How much work does the Game Master/Dungeon Master have to do?

We’ll look at four models of running TTRPGs. The first is a traditional game; the one we all recognize. The second is an emergent model found in games such as those Powered by the Apocalypse and Cypher System games. The third model is what I would loosely call the experimental model, known as GM-less gaming. The fourth model is one that has recently come into the zeitgeist that fills many of us with a sense of fear, dread, concern, and/or loathing.

I wish to further preface this with the concept of the GM as host, facilitator, and organizer of the game in almost every instance. Someone has to come up with the plan, figure out a schedule, and in most cases come up with the world/setting. Even sandbox games don’t write themselves.

Let’s look at how most of us came into the hobby first.

Many, if not all of us, probably had a friend who said, “Hey, I know this great game. You should come check it out. It’s fun.”

When we arrived at this gathering of fellow nerds there was someone sitting at the head of the table with a big screen in front of them. (*At my house there’s also a usually stack of books and notes on either side of me.) That person behind the screen was called “The Dungeon Master,” Game Master, or some such. (*We know Dungeons & Dragons is the gateway game for a high percentage of players since 2014.) 

This person is in charge of creating the dungeon, the town the characters came from, all of the characters the group interacts with, and all of the monsters the group will fight. The DM/GM might also do some voice acting, acquire miniatures, build terrain for said miniatures, create maps of all sizes, and set up/tear down the gaming space before and after every session. It can seem overwhelming at times. (*I still wish to encourage new DMs/GMs. It’s not as horrible as it might sound.)

Honestly, it tends to be a lot of bookwork for a fantasy or sci-fi game. The larger the scope of the game and the further the group is able to travel can really make a lot of work for the GM. In the early days, it might seem like a lot to deal with for new DMs/GMs. Let me assure everyone that it is manageable in small chunks.

In a traditional game, the DM/GM gets to roll a lot of random outcomes.

This doesn’t always mean combat rolls. Sometimes NPCs have to roll skill checks. It gets dicey in a literal sense. The outcomes of the game can randomly shift between the GM and the players. It’s slightly more unpredictable than other models.

Combat is an even more dicey affair with the DM/GM rolling randomly to hit, damage, save, and protect those precious monsters we’ve so carefully crafted and laid out. It can mean a major villain dies in one hit because of a careless mistake and a few poor rolls or good rolls on the part of the players. Sometimes the mightiest of dragons can have a bad day because the DM’s dice simply didn’t cooperate with their plans.

Still, this is the model we’ve mostly grown up on in gaming. Sometimes it can seem less cinematic, especially early on the characters’ growth in the game. Low character levels can lead to a sense of helplessness, and one sometimes wonder how the lower levels of the Vox Machina crew didn’t lead to multiple catastrophic character deaths. (*We’ll talk about 5E’s character mechanics elsewhere.) But fear not, the alternative GM models eliminate some of the more random elements involved in the game and make player choices the center of the game.

Behold a game system where the GM never has to pick up the dice!

It can be done. I’ve done it. It’s actually pretty cool once you get used to it.

Welcome to Cypher System, Powered By the Apocalypse, and other games/systems where the GMs roll exists as it does in the traditional model, except the players control all the dice rolls. The system allows players to control the narrative, their characters and all the outcomes involving dice. It’s a lot more elegant in some ways.

The GM is still responsible for setting creation, adventure creation, NPCs, hosting, scheduling and all that fun stuff that happens in a traditional game. The major difference is, the GM just sets the difficulty for the PCs to roll against. When NPCs, monsters, etc attack, the PCs roll their defense. Any time a skill check against an NPC is needed, the players roll the dice.

The GM for these games might still keep some dice around to roll on random tables or to have them on hand in case someone forgets their dice. (Personally, I don’t share dice. I think it’s bad luck.) This freedom from some degree of random determination is what helps GMs focus on narrating good stories and paying close attention to the actions of the characters.

I don’t think this is necessarily less work for the GM backstage. I think it cuts back on the adversarial relationship between GM and player. This way someone isn’t returning to character creation because the GM’s dice were exceptionally hot one night. It also prevents GMs from fudging die rolls for a particular outcome such as keeping the big bad alive. Although clever GMs will always have a contingency or an extra move up their sleeves knowing things could go to pieces for said villain.

Then there is the sugar free, decaf coffee of the TTRPG world, GM-Less gaming.

I may be a bit biased here. Sorry. As a lifelong GM and writer, not having us around makes me feel a touch jittery. (No pun intended.) I think I see how it’s supposed to work ideally. I know it can be done in theory. No, I haven’t tried it yet with a group.

The difference between a GM-less game and traditional methods is players run the whole show. They develop the world together, share in NPC creation and playing duties, and everyone gets a fairly equal amount of time in the spotlight. Whatever random questions need to be answered are usually done with some sort of oracle or solo RPG tools.

I liken this sort of game to roleplaying via committee. Someone is still going to have to step up and take charge of scheduling, finding/providing a venue, deciding on a rule system, and doing all of the other tasks a GM would normally take on outside of running the game itself. Players might even have to do some design work in their off time.

How many times have we shown up to a regular D&D game to find out someone hasn’t leveled up their character? How can a group expect the same type of player to remember to design the villain or major NPCs for this week? There’s a back-to-basics solution to this problem. Get someone to play game master.

Look, I get that some players are very anti-authoritarian or non-confrontational. Honestly, I think these situations work better for boardgames such as Betrayal at House on the Hill or Pandemic. Not having a GM works for cooperative boardgames because everyone’s roles are clearly defined by the game, along with conflict resolution, and choices of outcomes. There are no such expectations in most RPGs.

TTRPGs are meant to be open, freeform, dramatic, and even adversarial in some cases. Sorry, I’m hard to convince this can be done via committee. Maybe I’ll find out I’m wrong someday. Who knows.

I’m incredibly leery of giving lip service to this last option.

Let’s face it. We live in a world where the very real, very imminent advent of Artificial Intelligence is upon us. I don’t necessarily mean Skynet and a whole army of skull faced robots is coming, but it’s very likely TTRPGs are going to soon be run by AI GMs.

Nothing makes me cringe more than the mere suggestion of players calling off on game night so they can stay home and play Baldur’s Gate 3 or some other video game. It hasn’t happened at my house yet, but I fear it could come up someday. Have we lost all sense of regular commitment and camaraderie in today’s modern world? Is AI going to be the last nail in the coffin for face-to-face gaming?

Let’s hope our humanity prevails eventually. I know there’s a great deal of talk that Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast might implement AI Dungeon Masters with their new D&D Virtual Tabletop. Let’s hope players don’t become so scarce in person that we have to resort to strictly VTT games just to engage in the hobby.

Until then, let’s keep fighting the good fight. Keep those dice rolling. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you.