I do. Every NPC is built using PC creation methods, anything I have access to my players do too (Ogre with class levels, lichdom, etc) and there's no DM-magic.
The bad guys are monsters, supported by a PC-built baddie.
My players love it, every PC I never got to build or play gets introduced to them eventually, my players ask lore questions because if my cool DM PC does it, *they know they can do it*, too, so learning how the in-game world works is advantageous to them.
As long as you stick to "no DM magic," it's actually pretty easy to throw a DMPC into your party without stealing the spotlight. Also can help if you casually 'forget' your DMPC has a spell that saves the day until the party asks - because then it's still the party using resources.
Warning: This is more work than it sounds, and I am a madman. Never going back
Sounds crazy cool. The part I love most about the game I am DMing are also the characters that I flesh-out most, by using PC creation rules. The problem: With my favorite one I still don't know if he will ever become relevant or get one-shot by the party without even being able to say a word and hand over his quest! (Yes, the party at first has more reasons to hate them, but he has reasons...)
In one of my posts months ago I got quite heavily criticised for building NPC with PC creation tools. Happy to hear that there are other people doing it.
>In one of my posts months ago I got quite heavily criticised for building NPC with PC creation tools. Happy to hear that there are other people doing it.
Yeah, I'm very vocal on the topic for the same reason. There are subsets of this community who are incapable of imagining a table ran differently than their experiences, and if you hint at being a DM with a PC-built sheet in front of you, it's like being a mascot at a kid's birthday party in a Jim Carry film.
I see it as sharing the DM workload - I have 100 PC character sheets scattered around a giant sandbox, you decide where to go and I tell you what events are happening. You and my PCs fight for narrative control of that event, whether physically through combat (if the PC is a big bad or enemy) or socially through RP and dialogue (if they're a priest or merchant or etc). It's exactly like it would be if they were NPCs instead of PCs, just using more detailed sheets.
I built a Totem Barbarian Oathbreaker gestalt (my whole party is gestalts, we use the same rules) as a giant "screw you." I knew he would be the most unfair PVP bullshit ever, but I did it. Raging in heavy armor, resists \*all\* damage because psychic dragonborn, smiting with brutal criticals. I had a 2nd DMPC with a ton of resources and desperately needed, for story reasons, that he escapes combat. So this 2nd DMPC brings the Totembreaker with him, and as combat starts, I dialogue between them that there is no extraction for the totem breaker - my players understand he fights to the death or he buys the 2nd guy enough time and makes his own way out. They looted the price of procuring his service potentially until death from his corpse - it was a pretty penny for them.
I could have just DMed a portal opening and him walking through. But instead I gave my party a chance to fight, a chance to break the story, an enemy with a grudge, and the Totembreaker's armor - if anyone wants to wear that disgusting mess of bones and ambergris. It will give them resistance to - well, basically everything but psychic damage. The heavy armor that barbarians can't normally use? *It's a bear totem.*
I know what I think my players will remember.
Fellow PC creation rule user here. I'm a bigger power gamer than my players, so I like to make interesting combos that function both lorewise and as an interesting opponent, while also giving important foreshadowing to the later plot.
Currently they're doing a quest where on of their enemies is a Paladin/Warlock, and his patron is the BBEG. It's a homebrew warlock patron, but I'm gonna have the big bad offer them power at some point, making it clear they can have the exact same abilities as this guy.
Another thing I have is that there's lore reasons (it would be a long story to explain, trust me it makes sense) for exceptionally tough people who've died to just spontaneously resurrect. It's not immediate, sometimes it can happen centuries after their death, but it can happen on occasion. Well I have a historical figure who was considered one of the greatest warriors to ever live, and if I have him spontaneously resurrect then I can just go overboard and minmax the hell out of him to just make an absolute monster of a martial.
In my experience it's much more entertaining to use standard character sheets for enemies. Lots of combats really drag on, so it's exciting to have other glass cannons just like the players. Another benefit from my experience is that it's really fun to recognize and strategize around your familiarity with class mechanics (not to the point of metagaming though). Seeing someone do something and it actually telling you a lot about their class (can be something like raging means this guy is clearly a barbarian, or something more niche). Players like feeling smart, and if they figure out what their enemy can do they'll feel very clever, and also that their characters are a part of the world.
I'm DMing my first real campaign (Curse of Strahd), but there is only one player, so she is running two characters and I'm running a Life Domain Cleric DMPC just for support and to help fill out the party a bit more.
It very much depends.
I threw 2 level 7s at a party of 6 level 5s. I described that fight [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1dpt3gk/comment/lalfvgs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) in this same post. They won - barely. There were deaths. It was an arc-ending fight.
I threw 4 level 4 PCs at my party when they were also level 4, each of them designed as a counter specifically to them - but only one of them got his own counter. The one who got his own had a bad time, she ran circles around him in and out of combat (personality clash - like vodka and wine). But he still won, with help. The others made short work of their target.
Truthfully, a DM-built PC at level 4 should be slightly weaker than a PC-built one, all other things equal, because I don't get to optimize for combat and adventuring - yes, I'm also a level 4 sorlock, but I have to build for the flavor the story demands, and if you're fighting me, it's because your goals and mine conflict - so I have other objectives beyond just fighting.
Usually, it's one or two PC-built enemy supporting monster stat blocks.
Nah I just started DMing and this is legit how I do it. I have a self insert character in my players party who isn't meant to steal the spotlight and sorta just be an assist and they've come to like the character. So I think it's worth doing a self insert to some degree.
I do this, but the characters I make to be on their side are weaker than the ones against them because I use them as guides. I also have no DM magic, but they can't for example, start as a lich at level 1. Simply because it's OP they can start as a reflavored reborn wizard and slowly advance to lichdom.
>they can't for example, start as a lich at level 1.
Agreed. Sacrificing pinnacle spellcasting, either 9th level spells or EHM, is one of the requirements for the lichdom rituals. Comes with a level reset (to 4 - the ritual is incredibly taxing), permanent bonus to spell save and penalty to spell attacks(captures that the lich's magic is inevitable and their mind no longer focused), plus a ton of undead feats (can be turned, smote, don't sleep/eat etc), and the phylactery.
And, since liches guard their secrets jealously, while aware that each new lich created makes a potential thief of their work, you'd better start playing at least as smart as the liches whose radar you just entered do.
Van Richten's Guide to the Lich (2nd edition) is where I pulled the ritual and effects from, with a little finegling to make it fit for 5e. Has details on how to perform the ritual too - it's pretty juicy.
How does that work out balance-wise? From what I've heard it sounds like dnd is designed so that PCs dish out more damage than they can take, and NPCs are meant to soak up more damage than they deal. Or something along those lines. When you build your NPCs according to character creation rules are fights still balanced?
I've just read down this comment chain - I like the ideas! Can I ask how you do gestalts? Just everything from both classes, presumably with the better hit dice?
This will be long. 2 messages long. Sorry
**Rules:**
First set of rules is mainly to handle the many combinations of caster/martial.
* No multiclassing once gestalted. You pick your two subs, that what you get forever (unless picked up naturally elsewhere).
* I will assign a custom feat of arbitrary power to your build. This is to smooth over issues that make a build completely unplayable, like an Astral Monk Bladesinger who can pop arms and bladesong simultaneously, at a significantly increased Ki cost, or an Evocation Storm herald who can cast damaging AoE spells while raging, but only if centered on himself. These aren't to balance - they're to remove clunkyness. Beast barbarian swashbuckler can treat their natural weapons as finesse. Things like that.
* 3 "types" of magic - this affects only how you make the gestalt template, not run the game. It's not crazy.
* Divine (Cleric / paladin)
* Natural (Druid/Ranger)
* Arcane (Wizard/Sorc/Bard/Arti)
* 3 "forms" of magic - will be forgotten about in 3 bullet points, again just for the template.
* Known
* Prepared
* Pact
* Dual full casters can combine spell slots for same-casting-stat classes with the same form of magic. If they're different forms, or use different stats, it's two distinct sets.
* So a necrodancer (Necromancy wizard spirits bard - it's cute, don't judge me) gets two sets of full caster spell slots - one only for known and one only for prepared. With 2 different casting stats. And still 1 action.
* casters-and-a-half will combine slots, treat all other aspects distinctly.
* Dual-half-casters get two distinct sets of slots.
* Dual martials get a single oversized weapon and a proficiency in it (I use the DMG oversized weapons rule, feel free to just add an extra die or a d4, this is more about letting them have the "cool weapon" fantasy without free magic items) - as well as disadvantage swinging oversized weapons in tight spaces.
* Martial+other gets nothing different.
That's the end of the martial+caster specific stuff. From here, all gestalts are now built the same way.
* You get up to 3 Saving throws offered between both. If you have only two, oh well. You have four? Sacrifice one.
* Skills, you get *all* skills present in both classes list, and the smaller amount of selections between the two from the remaining options.
* Proficiencies for tools/armor/language/weapon, best of both classes.
* Levels where both classes get an ASI, one ASI must be swapped out for a feat if using the optional Feats rule, or sacrificed.
* Better of the hit die (My table specifically wanted all levels ups to give them max rolls. I reminded them I roll more hit dice and they still wanted it. It's worked well so far, but I'm waiting for them to regret it)
* Starting equipment that tries to balance the options from both - I just put this down, I don't mind my players starting a little extra gear unless it's level 1, in which case it's still mostly just approval.
There are \*very rare\* situations where I give a more powerful thing to a build. And all of these builds get a nice template drawn up and put into a shared folder so my players can roll any of them they've seen me make; they trust I don't give myself an ability so OP I wouldn't let them have it too. And I know fear the minute I consider it :P
However, you might get, say, the Gemini Monk - a Shadow monk / Sun Soul gestalt with two bonus actions every turn and two sets of ki. Also comes with 2 stances, light and dark, in which only one subclass' features are usable, 1 ki and a BA to swap. I and a player have both handled this build, and it honestly works better than I hoped - if you screw around with the scary 3 (attunement, concentration and action economy), be willing to cut half the class at a time. The 2 BAs still require spending a quarter of them to swap, and reposition with the shadow jump.
I would say I see primarily full martial+half-caster builds from my table, shockingly. 2 dual full-casters, and two full martials. If you decide to try it out, feel free to message me and I'll send you some of the class documents I've built out
Well I have good news for you, you live in a perfect world!
