Use Your Head: Don’t be a Dick (DM)!
Posted by countingku on March 25, 2010
Hello again, friends. Been a while, eh? *awkward silence*
Okay, enough of that. I saw something last night on Twitter that disturbed me as a fan of D&D. @4eDnD sent out a tweet that his DM performed a coup de grace on another player in his party during a D&D Encounters session and then added gloating and douchebaggery to his offenses. You can read the story here.
I am not opposed to a coup de grace in the proper setting. D&D Encounters is not that setting. Encounters is designed so that new players can walk in off the street with nothing, and have a prepared character handed to them. It takes minimal investment to get involved. This is a fantastic thing for the growth of the game. The more people playing D&D the better support we all get for the enjoyment of the game.
This is why the DMs are so important, even more so in an introductory setting like Encounters. A good DM is going to draw players in, challenge them, and make sure everyone has a good time. Inversely, a truly awful DM can drive many people away from the game and actually hurt the hobby as a whole. This is something that we who enjoy D&D cannot allow.
So, the next time you see something that really bothers you… point them at “Your Friend Wil” and tell them: Don’t be a dick!
Steve said
Thanks for the shout out, Ku! I’ve been hearing from a lot of DMs (and some players) about how they feel about this kind of behavior, and it’s been a resounding and unanimous thumbs down for the coup de grace on a downed player.
countingku said
Not a problem, sir.
This is an issue that concerns all of us invested in this hobby. We’re all responsible for future of D&D, and we should always keep that in mind at the table, especially in events designed to bring in new blood.