I am a better DM than a player (THREAD-O-MANCY)

[Longspeak]

I don't know if I am a better GM than player. But I am definitely a more patient GM than player. And that probably makes me a better GM than a player.

As a player, I... just really hate waiting. I completely respect that everyone gets as turn or time in the spotlight, and I never complain when it's someone else's turn. But I hate waiting.

But as a GM... I'm almost never waiting. When it's your turn, it's also my turn. I'm more involved in every aspect and I'm not waiting, except for the time it takes someone to say something or narrate an action.

So... maybe I'm not more patient as a GM. Maybe I just don't have to wait as much.

 

[aramis erak]

I am a rules lawyer most of the time, and often a pedant.

I don't enjoy being a player with most GMs; many GMs just rub me the wrong way.

 

[Scott Christian]

As a player, I sometimes forget my books, my dice or even my character sheet - but as DM I hardly ever forget any important books, notes, maps or minis.

Not judging (judgement free zone), but I think this speaks volumes and is something to take a closer look at. It implies that you just care for playing a character less, and therefore, your patience, time spent outside the game, prep, and concentration are less devoted than when you DM. You have the ability to be a player just as well as you DM, but the interest level prevents you from doing so?

Just a thought.

However, I have found the qualities that make me a decent player were cultivated from years of DMing, i.e. - not second-guessing the DM at the table, being on time, being quiet when it another player's turn to be in the spotlight, listening carefully to descriptions so the DM doesn't have to repeat himself, etc. . .

This - so much, this. I am always amazed at people who expound on game design, RPG philosophy, etc. and then find out they have only DMed the last five or ten years.

This, so much, this.

So, how do others compare their player vs. DMing skills/abiltiies?

I want to reiterate the above. It is that important. What makes me a decent player is what I learned from DMing: following DM cues, listening, using spotlight appropriately, reinforcing the DM's rulings, accepting the occasional railroad, humoring with a laugh, etc.

When I compare the two skill sets directly, I think it depends on what game is being played. I think I am a better player for 5e or PF1 or 2. I am a better DM for games with a more refined or reigned in lore-set or a ruleset that is a bit grittier. That might also just be an interest level like above. As I have never been a fan of a tit-for-tat DMing style. For example, once the wizard gets fly then suddenly the DM pulls out things that counter it: flying creatures, weather events, archers everywhere; or the DM removes the obstacles like no more rivers full of crocs to cross.