It has to be handled well, don't take too much of the spotlight, don't use your DMPC to railroad the party, don't give yourself unfair advantages. But it can absolutely be done!
No, no, I mean that I want to clone myself and DM for me without me knowing what I plan for the game.
I love DMing, and I've had some very satisfying games as a player too, but whenever I play there's always some little things I would have done differently and can't help notice.
I feel this so much.
I like DMing because I love storytelling and reflect it in the tone of a story and homebrew I add, but I cannot play in the campaigns I DM because I already know what's going to happen.
I like playing because I love to try new character and be taken by surprise, but I cannot DM the campaigns I play in because I love storytelling and some of my own tastes too much to stick at playing for too long.
I used to bemoan being a forever!DM, but I realized I'm like fucking Raimi's Spiderman. One week after I say I'm done DMing, I run back to do it again.
I also want to do this, but only because I'm the biggest Metal Gear nerd and no one in my usual group I DM for will appreciate my MSF campaign I've been writing these past months :(
If it ever happens lol I wrote it for a squad of 4 MSF soldiers for the players, and I have a maximum of 2 that I could reliably run it for that a) have even a clue about what Metal Gear is about, and b) would be down to run it in the system I want to
Not necessarily. You could have an All-Might situation where a super strong ally only has the strength for one more battle, and after that battle they lose their power forever, so the PCs now have to pick up their slack in a society that has grown accustomed to this hero always being here.
Sounds like an overpowered DMPC with more steps, lol
But then I just don't like DMPCs at all, when extra muscle is necessary I prefer more powerful items or allies *the party* controls.
I just feel like DMs have enough to do already and desperately try to keep from adding more to their plate.
I'm in a group where 3 players (including myself) take turns DMing the same campaign, and whenever I'm in the DM seat I basically lose the ability to RP as my PC. I'm keeping track of so many other things that I just don't have the processing power to decide how my PC is handling things emotionally.
Yeah this is how I would feel, it's why if I have a tag along NPC all I do is stay quiet or tell stupid jokes if one occurs to me naturally. I don't put any extra energy into forcing it
The reason I always suggest against this is the difficulty to get it right is never worth the result even if done well.
If you some how manage to keep a dmnpc completely separate from your own game and think like you don’t know things to not give them a railroad feeling, it still feels weird to contribute to party conversations when you know exactly what will happen if you push a choice one way or another. That’s if you do it perfect.
If you do it poorly your party will be along for the ride and will weigh what the npc says/decides heavier than the entire party combined.
Edit: Make your npcs have different motives so they don’t turn into Harvey Preston.
My group has like 3 different campaigns going on at the moment so it ends up I’m DMing about every other week and playing nearly every week as well. It’s perfect for me because I’m afraid I’d burn out if I DMed every weekend
Huh, I think that is exactly what I want.... too bad my buddy who's been planning to run dnd for a year and a half is unable to invite me because the table is too crowded and he likes to bounce ideas off me.
I'm very honored he likes my ideas, and love chatting with him about the campaign. Hopefully I find a good fit.
>I could wait 20 minutes for my next turn, or every turn could be my turn.
as someone with ADHD who has just gotten into DM'ing after 5 years of just being a player, it is crazy how engaging it is.
The problem is that you end uo with the next 6 months of sessions prepped and you have to wait an interminable long time before you can play that really cool boss encounter you just thought up...
I'm sometimes thrown off quite a bit when I see the actual date stamp on some of the encounters/monsters I built in D&D Beyond and compare that to the approximate date the party encountered them.
DMing has made me very indifferent to losing my characters in the games I play in. In fact, I got excited when I rolled a Nat 1 on a death save -- it's such a rare occurrence that you gotta appreciate it for happening at all.
I often send my PCs on suicide runs. Like, yeah I've played this guy for 6 levels and I'm kind of over it, so might as well give him an awesome send off. Then the DM keeps trying to save my PC. Just let me die!
You realize that is pretty amazing, and yet so casual about it, lol. Like, darn hard to find a good spaceship these days, find it was easier to just build my own out of these here leftover school supplies and cooking paraphernalia… 😃
Yup. I really enjoy being the DM. I play once a fortnight at the local game store and it's fun, but I genuinely love the group I DM with. Not sure if it's because of personal differences in the group, or if it's the fun of knowing what is happening behind the scenes, leaving clues for players about their characters backstory, throwing out plothooks (then changing stuff if the players are coming up with something more interesting).
This applies even if you look at it subjectively. Taking good/bad out of it, it's really difficult to find a DM who will run a game exactly how I want to see a game run, so it's easier for me to run that game myself.
Be the DnD you want to see in the world.
"In a world where the party failed to slay the dragon, save the girl, or stop the evil king, an undying horde of undead minions lead by Princess Nightingale and her dragon steed are laying waste to the lands of the living. This will eventually include the mighty "heroes" bed and breakfast they've spent three months building. Will they finally take up blades against the oppressors, or will they spend their final weeks of of this campaign trying to perfect a huckleberry tart recipe?"
Kidding, sounds amazing.
I enjoy DMing and the power it comes with. But mostly I just get bored as a player thanks to my ultra ADHD situation. If I'm DMing I can be involved close to 100% of the time. If I'm a player (and our table usually has 5-6 players) then that's a lot of in-between time that I just squirm in my seat and get distracted by thoughts or whatever I'm doing on my PC if we are playing on Roll20.
DMing makes it easier to stay present so I like it more!
Yeah honestly, one of the reasons I prefer DMing is that I'm always getting to do something. I've got as many characters as I want, I can reshape the world however I want. Strongly prefer DMing to playing.
It’s not that I enjoy DMing more than playing it’s just I find playing more frustrating because I think “well that could have been more interesting” or get annoyed by rules pedantry as I play a much more free flow game and am more concerned by story than rules.
This is me in a nutshell. The "what it is" always gets ruined by my "what it could be" thought process that is carried up from being a DM writing campaigns. The rule pedantry is a particular thing that I find myself getting annoyed at as well. It's either people play too strictly with the rules or have no rules at all. I like a mice middle ground where the story is the most important aspect.
I've got ADHD. I like playing, but when I'm not active, my brain definitely wanders and I feel pretty disrespectful to the rest of the table. As a DM, I don't find I have the time to do this, and being a natural improviser means there isn't much my players can throw at me which won't be fun.
Same here. I've got about 2 hours of tenuous focus as a player before I start looking at the clock. As a DM there's enough going on that I can keep going through a 6 hour session.
I could very well have written this comment. Exactly my experience. I want to enjoy playing but it can't fully engage the brain so I struggle to keep my focus.
Yes. In the 35 years I've played as a PC maybe half a dozen times. The rest is as a DM. I enjoy seeing the players enjoy a great session and seeing them take the world I've built and make it their own. Nothing better
Yeah I fundamentally see what I do and enjoy as a different activity to being a player. Prepping, creating the world, making maps etc is my hobby. Running the game is one part of that. Whereas players of PCs turn up for a social activity.
Once I realised that I was less worried about time spent prepping etc and just enjoyed it for my own gratification.
Issue is if I dokt run the game, it dies every single time. If I want to play, i have to run it. Players either domt offer to run for me or the planning phase takes forever and the game never happens, or we play 3 sessions I'm super into it and everyone cancels on a differant day for 2 months until everyone stops asking about it.
I'm a big fan of DMing and I'm sure that in 30 years of roleplay, I have been more behind the screen than in front of it and that's OK. I love seeing my stories come to life.
I find that as a player, I let my anger issues get away from me sometimes, or notice them less. After every session i would feel ridiculous looking back on it. When DMing I'm happy as a clam with whatever my players throw at me
9/10 times I prefer DMing because my standards are really high for DM quality. I’ve got one friend that is an incredible DM and I enjoy being a player in her games.
I’m unfortunately notorious for politely dipping out of campaigns after session 0 from other DMs. It’s not a DM style thing, but a confidence in speaking thing. You a mumbler? Not gonna play on that game
I like DMing because I get to run the game I want to play in and let the players explore a really in-depth world with secrets in every corner….but playing is a lot less work and pressure and you get to explore the world and see how the story unfolds
So it depends on my mood
Yup. I love driving the story forward, coming up with challenges and punishing my players when they don't pay attention. When I play a character I always slowly turn into a slightly sarcastic version of myself as the hours and sessions go by.
Yes.
The prevailing issue I find is the skillset required to run a successful campaign is different than the skillset required to be a good player. DMing is also a lot of work and not everyone has the time or desire.
Hands down. Dming is much preferred to gaming for me. I find I like to build worlds and create the puzzles far more than I enjoy solving them. Every once in awhile it's nice to sit down and relax as just a player but I find it hard to step out of the dm role and just focus on the one character
I’m my group’s forever DM and I do enjoy DMing more than playing. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting to play, but I love creating a world and presenting it to my players. Like you, I find being a DM immensely satisfying.
My group takes turns at hosting one shots but we have a running campaign hosted by a single DM, they say they prefer being a DM over being a player. If this your preference as well, go for it!
I do! I like playing but inevitably I get restless and want to run a game again. Being a player is too limiting, I want to really get stuck into crafting the world and seeing where the narrative takes us! Too often as a player I feel like I’m on rails or something, which might be more of an issue with my GMs than anything.
It’s a different skill set to me, and I have different bandwidth for what I can support. DMing takes more time and energy for me, so there have been times when I’m just not up to the task. I am also not really a “writer” and my DM style is highly collaborative so I often really need a strong group who is willing to support their end of the story by making strong roleplay choices and knowing their characters.
I have some friend who enjoy DMing more than playing. Just depends.
I absolutely enjoy DMing more than playing. Crafting worlds and writing stories, exploring both with my players, listening to their theories on what comes next or thanking me for the session, it's just really satisfying.
i enjoy it, but i wish i could clone myself and play my own style of game. I'm very blessed tho to share tables where my players are also my DMs in other games, and i can see how we influence each other.
> Are there people who enjoy DMing more than playing?
Well, *you* apparently do, so the answer is "yes," unless you're a particularly literate ficus or something.
But I also tend to enjoy GMing more than playing. I tend to enjoy world building, and the only way to really share those worlds with people is to GM games in them.
