What reasons do people in your groups give for not wanting to GM?

[Lwaxy]

2. Flakiness. They'll run something for a few sessions then completely lose track of what was going on in the campaign and give it up, usually after we miss a couple of session due to real life issues.

Campaign notes Preferably taken by the players and in readable print so the GM doesn't have to bother.

 

[kitsune9]

Actually, my group only has one player who adamantly refuses to GM. All my other players have GM'd their own campaigns or run tournaments. For my player who doesn't GM, he said that he had a really bad experience GM one adventure and that he swore he would never run again. I think he said that was 30 years ago (yeah, he's old).

 

[Michael Silverbane]

A few of the reasons I've given for not running, for the times when I'm not running have been...

"I don't feel like it."
"You run something."
and...
"Shut up."

 

[saskganesh]

It rarely comes up. I like to DM and I put on a good show, so none of my players mind at all.

If I want to play, I find another group. There are many out there.

One player I know, who is IMO a capable GM, simply dislikes the prepwork.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

We never really discuss it, as I'm hot to dm all the time. (snip)

I'm much the same.

After 25+ years, everyone simply assumes that I will DM and they will play. We don't even discuss it.

 

[Grogg of the North]

In past and present groups it usually boils down to "I'd GM, but I don't want to deal with Player X". And Player X is usually a Rules Lawyer/Munchkin/Meta-gamer.

Currently there's also a player that's writing a home-brew system that's going to fix everything that's wrong in D&D forever and ever.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I've encountered the following:

No time between jobs and family to prepare or even think up basic concepts. Main reason.

Closely followed by already having to be creative in the job environment and just wanting to relax and be entertained in their games.

Believing they have no talent for it due to

- being uncreative
- difficulty in bringing a story across or making it come alive
- inability to control the players and keep them focused
- not good enough with the rules

The last group's last 2 points are usually solved by assigning someone to take care of it

In my home group? Only two out of eight as far as I know don't DM. One tried and had the whole thing crash and burn twice, and the other has played probably a dozen sessions of RPGs total as far as I know.

In any of my other 4e groups? It normally boils down to "There are at least* three other potential DMs at the table, two with campaign ideas they want to run, and the third is just wrapping up their latest campaign which is why we now have a vacancy. I don't see what I could add."

* Seriously. I've never been in a 4e group with fewer than half of us being DMs at one time or another.

 

[jasper]

Wish I had OP problems. Most of time the group was Players - 1 = # of GMS. And everyone want to sit in the big chair. What we found out, before life destroyed the group, was every GM runs a different system. Ex I did Traveller d20, one did 3E, one did 1E, and another Gurps.

 

[psiphre]

I'm taking over the GM chair for a pathfinder game that my roommate is running, starting next weekend. reasons: "i just want to play", "too much prep work" "don't know how to craft encounters".

I don't blame the guy at all. I won't say that I LOVE being the DM, but I like to think that I'm a natural storyteller (i've participated in Nanowrimo several times). and I do love messing with mechanics.

nobody else at the table has any clue - i think out of the other five players, four of them are brand new to D&D and one played in college (~10 years ago).

 

[gamerprinter]

Out of a group of six people, only 2 doesn't want to GM with the reason being they are the newest to any tabletop gaming and are uncomfortable with the rules enough to run it. However, 4 participants change the GM role every couple of months.

Personally, I'd rather not play, but only GM, I find being a player only as boring, and I can only last a couple of months as just a player before I lose my mind and must take the GM chair to keep my sanity.