Secret Warlock: Guest DM part 2

As promised I have a few thoughts on the guest DM from my Secret Warlock campaign. I'd like to start with some thoughts on the idea itself. I may be one of the luckiest people who play D and D because most of the players I know are also good DM's. I have heard that DM's are hard to find and a good DM is worth his or her weight in gold. I certainly agree witht the second part, but apart from some time on the virtual table, I haven't noticed a scarcity of DM's. Because most of the players I know also DM I have thought several times of having one or more of them run a game or two in my world.

Unless of course you run out. 

It can be fun to play in someone else's sandbox sometimes, but the idea can be a bit daunting. The key is to make sure you have your own stamp to put on things, but definitely don't kill any of the regular DM's sacred cows. It might be really hard to balance the needs of the DM's world with your story. Remember that it's not your world so you may need to let a few things flow differently than you normally would, but if you didn't have a story to tell there would be no point in you running the game.

One of my favorite things about playing D and D is the shared storytelling you get to do. I don't always run it that way. Sometimes it's easier just to kick down doors and chew bubblegum. When it works however it is awesome. Which is why I love the idea of switching DMs up sometimes. One of the best games I have been in was The Ebon Hand of Sharneth. It started as an all stealth Mercenary group and has evolved into a group where all of us take a turn at DMing. We have had some off moments of course, but on the whole it has been an enjoyable effort.

Sure it's big enough, but look at the location

I want to say a few words about the game the guest DM ran. Several people brought in new characters, but I chose to keep my Secret Warlock around for the adventure. It was actually kind of fun because I was able to let loose a little because I wasn't trying to hide who I was as much. You have no idea how much easier it is to be able to just say warlock's curse instead of trying to jump through hoops to get the idea across without saying it.

Other than being a slightly different dynamic with different characters, the main difference between this game and the normal game was the structure. Our normal DM tends to give us a lot of options. In fact sometimes it is a bit like Tolkien where we get lost looking for the forest because we are buried under a sea of Ents. It was sort of pleasant to have a more structured adventure. Though it did get a bit railroady in parts. I think the highlight of my evening was seeing our DM try to horse whisper a Nightmare.

On the whole I had a good time with our guest DM, but I am looking forward to getting back into the main story even if that means more twists, turns and blind alleys leading to dead ends. I know I'll enjoy the ride. Until next time remember don't let your DM tell you no. It's always, "Yes, and...?"