Why DON'T you want to GM?

[gametaku]

I want to start by saying I'm not trying to change your mind or talk you into being a GM.

I bolded a part of your response. What do you think about pre-written adventures/modules? Something that held me back for a long time was also the general feeling that I didn't have the inspiration for a campaign. I had a handful of ideas/scenes I thought would be cool, but I couldn't think of a way to potentially turn them into a whole campaign.

I also didn't know that modules were a thing for the longest time. A lot of my current DMing is taking adventures I've found online (Or in Dungeon Magazine) and stealing the bones/general structure for my own games.

If you had a desire to GM, do you think running a pre-written adventure could help you overcome this particular obstacle?

I had used a couple of short adventures when I ran the few games in 2018, so I am familiar with them. To answer your question, it would depend on the system I possibly could want to run. However, that said that most adventures/modules are typically for games style of D&D, OSR, Pathfinder, CoC, Traveler, etc. which I have no interest in running.

 

[aramis erak]

I am encouraging a couple players to take a turn "behind the screen"... because the town needs more GMs.
Both my adult offspring GM, tho' one left state.

I like to get a few sessions as a player so I don't disconnect from the experience of not being the GM. (I do have issues as a player - I am a rules-first GM and player. I don't share the spotlight well, sometimes going so far as to force it upon others.)

 

[Thomas Shey]

I am encouraging a couple players to take a turn "behind the screen"... because the town needs more GMs.
Both my adult offspring GM, tho' one left state.

I like to get a few sessions as a player so I don't disconnect from the experience of not being the GM. (I do have issues as a player - I am a rules-first GM and player. I don't share the spotlight well, sometimes going so far as to force it upon others.)

I honestly think I'm kind of a bad player; probably my (suspected) ADHD never made me a good one, but I think I'm worse these days.

 

[plecostomus]

I have a really hard time improvising dialogue and making on-the-spot decisions. Usually the moment something doesn't go the way I expect it to, I can't think of anything to replace it. And my GM says we break his campaign in significant ways all the time, and he is able to just wrap around and make something new of it. When my character talks to a NPC, he responds instantly every time. Even Sendings, with having to count words, he rarely takes more than a few seconds. I am in awe, and I think he might be an actual wizard. But that is not anything I feel I am able to do.

I have taken steps towards learning more about GMing. Made an account to lurk here, for example. I've watched basically every Ginny Di and Matt Colville video on yt. But the real-time dialogues I don't know how to get better at- I have advanced my improv skills a little bit over 4 years, but a lot less than you might think with that kind of playtime.

I will also say I don't really know anything about 5e classes I haven't played (and I've only played two of them). Don't even ask me about other systems. I know slightly more now that I've played BG3, but I also know BG3 changed lots of things. The mechanical stuff I don't worry about so much from the perspective of my current group. I would probably run a prewritten module and see how that works.

 

[cbwjm]

Normally, the reason I don't want to DM is because I want a break from being DM.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I have a really hard time improvising dialogue and making on-the-spot decisions. Usually the moment something doesn't go the way I expect it to, I can't think of anything to replace it. And my GM says we break his campaign in significant ways all the time, and he is able to just wrap around and make something new of it. When my character talks to a NPC, he responds instantly every time. Even Sendings, with having to count words, he rarely takes more than a few seconds. I am in awe, and I think he might be an actual wizard. But that is not anything I feel I am able to do.

Different GMs have different strong-suits. Few people are going to be good at all aspects.

I have taken steps towards learning more about GMing. Made an account to lurk here, for example. I've watched basically every Ginny Di and Matt Colville video on yt. But the real-time dialogues I don't know how to get better at- I have advanced my improv skills a little bit over 4 years, but a lot less than you might think with that kind of playtime.

Honestly, the biggest part of doing that is just learning to get into the headspace of the NPC and then relaxing. No one is going to grade you.

I will also say I don't really know anything about 5e classes I haven't played (and I've only played two of them). Don't even ask me about other systems. I know slightly more now that I've played BG3, but I also know BG3 changed lots of things. The mechanical stuff I don't worry about so much from the perspective of my current group. I would probably run a prewritten module and see how that works.

I'd be willing to bet there are tons of GMs who don't know the minutiae of all the classes in most class systems. Its probably something you are only likely to do over time and with experience.

 

[Reynard]

I'd be willing to bet there are tons of GMs who don't know the minutiae of all the classes in most class systems. Its probably something you are only likely to do over time and with expeexperience.

It's the players' job to know the class minutiae for their character. The GM should have a broad understanding of the capability of the characters in the game, but that's it. Anything deeper is the player's responsibility.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It's the players' job to know the class minutiae for their character. The GM should have a broad understanding of the capability of the characters in the game, but that's it. Anything deeper is the player's responsibility.

Its one of those things I kind of want to know in the broad because I don't like suddenly getting big surprises. But I'm also used to systems that aren't exception based, so its a little easier to do once you understand the system in general.

 

[aramis erak]

Normally, the reason I don't want to DM is because I want a break from being DM.

I'll note: I've never wanted a break from GMing - I do, however, prioritize training others over my own desire to GM. And when I'm a player, I want it to be in addition to my GMing.
I do, however, burn out on settings or rulesets.

 

[Golden Bee]

I honestly think I'm kind of a bad player; probably my (suspected) ADHD never made me a good one, but I think I'm worse these days.

I find GMing is EASIER on ADHD. You don't get "time off".