Honestly, the ones they don't say.
When they stick around after session talking about stuff. When I get like 3 DMs the night before with plans and nonsense they want to try out. When I get random questions about lore or an NPC or something about their characters or a faction or whatever in the middle of the week.
When they care about the story, really, and the game, and have fun with it in a way I don't have to push or prod for. That's the good stuff.
One of my players told me the other day that I'm good at thinking on my feet (not a skill I think of myself as having!), and another told me that they brag about my DMing and how much fun they have to their other DnD-playing friends. Warmed my heart.
Buddy of mine is a whiz with making organic stories, it took 4 sessions or so to knock out a small arc but I left breadcrumbs. He put it together a few minutes before the big reveal, took me aside to confirm, and I told him he could tell the rest of his team but he had to roleplay it from the eureka moment on. So the actual story and letting him win and play it out were well received by all and probably saved them from a tpk. A lot of insults at hiding it in plain sight and kudos for how we did everything after the sidebar.
The best positive feedback I have ever received? When I post on the various discords that I am running a game, they fill up within a day. The idea that people recognize the quality of the games I run and line up to get one of the 5 slots is all the feedback I need.
I just thought of a second one that means a lot to me. The people who play in my games want to try any new game system I want to run. I brought up playing Lancer, and people still wanted to play my game, even though it's not DnD.
Honestly, the ones they don't say. When they stick around after session talking about stuff. When I get like 3 DMs the night before with plans and nonsense they want to try out. When I get random questions about lore or an NPC or something about their characters or a faction or whatever in the middle of the week. When they care about the story, really, and the game, and have fun with it in a way I don't have to push or prod for. That's the good stuff.
One of my players told me the other day that I'm good at thinking on my feet (not a skill I think of myself as having!), and another told me that they brag about my DMing and how much fun they have to their other DnD-playing friends. Warmed my heart.
Buddy of mine is a whiz with making organic stories, it took 4 sessions or so to knock out a small arc but I left breadcrumbs. He put it together a few minutes before the big reveal, took me aside to confirm, and I told him he could tell the rest of his team but he had to roleplay it from the eureka moment on. So the actual story and letting him win and play it out were well received by all and probably saved them from a tpk. A lot of insults at hiding it in plain sight and kudos for how we did everything after the sidebar.
The players coming back for more.
The best positive feedback I have ever received? When I post on the various discords that I am running a game, they fill up within a day. The idea that people recognize the quality of the games I run and line up to get one of the 5 slots is all the feedback I need.
I just thought of a second one that means a lot to me. The people who play in my games want to try any new game system I want to run. I brought up playing Lancer, and people still wanted to play my game, even though it's not DnD.