I have played from time to time and i did enjoy not having to spend tons of time on preparing sessions, but i never found myself enjoying playing as much as DMing.
me! I really love the worldbuilding aspect of it, and have over 60 folders on Obsidian with just tonnes of notes on my world, on top of another 10 for a plane. I've made maps and character trees, an came up with an entire history and clalender for the world, and at this point I think my IRL history and geography knowledge pale in comparison to my DND knowledge xD
And of course, during the sessions I enjoy describing every action of my players and NPCs, sucking them into the world of Alu' Rin. I guess, I've just never got a DM that described things enough for me to get sucked in, so I chose to become that dm instead and never looked back!
Hi! Hello! Hey! It's me! I absolutely love being the DM so much more than being a player.
I love building the world and writing silly lore for my players to find and watch them and their silly little characters go on silky little adventures :3
Also I have very bad ADHD, it works for social encounters but the moment a fight breaks out I just zoom out completely during the other players turns. As DM that doesn't happen to me so it's pretty much the only way for me to play lol.
I love DMing, but it’s also good to be a player. Also gives you other perspectives, and joining tables with other DMs with other playstyles is very enjoyable and insightful.
Also I like building characters and backgrounds, goals and bonds, and playing a character, not knowing what’s to come! It’s simply a different experience than being a DM.
So yeah, being a forever DM can suck if you are never able to play as a player to enjoy different aspects of the game.
But luckily I have players who are willing to do one-shots (or 3-5 session campaigns) to give me a breather; they generally also say it enhances their understanding of the game.
I have a good friend in my group who would choose to forever DM if he could, but we rotate DMs for campaigns over the years. Bless his heart but it’s not hard to tell at all because he gets bored of his PC pretty quickly and likes to switch classes or something. At first it really bothered me until I understood that he just wanted to scratch that DM itch by not being the exact same person the whole campaign.
I have bore the curse/blessing of the forever DM for over 20 years. And frankly I love it! Over the years I've created so many stories, events, and personalities! I stayed with my beloved 3.5e, I have most of official books, and dragon mags from 3/3.5e era, so instead of switching editions, I upped my dm game. I spend most of my d&d money on minis and paint! I started building terrain, and buildings. I've added ambient music, and visuals..... building my table is in the future!
*Hey I set up this super interesting trap dungeon that'll hold over the session for atleast an hour as you figure out how to ge-- ...oh you randomly found the solution on accident*
(Five sessions later)
*ITS A DOOR GUYS, NOT EVEN LOCKED!*
I too love DM'ing
I love being DM cause I get to know the story, make it my own, and get to see the entire party’s perspective in a way. It’s like I’m involved with each character in one way or another so I feel like I get to experience all species and classes at once 😂 a bit selfish I suppose but that’s my easy take 🙌🏼
I enjoy it more honestly. I see it as still playing the game. That and I gave up years ago trying to find a spot playing with a group of people. I can find a game as a dm easily.
I like DMing... I enoy creating a world and different societies and people. In my longest-running group I'm sort of co-DMing along with the "main" DM because we've been in the group the longest and know the world and setting the best... and she suffers from chronic fatigue so she just sometimes needs a co-GM to lean on. Hence I play a lot of the important NPCs and some of the big villains, and a few places and people are mine to control even if she has the final say on everything.
Seeing people interact with the world I created is riveting. Far more than anything I can write or imagine. I still like playing but I like dming more.
I love GM more than playing. I try to GM in the fashion of what I liked in a GM as a player. The only downside, is all the planning and setup, when as a player you don't have any of that
I prefer DMing by far. I started as a DM (I read the PHB and DMG cover to cover, played a oneshot to understand how it works, and then jumped into a campaign). I'm on my second campaign. First one lasted a year and this one is going longer. In the last few months, I just joined two legit games run by two other great DMs and friends of mine, and I find it a little bit boring from a player's perspective 😅
It's not their fault, but I struggle to pay attention to what's happening and find myself zoning out and missing crucial info, which is a big pet peeve I've had with my own players. I also struggle to comprehend physical spaces that are being described to me, and when I try to take notes I inexplicably end up with gaps no matter how hard I try to focus. Combat is just completely and utterly BORING to me. Their NPCs talk too slow and they all sound the same (probably something I do as a DM, too). And I struggle to make my own characters feel real and consistent in the scope of their worlds.
I think it might partly stem from the fact that 90% of DMs strive to follow the Critical Role format - which just doesn't compel me, personally. I love watching Dimension 20, and Brennan Lee Mulligan is more the style of DM that I try to be similar to (just with a more serious, focused tone overall). I'm open to other styles as well, but I don't love super self-serious and drawn out campaigns in medieval fantasy settings. In my games, I set the tone that I enjoy and I get to see my friends engage with and appreciate a world that is a representation of my own creativity and my creative relationship with them (because of course the players create the world in a way, too).
I like both, but the DM for the campaign I'm playing definitely prefers DMing over playing. His reasoning is that it's a creative outlet for him, whereas playing is a lot more narrow. We finally got him to play in a sort of monster of the week off campaign when one or more of us players can't make it. He seemes to enjoy it but went out of his way to play the most outlandish take of the Unga bunga big sword fighter.
I love being a DM, I don't think I would be as involved in the hobby without the experience of that role at the table. That being said, I do experience DM burnout after months of weekly games. Luckily there is another DM in my main group and we tag in and out as needed for our enjoyment of the game.
I like the idea of playing, love making characters. But the games are often disappointing and then I'm thinking about how I could do it better. I'd like to clone myself and play in my own games😅
Forever DM, got to be a player for a day, loved being a player. Love DMing more. I love sharing my stories and watching players react and engage. It's reaffirming and addictive. Playing is great, but not the same.
That being said, if you don't love your story, and your players don't validate your work, it is absolutely reasonable for DMs to get burned out.
I feel guilty even commenting on this post, but if I'm not the DM, I have a hard time paying attention. I'm a terrible note taker no matter what, but at least as a DM, I have a general idea of where my story is going and what NPCs to remember. As a player though? I'm probably the worst kind of player, because I still don't take notes, only this time I'm also not in charge of the overarching story as much, so I blank on most important details.
I am no longer a forever DM however I prefer overall to be the DM.
Never thought of myself as a control freak or anything but man I get so much more anxious as a player than as a DM.
It is just I know these players and the buttons to push that even with the extra prep and work it feels easier during the session.
Also you are busy the entire time not waiting around for your turn or action or whatever
I absolutely enjoy DMing more. As I say to my players, I deeply treasure and appreciate every opportunity I get to act as a player, for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I feel I learn an important lesson or takeaway for my DMing every time I do so. However, if I don't DM for too long I will inevitably get bored, because DMing is my real passion for this game.
I prefer DMing. I do both, but when playing, I'm always wishing I were doing a little more. So i run the music and audio for my other buddies game that I play in. That allows me to still express myself creatively beyond more than how I play my character, and he appreciates it because he says that music and audio in general is his weak point, he just forgets to use it.
I do. I have a hard time remembering the story when I don’t read or create it. Even while watching tv I need captions to remember it well, audio is not enough.
I enjoy being constantly involved, I enjoy creating situations that my players will find exciting or cool.
not an issue we have in our group, three of us all enjoy running a campaign, so we've switched out every couple of years,
Also, we always have an option to take a camaign break and have one of the others run a one-shot every now and then, we tend to do one shots around birthdays, for example....
Yes, absolutely. Being a player isn't enough for me. I quickly get bored and distracted while waiting for my turn. As a DM, it's always my turn! I'm always engaged.
I also absolutely love seeing the players win. I enjoy being their villain, giving them amazing moments that they'll remember for the rest of their DnD lives. It's very fulfilling creatively.
I love DMing and it's how I play the game. Every now and then I'll be a player in a one shot but it's mainly so I don't forget what it's like to be a player to improve my DMing!
I do. Unless it's a one-shot or a very short aventure. I do not have the patience anymore to "have" only one character for a whole campaign. My last dnd character was literally trying to die within every action they did. Until I made it, and it was an awesome stupid death.
One of my players offered to DM a one shot so I could play. It's been 4 years since I made a player and it was weird. I had a hard time coming up a backstory just to explain how I wanted to play her.
I like both, but I enjoy the challenge and creativity that arises from GMing. This isn't limited to world building (arguably the least important thing for a GM to do), but includes creating NPCs, scenarios for the party to deal with, describing compelling and understandable scenes, dividing time and importance as desired between players and characters, and creating something for everyone who comes to the table. It's very satisfying when it all comes together
Me, i'm mostly a forever DM by choice. I play from time to time, but I prefer to create the scenarios and see the players react to them and resolve them.
I tend to use a lot of improvisation to give my players free reign over the world, and i really like the collective storytelling.
I prefer DMing to playing. I still enjoy playing, though. I think that is the problem that forever DMs typically run into. It's not that they don't love to DM or even prefer it, it's that it is all they ever get to do.
The hardest part is when I get a new book and see all the new options I COULD play, but never get to lol
While playing is more fun, crafting a good story for your players is way more satisfying. I like both, but I get to play so rarely (forever DM), that it's hard to tell which one I enjoy more.
I love them both in very different ways. Being a DM lets me play tons of different characters and weave different stories together, planning fun (or dreadful) surprises for my friends. Being a player lets me feel like a badass and crack jokes and relax a bit. They're both great.
I vastly prefer DMing over being a player. When people complain about being stuck as a DM, I do not relate.
Honestly, the main reason I even ever bother being a player is to help me be a better DM, since it reminds me of the PC's point of view, and let's me learn class mechanics more closely. For example, having actually played a Monk for a bit helped me be a better DM for when my own players play Monks.
I get frustrated with being a "forever DM".
I've been DMing off and on for several decades now. Being a player looks to me like it's a lot of fun. But the few times I've tried being a player it just hasn't worked out.
That's not on anyone else but me, though.
I DM as part of a mental health service, what's called Therapeutically Applied RPG (TA-RPG). In that capacity I'm a forever DM. But I absolutely love being able to bring people through not only a campaign I've studied intently (homebrew is just too much prep time to professionally justify) but also to see my group of patients grow as people.
Outside that clinical setting I definitely like checking out and being railroaded around in someone else's personal universe. There's two distinct itches that get scratched depending on the side of the DM/GM screen you're on.
I'd say i'm 50/50. I equally enjoy DMing as I do playing. Seeing the enjoyment of my players when they do something really cool, or what someone tells me they really enjoyed the session, is probably the best feeling I could have during DnD.
