D&D General I DM because...

[Richards]

In the beginning (AD&D 1E), it was because I was the oldest of four siblings who wanted to play a campaign amongst ourselves, so the DM role naturally fell to me.

Later, when I had two sons and wanted to introduce them to AD&D 2E, I was the only adult (and the only one who had played before), so the DM role naturally fell to me.

Later on, when a co-worker wanted me to introduce his son to D&D, I was the only one who had played/DMed using the 3.5 rules, so the DM role naturally fell to me.

But despite having been thrust into the role of DM, it's something I've greatly enjoyed and something I would have volunteered to do in any case. And now I also get to play my own PC in another weekly Wednesday campaign while still DMing my own campaign on alternate Saturdays.

Johnathan

 

[Pedantic]

I don't know if this is a problem per se with the poll, but my experience has not usually involved a group separate from a DM as several of those options imply. Usually I'm out recruiting players, or I float an idea to one friend who's interested and we track down another, or sometimes someone will approach a broader group of my board game or Netrunner playing friends with a proposal and some subset will take them up on it.

There is generally not "a group" as an established entity pushing for someone to DM or having feelings about a given DM, the group forms in reaction to a DM declaring intent or polling for interest.

 

[Stormonu]

I started DMing, because I wanted to, and everyone else just wanted to play.

Modesty aside, I kept DMing because I was better at it than everyone else I ran across. As someone who suffers from Imposter Syndrome in just about everything in my life, this is pretty huge to me.

 

[MGibster]

I DM because the tears of players is the only way for me to taste life. Oh, and it's fun to DM as well.

 

[Voadam]

I DM because I want to.

I have occasionally been asked specifically to DM and did so because I wanted to, not just out of a feeling of obligation, even when it was one of my son's friend's mom (a friend of mine) asking me to run a game so her son could try it out. The current game I DM is one where I was asked specifically. I was in an online group after covid hit and playing for a while, the DM got burnt out and asked if I would want to DM. I did and the rest of the group was interested.

I generally spend a good amount of time on both sides of the screen.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

I come from a round-robin tradition where we all take turns as Dungeon Master. We each take turns running our own adventures in our own worlds that we create or purchase.

In 2005 I started running games in earnest when I got the band back together again, so to speak, after a six year hiatus. I offered to play Dungeon Master simply because I was the one organizing the reunion. Before that, I was a Player 90% of the time; secretly working on my personal fantasy epic.

My new gaming group for the past 10 years also participates in round-robin style Dungeon Mastering (however, I feel the current Dungeon Master is trying to hold onto the reigns too tightly and I'm about to organize a coup).

 

[pogre]

I am glad the vast majority of responses are because people wanted to. I am certainly in that camp.

Occasionally, I get the impression most people DM because they have to, which sounds pretty miserable to me. I do hope this poll is more accurate for most groups out there!

 

[Stormonu]

I am glad the vast majority of responses are because people wanted to. I am certainly in that camp.

Occasionally, I get the impression most people DM because they have to, which sounds pretty miserable to me. I do hope this poll is more accurate for most groups out there!

I think it's going to probably be skewed on this site because we're here because we like the game, and I think Morrus has done polls here that show the majority of us posters haved DMed (and DM more often than being in the player's seat). I mean, you aren't exactly going to get responses here from those who ditched D&D because they were forced to DM or found it unpleasant.

 

[gnarlygninja]

A combo of usually being the only one willing to do it, and then on the rare occasions someone else does I'll start to think of all the things I would have done differently and then it starts the cycle of me doing it again.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Thus far, 77 distinct respondents have chosen some form of "I wanted to," out of 88 total respondents. That's a whopping 87.5% (exactly) of all respondents thus far saying they DM, or have been DM, because they personally want to.

It would seem that, at least among active participants in this forum, the overwhelming majority of DMs are people who specifically desire to be DM--though there's a meaningful contingent of them who do so at their players' prompting as well.

By comparison, only 18/88 = 20.5% (approx.) are DM because their players specifically sought them out to be DM for the group (regardless of other reasons for being DM.) Further, 34/88 = 38.6% (approx.) are DM because there was a vacancy to fill and they happened to be the one to fill it (regardless of other reasons.) There's some overlap between "they wanted me specifically" and "they needed someone and I stepped in," but not that much (6 respondents.)

It is, however, noteworthy that for both categories with enough responses to be more than statistical noise ("I wanted to" and "I accepted"), the "filled a vacancy" option is ahead of the "I was specifically requested." This implies that, for active users on this subforum, there's a meaningful distinction between being nominated for the DM position and volunteering for said position. That is, whether it is viewed as an obligation, service, favor, or something similar, there's a chunk more folks doing their DMing more or less as an offering/benefit to their group, rather than because the group sought them out and specifically asked them to be DM. The solid majority do it purely out of a desire to do it though, and that's not counting the handful of (exclusively) "Other" votes that I, personally, would have classified as being "because I want to."