D&D General Why do you prefer DMing over Playing?

[BookTenTiger]

I took a break recently from DMing a campaign, and another player took the reigns and has been doing a great job running the game. They are creative, descriptive, invite player input...

And I just am not having as much fun!

The truth is, it's a reminder that I loooooove being the DM, and only like being a Player.

I have some thoughts on why this is, but I'm hoping to hear from other people who prefer running the game.

Why do you like being a DM more than being a player?

 

[billd91]

I like to know what's going on in the background. And as DM, I know all that because either I control it or I read about it in published materials I use. I want to be in the room where it happens, the room where it happens...
Sorry, channeling Aaron Burr there a little bit.

 

[iserith]

Assuming my DM is decent, I enjoy playing as much as DMing. Oftentimes, playing inspires me to prep for DMing. Or vice versa. I think doing both is a good way to keep myself engaged and motivated.

Probably some people prefer DMing over playing based on their personality type or past experiences.

 

[overgeeked]

I don't like being limited to one character. I'm an alt-o-holic. Playing several characters in short order is disruptive to most campaigns unless it's designed into the premise. I like setting up situations and seeing how the players bounce off them. I like trying out new things. Playing one character with a limited set of skills and abilities is...limiting. I like the worldbuilding. I like having disposable characters. Play them for 1-10 minutes then never look back. Ham it up as a villain one minute then be a wide-eyed child the next. I like that variety. I also really like the improv of it all. Thinking on my feet. There's nothing quite like being surprised by a great idea a player has when you DM. You noodle over a situation for hours and think you have all the angles covered, only for a player to do something utterly wild in the first second that I would have never thought of. That's great.

 

[prabe]

In principle, I enjoy playing about as much as GMing--they're different things, and the enjoyment is different, but the amount of enjoyment is about the same.

In practice, I prefer GMing, I think, because I seem to want specific things out of TRPGs, and the other GMs I've gamed with haven't built or centered their games around those things.

 

[Asisreo]

I took a break recently from DMing a campaign, and another player took the reigns and has been doing a great job running the game. They are creative, descriptive, invite player input...

And I just am not having as much fun!

The truth is, it's a reminder that I loooooove being the DM, and only like being a Player.

I have some thoughts on why this is, but I'm hoping to hear from other people who prefer running the game.

Why do you like being a DM more than being a player?

I like game design and making worlds. I like creating stuff for others to enjoy.

There's something very satisfying turning something imaginary in your head into something real in someone else's head.

Ultimately, it becomes real. When the creature you statted out reduces the numbers on a character sheet, and the player associates those numbers with the hours of story they put in, a real sense of fear appears. When dice are being rolled, the player understands that what happens wasn't entirely by design.

I also love being surprised by what players do or think. The story becomes more real because the characters aren't all using a predefined script. Just like in real life, you can't truly control others. Yet unlike real life, you can involve magic and dragons and warriors capable of affecting the world.

 

[overgeeked]

In practice, I prefer GMing, I think, because I seem to want specific things out of TRPGs, and the other GMs I've gamed with haven't built or centered their games around those things.

Yeah. That's another big one. I've never found a DM who wants to run the kinds of games I really want to play in. So I have to run them.

 

[Yaarel]

I like both.

When I do player, I create a hero.

When I do DM, I create a universe.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I prefer being a player. No one in my group will DM however, and they like the campaigns I create. So. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[Jack Daniel]

I'm solidly in the "forever!DM and happy about it" camp. I don't really enjoy playing, and the main reason for that is, nobody will ever DM a game the way I'd do it!

I'm particular. I like building worlds, I like designing dungeons, I like kitbashing together core rules and house rules, and I adore constructing needlessly symmetrical class systems. But I don't get to enjoy any of that just running a character in someone else's campaign.

(Also, the act of running a game is something of a mental/physical workout that keeps you multitasking and focused and, after a few hours, leaves you with a euphoric sort of "runner's high" that you never get from playing.)