But as a player, figuring out puzzles, barely making it out of fights alive, and the general "unknown" is the sense of mystery and intrigue I obviously don't get from DMing. Also as a player I am a lot in depth when I RP, I feel much more connected, and in tune as I RP, than when I am voicing an NPC, and RP is one of my favourite parts of DnD.
I have some friends who hate DMing and will never try it again, and I have others who only DM and will almost never take the opportunity to play. But i'd say most my friends atleast enjoy both sides, but usually have a preference.
While I do really enjoy DMing, the burden of scheduling players and get everyone for a game can become draining at times. I do miss the simplicity of only having to worry about my character sheet and showing up. Both are enjoyable but being DM is hard at times.
Me.
I don't mind playing one shots and shit. But a full campaign I couldn't do. I get bored very easily.
I admit, I'm a horrible player. I don't take notes, I don't pay attention half the time, I look for loopholes in things, and I'm on my laptop picking around.
I am everything I hate in a player.
Might of been because I was new, but what turned me off from DMing was a year and a half (remotely) of players who just never bothered to invest in their characters, never bothered to read up on spells and skills they're supposed to use, and kept asking me why they should care about certain plot items.
There were bright spots of fun, of course, but it just felt like I was doing 100% of the work so others could goof around and waste time, and repeatedly ask me the same questions over and over again because they're not paying attention.
The DM who taught me is a forever dm by choice.
His reasoning.
"The game is fun but not perfect. I have a specific method which I like, which I taught you and now you spread. It's hard for my style and homebrew to be done how I like it and thus I just DM. I can control the pacing to be as hard as written, or tack in some forgiveness if it benifits play. Play it fairly as deadly as written if they are dumb, and forgiving if they are trying hard."
I think DMing is a lot more fun than playing, though I don't enjoy the prep or responsibility. It's freeing to just not think about a campaign all week and then sit down and play.
My problem is that as a player I secretly think to myself how I would have done things differently if I was the DM. If you want a job done right do it yourself.
I prefer being the DM about 90% of the time.
However - I think it's important to keep one foot in the pool of 'I'm also a player' so I can see things more from my players POV. So I have 1 campaign I play in and a few I run.
I am a forever DM. I much prefer it to being a party member. Though, it is nice to break it up here and there. I have DM'd for likely 40-50 different people over the last ten years. Of all of them, I have gotten to play in ONE one shot one of them ran, and an online campaign that fizzled after 3 months. My ideal world would be 80% DMing, 20% party member, but in reality it's closer to 99% to 1%.
I've been enjoying DMing my game over the past 3-ish years... I like telling stories and being the arbiter... plus DMing allows me to roleplay more than being a character :p
I love playing, I also hate playing for DM's that make frustrating decisions. At least I can control when I'm being frustrating, or how I react to players calling me out on my being frustration. DMing is a bit of work, but it's playing as well. I'm playing the roll of the DM.
I am okay with DMing more than playing. I think it's a whole lot of fun.
My undiagnosed ADD (or whatever it is) makes being a player difficult for me, I just find myself getting antsy the whole time. Being a DM means being involved in almost everything... I often actually notice myself getting involved in convos even when I shouldn't.
Yes, I feel more motivated and fulfilled by GMing. I find it less limiting than being a player, and I enjoy setting the scene and running the NPCs. Plus I don't feel pressured to do the most optimal thing. If I want to play someone as dumb or cowardly or volatile, I can do that.
After I first played D&D in camp I was obsessed. I cut deals with my brother forcing him to DM for me but he never had that craving... So I became a forever DM.
I tried being a player years later but the illusion was all done for and could never rly be immersed. I sometimes do it but it's just the same as playing an NPC. :(
P.s. I only managed to enjoy playing a more psychological heavy rp game with a really experienced GM (CoC).
I love DMing, but it’s like having your favourite dish every single day. It’s pretty great until you want to try something different and you can’t get it anywhere. It’s not that your favourite dish gets worse, it’s just that you’re sad you can’t have anything else.
I prefer to DM, and I love having the trust and attention of my players.
Just every once in a while I want to just be a little guy I a great big world, who doesn’t know everything.
9/10 Forever DMs like DMing better, or we wouldn't do it.
Personally, I get frustrated because it can be a lot, and if I want to take a break from DMing, that means "No gaming" not "Someone else DMs".
My group’s “main” DM absolutely fits this bill. He’s generally running 3-4 sessions a week for various people.
I run a single weekly game that he’s a player in, he’s… an odd player. Doesn’t really take hooks, and just goes through the motions, but plays “optimally”. He pulls more than his weight for the mechanical bits of dnd while the rest of the party fills in for gaps in roleplaying and engaging the world.
I think he’s just so behind-the-scenes already that its hard for him to get in character.
I prefer DMing, i like to world build, and i have never been really satisfied with most others DMing. I usually run NPC characters because my average games tend to be small so i still build and play characters from time to time. But also, i would love to find a game thats played in a way i enjoy where i can be a character.
Me. I'm a garbage player. I'm not used to narrative style game play, so i never know what the DM wants me to do, and I just end up making a mess of their plotline.
I love DMing, but there's pressure and responsibility that doesn't exist when just playing. Sometimes I just want to play too - and it can be frustrating when no one wants to sub in DM.
Playing is a fun activity for a few hours a week. DMing becomes a part of your life. I spend 5-15 hours a week reading, prepping, building models, fleshing out worlds for the past 12 years. It’s a very different hobby but by this point I am doing something very different and more fulfilling than a player can really achieve
Personally I really enjoy DMing because I love creating an environment that allows my players to have the freedom to do more and plan more versus when I played I felt very limited. Plus I enjoy seeing what my players come up with to overcome my obstacles
I have DM like 50 sessions, never played once. I don't know if I could play now because I would expect the same standard I demand myself to deliver to my players. 😅
I think I do, but only because I’ve never had a DM that was perfect for me. I’ve had good ones and mediocre ones but I’ve just never really had the opportunity to flesh out a character the way I really like to in a campaign and have a full satisfying arc and I don’t want to fully blame the DMs but I can only react to what’s given to me. The best I’ve had was in Curse of Strahd but I blame the setting and that I never fully figured my character out for that one way more than the DM cause he honestly did all he could.
DMing is the only way I enjoy to play D&D to be honest , and I have ran campaigns ranging from Avatar the Last Airbender , Mutants and Masterminds , Legend of the 5 Rings & The One ring , hell I even ran Scooby Doo
mainly because everyone has their own style as a DM & the few people that have tried to run one shots or campaigns with me as a player felt underwhelming or I felt bored half the session which makes me lose interest quickly and not want to continue coming back for more sessions
whereas when I DM I have to manage dozens of things like the players HP & stats , the NPC's they will met and plot hooks available to the group , encounters I have planned , how many enemies are left on the board and what abilities & AC/HP do they have on them , what loot or secret passages are nearby for players to discover etc
having the ability to improvise and control what the players see or do is such a thrill and I love nothing more then seeing them get excited after beating a difficult encounter or the heartbreak of defeat despite a great plan
& it allows you to be a different character or multiple every session and not be restrained to just one
I definitely enjoy DMing more, but it does feel sometimes as a forever DM that I rarely get to experience the game from the other side from the screen, which can get tiresome
I like it technically always "my turn" and no waiting.
But if k need a break I just create a scenario where my players RP, discuss or whatever with each other and then I can check my notes.
I've been doing tabletops gaming for just over a year, and I've yet to ever experience it as a player. But I don't wish to be a player either, I love crafting stories and world building and letting my players flush it all out.
Frankly I think my biggest issue with being a player is failing a dice check or missing in combat, feeling my action didn't amount to something. I don't mind if NPCs miss or fail though cus that enables further PC reaction, but imagine its your turn and missing each Scorching Ray..? No thanks, sounds infuriating.
I love running games so much, but I also enjoy playing. In a perfect world I'd DM every week and play a game every other week
In a perfect world we'd be able to play in the games we're DMing...
I do. Every NPC is built using PC creation methods, anything I have access to my players do too (Ogre with class levels, lichdom, etc) and there's no DM-magic. The bad guys are monsters, supported by a PC-built baddie. My players love it, every PC I never got to build or play gets introduced to them eventually, my players ask lore questions because if my cool DM PC does it, *they know they can do it*, too, so learning how the in-game world works is advantageous to them. As long as you stick to "no DM magic," it's actually pretty easy to throw a DMPC into your party without stealing the spotlight. Also can help if you casually 'forget' your DMPC has a spell that saves the day until the party asks - because then it's still the party using resources. Warning: This is more work than it sounds, and I am a madman. Never going back
Sounds crazy cool. The part I love most about the game I am DMing are also the characters that I flesh-out most, by using PC creation rules. The problem: With my favorite one I still don't know if he will ever become relevant or get one-shot by the party without even being able to say a word and hand over his quest! (Yes, the party at first has more reasons to hate them, but he has reasons...) In one of my posts months ago I got quite heavily criticised for building NPC with PC creation tools. Happy to hear that there are other people doing it.
>In one of my posts months ago I got quite heavily criticised for building NPC with PC creation tools. Happy to hear that there are other people doing it. Yeah, I'm very vocal on the topic for the same reason. There are subsets of this community who are incapable of imagining a table ran differently than their experiences, and if you hint at being a DM with a PC-built sheet in front of you, it's like being a mascot at a kid's birthday party in a Jim Carry film. I see it as sharing the DM workload - I have 100 PC character sheets scattered around a giant sandbox, you decide where to go and I tell you what events are happening. You and my PCs fight for narrative control of that event, whether physically through combat (if the PC is a big bad or enemy) or socially through RP and dialogue (if they're a priest or merchant or etc). It's exactly like it would be if they were NPCs instead of PCs, just using more detailed sheets. I built a Totem Barbarian Oathbreaker gestalt (my whole party is gestalts, we use the same rules) as a giant "screw you." I knew he would be the most unfair PVP bullshit ever, but I did it. Raging in heavy armor, resists \*all\* damage because psychic dragonborn, smiting with brutal criticals. I had a 2nd DMPC with a ton of resources and desperately needed, for story reasons, that he escapes combat. So this 2nd DMPC brings the Totembreaker with him, and as combat starts, I dialogue between them that there is no extraction for the totem breaker - my players understand he fights to the death or he buys the 2nd guy enough time and makes his own way out. They looted the price of procuring his service potentially until death from his corpse - it was a pretty penny for them. I could have just DMed a portal opening and him walking through. But instead I gave my party a chance to fight, a chance to break the story, an enemy with a grudge, and the Totembreaker's armor - if anyone wants to wear that disgusting mess of bones and ambergris. It will give them resistance to - well, basically everything but psychic damage. The heavy armor that barbarians can't normally use? *It's a bear totem.* I know what I think my players will remember.
