Player, or DM?

[youspoonybard]

My college roommate introduced me to D&D, and being interested, my fiancee and I rolled up characters, looked at the rules, and tried playing.

The first session was alright, but at the end he told me, "I'm no good at this. How about you try DMing?"

Well, it was rough, and I made some really stupid calls (I still get reminded of the infamous "Sure, you can Partial Run-Partial Charge in a turn!" once in a while), but I think I became a competant, if not decent DM.

My favorite part of DMing is building character concepts to challenge the PC's. My players constantly nag on me for it ("Is this CR-Appropriate?" is said all-too-commonly by the above two players), but they always find a way to win in the end, and have fun doing it too.

Since I like making characters, though, it was really satisfying to be able to finally play one when I got the opportunity. I just wish that my fellow players were more mature, so I could roleplay more instead of waiting them to stop goofing off, but they're high school students, so I don't hold it against them.

I just find myself fortunate; I have two dedicated groups of people who knew nothing of D&D before, yet love to come over and play a campaign whenever they can, and I also have the opportunity to play characters as well. More importantly, whenever I do play, either as a DM or a player, I have fun, and my fellow participants do as well. That's why I love D&D.

 

[Wombat]

While I like to play, and do so whenever I can, that is a very rare opportunity.

Practically all the time since I first picked up the Three Little Books, I have been the GM for whatever game is running...

 

[megamania]

Currently I DM everything I'm involved in. I enjoy the story telling and the looks of horror and/or joy on players faces when a game works.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

My friend Mark and I alternate DMing each weekend, each with our own campaign. He's running the Shackled City Adventure Path (we're in the middle of the big Lords of Oblivion battle right now), and I'm running a Scarred Lands campaign set in Calastia.

I am almost always the (or a) DM, for several reasons: (1) I buy and read a lot of books, (2) I'm the most experienced player, (3) I have a background in both literature and law (and if there was a D&D doctorate, I'd have one), (4) most people don't want the extra work, and (5) I'm a little bit of a control freak.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Well, it was rough, and I made some really stupid calls (I still get reminded of the infamous "Sure, you can Partial Run-Partial Charge in a turn!" once in a while), but I think I became a competant, if not decent DM.

If that's among the worst calls you've ever made as a DM, you might be the best DM that ever existed. Especially under 3E, that rule was very unclear.

 

[Grand_Director]

I have got to be the DM. I enjoy the leveling aspect of playing but I can only do it for so long. Every game I have ever been a player in inevitable ends up with me sitting there thinking how I could run this game so much better.

I would love to be a player in my own game. I know that is a little weird, but there you go.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

So, do any of you ever have a problem playing or dm'ing and thinking that the other DM is doing all wrong. Or is that just not an issue to any of you.

No, because I want to play.

But the other players have no compunctions about it... (And truthfully it is not that my games are so perfect that makes me the DM, it is that some of the others who have tried are so very bad...)

The Auld Grump

 

[lonesoldier]

I Dungeon Master one game (We meet every Friday) and I play in about 2 others (LEW and A Playbyweb.com one).

I enjoy DMing more, because I enjoy causing pain, making maps and thinking up new ways to steal the character's souls/wives/money/pride/etc/etc

EDIT:
@Auld Grump:
There was this one player, I thought he didn't know what roleplaying meant. All he did was combat, not even cool ninja-skillz combat, just rush into battle and hack at things.

DM (meh): Your turn, what do you do?
Player: Charge into battle, and attack the closest enemy.
DM: *sigh*

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I Dungeon Master one game (We meet every Friday) and I play in about 2 others (LEW and A Playbyweb.com one).

I enjoy DMing more, because I enjoy causing pain, making maps and thinking up new ways to steal the character's souls/wives/money/pride/etc/etc

EDIT:
@Auld Grump:
There was this one player, I thought he didn't know what roleplaying meant. All he did was combat, not even cool ninja-skillz combat, just rush into battle and hack at things.

DM (meh): Your turn, what do you do?
Player: Charge into battle, and attack the closest enemy.
DM: *sigh*

*SIGH* Sometimes my players find more imaginative ways of being stupid...

One of the people who tried running a game though had a Wisdom penalty to his Will saves I swear, he listened to one of the other players (not me - I kept quiet) and pretty much let that player run the game from the inside. No spine at all...

The Auld Grump

 

[A'koss]

25 years, and probably 85% of it as DM. While I still like the setting development aspect of it, I really want to get into playing again and just leave all that responsibility behind for while.

Cheers!