[HighLordDave]

Originally posted by Lost One
1. Always have the munchies ready, starving players end up not thinking straight and do stupid things (like freeing demons )

When I DM a game, I never provide food; that's the players's responsibility. I run the game, but they have to bring the refreshments. On the flip side, when I'm playing, I always bring the DM's favourite beverage plus enough snacks to last for the session.

Other miscellaneous advice:

• If you are bored with one section of the adventure, chances are that your players are, too.
  
• The DM should be basically invisible in the story of the game. It's not a contest of you versus the players. The DM facilitates the adventure, he doesn't run it. If your players succeed in a quest, share in their glory. If they fail, it's not your place to gloat.
  
  The DM helps the PCs tell a story. Although you control everything that happens in the game, it's not about you; it's about the characters and their story. As the DM, I want my players to overcome all of the obstacles that I put in front of them and I want them to feel pride in their accomplishments. Most of all, I want everyone to have RPG stories we can tell over and over years later because we all shared a common adventure, no matter which seat we were sitting in.
  
• Always provide the players with an out. If they get themselves in over their heads, teach them a lesson by having the PCs get captured or beaten down, don't kill them.
  
• Characters should only die three ways: Through really bad die rolls, sheer stupidity or self-sacrifice. DM's don't kill characters; dice and players kill characters.
  
• Having said that, in a balanced campaign, half of the party should either die or be brought to the brink of death. The DM's job is to challenge the players and make them solve problems creatively. Players should ultimately succeed, but you don't have to make it easy for them. Think of the good boss characters in BG2 or the IWD series. How many times did you have to reload before beating them? There are no reloads in a PNP game, but that doesn't mean that the players will succeed at sneaking into a castle jail or dragon's lair on the first try or without injury.
  
  PCs are a cut above the average peasant so they should walk all over goblins and flunkie guards. However, every now and then they need to meet their matches and pay a sometimes hefty price for their success. As a player, there is nothing I hate more than getting anything and everything without effort. I love to be made to think on the fly and come up with new, unorthodox solutions to problems and challenges. Make your party earn that rune sword and they'll appreciate it that much more. Often, it's not the destination, but the journey.
  
• Use recurring villains who are just as creative and powerful as your party. What would Charles Xavier be without Magneto to oppose him? Or Superman without Lex Luthor? For every hero there must be a nemesis. Let the players kill the flunkies, but have the villains escape. As the players increase in power, sho should the bad guys. Make your campaign a series of story arcs, not a bunch of sword-bashing bloodfests.
  
• As our friend Xyx said earlier, be fair. This is perhaps the most important aspect to being a good DM. Not only does it mean not favouring one player over another, but it means listening to the players's interpretations of the rules, hearing them out and sometimes going with what they say. Without players, a DM is useless. The DM has the final say in all matters, but all of the good DMs I know are judicious and equitable.
  
  
• Have fun.