Page 660 - Lifting the Screen

In which the DM gets an overdue heartfelt monologue that’s not exposition or a rant or in a character’s voice and no one reads it because it’s way too long.

It’s been a crappy week, not gonna lie. Want to share some of my pain? The second The Quivering livestream recording just went up. It ends… unconventionally, I’ll tell you that.

DM: <sigh>
Twilight Sparkle: Uh-oh. We’re going way off the rails again, aren’t we?
Rainbow Dash: Awww. If it’s gonna be like that, then we can just–
DM: Now hold on. Let me say something. Normally, for many reasons, it’s the DM’s job to keep their process a secret. But for a moment, I’m going to be honest. Yes, you’re going off the rails a bit. I’ve prepared material for one adventure, and you as a group seem determined to have another. Do I want you to go back on the rails, then? Well… not necessarily. It’s not something I’m good at, but I think the mark of a good Dungeon Master is when they anticipate what the players want from the game. Not only do they stay one step ahead, but the players get their preferred experience. I’ve let you girls mess with my plans before. Nightmare Moon, the parasprites… I’ve tried to roll with the punches, and I like to think those sessions, even this whole campaign, have turned out better because of that. But in this VERY specific instance, I need to be sure where you want to go. You can go after Applejack if you want; that’s totally fine. If you think there’s a more compelling adventure there, who am I to argue? BUT… I don’t want to keep trying to yank you back to my plot when you don’t want to follow it. That’s a waste of my time and energy. If we’re changing tracks, which means I need to change focus, then this time, this one time, I need you to explicitly tell me.
(beat)
DM: Wow, I really am long-winded.
Rainbow Dash: ‘bout time you noticed.
Fluttershy: Well, um, if you’re alright with it… I think we’re all agreed… We want to help Applejack. If she needs it.
DM: Okay. That’s what I needed to know.
Twilight Sparkle: I’m starting to feel bad. I don’t mean to invalidate all your hard work every week.
DM: Yeah, well… I spent an unholy number of hours trying to build an Excel spreadsheet with all the fliers’ stats. Please, by all means, let’s have a nice roleplaying session instead.