn't interact with the party much, don't be surprised if the party forgets them entirely. But a completely bland barkeeper that the party pulls into a drinking competition will still be talked about in weeks to come.

Also, one particularly good recurring character trope is the "Ultros" character. Ultros is an octopus from final fantasy 6 that would come back repeatedly to throw a wrench in the party's plans. He wasn't a true villain--he wasn't evil per se--but he was always opposed to the party. Having a character like that can be very useful.

Absolutely. That is a responsibility of the DM.

5) PC death should always be chosen by the player.

It's no fun to be killed by a lucky crit. If a character dies, it should be because the player has chosen that--either they want to roll a new character, or they see an very epic way for their character to go out. If the player has not chosen to let their character die, their character should never die. Have the character fall unconscious, be captured, lose an eye, whatever--but never die. This goes back to the rule of fun--it's not fun to lose a character you invested months into.

The player chooses to die by walking into a dungeon. More charitably, he chooses to die by doing something stupid.

6) Think qualitative, not quantitative for rewards and penalties

Numbers are boring. A sword that adds +2 to a roll is boring.

Abilities are exciting. A sword that lets you run up a wall is exciting.

When you reward players, don't reward them with stat boots or items that give them stat boosts. Instead, reward them with items that give them new abilities. These don't have to be abilities from source books--just think of creative things the party might like to do. For instance, you might give a soup bowl that is always full (and see the creative uses the party finds for it), or a earring that lets them understand the speech of animals. Be creative!

Same thing goes for penalties. If a player triggers a poison trap, don't give them ability damage, make them turn bright blue until cured (and have them deal with that in interactions with NPC). Give players opportunities to roleplay, because that adds to fun.

Agreed, to an extent.

7)Say "Yes" unless you have to say "No"

If a player asks you whether the inn has a bard, say "Yes" unless there's a very good reason the inn should not have a bard. Chances are, the player has a cool idea that involves a bard, and by saying that there is a bard there, you allow that cool idea to happen.

The same thing is true if they try to solve a problem in a creative way. If they attempt to talk the orc chief out of his invasion, you should let them try--and if they do a good job of talking, you should make the orc agree. It doesn't matter if you've already decided the orc is tough and brutal--if it would be more fun for the party to talk him down, you should let that happen.

Essentially, "Don't railroad the players into your pre-determined plot-line".

[kieza]

1) The rule of fun is the only rule.

Your job as DM is not to tell a great story.
It's not to build an immersive world.
Nor is it to obey and enforce the rules.

Your job as DM is to make the game fun for the players.
Period.

Everything else is vetoed by the rule of fun.
If you have an awesome story/immersive world/whatever, that's great, as long as it adds to the fun. If it doesn't add to the fun the players are having, throw it out. The game rules are important, but the rule of fun always overrules the rules of the game. If the rules say a player would die, but dying isn't fun, keep the player alive. If the rules say the player can't do something, but that something would be awesome and add to the fun, let the player do the thing anyway. Obviously, rules are important, and in general you should follow the rules to add structure to the game, but never let a game rule overrule the rule of fun.

You take this too far. While I try to make my games fun for my players, I expect to have a certain amount of fun too, and I'm not going to run a game that's boring or painful for me to adjudicate. If my players want "Island of the Rich but Easy-to-Defeat Monsters" or "City of the Nubile Women With No Nudity Taboo," they should find another DM.

[MukkTB]

Risk is a part of the game. You can die. As DM I generally try to let PCs have an opportunity to get resurrected. Its not set in stone how you deal with death. Gygax was a legendary DM and his games were far more deadly than mine.

And the DM is a player. You're not a servant of the other players. You have an equal stake. That means if there are 5 players including you, 1/5 of your time should be devoted to things you'll have fun doing. Otherwise you get tired and quit which isn't fun for anyone.

