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DMs have a tough job. We have to manage people in an event, tell a story, and struggle with bugs and issues in an engine barely designed to handle situations we are throwing at players.
To better help us and make events smoother, here is some guidelines I’d like everyone to follow:
1. Please take things slower!
I can’t stress this enough. It can get very hard for us to manage many NPCs, make them talk and act in believable fashion. If you’re rushing about making actions without considering your DM, you can frustrate a DM very quickly and force them into more mistakes during the events.
For example, I’ll spawn an object, then be typing out a narrative of how it appears. Before I can type the 5th letter, a player rushes in and picks it up! Wow! Sometimes I get tempted to emote “An object covered with poisonous insects appears, as you pick it up your swarmed with the insects” then place a poison on the player 
I’m not that cruel though, but give us some time to paint the picture will help a lot.
Try to slow down and take things one step at a time.
2. Do not rely on engine mechanics!
The engine mechanics are nice, but we are not bound to them. We allow many things that come from pen and paper and elsewhere to be brought into play to help the RP on Sundren. Wizards, for example, have a great deal of spells available to them in P&P that aren’t in Sundren. For example, Divination spells which can’t be represented in NWN2.
3. Keep your DM informed of your actions BEFORE you do them!
I think 90% of our players have this issue. Some have been very good about this and earn extra experience in events because of it.
I’m very glad that players can’t just attack NPCs that aren’t set hostile, for example. It seems everyone wants to do this while I’m in the middle of typing. Nothing like the “(( I can’t attack it” message. Had you said “I want to attack this NPC mr DM” I could finish what I was typing, then set the faction to something killable and manage the combat better. Trust me, the DM client is NOT as good as it was in NWN1 so we need all the warning we can get.
Another example of not notifying the DM, I watched a player rush at an NPC, roll STR out of no where, then get a 3 then emote “*Tries to grab X but fails.*”. Had he informed me “I wish to grab X” I would have replied at that point “You now hold X in a firm gasp” because the target was stationary and non-resisting. However, due to his self-DM’ing I let him fail himself
We are there to manage, but we can’t manage well if we don’t get told what you’re planning to do before you do it.
4. Consider more than what’s visible!
I can’t state this enough. Sometimes searching a body will yield MORE than simple treasure drops. Scrying for information can give more information than what you just saw. Taking time to examine an item instead of trusting the description can give more results than what is said in the text.
Simply taking time to act realistically in the situation will give better results than relying on the engine or DM to tell you everything.
“Do I see anything strange on X?”
“Do I hear anything peculiar?”
“Can I make an attempt to detect magic?”
Etc etc.
5. Be courteous to the other players!
Events are for everyone, not just you. Don’t get greedy and hog them and behave as though they revolve around you alone. Let others have a moment to offer into the RP. Let others sometimes get their chance to be apart. You’ll have more fun that way.
6. All DM requests must go through the DM channel.
Use the DM Channel for requests ( /d ). Don’t send tells–we get swamped.
7. Avoid using party chat when DM’s are online.
DM’s see party chat ( /p ). It can quickly clutter our screen.
Sometimes a DM will ask you to use party chat when performing actions / role playing in a seperate area, so he can track what’s going on without being present. This is the exception to the rule. Unless asked, please be mindful of the party chat when a DM is online.
8. Don’t treat NPC’s differently because they are possessed.
Whether or not a DM is present, you should treat all NPC’s as though they are alive and active. They can eavesdrop on your private conversations and get offended by what you might say, for example.
During events, it’s bad form to treat NPC’s differently because a DM possesses them. You shouldn’t take sudden interest in Joe at the tavern simple because a DM makes Joe emote, ” *sips his ale* .”
9. Don’t pester DM’s if they aren’t DM’ing.
Some DM’s play PC’s on Sundren. Be courteous of their time. Don’t send DM requests to these folks unless they are logged in AS a DM.
