Here are my DMing philosophies. If they sound good to you, then we'll all have a good time. The rules were made for man, not man for the rules . I like to keep the game moving, which means I might have to hand-wave on occasion. If I happen to decide a rule that's not in your favor, don't sweat it - odds are I'll hand-wave a rule in your favor in the future. It all evens out. Cleverness is rewarded. Interesting solutions to problems will be looked kindly upon, both at the time and during the handing out of XP. Awesomeness is rewarded. If you think of something epic, cinematic, or hilarious, try it. Don't worry about what the rules do or don't allow. I'll make it fair while erring on the side of awesome. RP is rewarded. If you flesh out your back story, write a compelling journal entry from your PC's erspective, use an in-character voice, or the like, the Fates will most likely smile down upon you. Addendum. Role-playing does not mean derailing the game in order to make it all about you. If your CE character tries to murder the party because "that's what she would do," then you should probably stick to Elder Scrolls. Teamwork is rewarded. Combos in battle. Cons in town. Assisting. Acting as bait. There are more fun (and memorable) options than "I do my thing on my turn, and you do your thing on yours." Fights don't take long in real life, so they shouldn't take long in RPGs. Combat has greatly sped up for 5th Edition, so take advantage of it. Don't worry about maximizing every little thing on your turn - you'll have another turn soon. Note: if you do slow down, get hyper-tactical, and try to maximize every action, I will too (and no one wants a ruthlessly tactical DM).
