DMing: where's the fun?

[frankthedm]

It is widely touted that part of a good DM's job is to make sure everyone is having fun, and much has been written about how to make sure players have fun.

If it is touted by those SELLING books to the players, that advice should be taken with a grain of salt.

A GM should be true to themselves, not be prostituting themselves to sell PHBs. if the game they want to run is not enjoyed by those in the group, someone else should be running.

In my humble opinion, if the "work" of prepping is not in and of itself an entertainment, then you are probably better off finding a different game, or letting someone else GM.

Important part here. If a game is a pain to prep for, find another game.

 

[Mallus]

Do you ever feel like the hours you spend prepping/running your game could be more profitably spent elsewhere, say as a fiction writer, artist, game designer, [insert your creative pursuit of choice]... where you still have a creative outlet but with a potential for a paycheck at the end?

Not really. I don't feel the need to monetize my leisure time. Perhaps one day I'll try my hand at making a living in that part of the creative economy, but first I'll have to wean myself off of good food, liquor, and, well, disposable income of any sort.

If Tolkien (or another favorite author) had been a DM, would he ever have found the time to publish?

I vote 'yes'. I assume Tolkien had other hobbies outside of fabricating Middle Earth. They didn't stop him from getting published.

What do you do if you want to take a break from DMing, but others in your group are unwilling to commit time to DM?

I don't know. My group has 4 people willing to DM. Actually, make that 'wanting to DM' (the number goes up to 5 if we switch systems).

 

[Thunderfoot]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the funnest parts about being a DM...the fame, the riches, & the women.

I DM for the fame:
I'm known all around my area as being the worst DM to play with. The truth is, they just suck & can't kill my awesome NPCs.

I DM for the riches:
I'm the first to help myself to the Cheetos & soft drinks that I don't even chip in for. I also don't buy my own books, I just borrow them from the other players...you save tons of money that way.

And I DM for the women:
My mom brags to all of her friends about how creative I am. I also get a lot of girls checking me out when I'm wearing my wizards outfit at the mall.

There's a few other perks to DMing, like killing PCs, railroading, & arguing about rules in the middle of a game. But nothing beats the Big 3.

If I didn't know you were joking I would have put out a contract for you to be hit by a truck.

 

[Umbran]

Do you ever feel like the hours you spend prepping/running your game could be more profitably spent elsewhere, say as a fiction writer, artist, game designer, [insert your creative pursuit of choice]... where you still have a creative outlet but with a potential for a paycheck at the end?

Realistically, no. Everyone and their grandmother wants to be a published writer, artist, or game designer. Very few make it, even if their work is of high quality. If I undertake a creative endeavor, a paycheck at the end needs to be a sideline, not the main goal.

If Tolkien (or another favorite author) had been a DM, would he ever have found the time to publish?

Well, Tolkien first wrote out of love, not desire for profit. And he did so in a thoroughly different market for fiction. Not a good analogy.

Ask the same about, say, George RR Martin - a current writer who also plays RPGs.

What do you do if you want to take a break from DMing, but others in your group are unwilling to commit time to DM?

Then the game stops running. The Earth fails to open up under our feet and swallow us, and we move on with our lives. If and when I have time and desire, I try to put a group together again.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Thanks again for the comments.

If you are like me, you have lots of Real Life competing for your time. Here's a couple more questions for your consideration:

Do you ever feel like the hours you spend prepping/running your game could be more profitably spent elsewhere, say as a fiction writer, artist, game designer, [insert your creative pursuit of choice]... where you still have a creative outlet but with a potential for a paycheck at the end? If Tolkien (or another favorite author) had been a DM, would he ever have found the time to publish?

No, I've got to admit that I'm a bit of a literature snob when it comes to my fantasy, just because it mentions swords, sorcery and monsters doesn't immediately get the "cool" nod from me. For example, I think Weiss & Hickman are hacks, a view that has been told to me on several occasions is absolutely wrong, but it's my opinion. The reason I bring it up, I've written a story version of several campaigns that have gotten the "you should publish this" statement, but, it's just long drawn out fan-fics; which is the prime identifier of "hack".
I've met the professionals, I understand their point of view, I see their lifestyle. The create to eat, I create to have fun, at some point it crosses the line and becomes "work". I am a professional music producer, music is no longer as fun as it used to be, because I can't listen to anything without casting a critical ear to it. It's my bread and butter so it had to be "right". RPGs are a hobby and I wish to keep it that way, mostly because I don't want to one day wake up and find myself criticizing my near life-long hobby.

What do you do if you want to take a break from DMing, but others in your group are unwilling to commit time to DM? Obviously most DMs invest their personal time into their game of their own free will and without promise of something in return... but surely other (non-gaming) social groups have dealt with this "commitment imbalance" issue?

