Quote from: ImperatorOr they just have differente tastes than you, without making them people with issues or whatnot.

This is theRPGsite. That sort of nonjudgemental thinking isn't allowed here.

:forge:

I kind of forgot that. Of course, we are way better making wild and unfounded assumptions on the thoughts and motivations of people we don't know  shit about Thanks for pointing it out!

Quote from: ImperatorI kind of forgot that.

Because you are a stupidhead and obviously still suffering greatly from a childhood ferret attack. Of this we can all be certain!

Quote from: ImperatorOr they just have differente tastes than you, without making them people with issues or whatnot.

For one rare occasion, I will mostly agree with Settembrini. It might not be always the case but it has been the case a sufficient number of times for me to be wary.

That kind of attitude often underlies dysfunctional gaming behavior or really bad experiences as a player. "Taste" in this case is ambiguous. It's basically the same hobby and you are still pretending to be an elf, whether you are playing or GMing.

Imperator:
Story-Whore GMs, who railroad and are unable to value other peoples input are a problem in our hobby.
And those guys will be the "DM-only" type.

They exist, they are a problem.

Control freaks are never good.

But there definitely are more reasons for not playing.
But the lack of wanting to play is troublesome.

A good DM is a DM who DMs the campaigns he´d like to be a player in.
A bad GM is a GM who GMs because he can´t stand being a player.

Oh jeez, grubman, I have to agree with Blakkie again here...

Maybe you guys should try a game that allows more input from the players?

grubman, is it possible for you to snatch a few of the players for a different night of gaming?  I did this a while back when I started with a new Sunday group.  I got a few players to play Star Wars WEG on Saturday night, then a few more heard how much fun we were having and they started showing up, and finally the GM gave in as well.  After a few weeks, he ended up liking it enough that he closed his game out and we played mine on both nights (until I had to end it, sadly).  

Anyway, for most of us, it's tough playing two nights a week, but if you're really jonesing to run a game, try floating the idea of a few one-shots instead of a whole campaign for the alternate night.  You'll get more people interested in the short term, and who knows what can happen?  

Pete

If Joewolz does, I do to:

If you are such an attention junkie and can´t find a decent regular DM, go for the Forger stuff. It was invented for your kind (of problem).

I've been the GM 75% of the time for 25 years. I always wanted it to be more like 30%. I love being a player--not knowing what's going to happpen next, trying to make the best out of the loser PC stats I rolled up, so on so forth.

My ideal group is one in which people take turns voluntarily because they just can't decide which they like (even) better, being a GM or a player.

With the caveats others have placed about the quality of GMs in place.

I have found myself able to enjoy the player role because I am able to find what the GM's vision is and explore it. It is a difficult thing to do at times, for GMs and I normally GM, because you want to be able to say the "Elves hate the Dwarves" or some variation. I find it fulfilling to be able to take a dwarf, in a world where elves and dwarves intermarry and love one another, an play a bigot. Not disruptively, but as part of the fabric of the group and story. He will work with elves, but come on, we all KNOW what those elves love most...nudge, nudge. Finding your own path often means working with the GM in the context of the story.

Now, as to multiple GMs taking turns, I have found it does not work. Much like conversation, groups have players who revel in the play while GMs who are not running are waiting for their turn to run. In the end, a GM will either enjoy playing and be willing, nay happy, to wait a year or more to run his campaign or he will be sitting their tapping his foot waiting for his turn. IME, it is more likely the latter will happen.

Good luck finding a solution,
Bill

I enjoy playing, but not nearly as much as GMing.  Fortunately, I have made enough of an impression as a GM that I have never had to "settle" for playing when I didn't want to. There's always people wanting me to GM for them.

RPGPundit

Quote from: SettembriniPeople who don´t like to play either need better DMs, or have some issues that are not healthy for the hobby.

For me its the former, not the latter.

I had no problem being a player prior to my college days.  Back in high school (and earlier - back to grade school) it was common for other people to GM - we even took turns making up homebrews and playing them.

In college I kept ending up with story whore GMs in WOD games where nothing (and I mean nothing) you did affected anything.  Not only was there an unchangeable metaplot - but the point of the games seemed to be to try and figure out what the metaplot was using the smallest amount of clues/prompts as humanly possible.

So what I did was go out, get a new group of players, and ran a really fun Earthdawn campaign along with some other stuff like CoC.

A few years later, I had been off gaming for a while until a new guy at work introduced me to his D&D group.  I played, but the DM used an "old school" style of nonsensical dungeons, railroading (though not much story), screwing over characters, and obnoxious "jokes" like intentionally mispronouncing character's names all the time.  Not to mention that the game would come to a complete stop while he spent 30 minutes looking up a rule, or stats to a creature, etc.

The end result is - I don't think I have the patience for being a player anymore.  Maybe if I had a really, really good GM.  Otherwise, I'm just not going to like it.

I do try to run the type of game I would like to play in - where players have some input, character actions (and inactions) are meaningful, the plots make some kind of sense, etc.  My problem is that no one else seems to run it that way.

But despite my experiences, I still don't like the Forge style of limiting the GM.  What I want at the gaming table is a benign monarchy, not a democracy.  But not a dictatorship either.

Quote from: BalbinusTricky, you say three GMs, what's the other GM who isn't getting to GM's view on all this?

Basically it's a bit of a breach of the social contract isn't it?  You agreed to share GMing between three people, but one is hogging it.  The trouble is, as long as his game is still fun I doubt people will much care.

So, what's the view of the other guy not getting to GM?

It's akward.  The other GM is currently developing a miniature game that we have played once.  He has asked again casually a couple times.  I'm always quick with the "whenever you guys want to", but he isn't aggressive enough to get it going again.  He is with me on trying new things and playing different games.

Every time I come up with something I want to do the other GM is very supportive, and the current GM says that sounds like fun I would like to play again, but when it comes to nailing sown a date he gets al wierd anout it.  Sometimes he acts like he's hurt that we would take a break from his game, sometimes he just sort of forgetts about it and comes back with all the plans for the next session (of his game).  He's not an ass or anthing, it's just making it akward for me.

Now that he has been the GM for so long I see that age old trend of the group becoming "his group" that was one of the main reasons for leaving the last group.

I do like the guys though, and putting together this new group took about 4 months.  The whole thing is very frustrating.

Quote from: David RIMO you should start a new group with you as the GM. I'm a GM at heart too, but I think I'm at the extreme end. I don't enjoy being a player. If I could  play most of the time and sometimes GM, I probably would not game at all...and I game exclusively with friends. I really believe that some folks are GMs while others can do both. I've always known I was the former.

Regards,
David R

I used to be more of a player, then I was about 50/50, now I really want to spend the majority of the time GMing.  It seems a wast to have all these awsome ideas, adventures, and settings I've created just sitting in a heap.

Quote from: grubmanI used to be more of a player, then I was about 50/50, now I really want to spend the majority of the time GMing.  It seems a wast to have all these awsome ideas, adventures, and settings I've created just sitting in a heap.

Heh, heh.  I'll state the obvious, then.  Publish them.  

Pete