I know it probably seems odd to talk about playing a roleplaying game without a Game Master right after we talked about the importance of supporting GMs, but hear me out. Sometimes it can help to play a game without a GM to get a feel for the rules of a game together. More often you have an opportunity where the GM can’t make it (or wants a chance to play) and no one else is prepared/willing to run a game. And sometimes you just want to try something new.

Is It Really an RPG?

Clearly having a game without a GM is never ideal. Having a human that can respond to challenges and player requests is one of the biggest advantages that tabletop RPGs have over electronic games. And more than likely trying a GM-less game is going to help everyone appreciate a human GM immensely more.

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There will probably always be more players than Game Masters (GMs) in our hobby. I’m ok with that. But you know, it would be great if more players and even non-players were willing to run some games. It is a lot of fun, and really it seems like everyone has a hard time finding people to run games. Unfortunately there is a very good reason for this: fear.

Anyone getting into running a game for the first time will have some fears to face, and unfortunately a lot of those fears are justified. If you run a bad game, players will NOT want to play with you again. If you mess up the rules, you get called out on it at some point. If a player messes up on something, they will hold it against you on some level. And how your first session goes will also affect how you see yourself as a gamer and a game master.

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