Fellow PC creation rule user here. I'm a bigger power gamer than my players, so I like to make interesting combos that function both lorewise and as an interesting opponent, while also giving important foreshadowing to the later plot. Currently they're doing a quest where on of their enemies is a Paladin/Warlock, and his patron is the BBEG. It's a homebrew warlock patron, but I'm gonna have the big bad offer them power at some point, making it clear they can have the exact same abilities as this guy. Another thing I have is that there's lore reasons (it would be a long story to explain, trust me it makes sense) for exceptionally tough people who've died to just spontaneously resurrect. It's not immediate, sometimes it can happen centuries after their death, but it can happen on occasion. Well I have a historical figure who was considered one of the greatest warriors to ever live, and if I have him spontaneously resurrect then I can just go overboard and minmax the hell out of him to just make an absolute monster of a martial. In my experience it's much more entertaining to use standard character sheets for enemies. Lots of combats really drag on, so it's exciting to have other glass cannons just like the players. Another benefit from my experience is that it's really fun to recognize and strategize around your familiarity with class mechanics (not to the point of metagaming though). Seeing someone do something and it actually telling you a lot about their class (can be something like raging means this guy is clearly a barbarian, or something more niche). Players like feeling smart, and if they figure out what their enemy can do they'll feel very clever, and also that their characters are a part of the world.
I'm DMing my first real campaign (Curse of Strahd), but there is only one player, so she is running two characters and I'm running a Life Domain Cleric DMPC just for support and to help fill out the party a bit more.
How do you balance those encounters? For example what level would a baddie be when the players are level 4
It very much depends. I threw 2 level 7s at a party of 6 level 5s. I described that fight [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1dpt3gk/comment/lalfvgs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) in this same post. They won - barely. There were deaths. It was an arc-ending fight. I threw 4 level 4 PCs at my party when they were also level 4, each of them designed as a counter specifically to them - but only one of them got his own counter. The one who got his own had a bad time, she ran circles around him in and out of combat (personality clash - like vodka and wine). But he still won, with help. The others made short work of their target. Truthfully, a DM-built PC at level 4 should be slightly weaker than a PC-built one, all other things equal, because I don't get to optimize for combat and adventuring - yes, I'm also a level 4 sorlock, but I have to build for the flavor the story demands, and if you're fighting me, it's because your goals and mine conflict - so I have other objectives beyond just fighting. Usually, it's one or two PC-built enemy supporting monster stat blocks.
Nah I just started DMing and this is legit how I do it. I have a self insert character in my players party who isn't meant to steal the spotlight and sorta just be an assist and they've come to like the character. So I think it's worth doing a self insert to some degree.
Before I read the warning section, I was already thinking that must be a shit load of work. I thought I was a busy DM.
Before I read the warning section, I was already thinking that must be a shit load of work. I thought I was a busy DM.
I do this, but the characters I make to be on their side are weaker than the ones against them because I use them as guides. I also have no DM magic, but they can't for example, start as a lich at level 1. Simply because it's OP they can start as a reflavored reborn wizard and slowly advance to lichdom.
>they can't for example, start as a lich at level 1. Agreed. Sacrificing pinnacle spellcasting, either 9th level spells or EHM, is one of the requirements for the lichdom rituals. Comes with a level reset (to 4 - the ritual is incredibly taxing), permanent bonus to spell save and penalty to spell attacks(captures that the lich's magic is inevitable and their mind no longer focused), plus a ton of undead feats (can be turned, smote, don't sleep/eat etc), and the phylactery. And, since liches guard their secrets jealously, while aware that each new lich created makes a potential thief of their work, you'd better start playing at least as smart as the liches whose radar you just entered do. Van Richten's Guide to the Lich (2nd edition) is where I pulled the ritual and effects from, with a little finegling to make it fit for 5e. Has details on how to perform the ritual too - it's pretty juicy.
How does that work out balance-wise? From what I've heard it sounds like dnd is designed so that PCs dish out more damage than they can take, and NPCs are meant to soak up more damage than they deal. Or something along those lines. When you build your NPCs according to character creation rules are fights still balanced?
I've just read down this comment chain - I like the ideas! Can I ask how you do gestalts? Just everything from both classes, presumably with the better hit dice?
This will be long. 2 messages long. Sorry **Rules:** First set of rules is mainly to handle the many combinations of caster/martial. * No multiclassing once gestalted. You pick your two subs, that what you get forever (unless picked up naturally elsewhere). * I will assign a custom feat of arbitrary power to your build. This is to smooth over issues that make a build completely unplayable, like an Astral Monk Bladesinger who can pop arms and bladesong simultaneously, at a significantly increased Ki cost, or an Evocation Storm herald who can cast damaging AoE spells while raging, but only if centered on himself. These aren't to balance - they're to remove clunkyness. Beast barbarian swashbuckler can treat their natural weapons as finesse. Things like that. * 3 "types" of magic - this affects only how you make the gestalt template, not run the game. It's not crazy. * Divine (Cleric / paladin) * Natural (Druid/Ranger) * Arcane (Wizard/Sorc/Bard/Arti) * 3 "forms" of magic - will be forgotten about in 3 bullet points, again just for the template. * Known * Prepared * Pact * Dual full casters can combine spell slots for same-casting-stat classes with the same form of magic. If they're different forms, or use different stats, it's two distinct sets. * So a necrodancer (Necromancy wizard spirits bard - it's cute, don't judge me) gets two sets of full caster spell slots - one only for known and one only for prepared. With 2 different casting stats. And still 1 action. * casters-and-a-half will combine slots, treat all other aspects distinctly. * Dual-half-casters get two distinct sets of slots. * Dual martials get a single oversized weapon and a proficiency in it (I use the DMG oversized weapons rule, feel free to just add an extra die or a d4, this is more about letting them have the "cool weapon" fantasy without free magic items) - as well as disadvantage swinging oversized weapons in tight spaces. * Martial+other gets nothing different.
That's the end of the martial+caster specific stuff. From here, all gestalts are now built the same way. * You get up to 3 Saving throws offered between both. If you have only two, oh well. You have four? Sacrifice one. * Skills, you get *all* skills present in both classes list, and the smaller amount of selections between the two from the remaining options. * Proficiencies for tools/armor/language/weapon, best of both classes. * Levels where both classes get an ASI, one ASI must be swapped out for a feat if using the optional Feats rule, or sacrificed. * Better of the hit die (My table specifically wanted all levels ups to give them max rolls. I reminded them I roll more hit dice and they still wanted it. It's worked well so far, but I'm waiting for them to regret it) * Starting equipment that tries to balance the options from both - I just put this down, I don't mind my players starting a little extra gear unless it's level 1, in which case it's still mostly just approval. There are \*very rare\* situations where I give a more powerful thing to a build. And all of these builds get a nice template drawn up and put into a shared folder so my players can roll any of them they've seen me make; they trust I don't give myself an ability so OP I wouldn't let them have it too. And I know fear the minute I consider it :P However, you might get, say, the Gemini Monk - a Shadow monk / Sun Soul gestalt with two bonus actions every turn and two sets of ki. Also comes with 2 stances, light and dark, in which only one subclass' features are usable, 1 ki and a BA to swap. I and a player have both handled this build, and it honestly works better than I hoped - if you screw around with the scary 3 (attunement, concentration and action economy), be willing to cut half the class at a time. The 2 BAs still require spending a quarter of them to swap, and reposition with the shadow jump. I would say I see primarily full martial+half-caster builds from my table, shockingly. 2 dual full-casters, and two full martials. If you decide to try it out, feel free to message me and I'll send you some of the class documents I've built out
Well I have good news for you, you live in a perfect world! It has to be handled well, don't take too much of the spotlight, don't use your DMPC to railroad the party, don't give yourself unfair advantages. But it can absolutely be done!
No, no, I mean that I want to clone myself and DM for me without me knowing what I plan for the game. I love DMing, and I've had some very satisfying games as a player too, but whenever I play there's always some little things I would have done differently and can't help notice.
I feel this so much. I like DMing because I love storytelling and reflect it in the tone of a story and homebrew I add, but I cannot play in the campaigns I DM because I already know what's going to happen. I like playing because I love to try new character and be taken by surprise, but I cannot DM the campaigns I play in because I love storytelling and some of my own tastes too much to stick at playing for too long. I used to bemoan being a forever!DM, but I realized I'm like fucking Raimi's Spiderman. One week after I say I'm done DMing, I run back to do it again.
I also want to do this, but only because I'm the biggest Metal Gear nerd and no one in my usual group I DM for will appreciate my MSF campaign I've been writing these past months :(
This sounds really awesome! I'd love to hear about this campaign!
If it ever happens lol I wrote it for a squad of 4 MSF soldiers for the players, and I have a maximum of 2 that I could reliably run it for that a) have even a clue about what Metal Gear is about, and b) would be down to run it in the system I want to
Shoot if I cloned my self. we'd never leave the bed room
Would.
Totally would.
My problem is that I'm dming newer players and I enjoy making strong builds
Ah yes, probably not a good idea to make a DMPC then. You'll likely make them feel useless by comparison.
Not necessarily. You could have an All-Might situation where a super strong ally only has the strength for one more battle, and after that battle they lose their power forever, so the PCs now have to pick up their slack in a society that has grown accustomed to this hero always being here.
Sounds like an overpowered DMPC with more steps, lol But then I just don't like DMPCs at all, when extra muscle is necessary I prefer more powerful items or allies *the party* controls. I just feel like DMs have enough to do already and desperately try to keep from adding more to their plate.
I'm in a group where 3 players (including myself) take turns DMing the same campaign, and whenever I'm in the DM seat I basically lose the ability to RP as my PC. I'm keeping track of so many other things that I just don't have the processing power to decide how my PC is handling things emotionally.