[Morghen]

One of the things I hate most about, well... the internet in general I guess is the constant occurrence of scenes like this:

A: "Hey, I wrote this thing. Hope it helps somebody."
B: "OMGNOOB stop posting and die."

That being said, I disagree as strongly as possible with points 2, 3, and 5.

2) The party should be heroes from day 1.

What? I'm some mook who learned to swing a sword last week. Or I'm an apprentice who can cast Magic Missile twice a day. Why should anybody pay attention to me until my friends and I clean out a few dungeons?

3) Keep the spotlight on the PCs at all times

Well, yeah. The title of point 3 is okay, but then you go on to say that if Elminster/Mordenkainen/Merlin, etc. are in the campaign they should drop in on my 2nd-level mook because he's the only one who can whatever. At the end, you say "If at any moment, one of your NPCs is cooler than the party, you are doing your job wrong." What is this I don't even.

Seriously. Following that rule, the kings are all going to be chumps advised by chumps. The captain of the guard is a chump. Who's going to train my mook? He's the coolest guy in town, so there's nothing to stop me from walking around like I'm the protagonist of a console RPG and just robbing everybody blind.

5) PC death should always be chosen by the player.

I... no.

NO.

If there's no risk, there's no reward. I play RPGs to feel like I'm accomplishing something, even if that thing is wholly imaginary. If I have no chance of failure, I'm essentially walking a tightrope that's been lowered to the ground. Yeah, I still walked it, but I'm impressing nobody.

[Vitruviansquid]

It seems to me that a lot of these depend on the table you're playing at or the setting you're playing in.

If we're playing a realistic, gritty setting, your character will die when I tell you he dies. :|

[Crow]

Disagree strongly with 2 and 5 for reasons others have stated.

[Cookiemobsta]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your feedback.

Here's my four rationales for most of these tips. I'm a DM myself, and I've applied these tips to great success at my own gaming table. Hopefully this will shed some light on my thought process and why I believe strongly in these tips:

1) Fun is more important than realism.

Is it realistic for a level 1 mook to be a hero? No. It's realistic for the dnd world to be big and scary and cruel.

But that level one mook has a player, and that player is going to have much more fun if his character is allowed to do heroic things from the get-go. Players should not have to "earn" the right to have fun by slogging through low level grinds.

I'm not the first one to come up with this idea. Read books. The Fellowship of the Ring does not spend 30 chapters earning the right to be heroes by taking care of the Shire's dire rat problem--they are thrust immediately into an epic adventure. And that goes for the hobbits too--who certainly qualify as level one mooks.

Same thing goes for NPCs never being cooler than the character. Is it realistic for Gandalf to need the help of a level 1 mook? No. But is it super fun for a player to have Gandalf ask his character for help? You bet.

And this doesn't mean that all NPCs have to be chumps or wussies. The king doesn't have to be an idiot to need the help of the party--in fact, the party is cooler if the king is cool. When Chuck Norris needs your help, then you know that you're hardcore. The king just shouldn't be cooler than the party, because then it's less fun for the players.

2)Long term fun outweighs short term fun

Does saying yes to everything mean that you have to give your party wizard the ability to craft a Batmobile? No. Letting that happen would be fun for the moment, but it would destroy realism and immersion and sabotage the ability of the game to be fun in the future. So you need to be able to sacrifice short term fun if there is a long term fun gain. Most of the situations you guys threw out as reasons why the tips don't work is an example of short-term fun that sacrifices long-term fun, which was never intended.

When pondering a DM decision, ask yourself "What decision would lead to the greatest amount of fun to the greatest amount of players for the longest amount of fun?" The answer to that question will almost always lead you to the right response.

3)The party doesn't need to know to see behind-the-scenes.

I have never killed a member of my party unless the player was willing. But I don't tell my players this. For all they know, every combat could be their last. They feel the same sense of danger and realism, but I protect them from the pain of losing a character.

4) The DM will have the most fun when the party has the most fun.

