Hey Dungeon Masters,

Let me ask you this, are you heading a group of Role players , or are you at the table with Roll Players?

No Judgement, everyone enjoys this game in their own way, and that is what's important on a personal level, as humans we should derive our pleasure in whatever way seems best. I simply ask, because the distinction between the two, will greatly increase your own enjoyment of the game. If you have role players, with a drive to explore and deepen a rich back story, interact with the social structure of your world, and empower each other to reveal their characters in a way that can only be done with character, voice and environment, then building them a back to back monster slaying dungeon crawl from level 1-6 with endless loot tables , encounter rolls and deadly traps, will only detract from their experience, where as a group of roll players, love nothing more than the non-stop action of random chance, power leveling and wealth acquisition.

I see merit in both styles for a DM, but you should ask yourself, is this gaming group comprised of role players? your job will be made much easier if you tailor your campaign world for the answer to that question.

I encourage all players to embrace both styles, and if possible to discuss before the start of a campaign, which direction the play will take, or take guidance from the Dungeon Master, allowing them to inform you of the direction the game will take. a game works best when everyone knows what to expect and can preform in the way that they most enjoy.

Be willing to embrace each others styles as well, some groups do not have the luxury of having enough players separate into roll and role styles, so you may end up with a few of one and a few of another, in my 40 years of DM'ing with more than 100 different players I honestly try to separate these groups, I play with my role players on Sunday , and my roll players on Wednesday and both groups are more fun for the effort. I take the time to craft rich and interesting NPCs and shops and encounters for my role players, and devious encounters, traps and dungeons for my roll players, both get my best efforts, and both enjoy the game all the more for the extra work.

Just a thought