Ways to tell if one of your players might be a DM/GM

[Moogleproof]

For example, you might suspect your player is also a GM if he

-writes 13 700 word character background for you. Like I just did...

The DM said everyone who writes a background for their character gets 350XP. I do know for a fact that a one-page description would have sufficed. So I got around 0.025 experience points per word. I am tempted to convince my DM (he's running 3.5) to give out 1XP per word, but that would break his game and ruin most of the players' fun, so I better not. I might also come out as an overachieving powergamer, which is not the case.

Well, actually I did go way overboard.

Any other ways to tell if one of your players is a DM?

And GMs, how would you like it if one of your players gave you that a long character description/history/background?

I understand some don't want any, don't want to memorize it and all that. I'm not worried about that with this particular DM, he's very much into stories and might even out-quote me on my backstory. What I do regret is that I haven't had too much time to concentrate on the literary aspects of it, so if the things I write about aren't that appealing to him, it might be a boring read. But I hope not.

If nothing else, I should get my 350XP out of it.

 

[Daern]

Your player might be a DM if: He responds to a ruling with "You want to do it that way? Ok..."
Your player might be a DM if: He recognizes all the monsters from the first description.
etc

 

[Random Axe]

Your player might be a DM if: He responds to a ruling with "You want to do it that way? Ok..."

Megadittos, Rush!

 

[Raven Crowking]

[Jeff Foxworthy]If a player is taking notes on your campaign for his campaign, he just might be a GM.

If a player is suggesting house rules during your first session, he just might be a GM.

If a player is concerned that the NPCs/monsters aren't getting an even break, he just might be a GM.

If a player keeps saying to the other players, "This is the situation. What do you do?", he just might be a GM.

If a player foresees all of your devious tricks and traps, and keeps saying, "Well, if I was writing this adventure.....", he just might be a GM.[/Jeff Foxworthy]



R - Stealing Jeff Foxworthy's schtick and Lanefan's sig - C

 

[S'mon]

And GMs, how would you like it if one of your players gave you that a long character description/history/background?

Argh, and I thought the 5 page backgrounds were bad! A Masters Dissertation length background would freak me out - normally I get *paid* to read something that long. I don't know your DM, but I seriously suggest you include at the front a (max) 1-page executive summary, just in case he doesn't want to spend half an hour reading your PC background and another half hour wondering how to fit it into his game.

 

[Mort]

Argh, and I thought the 5 page backgrounds were bad! A Masters Dissertation length background would freak me out - normally I get *paid* to read something that long. I don't know your DM, but I seriously suggest you include at the front a (max) 1-page executive summary, just in case he doesn't want to spend half an hour reading your PC background and another half hour wondering how to fit it into his game.

I tell my players a (reasonable) one paragraph character background. I like my players to develop characters durring play, not bring a fully realised set in stone character to the table.

 

[S'mon]

A player might be a DM if: he's arguing with another player, explaining why his own PC should *not* be allowed some overpowered gee-gaw in his starting equipment.

I actually did that Monday night. A player was scoffing at my 1st-level Rogue PC for not having an "Inquisitor's Kit" from the Eberron Player's book, in a non-Eberron game.

"It's standard starting equipment!"

 

[Moogleproof]

Your player might be a DM if: He responds to a ruling with "You want to do it that way? Ok..."
Your player might be a DM if: He recognizes all the monsters from the first description.
etc

I would hate it if this happened while I was DMing... something similar has occurred, when a player has suggested some alternate reasons for why certain things probably need to be dealt in certain fashion, and if I overrule them, they might not say anything but you can see it in their face "I would've done that differently".

[Jeff Foxworthy]
If a player keeps saying to the other players, "This is the situation. What do you do?", he just might be a GM.[/Jeff Foxworthy]
R - Stealing Jeff Foxworthy's schtick and Lanefan's sig - C

I might be guilty of a slight variation of this... few times it has taken for our party close to an hour or two to come up with a plan. My response has been to take my character and basically say 'AARGH, the situation is like this, what do we do, guys?'

Argh, and I thought the 5 page backgrounds were bad! A Masters Dissertation length background would freak me out - normally I get *paid* to read something that long. I don't know your DM, but I seriously suggest you include at the front a (max) 1-page executive summary, just in case he doesn't want to spend half an hour reading your PC background and another half hour wondering how to fit it into his game.

Usually I don't write as much as five pages, I really did go overboard. The DM is a friend who I do know quite well, and I'm pretty sure he won't go nuts. If it was any other DM, I wouldn't have done this.

 

[S'mon]

Usually I don't write as much as five pages, I really did go overboard. The DM is a friend who I do know quite well, and I'm pretty sure he won't go nuts. If it was any other DM, I wouldn't have done this.

There was one time I did enjoy a lengthy PC background; it was a homebrew swords & sorcery PBEM and a guy called Janne Kemppi (who is responsible for my S'mon moniker) wrote the origin story of his PC, Yukio (later known as Yukio the Godslayer), a kind of female kung fu renegade magic monk. It was absolutely awesome stuff, full of great villains and epic conflict for me to use in the game.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Your player might be a GM if he/she is reading this thread.