If you are having fun and your party is not having fun, you are doing a terrible job as a DM.

If your party is having fun, you will have a very hard time not having fun as well.

Focus on the fun of the party, and your fun will follow.

[Zale]

I completely disagree, without the threat of death; the game gets boring. Being captured doesn't sound bad at all nor does falling unconscious, with losing an eye easily remedied with a regenerate spell. If monsters and NPCs can be killed by a lucky crit, so should a player. If you don't want your character to die, don't enter combat(or don't play).

My last character died within three combat rounds. Dire wolves tore his face off because I was stuck on a stupid horse. I never even got to use him. All the work I put into making him was gone within 18 game seconds.

Does that strike you as Fun?

I at least want to be able to last a few fights before my character is mercilessly slaughtered.

[BladeofObliviom]

My last character died within three combat rounds. Dire wolves tore his face off because I was stuck on a stupid horse. I never even got to use him. All the work I put into making him was gone within 18 game seconds.

Does that strike you as Fun?

I at least want to be able to last a few fights before my character is mercilessly slaughtered.

Ah, yes. I follow that thread, mostly because I love the game and out of a morbid curiosity.

It couldn't have been fun, but I'll admit that it was a bit funny, if only because I didn't expect the DM to get into the player-killing game so quickly.

Just wait though: I'm sure that the actual Colossi will cause TPKs at that rate.


EDIT: To actually contribute to the discussion, while I do allow PC death, I make it a bit harder. I'll usually keep a count of die rolls that I'll fudge in their favor during a battle. That number is five, for a typical battle, and I slide it up or down depending on the actual difficulty or personal inclination.

[Zale]

Just wait though: I'm sure that the actual Colossi will cause TPKs at that rate.

Yep. I'm wondering how long it will take for my second character to die.

[Wiwaxia]

You take this too far. While I try to make my games fun for my players, I expect to have a certain amount of fun too, and I'm not going to run a game that's boring or painful for me to adjudicate. If my players want "Island of the Rich but Easy-to-Defeat Monsters" or "City of the Nubile Women With No Nudity Taboo," they should find another DM.

... but that's not fun. It looks like fun, but it's really boring as all hell, and thus banned under Rule of Fun.

Overall, I agree with most of these, except for (you guessed it) 2 and 5, which depend on setting and play style. If you're running save-the-world-and-kick-ass heroic fantasy, those rules work. If you're running a survival horror game? ... not so much.

Rule 3 works, with a slight change of words: "the spotlight should always be on the players", not "the spotlight should always be on the PCs". If you have something important to do between a bunch of NPCs, you could have your players control them for a bit. Likewise, if your PCs are foot soldiers or spies, its OK to have a general or king that's more powerful or cooler than them, so long as the story doesn't wind up being about him, and he can't just solve the PCs' problems or make them irrelevant.

I also think you need something in there about communication. (but really, communication is like rule zero of being a human being)

[*.*.*.*]

My last character died within three combat rounds. Dire wolves tore his face off because I was stuck on a stupid horse. I never even got to use him. All the work I put into making him was gone within 18 game seconds.

Does that strike you as Fun?

I at least want to be able to last a few fights before my character is mercilessly slaughtered.

I will reiterate: Don't join combat if you are afraid to die. Being mauled to death by wolves suck, but it happens. I got triple critted(insta-death by our rules) by a bullette and would have died if I hadn't been a troll. It is to be expected that if I play a game where death can happen, I shouldn't complain about it. If the DM kills you in a fair way(Appropriate CRs and the like), get over it and move on. In D&D, death is easily reversible; no need to cry about it.

[Zale]

That particular game has no resurrection magic of any kind.

[BladeofObliviom]

I will reiterate: Don't join combat if you are afraid to die. Being mauled to death by wolves suck, but it happens. I got triple critted(insta-death by our rules) by a bullette and would have died if I hadn't been a troll. It is to be expected that if I play a game where death can happen, I shouldn't complain about it. If the DM kills you in a fair way(Appropriate CRs and the like), get over it and move on. In D&D, death is easily reversible; no need to cry about it.

