D&D General D&D as a Curated, DIY Game or "By the Book": Examining DM and Player Agency, and the DM as Game Designer

[Oofta]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I can't see myself ever wanting to DM for a group of strangers I met off the interwebs.

I've moved too many times, one of the best ways to meet new people is to game with a group of strangers. Of course, I also have a game I play with extended family online but they're all pretty strange as well.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The DM often doesn't.

I would say I have a very good idea of the tastes, preferences and interests of my players before I start planning the campaign.

Hobbyist come to the game with the same ideas of fun.

Rubbish, you have at least as many different ideas of fun as you have players.

 

[Oofta]

Well this is a "Future D&D" thing and not a "Present D&D" thing.
In the future, there will be apps and sites to find DMs.
So DMs might have to make settings that both they like and attracts players.

You mean like posting on a message board with a quick note that you are looking for players and then include a link to campaign documentation?

Because then the future is now and I had no problem getting players. Not sure what you think is going to change other than you keep pushing this concept that players want every option in the book(s) available. In my experience, having proof that you put a lot of thought and care into a world while stressing PC freedom of choice works just fine for me and always has.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Well this is a "Future D&D" thing and not a "Present D&D" thing.
In the future, there will be apps and sites to find DMs.
So DMs might have to make settings that both they like and attracts players.

There's always going to be an issue as long as players outnumber GMs by a significant factor.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I can't see myself ever wanting to DM for a group of strangers I met off the interwebs.

I have to point out a lot of us did that at some point back in the day anyway. Not everyone had a bunch of friends who they then tried out D&D with. Almost all my current players were people who, at one point, were random strangers who showed up because this D&D thing sounded interesting. The ones who meshed stuck around. Some of them I've known for decades now.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Those exist already. It doesn't change anything. It's just making the market more efficient, not changing the balance of supply and demand. There are still a lot of people wanting to play and far fewer people wanting to DM.

This. Even among people who can GM, a lot of them only want to do so a limited amount of the time.

 

[Minigiant]

You mean like posting on a message board with a quick note that you are looking for players and then include a link to campaign documentation?

Because then the future is now and I had no problem getting players. Not sure what you think is going to change other than you keep pushing this concept that players want every option in the book(s) available. In my experience, having proof that you put a lot of thought and care into a world while stressing PC freedom of choice works just fine for me and always has.

I don't get where you are getting "players want all this options" thing from.

I'm talking about my friend whose entire pitch was "It's like the Roman empire"and until the player peppered him with questions did they understand what they might be signing up to.

Because what should come as a surprise to no one, every DM doesn't have a wiki, worldbuiding site-link, or printed physical primers for all their settings. But as worldbuilder/storywriting sites grow and a possible DM matching site develops, the number of DMs who have openly displayed settings will grow.

The contract will always favor the DMs but the bar for quality DMs will raise due to exposure. It will be easier for players to turn down DMs as they wont be trapped with the few DMs of their town.

 

[prabe]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I can't see myself ever wanting to DM for a group of strangers I met off the interwebs.

I did it specifically to move out of my comfort zone, at least a little.

 

[Oofta]

I don't get where you are getting "players want all this options" thing from.

I'm talking about my friend whose entire pitch was "It's like the Roman empire"and until the player peppered him with questions did they understand what they might be signing up to.

Because what should come as a surprise to no one, every DM doesn't have a wiki, worldbuiding site-link, or printed physical primers for all their settings. But as worldbuilder/storywriting sites grow and a possible DM matching site develops, the number of DMs who have openly displayed settings will grow.

The contract will always favor the DMs but the bar for quality DMs will raise due to exposure. It will be easier for players to turn down DMs as they wont be trapped with the few DMs of their town.

That's an interesting idea ... I just disagree. There will always be more players than DMs there will always be good DMs and bad.

 

[Minigiant]

That's an interesting idea ... I just disagree. There will always be more players than DMs there will always be good DMs and bad.

Of course those things will never change.

My point is there are services that help give DMs and players better access and experiences. Much like an app can send food from far way to my home, services for DMs and players will develop as long as people make money off it and the technology is there. If WOTC allows it to move from a raw hobbyist mentality, it will.