Every once in a while, it's good to let an adventuring party

Yea, makes them feel strong, and cuts down on power creep. Also there is chance to brighten the mood.

It does give players the chance to explore their options and potentially do more interesting things than what is the most efficient/effective.

>>43102871
Nope, players should be always in the weaker side, otherwise they'll get cocky.

>>43104049
Depends on the genre, really. Horror? Yeah, fuck em up. Superheroes? Throw disposable mooks by the dozens.

>>43104049
You should like an awesome GM

>>43104049
>ways in the weaker side, otherwise they'll get cocky.

Thats how you fuck with them though
Get them cocky and then drop them in a situation where they make bad decisions.

A good GM has to be a manipulative subtly meta gaming bastard

>>43104450
>A good GM has to be a manipulative subtly meta gaming bastard

Hows that you vs players thing going?

Real good GM's just provide what the players are looking for, whilst having fun themselves aswell.

>>43104517

Bah.
Its not about me VS them

Its about narrative.
Thats what tabletop is all about. Collaborative story telling.

I do my best to nudge them toward a fulfilling and interesting story.

>>43104599
I totally agree with that. But you dont need to be a manipualtive bastard to pull that off.

The best stories come if you colaborate with your players. Even during the game if need be,

>>43104619

I play on things I know the Players are invested in.
Like making them think. Im going to burn down a bar one of them owns. I have zero intention to do so but it ups the tension and works

The game I run is a Dresden files game.
Which requires them to have limited access to information and spend a great deal of time investigating.

Like any film noir story there needs to be more to something than it initially seems.

I have to get into the mind of the BBEG when running a game and have things play out as they would.

And the current BBEG is a Fae.
A Fae one of the party members tried to kill.