Never, ever DMed.

[Tyndmyr]

I'm curious, how many of ya'll have never DMed(or equivalent, in another game system), and why? Just prefer playing? Blessed with an awesome DM?

It seems we collect a rather DM-heavy group here, and If your groups are anything like mine, certain people tend to DM a lot. I'm curious how the other half plays.

[DragoonWraith]

I'm honestly terrified of DMing. I just don't think I could do it justice. I'm terrible about planning things, and at the same time am not great at improvisation (I tend to do best with the "figure things out" approach, but it's not instantaneous), and honestly I'm not sure I have the dedication to do all of the work.

At the same time... I kind of want to. Just haven't sat down and figured out what I want to do, nor have I found people willing to try it out. Heh, a lot of it comes from my interest in trying various houserules I've considered, which is probably not a great way to start.

[JoshuaZ]

I'm curious, how many of ya'll have never DMed(or equivalent, in another game system), and why? Just prefer playing? Blessed with an awesome DM?

It seems we collect a rather DM-heavy group here, and If your groups are anything like mine, certain people tend to DM a lot. I'm curious how the other half plays.

I haven't DMed, partially out of not thinking I have enough experience just playing regular games in order to feel confident at DMing. I intend at some point to DM when a) I feel confident enough to do so and b) when I have a good enough idea for a campaign.

[Tyndmyr]

Eh, having the freedom to pick a given setting, set of rules, campaign idea is a reason why a lot of DMs have started on stuff. I don't think it's that unusual.

If you're worried about preparation and such, make use of prebuilt modules. Cuts down a LOT on the prep time. =)

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I've TRIED DMing. Themain problem is there are never enough people whose schedules will allow for a consistent game.

[Reynard]

My first time DMing (3.5) was a couple of years ago, filling in for the regular DM, who was sick. Rather than risk messing up his game, which I was enjoying, I ran my group through a pre-gen. And man, was it a slap-shod disaster.

Well, probably not that bad, but that's how it felt. The rest of the group said they quite enjoyed it, but we're British, so that could have just been politeness.

Then, we picked up 4e D&D for a while, and that's when I started DMing regularly, mostly because I had the best grasp of the rules. So, I only got to play a short 4e adventure.

Now, though, I mostly do PbPs, and Exalted ones at that, since the group kinda drifted apart. Still, there's hope for a reformation soon. Dunno what we'll start with, though.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Folks who are scared of DMing - don't be. Nobody is perfect first time out, and it is something that gets better with practice.

If you want to try it out, I recommend first getting into some collaborative storytelling games like Bliss Stage and Mountain Witch; these games give everyone a little time DMing without having to take the whole load. After a couple of sessions, you'll get over the jitters - a good DM helps here.

If you just play D&D, buy a good module and run it. Be sure you read that thing over until you know it like the back of your hand and you won't have any problems running it. A good friend of mine (who is a superb DM) does nothing but run modules in this fashion; he also writes and sells them in his free time

[Math_Mage]

I am DMing for the first time at the moment, and am quite glad it is a PbP campaign, because I'm quite nervous about the prep work and on-the-fly thinking a live campaign would entail. In a PbP campaign, I can make up NPCs pretty much in response to my players running into them. 3rd-level fighter and 4th-level Duskblade, both Neutral something, playing mercenary guards for the BBEG they don't know anything about? Sure, just lemme hit the books for 20-30 minutes. But that'd be an unacceptable delay in a live game.

[Sipex]

I've TRIED DMing. Themain problem is there are never enough people whose schedules will allow for a consistent game.

My group recently ran into this problem.

The solution? Cracking the whip. If more than half the party can make it I go anyways. Sorry guys, but I want to play just as much as you.

[Thinker]

I've never played an RPG, pen and paper or otherwise.

Really though, I'm the regular GM for my group, rarely getting to actually play. Unfortunately, time is tighter these days and I don't get to play as much as I'd like to.

[valadil]

Everyone I play with regularly DMs from time to time. I think I'm drawn to RPGers who try to creatively outdo each other, rather than the groups who let one DM keep churning out dungeons.

[Umael]

In my old gaming group, four of us were willing to run a game (there were eight players).

