Which do you prefer?

[Jorren]

It used to be 50/50 for me back when I had a lot more spare time. Nowadays, being older and slower, time and energy are an issue so I definitely lean towards the player side.

I will say that in every instance where I ran a game or played a game with someone who was primarily a GM, my thought afterwards was "I'd rather not play with this person again".

 

[Lanefan]

I do enjoy playing, but find if I want a campaign of length, its gonna be me in the GM seat.

If you ever move to Victoria BC I can probably change that for you.

'Course, that means you'll be stuck with me as DM.........

 

[Hand of Evil]

GM, for me it is all about being creative and wanting to write a book (not good enough for that), see gaming as a way to tell a story, to build a world and entertain.

 

[Theory of Games]

Gamemaster. The position allows me to tinker with the rules in a more direct manner. Rules for combat, exploration and social interactions. I can, if the game isn't broken trash, shape scenarios to my liking. Even if the game's trash as GM I can fix it with changes our group prefers. Players are just passengers even when the rules are "player-facing" (like GMs never roll or players can narrate changes to the ongoing scene).

 

[Autumnal]

One of the things I like about solo play is the extent to which I can do both without the performance anxieties both can give me.

 

[Corinnguard]

I prefer being a player, and thinking about what I can do with my character in terms of species, background, class.

 

[Blue]

Both.

Sorry, I would not prefer to be one or the other. They are quite different aspects of the hobby that are complimentary but different. I want to do both.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

yeah, it seems that the person who ends up GMing the most is the one most dedicated to "playing" the game. In this particular context, I'm using "playing" in the general sense of the word, not just being a player.

It makes sense - after all, I've seen countless groups survive the loss of a player or two, but only a handful survive the GM dropping out.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I only GM. Since 1979, I've been a player maybe fifty sessions, all told.

 

[Robin F]

I enjoy both but usually end up GMing, since I get to choose exactly the game I want to play for the moment. In a beer and pretzels setting I prefer being a player though!