Groups with no DM

[Anime Kidd]

Back when I was first into D&D, me and a friend tried a game, but no one wanted to DM. Instead we both just made up the story/adventure as we went along, each adding to the other's. Since we had no DM, I thought it went pretty well until we started to go munchin like.

Anyways...Im wondering if anyone else has tried to play this way?

 

[tennyson]

Sounds interesting, although not something I'd want to try outside of experimental purposes. I think that a DM provides a certain structure, no matter how thin (or how thin they'd like they're players to believe ).

It sounds like what you're describing are friends who co-DMed a two man adventure. It may not have seemed like it, but someone at some point in the story had to take the reigns and move it along. Nothing wrong with that, and if it worked, then who's to argue?

 

[Airwolf]

The no-DM option, hmmm. I don't think I have ever heard of this.

I suspect that most games would end up like yours, going munchkin.

 

[pogre]

Warhammer Quest was built with no GM in mind. The designers felt everyone would probably just rather be gaming. However, in the end they did finally go to most adventures needing a DM. Random dungeons are only fun for so long.

 

[dglass]

Games like Warhammer Quest can be played solo or with no DM. You have cards and stuff that you turn over to see what happens. It was fun but still not the same as with a DM. I had to get rid of my stuff when I moved.

 

[the Jester]

Humm, the only place I've heard of this before is with the Amber system... diceless roleplaying. For advanced players, they suggest things like "get rid of the gm" and "get rid of the rules"...

 

[TroyXavier]

My group has done it before. It's not really that hard, other than a bit of trouble running encounters. It really bring out the roleplaying though.

 

[Gilladian]

we used to do something like this when a group of us were traveling in the car, or up at the shop and bored. We all had characters in our heads and a sort of a rough gameworld designed out. It wasn't dnd or anything close, but we had loads of fun.

Every character had a sort of theme (mine was a circus acrobat) and an "anything item" (mine was an umbrella) that could be used for any purpose that seemed practical (parachute, boat, sail, noisemaker, sunshade, tent, etc...)

We took turns as "narrator" going around the group, switching as the situation got sticky, thus forcing the next narrator to get the group out of trouble. I still have a sketch of the world we used; Main street, the bar, the elevator to heaven, hell and the other side of the world, and the zoo down the road.

Gilladian

 

[Anime Kidd]

I suspect that most games would end up like yours, going munchkin.

This was during the time when I was first learning the game. It came down to everytime we killed a monster, we always rolled for magic items. I feel so ashamed admitting that.

But it was fun while it lasted. It did seem that the story was full of holes and felt kinda empty. Guess thats what the DM is for.

I think this sort of game could work, only if everyone agrees not to screw with the sotry or make outrageous actions and/or plots.

 

[the Jester]

This was during the time when I was first learning the game. It came down to everytime we killed a monster, we always rolled for magic items. I feel so ashamed admitting that.

As a long-time dm, I virtually always roll for magic items myself.

No shame in that- it makes pcs go, "Man, too bad we don't have a ______ to use that ________ of ________ we found!" I like that, just like I try to make them go "I wish someone had ranks in _____"... I like to give everyone something to do, and make every skill and feat useful.