That particular game has no resurrection magic of any kind.

As a further addendum, the fight was set up in a manner where escape was basically impossible, as the wolves were faster than the horses and said horses were already fatigued, and I think the CR was a bit too high anyway unless I calculated something wrong.

[Acanous]

I have a policy about risk and reward in DnD. There's a reason monsters like Dragons give Triple standard treasure.
If my party want to be optimized, fighting challenging encounters, then yes there will be death involved. But there'll be enough treasure that you could bust a Reincarnate even as low as third level, without really hurting your WBL.

If you're smart, work well with your party, and a little lucky, you make out like a bandit. Otherwise you'll be set back to average wealth :p

TLDR: Killing PCs is fine if you give them the means to come back.

In a treasure-light campaign, there's always Ghostwalk.

[Mastikator]

1. Agreed.

2. Agreed, but only if the players describe their characters as heroic. If the players say "my character isn't really the heroic type" then don't force them into that troupe.

3. So much yes.

4. Also agreed.

5. By choosing to live by the sword, the PCs have chosen to die by the sword. By choosing to enter combat and kill, the PCs have chosen death.
I'd say keep the "unluckly crits" for any combat situation you didn't actively force on the players, and make sure they are always the ones that choose violence.

6. Magic items are supremely expensive, even a +1 short sword has the monetary value of a small mercenary group. Therefore, all magic items exist for some specific reason, the +1 modifier just isn't worth it otherwise. I sort of agree with you, magic items shouldn't be "just there".

7. Very much agreed. Always let the players have their idea come to fruition, even if they explain their idea and it seems crazy or suicidal. Also let them take the consequences of their action, good or bad.

[JamesonCourage]

I disagree.

[Wiwaxia]

I disagree.

Care to elaborate?

[MukkTB]

I personally feel that players should have a clear chance. If they die they should be able to trace their deaths back to a mistake they made. At worst they should be able to trace their death back to the actions of the other PCs. Maybe the mistake happened in character design, but it shouldn't be arbitrary.

[Tengu_temp]

I agree with the 7 points the OP makes wholeheartedly. Rule 2, "the party should be heroes from day 1" doesn't mean that everyone should treat them as unstoppable badasses from the beginning. It means that from the start they are the heroes of their own story, and spend time doing relevant stuff, not boring generic stuff.

I live by rule 5. I don't care about stuff like risk and reward, if I did I'd play a video game. I've been DMing for over 12 years now, and I've yet to kill a PC in a random encounter - each time it happened, it was because the PC did something ridiculously, suicidally stupid (didn't really happen a single time during the last few years), or because the player chose for it to happen. If someone "dies" in a normal fight, they're knocked out instead (do note that I tend to play games where this happens by default, like M&M). And it works very well - the combat is tense because I know I don't have to pull my punches to ensure it's level-appropriate, the players are willing to take risks instead of playing it extra-careful (read: like cowards, not like heroes), and the stakes are high because the players are invested in the game and its story.

[Zombimode]

1) The rule of fun is the only rule.

Your job as DM is not to tell a great story.
It's not to build an immersive world.
Nor is it to obey and enforce the rules.

You are mingling elements on seperate layers. The overarching goal of PnP is "having a good time". This can be achieved/enhanced by a great story, an immersive world and/or consistantly applied rules, or anything else. Expectations, playstyles and preferences of all group members (including yourself) can influence the ways to achieve the goal.

One of the keys to be a good DM is to know your audience. But dont lose your own perspective. Many players can and want to adapt to and experience new things and ways.
And if you, the DM, dont have fun, the game probably wont end well.

2) The party should be heroes from day 1.

This is purely a playstyle preference. Why do you think it would be a good idea to include it to a general list of DM tips?