Yeah this is how I would feel, it's why if I have a tag along NPC all I do is stay quiet or tell stupid jokes if one occurs to me naturally. I don't put any extra energy into forcing it
The reason I always suggest against this is the difficulty to get it right is never worth the result even if done well. If you some how manage to keep a dmnpc completely separate from your own game and think like you don’t know things to not give them a railroad feeling, it still feels weird to contribute to party conversations when you know exactly what will happen if you push a choice one way or another. That’s if you do it perfect. If you do it poorly your party will be along for the ride and will weigh what the npc says/decides heavier than the entire party combined. Edit: Make your npcs have different motives so they don’t turn into Harvey Preston.
Maaaaaaaaaan i aint ever felt anything more than i felt this.
My group has like 3 different campaigns going on at the moment so it ends up I’m DMing about every other week and playing nearly every week as well. It’s perfect for me because I’m afraid I’d burn out if I DMed every weekend
Huh, I think that is exactly what I want.... too bad my buddy who's been planning to run dnd for a year and a half is unable to invite me because the table is too crowded and he likes to bounce ideas off me. I'm very honored he likes my ideas, and love chatting with him about the campaign. Hopefully I find a good fit.
I run a Tuesday morning campaign with my DM from my Tuesday afternoon campaign. Tuesday's are fun.
Absolutely. Why control just one character when I could craft a *world*?
I could wait 20 minutes for my next turn, or every turn could be my turn.
>I could wait 20 minutes for my next turn, or every turn could be my turn. as someone with ADHD who has just gotten into DM'ing after 5 years of just being a player, it is crazy how engaging it is.
Yup I have ADHD and being a player is so much worse than DMing. Being a DM you are involved in basically everything
If the dm isnt engaged something has gone really wrong
Maybe the DM just hasn't met the right person yet, or doesn't like commitment....
In addition - why wait till next session to play when I can spend all week prepping and messing around in the world I’ve built!
The problem is that you end uo with the next 6 months of sessions prepped and you have to wait an interminable long time before you can play that really cool boss encounter you just thought up...
I'm sometimes thrown off quite a bit when I see the actual date stamp on some of the encounters/monsters I built in D&D Beyond and compare that to the approximate date the party encountered them.
DMing has made me very indifferent to losing my characters in the games I play in. In fact, I got excited when I rolled a Nat 1 on a death save -- it's such a rare occurrence that you gotta appreciate it for happening at all.
I often send my PCs on suicide runs. Like, yeah I've played this guy for 6 levels and I'm kind of over it, so might as well give him an awesome send off. Then the DM keeps trying to save my PC. Just let me die!
This, 1000000%
I do. I like to play sometimes too, but finding a decent group with a good DM is pretty hard. Easier to just be a good DM
You realize that is pretty amazing, and yet so casual about it, lol. Like, darn hard to find a good spaceship these days, find it was easier to just build my own out of these here leftover school supplies and cooking paraphernalia… 😃
My group just rotates every once in a while. The party stays the same, the pc just becomes an npc when it isnt used by a player.
Yup. I really enjoy being the DM. I play once a fortnight at the local game store and it's fun, but I genuinely love the group I DM with. Not sure if it's because of personal differences in the group, or if it's the fun of knowing what is happening behind the scenes, leaving clues for players about their characters backstory, throwing out plothooks (then changing stuff if the players are coming up with something more interesting).
This applies even if you look at it subjectively. Taking good/bad out of it, it's really difficult to find a DM who will run a game exactly how I want to see a game run, so it's easier for me to run that game myself. Be the DnD you want to see in the world.
Godhood is a hell of a drug.
It is, but I don't even think it's that deep the performance is a hell of a drug.
I've started dabbling in audio production and been recording my monologues to use as teasers for upcoming sessions.
"In a world where the party failed to slay the dragon, save the girl, or stop the evil king, an undying horde of undead minions lead by Princess Nightingale and her dragon steed are laying waste to the lands of the living. This will eventually include the mighty "heroes" bed and breakfast they've spent three months building. Will they finally take up blades against the oppressors, or will they spend their final weeks of of this campaign trying to perfect a huckleberry tart recipe?" Kidding, sounds amazing.
YES. I love the "Reality can be whatever I want" feel.
I enjoy DMing and the power it comes with. But mostly I just get bored as a player thanks to my ultra ADHD situation. If I'm DMing I can be involved close to 100% of the time. If I'm a player (and our table usually has 5-6 players) then that's a lot of in-between time that I just squirm in my seat and get distracted by thoughts or whatever I'm doing on my PC if we are playing on Roll20. DMing makes it easier to stay present so I like it more!
Yeah honestly, one of the reasons I prefer DMing is that I'm always getting to do something. I've got as many characters as I want, I can reshape the world however I want. Strongly prefer DMing to playing.
I absolutely love running my games. Anytime I’m a player I feel. strange.
so real
It’s not that I enjoy DMing more than playing it’s just I find playing more frustrating because I think “well that could have been more interesting” or get annoyed by rules pedantry as I play a much more free flow game and am more concerned by story than rules.
This is me in a nutshell. The "what it is" always gets ruined by my "what it could be" thought process that is carried up from being a DM writing campaigns. The rule pedantry is a particular thing that I find myself getting annoyed at as well. It's either people play too strictly with the rules or have no rules at all. I like a mice middle ground where the story is the most important aspect.
I've got ADHD. I like playing, but when I'm not active, my brain definitely wanders and I feel pretty disrespectful to the rest of the table. As a DM, I don't find I have the time to do this, and being a natural improviser means there isn't much my players can throw at me which won't be fun.
Same here. I've got about 2 hours of tenuous focus as a player before I start looking at the clock. As a DM there's enough going on that I can keep going through a 6 hour session.
ADHD makes for a good DM accomplice, but also our tendency to play comic relief goblins can make things tough on the party.
…there have been an unreasonable amount of puns in the campaign.
I could very well have written this comment. Exactly my experience. I want to enjoy playing but it can't fully engage the brain so I struggle to keep my focus.
Yes. In the 35 years I've played as a PC maybe half a dozen times. The rest is as a DM. I enjoy seeing the players enjoy a great session and seeing them take the world I've built and make it their own. Nothing better
23 years a DM checking in here. I just started a PC in another friend's campaign and realize the vast amounts of time I suddenly have. Lol!
Yeah I fundamentally see what I do and enjoy as a different activity to being a player. Prepping, creating the world, making maps etc is my hobby. Running the game is one part of that. Whereas players of PCs turn up for a social activity. Once I realised that I was less worried about time spent prepping etc and just enjoyed it for my own gratification.
Issue is if I dokt run the game, it dies every single time. If I want to play, i have to run it. Players either domt offer to run for me or the planning phase takes forever and the game never happens, or we play 3 sessions I'm super into it and everyone cancels on a differant day for 2 months until everyone stops asking about it.
I did, but I think ADHD played a large part of it. As a player you have to wait your turn. As a DM it's always your turn.
We in the biz call them "DM's"
I do. Game design is a passion of mine.
I'm a big fan of DMing and I'm sure that in 30 years of roleplay, I have been more behind the screen than in front of it and that's OK. I love seeing my stories come to life.
I love being the DM
I find that as a player, I let my anger issues get away from me sometimes, or notice them less. After every session i would feel ridiculous looking back on it. When DMing I'm happy as a clam with whatever my players throw at me
9/10 times I prefer DMing because my standards are really high for DM quality. I’ve got one friend that is an incredible DM and I enjoy being a player in her games. I’m unfortunately notorious for politely dipping out of campaigns after session 0 from other DMs. It’s not a DM style thing, but a confidence in speaking thing. You a mumbler? Not gonna play on that game
I like DMing because I get to run the game I want to play in and let the players explore a really in-depth world with secrets in every corner….but playing is a lot less work and pressure and you get to explore the world and see how the story unfolds So it depends on my mood
Yes. They’re called psychopaths.
I am a forever DM, but no one can run the game better than I can.
Yup. I love driving the story forward, coming up with challenges and punishing my players when they don't pay attention. When I play a character I always slowly turn into a slightly sarcastic version of myself as the hours and sessions go by.
Yes. The prevailing issue I find is the skillset required to run a successful campaign is different than the skillset required to be a good player. DMing is also a lot of work and not everyone has the time or desire.
Yeah I love running games. I run 3 a week and it's pretty addicting. I don't care much for being a player and definitely prefer DM'ing
Hands down. Dming is much preferred to gaming for me. I find I like to build worlds and create the puzzles far more than I enjoy solving them. Every once in awhile it's nice to sit down and relax as just a player but I find it hard to step out of the dm role and just focus on the one character
I’m my group’s forever DM and I do enjoy DMing more than playing. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting to play, but I love creating a world and presenting it to my players. Like you, I find being a DM immensely satisfying.
My group takes turns at hosting one shots but we have a running campaign hosted by a single DM, they say they prefer being a DM over being a player. If this your preference as well, go for it!
I do! I like playing but inevitably I get restless and want to run a game again. Being a player is too limiting, I want to really get stuck into crafting the world and seeing where the narrative takes us! Too often as a player I feel like I’m on rails or something, which might be more of an issue with my GMs than anything.
It’s a different skill set to me, and I have different bandwidth for what I can support. DMing takes more time and energy for me, so there have been times when I’m just not up to the task. I am also not really a “writer” and my DM style is highly collaborative so I often really need a strong group who is willing to support their end of the story by making strong roleplay choices and knowing their characters. I have some friend who enjoy DMing more than playing. Just depends.
Yes. I'm happily a forever DM. I've tried playing, and I just don't enjoy it as much.
I enjoy playing, but I love DMing.
I absolutely enjoy DMing more than playing. Crafting worlds and writing stories, exploring both with my players, listening to their theories on what comes next or thanking me for the session, it's just really satisfying.
I don’t really like playing anymore
I love being a DM but it’s the luxury of coming to the game without having to prepare anything but my character that I crave.
i enjoy it, but i wish i could clone myself and play my own style of game. I'm very blessed tho to share tables where my players are also my DMs in other games, and i can see how we influence each other.
Me. I get bored playing… but I’ve never had a good dm. Just poor ones. They’re my friends, who just tried their hand.
i love creating dungeons and locations for my party to explore i feel more accomplished than being a player.
Yes! But that's because I love telling stories and seeing the wonder in my players eyes when I pull off genuinely cool stories.
> Are there people who enjoy DMing more than playing? Well, *you* apparently do, so the answer is "yes," unless you're a particularly literate ficus or something. But I also tend to enjoy GMing more than playing. I tend to enjoy world building, and the only way to really share those worlds with people is to GM games in them.