In my current gaming group (six of us), all of us are willing to run a game. In my current expanding gaming group (eight of us), all of us are willing to run a game, but the last one is not up to running a game for us (she runs a game with her friends in school).

I took to GMing natural (even if I wasn't very good when I first started), and I have been doing it for a long time. I would like to think I am a decent GM by now.

[arrowhen]

Nope. There *are* however a depressingly large number of games that I've GMed but never, ever played a PC in.

Hell, there was an entire edition of D&D (2e) that I only ever got to DM.

[Tyndmyr]

Nope. There *are* however a depressingly large number of games that I've GMed but never, ever played a PC in.

Hell, there was an entire edition of D&D (2e) that I only ever got to DM.

Ouch. I know the feeling. I haven't gone QUITE that long, but I do somehow end up sucked into the DMing slot even when I only am after playing. My current group is a wild mix of players, but at least a few of us are capable of DMing, and the others are learning to play the game well, and at least one or two of them should be ready for a first attempt soon. I enjoy round-robin DMing, when you can set it up, but it's not always possible.

[Devils_Advocate]

I'm terrible about planning things, and at the same time am not great at improvisation

Maybe you should try starting with a play-by-post game. As Math_Mage mentions, that gives you a lot more time to respond to things. It's pretty easy to recruit players for online games, too.

I don't think that running things Your Own Special Way requires more experience than a "standard" game. Alternative rules and content can be part of the appeal of DMing.

If you want to try it out, I recommend first getting into some collaborative storytelling games like Bliss Stage and Mountain Witch; these games give everyone a little time DMing without having to take the whole load. After a couple of sessions, you'll get over the jitters - a good DM helps here.

The generic term is "GM". (Surprise semantic attack! Take 1d6 nitpick damage from this pedanticism of opportunity.)

[Ernir]

I'm honestly terrified of DMing. I just don't think I could do it justice. I'm terrible about planning things, and at the same time am not great at improvisation (I tend to do best with the "figure things out" approach, but it's not instantaneous), and honestly I'm not sure I have the dedication to do all of the work.

At the same time... I kind of want to. Just haven't sat down and figured out what I want to do, nor have I found people willing to try it out. Heh, a lot of it comes from my interest in trying various houserules I've considered, which is probably not a great way to start.

Fleh. You'd be doing this over PbP, so planning doesn't have to happen very fast, no one can see the flustered look on your face when you are shoehorned into improvising, and... actually, lack of DM dedication is a huge problem in PbP. But considering that you still haven't given up on Veyr, I don't think you'll be the first to show signs of wear and tear.

Interest in trying houserules is about half the motivation you need. Now you just need to find an interest in trying that epic story you have in mind, and you're good to go.

[Dr Gunsforhands]

I have only recently started DMing. I had been a player of 3.5 primarily but I had also had some experience with 7th Sea, new WoD, Talislanta, 4E, and Serenity.

It started off with the Americorps St. Louis spring break. My wife had let slip that I was a gamer at the beginning of the year, setting off a brushfire of Die-Curious questions from people who had never gamed before. Many of them were just wondering, but several wanted me to run a game. It's hard to explain exactly what DnD is to a person who has never RPed before, so I just started saying "It's like an improvised play". That only made them want to play more. Since the Americorps St. Louis Spring Break committee was asking for people to run workshops for other Americorps members I volunteered to teach "Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons".

My goal was to teach a little overview about roleplaying, a brief smidgeon of the rules, then move on to actually letting them roleplay a short one shot/encounter depending on how much time I'd get. They told me I had one hour. They also wanted to know if I wanted to put an attendance cap on my session. After panicking a little, I said ten. I honestly did not expect more than three people to come. I spent the next few weeks putting together my lesson (how to choose which rules I'd go into detail about and which rules to gloss over). In the off chance that I did get more than three people to come I made the encounter a jailbreak. This way I'd compensate for a large group, the party members wouldn't have to know each other, and they'd have a good reason regardless for working together. I didn't own any mini's so I bought some Pathfinder Paper Minis and made a few dozen. I printed off a bunch of premade character sheets.

