D&D General Jaquaying the dungeon - a term to avoid

[MGibster]

I've always enjoyed Games Operations Director myself.

I'm putting Director of Games Operations on my resume.

 

[Lanefan]

I've always enjoyed Games Operations Director myself.

The person behind this screen is GOD. Abide or die.

 

[Some Dude]

I typically use DM, GM, Referee, Judge, or whatever the game I'm currently running calls it. My players tend to use Game Master, that is, when they're not just using my name. Which they usually are. One player in particular only uses "Game Master" kind of a sarcastic way when he feels he's about to get/has been hosed by a rule, or a ruling.

We're a fairly mixed (age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc.) group, but now I want to bring this up to them, and see what their thoughts are.

 

[Andvari]

Older versions of D&D, such as AD&D, frequently refer to the DM as the "referee", so it's a common term among those who play those older versions.

 

[Lanefan]

It's "DM" here and probably always will be. Rarely, we say "dungeon master"; but usually only when explaining the game to a non-player or a brand new player, in order to tell them what DM stands for.

 

[Andvari]

I prefer GM as the game frequently does not take place in a dungeon. But it's always a game.

 

[Mannahnin]

(Lovely exchange between @Retreater and @Mistwell there resolving the misunderstanding, BTW. Way to show off how ENworld posters abide to a higher standard than most of the internet. )

Another thing that came up in the interviews I watched is that Jennell Jaquays preferred the term "referee" to Game/Dungeon "Master" because that term has some negative connotations.
What are your thoughts on that?

I think that's indicative of how old-school she was. I remember there being regular debate over these terms in Dragon Magazine and other venues when I was a kid and growing up, though it seems to have mostly quieted in the last couple of decades, at least in my observation.

Some people preferred to avoid "DM" and used "GM" because it was more general and covered more types of games. Other folks liked Referee for its implication of impartiality or neutrality and/or for its lack of the perhaps-implied hierarchy and authority of the word "master". Others disliked it as they felt it implied a different kind of play dynamic than RPGs have- it's not a competitive sport where a Referee is needed to neutrally arbitrate rulings between two competing sides. Some people liked Storyteller for its implication that story is the point of the game.

It's possible that Jennell also disliked "master" as it's not an entirely gender neutral term (even if it can be so in some senses, given the kind of weird ways English works).

Trivia: The World of Synnibarr uses the title "Fate", implying something more impersonal but inexorable.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Yeah, TIL that her surname is not pronounced like 'jockeys'.

Until I heard it on podcasts, I thought it was 'jah-kways' (like you friend bill does something 'bill-ways' and your friend Jacques does something 'jacques-ways').

Heh, there is a reason why most not-D&D games avoid the term Dungeon Master or Game Master. I never really put much thought into it until I started running an afterschool D&D club. With all of the societal negativity aimed at educators in the US these days, I felt nervous suddenly using the term Dungeon Master. The kids don't care, but they're kids.

Out of all the various terms used in place of DM/GM I can remember, my favorite is "storyteller". Referee works, but is uninspiring (IMO).

Emcee might work. I always thought of Dungeon Master as a Master the same way a Master of Ceremonies was a Master -- official 'in charge' in that they are running the thing.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

(Lovely exchange between @Retreater and @Mistwell there resolving the misunderstanding, BTW. Way to show off how ENworld posters abide to a higher standard than most of the internet. )

Love to see that too!

 

[Gorck]

I dunno. I've had a few 'dungeon master sounds kinky' reactions here in NZ.

I play D&D with my daughter and her 2 preteen friends. I think it would sound atrocious if I told their parents that I take their daughters into my basement to play a game where I’m the “Dungeon Master.” Or maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of Law & Order SVU.