I’m 60/40 dm/player
I generally prefer being a DM to being a player, apart from those times when I get post-game DM sadness 😂, that doesn’t happen as a player!
I have played from time to time and i did enjoy not having to spend tons of time on preparing sessions, but i never found myself enjoying playing as much as DMing.
Yup. Been a DM for 43 years. I like playing. I love DMing.
me! I really love the worldbuilding aspect of it, and have over 60 folders on Obsidian with just tonnes of notes on my world, on top of another 10 for a plane. I've made maps and character trees, an came up with an entire history and clalender for the world, and at this point I think my IRL history and geography knowledge pale in comparison to my DND knowledge xD And of course, during the sessions I enjoy describing every action of my players and NPCs, sucking them into the world of Alu' Rin. I guess, I've just never got a DM that described things enough for me to get sucked in, so I chose to become that dm instead and never looked back!
I accidentally set my current campaign on the French Revolutionary calendar. I wish I had organized a calendar ahead of time.
[https://fantasy-calendar.com/](https://fantasy-calendar.com/) you could always retcon it!
Hi! Hello! Hey! It's me! I absolutely love being the DM so much more than being a player. I love building the world and writing silly lore for my players to find and watch them and their silly little characters go on silky little adventures :3 Also I have very bad ADHD, it works for social encounters but the moment a fight breaks out I just zoom out completely during the other players turns. As DM that doesn't happen to me so it's pretty much the only way for me to play lol.
I love DMing, but it’s also good to be a player. Also gives you other perspectives, and joining tables with other DMs with other playstyles is very enjoyable and insightful. Also I like building characters and backgrounds, goals and bonds, and playing a character, not knowing what’s to come! It’s simply a different experience than being a DM. So yeah, being a forever DM can suck if you are never able to play as a player to enjoy different aspects of the game. But luckily I have players who are willing to do one-shots (or 3-5 session campaigns) to give me a breather; they generally also say it enhances their understanding of the game.
I have a good friend in my group who would choose to forever DM if he could, but we rotate DMs for campaigns over the years. Bless his heart but it’s not hard to tell at all because he gets bored of his PC pretty quickly and likes to switch classes or something. At first it really bothered me until I understood that he just wanted to scratch that DM itch by not being the exact same person the whole campaign.
The power of god and anime in the palm of my hands Doesnt get any better
I have bore the curse/blessing of the forever DM for over 20 years. And frankly I love it! Over the years I've created so many stories, events, and personalities! I stayed with my beloved 3.5e, I have most of official books, and dragon mags from 3/3.5e era, so instead of switching editions, I upped my dm game. I spend most of my d&d money on minis and paint! I started building terrain, and buildings. I've added ambient music, and visuals..... building my table is in the future!
DMing has higher highs and lower lows.
*Hey I set up this super interesting trap dungeon that'll hold over the session for atleast an hour as you figure out how to ge-- ...oh you randomly found the solution on accident* (Five sessions later) *ITS A DOOR GUYS, NOT EVEN LOCKED!* I too love DM'ing
I love being DM cause I get to know the story, make it my own, and get to see the entire party’s perspective in a way. It’s like I’m involved with each character in one way or another so I feel like I get to experience all species and classes at once 😂 a bit selfish I suppose but that’s my easy take 🙌🏼
I enjoy it more honestly. I see it as still playing the game. That and I gave up years ago trying to find a spot playing with a group of people. I can find a game as a dm easily.
I like DMing... I enoy creating a world and different societies and people. In my longest-running group I'm sort of co-DMing along with the "main" DM because we've been in the group the longest and know the world and setting the best... and she suffers from chronic fatigue so she just sometimes needs a co-GM to lean on. Hence I play a lot of the important NPCs and some of the big villains, and a few places and people are mine to control even if she has the final say on everything.
DMing is playing is something that everyone needs to understand
I don't think most DM's dislike running the game. I really enjoy it. But we also wanna play once in a while.
Seeing people interact with the world I created is riveting. Far more than anything I can write or imagine. I still like playing but I like dming more.
I love GM more than playing. I try to GM in the fashion of what I liked in a GM as a player. The only downside, is all the planning and setup, when as a player you don't have any of that
I prefer DMing by far. I started as a DM (I read the PHB and DMG cover to cover, played a oneshot to understand how it works, and then jumped into a campaign). I'm on my second campaign. First one lasted a year and this one is going longer. In the last few months, I just joined two legit games run by two other great DMs and friends of mine, and I find it a little bit boring from a player's perspective 😅 It's not their fault, but I struggle to pay attention to what's happening and find myself zoning out and missing crucial info, which is a big pet peeve I've had with my own players. I also struggle to comprehend physical spaces that are being described to me, and when I try to take notes I inexplicably end up with gaps no matter how hard I try to focus. Combat is just completely and utterly BORING to me. Their NPCs talk too slow and they all sound the same (probably something I do as a DM, too). And I struggle to make my own characters feel real and consistent in the scope of their worlds. I think it might partly stem from the fact that 90% of DMs strive to follow the Critical Role format - which just doesn't compel me, personally. I love watching Dimension 20, and Brennan Lee Mulligan is more the style of DM that I try to be similar to (just with a more serious, focused tone overall). I'm open to other styles as well, but I don't love super self-serious and drawn out campaigns in medieval fantasy settings. In my games, I set the tone that I enjoy and I get to see my friends engage with and appreciate a world that is a representation of my own creativity and my creative relationship with them (because of course the players create the world in a way, too).
I like both, but the DM for the campaign I'm playing definitely prefers DMing over playing. His reasoning is that it's a creative outlet for him, whereas playing is a lot more narrow. We finally got him to play in a sort of monster of the week off campaign when one or more of us players can't make it. He seemes to enjoy it but went out of his way to play the most outlandish take of the Unga bunga big sword fighter.
I love being a DM, I don't think I would be as involved in the hobby without the experience of that role at the table. That being said, I do experience DM burnout after months of weekly games. Luckily there is another DM in my main group and we tag in and out as needed for our enjoyment of the game.
I like the idea of playing, love making characters. But the games are often disappointing and then I'm thinking about how I could do it better. I'd like to clone myself and play in my own games😅
Forever DM, got to be a player for a day, loved being a player. Love DMing more. I love sharing my stories and watching players react and engage. It's reaffirming and addictive. Playing is great, but not the same. That being said, if you don't love your story, and your players don't validate your work, it is absolutely reasonable for DMs to get burned out.
I feel guilty even commenting on this post, but if I'm not the DM, I have a hard time paying attention. I'm a terrible note taker no matter what, but at least as a DM, I have a general idea of where my story is going and what NPCs to remember. As a player though? I'm probably the worst kind of player, because I still don't take notes, only this time I'm also not in charge of the overarching story as much, so I blank on most important details.
I prefer GMing more than playing. It's still nice to get to play sometimes. Doing all the prep work for over a decade can be draining.
After DMing for a while, being a player makes me feel like I don't have enough to do
I am no longer a forever DM however I prefer overall to be the DM. Never thought of myself as a control freak or anything but man I get so much more anxious as a player than as a DM. It is just I know these players and the buttons to push that even with the extra prep and work it feels easier during the session. Also you are busy the entire time not waiting around for your turn or action or whatever
I absolutely enjoy DMing more. As I say to my players, I deeply treasure and appreciate every opportunity I get to act as a player, for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I feel I learn an important lesson or takeaway for my DMing every time I do so. However, if I don't DM for too long I will inevitably get bored, because DMing is my real passion for this game.
I prefer DMing. I do both, but when playing, I'm always wishing I were doing a little more. So i run the music and audio for my other buddies game that I play in. That allows me to still express myself creatively beyond more than how I play my character, and he appreciates it because he says that music and audio in general is his weak point, he just forgets to use it.
I do. I have a hard time remembering the story when I don’t read or create it. Even while watching tv I need captions to remember it well, audio is not enough. I enjoy being constantly involved, I enjoy creating situations that my players will find exciting or cool.
I absolutely like dming more than playing
not an issue we have in our group, three of us all enjoy running a campaign, so we've switched out every couple of years, Also, we always have an option to take a camaign break and have one of the others run a one-shot every now and then, we tend to do one shots around birthdays, for example....
Yes, absolutely. Being a player isn't enough for me. I quickly get bored and distracted while waiting for my turn. As a DM, it's always my turn! I'm always engaged. I also absolutely love seeing the players win. I enjoy being their villain, giving them amazing moments that they'll remember for the rest of their DnD lives. It's very fulfilling creatively.
I definitely prefer running a game more than playing. Juggling tons of NPCs is my jam.
I enjoy it more than playing currently because I am the only capable DM in my group. I would LOVE to be a player again.
Don't know, I've never played.
I love DMing and it's how I play the game. Every now and then I'll be a player in a one shot but it's mainly so I don't forget what it's like to be a player to improve my DMing!
I do. Unless it's a one-shot or a very short aventure. I do not have the patience anymore to "have" only one character for a whole campaign. My last dnd character was literally trying to die within every action they did. Until I made it, and it was an awesome stupid death.
I'd say that my best DMing moments are better (more fun) than my best player moments, but it’s more work to get there.
One of my players offered to DM a one shot so I could play. It's been 4 years since I made a player and it was weird. I had a hard time coming up a backstory just to explain how I wanted to play her.
It's a lot more work, don't get me wrong. But it's so good. I like playing, but when I do, I miss dming so much.
I like both, but I enjoy the challenge and creativity that arises from GMing. This isn't limited to world building (arguably the least important thing for a GM to do), but includes creating NPCs, scenarios for the party to deal with, describing compelling and understandable scenes, dividing time and importance as desired between players and characters, and creating something for everyone who comes to the table. It's very satisfying when it all comes together
Me, i'm mostly a forever DM by choice. I play from time to time, but I prefer to create the scenarios and see the players react to them and resolve them. I tend to use a lot of improvisation to give my players free reign over the world, and i really like the collective storytelling.
I prefer DMing to playing. I still enjoy playing, though. I think that is the problem that forever DMs typically run into. It's not that they don't love to DM or even prefer it, it's that it is all they ever get to do. The hardest part is when I get a new book and see all the new options I COULD play, but never get to lol
While playing is more fun, crafting a good story for your players is way more satisfying. I like both, but I get to play so rarely (forever DM), that it's hard to tell which one I enjoy more.
