DM's: Do you have trouble giving up the DM-reigns?

[Graybeard]

The group I play with actually has three DMs total. I run my campaign for a couple of months or so then one of the others runs their game for two to three months, then we switch again. That way no one is stuck DMing all the time and we can get feedback from each other. It is also great to be able to play once in awhile.

 

[Hitokiri]

Nope, I've never had a problem. GMing takes a lot of time to do right (time I often don't have, as my players will attest to since I've been known to be writing and running an adventure on the fly at the same time). Most of the groups I've GMed for have had a number of players with experience behind the screen, and we would often switch up to give people breaks. In fact, for several years, we had a rotating game while I was in college. New game every term (usually a new system as well), with a new GM.

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

For a while I'm okay, and enjoy the opportunity to not have to worry about whether others will have fun and just enjoy the games. But after awhile my brain bubbles with things I want to run and the way I want to run them and I start itching to DM again.

It's generally not a problem as my players tend to try the GM reins out once or twice and then just give them back to me .

 

[Stalker0]

My friend has dmed for years, and never gotten to be a player. He's finally been giving it a try, but after one session in my game he told me he couldn't do it. He said the game ran fine, he just couldn't handle playing under me

 

[ThoughtBubble]

I love handing over the DMing duties to someone else for a while. Everyone apprecieates my games more. The fact that I get to engage in some of that innocent destruction of the DM's intricate plans is only a bonus. And if it gives me pause to reflect on what I can improve upon, well, all the better I say.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Not at all. I love to DM, but I also love to play. And it's so much less work.

 

[DragonLancer]

Honestly, I hate being a player. I consider it degrading. I'm never satisfied with someone elses game. Problem is, DM's NEED to do this once in a while so they can hone their skills. They can watch, learn and comment to other DM's. You can learn the constraints of the game and how it makes players act and feel. I hate it. It's like continuing education for work.

It's like Darth Vader putting on a Jawa Costume. He looks and feels stupid and helpless.

Exactlly.
I'm a little control-freak here. As a player I don't have the control that I would like for my characters. I enjoy playing as much as the next guy, its just not as enjoyable as running a game.

 

[Umbran]

Honestly, I prefer playing to DMing, so I'd have no problem with it. None of the players are interested, though, so I'll just keep on running.

 

[Sammael]

Sometimes. Depends on game. But I generally notice "behind the scenes" stuff that non-DM players don't; if that stuff bothers me (like DMPCs, for example), I tend to get jaded and critical of the game, and then usually voluntarily remove myself from it.

It works better if I hadn't GMed the system before.

 

[DethStryke]

I actually really like both ends, and seek the roles equally. One of my favorite things about D&D is the subtly unique challenge posed by every single encounter, and trying to solve each one of them in a ad-lib fashion, for want of a better term, is a major reason to play for myself. To have those kinds of challenges, you have to not be in control of the game - everything you need to be involved in is *your* character's response.

I would seem that I also maintain a higher standard than many when choosing a game to play in. I will not play in a game that I don't find very interesting just for the sake of playing... so when it comes to whether I can allow another DM control, it's not a problem because I make sure that I like the concept at hand and trust the DM(s) in question. If I didn't, I simply wouldn't play. An ounce of prevention is oftentimes worth a pound of cure.

I do realize that I'm very lucky to have a RPG rich environment that I can be so picky.