The Americorps St. Louis Spring Break is less Cancun and bikinis and more group bonding excercises and park conservation. On the van ride over, every person I met said "Hey, I heard you're running a DnD workshop. I think I'll come." There are 60 people in our Corps.

All my slots were filled. I needed to teach ten people. Including my boss. Maybe I could jump out a window backwards on fire. But I went to work, taught more gamer philosophy than rules, and even got them to roleplay defeating their jailors and their escape. Fun times were had by all. The Americorps year book lists me as "Person Most Likely to have Essence of the Raptor Cast on them".

Afterwards, some of them wanted me to run a real game. To compensate for me never running a game before, I chose to buy the first Kingmaker Adventure Path. I've been GMing ever since.

[silversnowe]

The first time I played was the first time I DM'd, for two friends who had also never played. Mostly because it was my idea to try out D&D in the first place, and we didn't know anyone who played...

[Jallorn]

I've tried. It's hard, but I find it easier in person than over the internet. I now will not DM a PBP, but I find that if I want to play in RL, I have to DM, so I make do.

[Dr.Epic]

I prefer DMing. It let's me play a variety of players in case I get bored with one.

[Ajadea]

Actually, I'm the designated DM in my group. I am the best roleplayer and improvisor in the group. Bringing out an army with you to confront the BBEG? Fine. You deal with the BBEG, the army deals with the mooks. Now to write up some mooks . You're becoming a lich?! You're playing a half-fiend yuan-ti pureblood??? FINE. 20 pages of plot need to be alignment switched, 5 need to be thrown out, and I'll be flying by the seat of my pants the entire time. Etc.

So I throw in my characters as NPCs. I like to imagine them as heroes in another story. But all they do is provide plot hooks and such.

[Balain]

Well most of our group has DMed D&D at one point or another. Other systems some of us just seemed better at running the game than others. So I always DMed Call of Cthulhu. Another guy always was Storyteller for White wolf stuff etc.

[dsmiles]

I'm curious, how many of ya'll have never DMed(or equivalent, in another game system), and why? Just prefer playing? Blessed with an awesome DM?

It seems we collect a rather DM-heavy group here, and If your groups are anything like mine, certain people tend to DM a lot. I'm curious how the other half plays.

I wish I could play. Not much call for it here, and I'm terrified of recruiting at the gaming stores (Game Parlor in Woodbridge or Game Loft in Fredricksburg). I recruited from a gaming store at my last duty station, and got a couple of real winners.

[DaMullet]

In my University group, I'm the Designated DM, because of the 7(!) players who regularly show up, only one has any previous tabletop experience, and that's in 3.0. Therefore, I run the evening game over the course of the semester, and stretch my planning and my improv chops.

When I get home over breaks, the group I played with in high school is still active, and I play in that, because the DM is also in college and he plays at school.

Everyone in my summer group has tried DMing, but only the DM and I have any real talent for it, so we've reached a homeostasis of a sort.

[Tyndmyr]

I wish I could play. Not much call for it here, and I'm terrified of recruiting at the gaming stores (Game Parlor in Woodbridge or Game Loft in Fredricksburg). I recruited from a gaming store at my last duty station, and got a couple of real winners.

Check around on base. I presume from your post that you're military too, and I can vouch from experience that there's a surprising amount of gamers among the military. They can be a bit tough to find at times, but if you have dayroom or dorm bulletin boards, that's the easy way to recruit some folks.

But yeah, any time you recruit people you don't know personally, you run the risk of getting some...odd types.

[dsmiles]

Check around on base. I presume from your post that you're military too, and I can vouch from experience that there's a surprising amount of gamers among the military. They can be a bit tough to find at times, but if you have dayroom or dorm bulletin boards, that's the easy way to recruit some folks.

But yeah, any time you recruit people you don't know personally, you run the risk of getting some...odd types.

Nothing but officers and DoD civilians at Belvoir. Fraternization and all that...

[Lolzords]

Every time I've DMed it's never been more than maybe half a dozen sessions at once - merely filling in while one of our more regular DMs gets their adventure ready.

However, I've written classes and races and also Star Wars d20 adventure which is more or less ready to go. I'm pretty excited, if a bit nervous.