When To Become DM

Image from Community, NBC Television

So you want to run your tabletop RPG game for the first time. Maybe your current Dungeon Master left for college, maybe you are starting a brand new gaming group in your new neighborhood. First things first, though. If you have never played a tabletop RPG as a player, try to do so first. Find a gaming or comic shop if you can, and attend one of their sessions. Perhaps ask a friend if his group has room for a guest. There's no substitute for the experience you will get from that, experiencing the basic foundation of how tabletop groups work. Otherwise, get ready for a lot of trial and error.

When do you become your group DM? The first and foremost question you should yourself, is if you really want to. It's the obvious question but not always an easy one to answer. Nine times out of ten the best man for a job is the one that loves his work, and if you don't have that motivation driving you from the DM's seat, it will be harder to get everyone else on board and having fun. Your audience mirrors your attitude.

Of course you can run a successful game without much enthusiasm for the task. Depending on your group, there might simply be no one else who can do it, and you need to fill that role. But that case requires a lot more technical knowledge of what makes a good game. In other words, if you're bored with the task at hand, it is much easier to go about it the wrong way. So you better be dang sure you know what you're doing.

There are plenty of reasons to really want to DM, though. Just as there are many types of players, and there are also different types of game-runners. The Preparer enjoys the time spent building and designing between sessions, The Storyteller likes to run things like a novel or TV show, and The Strategist is all about encounter building and friendly competition with the players. Finding your preference can motivate you and your players.

The second and equally important question is whether you are willing to put yourself last. Your own needs and interests will have to be the least important among your gaming group. That may sound like a sacrifice, but really isn't that bad if you answered 'yes' to the previous question. If you really want to run the game, then there will always be some enjoyment to be gleaned in the act itself, even if you don't get to run things exactly how you'd like. Better yet, you will start to enjoy yourself as the players enjoy themselves. That's the power of empathy. That's DMpathy!