There are several problems:
1) Not every campaign is about heroics.
2) But, ok, granted that the group has agreed, either explicit or implicit, to play something heroic. So your advice would be solid, yes?
Sadly, I dont think so. Not in general at least.
To me, overcoming obstacles and becoming a hero is what makes a heroic character interresting.
In addition, your approach has some issues:
a) If you are bending the reality of the gameworld to give your players characters nice things, your can destroy the willing suspension of disbelieve. For some players, this is rather important.
b) If you give away achievments like you suggested to easy, they will become cheap and unfullfilling. Aragorn got the girl in the end AND got crowned. Pretty awesome, right? But this guy expletive deserved it! Aragorn is heroic not because everthing works out for him or because he's untarnished and smiling the whole time (he isnt), but because even through incredible hardships and failures, he keeps going.
c) By limiting yourself to happy-sunshine-land where everthing works out ok in the end (for the characters at least) you are missing out very important parts of drama and possibilities for interesting characters.

3) Keep the spotlight on the PCs at all times
[...]
If at any moment, one of your NPCs is cooler than the party, you are doing your job wrong.

Well, kind of. A PnP campaign is about the actions of the PCs, yes. But by saying that no NPC should be cooler the any PC, your undermining a bit your next point.
Being "cool" can make NPCs memorable. Having cool and memorable NPCs while not stealing spotlight of the PC is one of the more difficult task of the DM.

4) Make memorable, recurring NPCs.

Agreed, this is important for many reasons
But:

Also, one particularly good recurring character trope is the "Ultros" character. Ultros is an octopus from final fantasy 6 that would come back repeatedly to throw a wrench in the party's plans. He wasn't a true villain--he wasn't evil per se--but he was always opposed to the party. Having a character like that can be very useful.

Honestly? This can be rather annoying. But regardles, in my experience this rarely works out. Players are very keen on not letting any enemies escape, espacialy if they look like potentialy "recurring" villains. Even IF the Ultros manage to escape the first time, dont be supprised to see the player take long measures to prevent this from happening a second time to the point of specificly building their characters to counter and kill the Ultros.

5) PC death should always be chosen by the player.

Aaaand we are right back to the bad points. This is simply a playstyle preference and, I might add, one that is not really widespread. In my experience most player like the real possibility of failure and permanent character death.

And there are reasons for that, too.
In game systems where mechanicly determined (its not "random") character death is a distinct possibility, the players are not only playing the story game, but they are also playing the mechanical and tactical game. And in this aspect of the game, having a mechanical determined chance of failure (eg. death) is necessary, because otherwise the exercise of building a character and making tactical decisions becomes pointless.

I'm not saying, that your view has no place. But its hardly universal.

6) Think qualitative, not quantitative for rewards and penalties

Numbers are boring. A sword that adds +2 to a roll is boring.

Abilities are exciting. A sword that lets you run up a wall is exciting.

Yes, solid advice.

But:

Same thing goes for penalties. If a player triggers a poison trap, don't give them ability damage, make them turn bright blue until cured (and have them deal with that in interactions with NPC). Give players opportunities to roleplay, because that adds to fun.

Wuh? Ok, there are BIG problems with that.

1) Breaking versimilitude. A trap is a device installed with the intention to harm/kill the creatures springing it. A trap that can not even remotely do this in entirely pointless.
2) As with your "no mechanical PC death" suggestion, you are devalueating character choices. If traps are not harmfull, abilities for trapfinding and disarming are pointless. If you dont impose negative status effects, abilities that can cure those status effects are pointless.

7)Say "Yes" unless you have to say "No"

If a player asks you whether the inn has a bard, say "Yes" unless there's a very good reason the inn should not have a bard. Chances are, the player has a cool idea that involves a bard, and by saying that there is a bard there, you allow that cool idea to happen.

