It's not all spells and swords.

One of the things that makes a table top RPG different, and in my opinion better, than a computer RPG, is the ability for the DM and players to choose their own reactions to what occurs. For instance, in a computer RPG combat is usually the only way of dealing with a monster encounter. This does not need to be the case in a table top RPGs.

In yesterday's game, my players were attempting to clear out a hive of giant man-eating evil bug creatures. However, their frontal assault was not going as well as they hoped and they were forced to retreat. As they attempted to find a secure rock outcropping to sleep on, they stumbled across a sleeping Hill Giant, and woke him up. Sister Sulwyn, the party's cleric, noticed right away that he seemed to have thick cataracts and could not see them very well. Through some quick thinking, the party managed to convince the giant that they were not a threat, and managed to get him to agree to let them sleep nearby. His presence prevented them from being disturbed during the night, so that they could recover from their wounds.

The next morning, they had to deal with a grumpy and potentially lethal Giant. The mage of the group decided to bribe him, by turning a near by pond into beer. His quick thinking worked, and they managed to convince the Giant to unearth the insect hive's lower level where the queen was hidden. The party then decended into this final cave and slew the beasts.

This is the essence of what makes a good game. The players were able to choose their own actions, and avoid what would have been a lethal encounter, and were able to turn that encounter into something that benefitted their current situation. Now, I don't think that every encounter needs to be able to be overcome in such a manner, but a good DM should allow for the character's actions to have significant impact on any encounter. This will make the player's aware of the fact that not all obstacles need to be overcome by combat, and can help to keep them alive rather than having them run headlong into battle with everything they come across.

This is a large part of the type of naturalism that I use when designing my game worlds. Unlike some modern games, I do not set up the world to be level appropriate to whatever my characters are. The world is what it is, and that can mean that the player characters sometimes encounter creatures far beyond their abilities. By running these creatures as more than simple a block of combat statistics, the DM not only makes the world seem more real, but gives the player's options for dealing with the world without having them all die to a superior force.

It is crucial for a DM to reward creative play on the part of his players. This not only can lead to some very entertaining scenes, but allows the players to feel like they are the true driving force of the action of the game. The DM sets the stage, but the Player's must be the stars.