all 11 comments  [–]Atlanshadow 6 points7 points ago  Roll in
secret, have fun, remind the players when they are about to make
stupid choices that that choice is stupid, and then punish them
if they do the anyways.  [–]Ixelan 4 points5 points ago  Make
sure everyone is having fun. Challenge them, but don't kill them
if things go sour. No one will notice if a monster's hp dropz by
5-10 or is taking a -2 to hit, etc. Reward creativity. Think
outside the box. And most importantly, ask your players what
they liked and what you can improve on after each session. Take
it to heart and improve your game.  [–][deleted] 1 point2 points
ago  The way I award creativity besides making the story line
bend to the player's creative side is by giving them XP. After
each session I will ask them what they felt was experience
worthy that their character did. Killing stuff always gets XP
but new approaches or memorable ideas I think are worth some
bonus XP.  [–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago  Exactly. A DM is
there for the player