Are you a Player or GM?

[Jeff Wilder]

I play in one bi-weekly game, play in another monthly (approximately) game, and DM a bi-weekly game.

I enjoy playing more than DMing, although it's pretty close.

I DM primarily for two reasons: (1) Since college, I've been too lazy to work seriously on my short story output, and I need a creative outlet or I'll explode. (2) I have a nasty streak of control freak in me. If I don't DM, that streak presents while I'm playing, which is no fun for me, and less fun for my fellow players.

I don't DM more because my sloth is epic.

 

[Thandren]

I only do "pen and paper" style RPG's online.

I am a player in a play by forum post game D&D 3.5 and in a C&C text chat based game.

I'm also the owner of RpgEurope.net • Index page where european online players/GM's can meet up.

I have GM'ed before, and may do it again, but for now I prefer just playing.

 

[Sammael]

Right now, I am DMing two bi-weekly d20 games (my own system revision) and playing in one bi-weekly Vampire: The Masquerade game. I am usually the GM, but I love playing as much, if not more.

The reason why I usually GM is because (1) I like doing it; (2) I need a creative outlet; (3) Most other people from my gaming circle are not interested in doing it; (4) I have the most resources (books, minis, etc.); (5) Like Jeff Wilder above, my control freak tendencies tend to show up in other people's games (I always feel bad after the fact, but I can't help it) unless I exercise them in my own games (by means of controlling the game world and gently nudging the story in a certain direction - I do NOT control the players' actions - ever).

 

[vagabundo]

BTW, why do you GM so much?

I've little choice in the matter ...


Or why don't you play more instead of GMing so much?

Noone in my exisiting group will DM. They tried once more than a decade ago and it was a bit of a disaster, I tried to get one of the other players to DM more recently and he chickened out.

What's the most fun for you? GMing or playing a PC?

I think I couldnt make a good assessment of what it would be like to play. It would probably make me a better DM though.

 

[Lord Ipplepop]

In my last group, there were 4 of us that were experienced players and DM's and several kids and other noobs who wre learning the game. So we all DM'ed by committee. One of us would actually be the keeper of the secrets, while the others would help the new players and act as assistant DM's in the case of rules questions, or the main DM needing help with running combats or such matters. In that group, I was the main DM about 1/4 of the time.
In my new group, I was elected DM (without the benefit of being allowed to drop out of the race), and am almost exclusively the DM.

 

[Desert Hare]

I have very little experience with DMing/GMing.

I am currently working on a new system based on the ogl but but with tweaks to the system and world to reflect a world of dying and dangerous magic with differrent class options and races.

I call it Masque of Shadows. It takes some inspiration from Ravennloft & Masque of the Red Death and Ptolus (some skills and Firearms). It's going to take a while to construct the system, but I have enought time to complete it as my the current campaign my group is involved with is halfway through. Masque will be my first time DMing on a regular basis.

 

[weem]

Almost always the GM here.

I absolutely love running games, but definitely enjoy playing as well.

 

[stephenwendell]

Well, Spinachcat, it looks like you're theory is holding up. After 211 responses, we're at about 76% "mostly" GMs on the site.

GMs have more fun!

 

[WalterKovacs]

I rather play, but because I am willing to buy the books and want to play as much as possible, I have taken up DMing for a couple groups. Similar things happened with other games I played in.

My introduction to roleplaying was actually online through "e-feds" a system of message board based roleplaying where wrestlers would post promos/interviews to hype matches, and a GM third party would evaluate each persons contributions and decide a winner for the match through that method. After a few years, I took over for the person running the place for about a year before I had to give it up myself as I was heading to university.

In university I got into TCG's more heavily and eventually took over for organizing events in town, and became involved online for those games as well. I was introduced to pen and paper RPGs around the same time as well. As the TCG games I was playing died off, and 4e was making it's debut I decided to try my hand at DM'ing the new system, in part because of there being too many players and not enough DMs to go around.

In general, I end up DM'ing not so much by choice, but because I rather DM than not play at all.

EDIT:

I began frequenting these forums during the build up to 4e, and so my getting involved in the forums preceded my DM'ing. In all cases, I got involved in the online forums before I took on a "leadership/administrative" role in the games that I played. So for me at least, being online led to DM'ing instead of being a DM led to me going online.

 

[Ktulu]

From 1999 to now (my entire history of gaming), I have played in about 3 games that lasted more than 3-4 sessions.

From 1999 to now I have gone no more than 3 months without a gaming session. So, figuring that math (carry the one, subtract the moose, scratch the alphabet...), I'm pretty much always the DM.