“When passion meets inspiration, an obsession is born.” – Anonymous
Posted : 05/04/2024 10:55 am
DMs have a tough job. We have to manage people in an event, tell a story, and struggle with bugs and issues in an engine barely designed to handle situations we are throwing at players.
To better help us and make events smoother, here is some guidelines I’d like everyone to follow:
1. Please take things slower!
I can’t stress this enough. It can get very hard for us to manage many NPCs, make them talk and act in believable fashion. If you’re rushing about making actions without considering your DM, you can frustrate a DM very quickly and force them into more mistakes during the events.
For example, I’ll spawn an object, then be typing out a narrative of how it appears. Before I can type the 5th letter, a player rushes in and picks it up! Wow! Sometimes I get tempted to emote “An object covered with poisonous insects appears, as you pick it up your swarmed with the insects” then place a poison on the player I’m not that cruel though, but give us some time to paint the picture will help a lot.
Try to slow down and take things one step at a time.
2. Do not rely on engine mechanics!
The engine mechanics are nice, but we are not bound to them. We allow many things that come from pen and paper and elsewhere to be brought into play to help the RP on Sundren. Wizards, for example, have a great deal of spells available to them in P&P that aren’t in Sundren. For example, Divination spells which can’t be represented in NWN2.
3. Keep your DM informed of your actions BEFORE you do them!
I think 90% of our players have this issue. Some have been very good about this and earn extra experience in events because of it.
I’m very glad that players can’t just attack NPCs that aren’t set hostile, for example. It seems everyone wants to do this while I’m in the middle of typing. Nothing like the “(( I can’t attack it” message. Had you said “I want to attack this NPC mr DM” I could finish what I was typing, then set the faction to something killable and manage the combat better. Trust me, the DM client is NOT as good as it was in NWN1 so we need all the warning we can get.
Another example of not notifying the DM, I watched a player rush at an NPC, roll STR out of no where, then get a 3 then emote “*Tries to grab X but fails.*”. Had he informed me “I wish to grab X” I would have replied at that point “You now hold X in a firm gasp” because the target was stationary and non-resisting. However, due to his self-DM’ing I let him fail himself
We are there to manage, but we can’t manage well if we don’t get told what you’re planning to do before you do it.
4. Consider more than what’s visible!
I can’t state this enough. Sometimes searching a body will yield MORE than simple treasure drops. Scrying for information can give more information than what you just saw. Taking time to examine an item instead of trusting the description can give more results than what is said in the text.
Simply taking time to act realistically in the situation will give better results than relying on the engine or DM to tell you everything.
“Do I see anything strange on X?”
“Do I hear anything peculiar?”
“Can I make an attempt to detect magic?”
Etc etc.
5. Be courteous to the other players!
Events are for everyone, not just you. Don’t get greedy and hog them and behave as though they revolve around you alone. Let others have a moment to offer into the RP. Let others sometimes get their chance to be apart. You’ll have more fun that way.
6. All DM requests must go through the DM channel.
Use the DM Channel for requests ( /d ). Don’t send tells–we get swamped.
7. Avoid using party chat when DM’s are online.
DM’s see party chat ( /p ). It can quickly clutter our screen.
Sometimes a DM will ask you to use party chat when performing actions / role playing in a seperate area, so he can track what’s going on without being present. This is the exception to the rule. Unless asked, please be mindful of the party chat when a DM is online.
8. Don’t treat NPC’s differently because they are possessed.
Whether or not a DM is present, you should treat all NPC’s as though they are alive and active. They can eavesdrop on your private conversations and get offended by what you might say, for example.
During events, it’s bad form to treat NPC’s differently because a DM possesses them. You shouldn’t take sudden interest in Joe at the tavern simple because a DM makes Joe emote, ” *sips his ale* .”
9. Don’t pester DM’s if they aren’t DM’ing.
Some DM’s play PC’s on Sundren. Be courteous of their time. Don’t send DM requests to these folks unless they are logged in AS a DM.
“When passion meets inspiration, an obsession is born.” – Anonymous