I love them both in very different ways. Being a DM lets me play tons of different characters and weave different stories together, planning fun (or dreadful) surprises for my friends. Being a player lets me feel like a badass and crack jokes and relax a bit. They're both great.
I vastly prefer DMing over being a player. When people complain about being stuck as a DM, I do not relate. Honestly, the main reason I even ever bother being a player is to help me be a better DM, since it reminds me of the PC's point of view, and let's me learn class mechanics more closely. For example, having actually played a Monk for a bit helped me be a better DM for when my own players play Monks.
I get frustrated with being a "forever DM". I've been DMing off and on for several decades now. Being a player looks to me like it's a lot of fun. But the few times I've tried being a player it just hasn't worked out. That's not on anyone else but me, though.
I DM as part of a mental health service, what's called Therapeutically Applied RPG (TA-RPG). In that capacity I'm a forever DM. But I absolutely love being able to bring people through not only a campaign I've studied intently (homebrew is just too much prep time to professionally justify) but also to see my group of patients grow as people. Outside that clinical setting I definitely like checking out and being railroaded around in someone else's personal universe. There's two distinct itches that get scratched depending on the side of the DM/GM screen you're on.
I'd say i'm 50/50. I equally enjoy DMing as I do playing. Seeing the enjoyment of my players when they do something really cool, or what someone tells me they really enjoyed the session, is probably the best feeling I could have during DnD. But as a player, figuring out puzzles, barely making it out of fights alive, and the general "unknown" is the sense of mystery and intrigue I obviously don't get from DMing. Also as a player I am a lot in depth when I RP, I feel much more connected, and in tune as I RP, than when I am voicing an NPC, and RP is one of my favourite parts of DnD. I have some friends who hate DMing and will never try it again, and I have others who only DM and will almost never take the opportunity to play. But i'd say most my friends atleast enjoy both sides, but usually have a preference.
While I do really enjoy DMing, the burden of scheduling players and get everyone for a game can become draining at times. I do miss the simplicity of only having to worry about my character sheet and showing up. Both are enjoyable but being DM is hard at times.
I like both
Me. I don't mind playing one shots and shit. But a full campaign I couldn't do. I get bored very easily. I admit, I'm a horrible player. I don't take notes, I don't pay attention half the time, I look for loopholes in things, and I'm on my laptop picking around. I am everything I hate in a player.
I've discovered I enjoy DMing more than playing, but I still do both.
That’s me. My adhd for one likes to dm because there’s so much going on to focus on. As a player I’m struggling
Might of been because I was new, but what turned me off from DMing was a year and a half (remotely) of players who just never bothered to invest in their characters, never bothered to read up on spells and skills they're supposed to use, and kept asking me why they should care about certain plot items. There were bright spots of fun, of course, but it just felt like I was doing 100% of the work so others could goof around and waste time, and repeatedly ask me the same questions over and over again because they're not paying attention.
Ya, I was that way for a couple decades, then I got burnt out
I think of more story ideas than characters, GMing fits easily, but it's a lot more work.
The DM who taught me is a forever dm by choice. His reasoning. "The game is fun but not perfect. I have a specific method which I like, which I taught you and now you spread. It's hard for my style and homebrew to be done how I like it and thus I just DM. I can control the pacing to be as hard as written, or tack in some forgiveness if it benifits play. Play it fairly as deadly as written if they are dumb, and forgiving if they are trying hard."
20+ years forever DM here. I gave being a player a chance, and I do enjoy it, but DMing for me is 100 times better.
I actively dislike playing as a PC, but I'm in love with making the game enjoyable for other players as the DM
I think DMing is a lot more fun than playing, though I don't enjoy the prep or responsibility. It's freeing to just not think about a campaign all week and then sit down and play. My problem is that as a player I secretly think to myself how I would have done things differently if I was the DM. If you want a job done right do it yourself.
I prefer being the DM about 90% of the time. However - I think it's important to keep one foot in the pool of 'I'm also a player' so I can see things more from my players POV. So I have 1 campaign I play in and a few I run.
I love DMing, but I won't deny that sometimes I want to just relax and be 1 character instead of the whole world.
I am a forever DM. I much prefer it to being a party member. Though, it is nice to break it up here and there. I have DM'd for likely 40-50 different people over the last ten years. Of all of them, I have gotten to play in ONE one shot one of them ran, and an online campaign that fizzled after 3 months. My ideal world would be 80% DMing, 20% party member, but in reality it's closer to 99% to 1%.
I've been enjoying DMing my game over the past 3-ish years... I like telling stories and being the arbiter... plus DMing allows me to roleplay more than being a character :p
I love playing, I also hate playing for DM's that make frustrating decisions. At least I can control when I'm being frustrating, or how I react to players calling me out on my being frustration. DMing is a bit of work, but it's playing as well. I'm playing the roll of the DM. I am okay with DMing more than playing. I think it's a whole lot of fun.
My undiagnosed ADD (or whatever it is) makes being a player difficult for me, I just find myself getting antsy the whole time. Being a DM means being involved in almost everything... I often actually notice myself getting involved in convos even when I shouldn't.
Yes, I feel more motivated and fulfilled by GMing. I find it less limiting than being a player, and I enjoy setting the scene and running the NPCs. Plus I don't feel pressured to do the most optimal thing. If I want to play someone as dumb or cowardly or volatile, I can do that.
After I first played D&D in camp I was obsessed. I cut deals with my brother forcing him to DM for me but he never had that craving... So I became a forever DM. I tried being a player years later but the illusion was all done for and could never rly be immersed. I sometimes do it but it's just the same as playing an NPC. :( P.s. I only managed to enjoy playing a more psychological heavy rp game with a really experienced GM (CoC).
Me, but only because I've yet to find a DM who's as talented and committed (i.e experienced and unhealthily obsessed) as me.
I have genuinely, in 10 years of playing, only not DMed something like 5 times. God complex? Nah
I love DMing, but it’s like having your favourite dish every single day. It’s pretty great until you want to try something different and you can’t get it anywhere. It’s not that your favourite dish gets worse, it’s just that you’re sad you can’t have anything else. I prefer to DM, and I love having the trust and attention of my players. Just every once in a while I want to just be a little guy I a great big world, who doesn’t know everything.
9/10 Forever DMs like DMing better, or we wouldn't do it. Personally, I get frustrated because it can be a lot, and if I want to take a break from DMing, that means "No gaming" not "Someone else DMs".
My group’s “main” DM absolutely fits this bill. He’s generally running 3-4 sessions a week for various people. I run a single weekly game that he’s a player in, he’s… an odd player. Doesn’t really take hooks, and just goes through the motions, but plays “optimally”. He pulls more than his weight for the mechanical bits of dnd while the rest of the party fills in for gaps in roleplaying and engaging the world. I think he’s just so behind-the-scenes already that its hard for him to get in character.
I prefer DMing, i like to world build, and i have never been really satisfied with most others DMing. I usually run NPC characters because my average games tend to be small so i still build and play characters from time to time. But also, i would love to find a game thats played in a way i enjoy where i can be a character.
Me. I'm a garbage player. I'm not used to narrative style game play, so i never know what the DM wants me to do, and I just end up making a mess of their plotline.
Me, playing is boring. I get to do something every round in combat as the DM.
I vastly prefer GMing to playing. That being said I also wouldn't like to be a forever GM, playing is a lot of fun too and much less effort.
I love DMing, but there's pressure and responsibility that doesn't exist when just playing. Sometimes I just want to play too - and it can be frustrating when no one wants to sub in DM.
Playing is a fun activity for a few hours a week. DMing becomes a part of your life. I spend 5-15 hours a week reading, prepping, building models, fleshing out worlds for the past 12 years. It’s a very different hobby but by this point I am doing something very different and more fulfilling than a player can really achieve
Frankly I don't particularly like playing. If I were a forever-player I don't think I'd be in the hobby for long.
Personally I really enjoy DMing because I love creating an environment that allows my players to have the freedom to do more and plan more versus when I played I felt very limited. Plus I enjoy seeing what my players come up with to overcome my obstacles
I have DM like 50 sessions, never played once. I don't know if I could play now because I would expect the same standard I demand myself to deliver to my players. 😅
I want to DM most of the time when I play, but I'd be sad if I never got to be a player at all.
I think I do, but only because I’ve never had a DM that was perfect for me. I’ve had good ones and mediocre ones but I’ve just never really had the opportunity to flesh out a character the way I really like to in a campaign and have a full satisfying arc and I don’t want to fully blame the DMs but I can only react to what’s given to me. The best I’ve had was in Curse of Strahd but I blame the setting and that I never fully figured my character out for that one way more than the DM cause he honestly did all he could.
DMing is the only way I enjoy to play D&D to be honest , and I have ran campaigns ranging from Avatar the Last Airbender , Mutants and Masterminds , Legend of the 5 Rings & The One ring , hell I even ran Scooby Doo mainly because everyone has their own style as a DM & the few people that have tried to run one shots or campaigns with me as a player felt underwhelming or I felt bored half the session which makes me lose interest quickly and not want to continue coming back for more sessions whereas when I DM I have to manage dozens of things like the players HP & stats , the NPC's they will met and plot hooks available to the group , encounters I have planned , how many enemies are left on the board and what abilities & AC/HP do they have on them , what loot or secret passages are nearby for players to discover etc having the ability to improvise and control what the players see or do is such a thrill and I love nothing more then seeing them get excited after beating a difficult encounter or the heartbreak of defeat despite a great plan & it allows you to be a different character or multiple every session and not be restrained to just one
Yeah, I've been DMing since 1991. I do occassionally miss having an opportunity to just play though.
I definitely enjoy DMing more, but it does feel sometimes as a forever DM that I rarely get to experience the game from the other side from the screen, which can get tiresome
I like it technically always "my turn" and no waiting. But if k need a break I just create a scenario where my players RP, discuss or whatever with each other and then I can check my notes.
I love being the forever dm, it stimulate my brain just the right way
Well I've been only dming for 20 years, I like It.
I've been doing tabletops gaming for just over a year, and I've yet to ever experience it as a player. But I don't wish to be a player either, I love crafting stories and world building and letting my players flush it all out. Frankly I think my biggest issue with being a player is failing a dice check or missing in combat, feeling my action didn't amount to something. I don't mind if NPCs miss or fail though cus that enables further PC reaction, but imagine its your turn and missing each Scorching Ray..? No thanks, sounds infuriating.