Discuss.

I've had to take a break due to burn out before, where you just can't think of the next really new thing, it all seems like it's re-done. You step down, and someone else steps up. And you never really get the same enjoyment, and if the DM pro-tem is only marginally better than reading a technical manual, it won't be long until you get the phone calls begging you to take over the seat again. For me, that's one reason I go to GenCon is to play, mostly because I run the rest of the year. Occasionally I'll join another campaign on the sly so I can ste...er borrow ideas and keep my mind fresh. Most of the time, it isn't even a concern.

 

[Dausuul]

Do you ever feel like the hours you spend prepping/running your game could be more profitably spent elsewhere, say as a fiction writer, artist, game designer, [insert your creative pursuit of choice]... where you still have a creative outlet but with a potential for a paycheck at the end?

I have had some issues with this, mostly due to playing on weeknights. Writing for a couple hours a day + working full-time does not leave a lot of room for prep and gaming. A few months ago I told my gaming group that running on weeknights was simply not an option for me any more, and we were going to have to switch to weekends or I was out. Since then, it's been far less of a problem.

What do you do if you want to take a break from DMing, but others in your group are unwilling to commit time to DM? Obviously most DMs invest their personal time into their game of their own free will and without promise of something in return... but surely other (non-gaming) social groups have dealt with this "commitment imbalance" issue?

If I want a break from DMing, and nobody else is willing to DM, then we don't play. Pretty simple. I do feel a certain pressure to run a game, since my group is short on people willing and able to run, but I try not to let myself be held hostage to that; if I don't wanna DM for a while, then I'm not gonna.

At this point in my life I find I don't have a great passion to run or play. So it's not that big a deal for me if we don't game for a month or three. If it's a big deal for someone else, well, that person is welcome to put on the DM hat and get behind the screen.

Ask the same about, say, George RR Martin - a current writer who also plays RPGs.

GRRM is maybe not the example you want to be citing here...

 

[Romtos]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the funnest parts about being a DM...the fame, the riches, & the women.

I DM for the fame:
I'm known all around my area as being the worst DM to play with. The truth is, they just suck & can't kill my awesome NPCs.

I DM for the riches:
I'm the first to help myself to the Cheetos & soft drinks that I don't even chip in for. I also don't buy my own books, I just borrow them from the other players...you save tons of money that way.

And I DM for the women:
My mom brags to all of her friends about how creative I am. I also get a lot of girls checking me out when I'm wearing my wizards outfit at the mall.

There's a few other perks to DMing, like killing PCs, railroading, & arguing about rules in the middle of a game. But nothing beats the Big 3.

I like your way of thinking kind sir and I would like to add to the list the privilege of legitimately stalking any female players between sessions and making in game experience as awkward as possible for them.

 

[Obryn]

I ran a Call of Cthulhu game a few years back; it ended around 2005, I think. I still have my players reminiscing about all the crazy stuff that happened, in "Remember that time when..." type stories. Ditto, an Arcana Evolved game and a SWSE game.

I'm (theoretically) still running Temple of Elemental Evil, but have had major schedule conflicts with it. Nevertheless, my players are still talking about that time, a year ago, when their whole party got ganked by a wizard and an assassin in a classic Gygaxian "you-turned-left-so-you-die" death trap.

I had a friend I've never gamed with at a wedding tell me (drunkenly) how all my players brag about playing in my games. Which I had no idea even happened.

And every week, I look forward to sitting down at the table with my players, and making cool stuff happen with them. After every session, I'm energized and ready to work on the next one.

This is why I DM. I enjoy the process, I enjoy the game, and I enjoy crafting stories with my players which they'll share years later.

-O

 

[Oryan77]

If I didn't know you were joking I would have put out a contract for you to be hit by a truck.

Do you drive a white '92 Astro Van with flames painted on the side and a vanity plate that says, "IH8DMS"? Cause some guy wearing a black hoody with an eyepatch & a big scar on his cheek came pretty close to running me over this afternoon with that exact vehicle.

I like your way of thinking kind sir and I would like to add to the list the privilege of legitimately stalking any female players between sessions and making in game experience as awkward as possible for them.

Oh definitely. If I make a girl feel awkward at the table, then she can either deal with me not wearing any pants, or she can leave.

 

[Umbran]

GRRM is maybe not the example you want to be citing here...

I don't have a preconceived point I am trying to make with the cite, so I can cite just about any author that happens to also game.

And, by the way, GRRM is a fine cite if I want to say that a gamer can have time - sure he hasn't finished the one series, but that seems to be because he been working on other projects (like editing Wild Cards books, and such) not because gaming gets in the way of his writing.