Yes, letting players fill in setting details that arent fleshed out yet or arent set in stone is a good idea

The same thing is true if they try to solve a problem in a creative way. If they attempt to talk the orc chief out of his invasion, you should let them try--and if they do a good job of talking, you should make the orc agree. It doesn't matter if you've already decided the orc is tough and brutal--if it would be more fun for the party to talk him down, you should let that happen.

I think I would agree to a certain extend. Maybe not with your example under all circumstances.

But in general to be open to creative ideas is a good thing.
Anecdote:

Spoiler

Show

The group has aquired a magical candle. They were told it would be needed to overcome a trap in the next room (they are in a dungeon).
They know from an NPC who traveled into this room, that he was overcome by wailing screams that suddenly set in as he entered the room. He fell unconscious due to the screams.
But how exactly this traps works or what the candle is supposed to do to let them overcome the trap, is beyond their knowledge.

Not knowing anything better to do they lit the candle. It becomes immediately evident what the candle does: it emmits silence within 20 ft. Of course this blocks the screams and lets them cross the room without beeing harmed. The candle has one drawback though: it burns really fast. Like in two rounds. It was desinged to let the party cross the room exactly once.
One player asks if his character can save a bit of the candle. I said "Well, ok, but it wont be enough to cross the room again. You would have to be hasted or something."

A bit later the group encounters a Bat Swarm. The player with the candle cringes "Bah, a swarm. Its immune to weapon damage..." But then he has an idea: "Hah, I will just lit the rest of the candle. Without sound bats are completely blind and confused."
That was a great idea. I ruled this action dispersed the swarm long enough for the group to proceed.

Hope that helps! It's a bit of a wall of text, but with luck these ideas might be inspirational for you in your games :) Let me know if you have any questions or comments, or if there are any tips of your own you'd like to share.

Well, you have my comments. I think the biggest problem is that, (1) like I said above, you are confusing the goal of PnP with the means of achieving it, and (2) you dismiss certain means of achieving fun because... well, I dont know. Maybe you dont like them personaly?
But when making a general list, thats quite the problem.

[Raum]

@Cookie - You've got some interesting points and I'm sure they work for a certain style of game. Not so sure they work as generic points...consider Paranoia or Dark Heresy - death is easy and getting dirt ground into the remaining stump of your arm is part of the game. ;)

For a more general set of tips, I suggest three: Communication, Communication, and Communication.

Communication because you're listening to players to know what they want out of the game.

Communication also means talking to players so they're not surprised by what the game ends up being (no, bait and switch is not communication).

Finally, communication to facilitate the game itself.

And it's worth pointing out that communication is a two-way street. It's not just listening and it's not just talking.

[Jay R]

My experience with SCA combat disagrees with this. Fighting somebody I can always beat is nowhere near as exciting, or as fun, as fighting somebody who might beat me. And the most fun of all is beating somebody who can usually beat me.

Yeah, losing is less fun, but the only way to get the fun of beating somebody who usually beats me is to fight somebody who usually beats me.

Also, newbies are newbies. They learn, and practice, and get better. Over time, I reached the level where there are people in the SCA who think of me as one of the heroes. That has a satisfaction level that being a hero from day one cannot match.

Based on your principle that long-term fun outweighs short-term fun, I reject the notion that death is optional, or that PCs must start as heroes. It's not a game until I can lose it.

Sometimes I want to watch an adventure movie - exciting and dangerous, but I'm pretty sure the hero will win. "She doesn't get eaten by the eels at this time."

But sometimes I want to watch a sport - and I won't know until the end whether my team will win. Again, it's more fun to win, but part of the excitement and fun comes from the fact that it wasn't automatic.

I suspect that you need to separate your rules for good DMs (memorable NPCs, spotlight on the PCs) from your rules for a specific style of play (death is optional, heroes from day one, etc.).

[Tengu_temp]

Since when character death and losing is the same? You can lose and still survive, you can die and still succeed. If your DM can't think of any consequences for losing other than character death, then he's not very creative.