For me, it really is me stating way ahead of time: I love my world, I love my Maps, I love giving players choices. I design the world and the world reacts. It is a sandbox. Choose your own adventure. And then the 5 Characters hear 6 in game job offers (That are not fetch the item, nor Rescue the Princess for coin"and "none of them pay enough..let's see what else the GM offers, because he has to give us something to do, right?" Then someone starts a bar fight, starts losing, pulls a blade and it's on. Survivors flee the city, and go into the wilderness, Hue and cry, chased by dogs. They murder someone for their cart. The Army is called out. "Wow, Such an exciting game!" cry the players, "We are now honest to Gygax outlaws!" They kill some army guys. More army guys come. The point is there is no endgame for them. A wizard offers to talk with the king of amnesty, for a pile of gold that they've gotten for robbing whole villages and small towns. They by luck manage to kill that Wizard. Eventually they are a major menace to the region. Either through bad luck or attrition, major NPCs get Crippled, or Killed. PCs get Jailed, Crippled or Killed. Final Chapter, I get accused of Choo Choo DMing and railroading. "We never had a chance!" DM, go write the damn novel. I have seen this, and seen this. It's not that it's heartbreaking, but I let people know way up front. Your choices determine the story. The world will react, then you choose again what to do. I literally weep tears of joy when I get characters with backstories, and who at least try to RP using voice, and think about their characters future, goals, and motivations, and relationships, and who really are here to roleplay as a hero. I have seen it, but it is rare. When I find it, it keeps me coming back. But I suspect a lot of GMs fall into the "people treat me as a disposable commodity." i.e. Let's play D&D, "oh wait, phone is ringing, I could jump my girlfriend instead. Blow off the game." I'm not saying don't have a relationship, and live for D&D. I am saying if I tell players I will be there, Friday night, i will be there unless it is a real emergency. I've committed 6 months or more of my future life to run this campaign, don't blow me off, and I will run it for whoever shows up and tries. Lots of people don't try. But there are DMs here who do. To find players, you just need to Say D&D / PF. To find a GM you need to break out of the pack, and know what you bring to the table. Not all groups, need the wanna be actor / roleplaying junkie. You need combat people and skill people and rules people and cheerleaders and leaders, and followers in a group. Know who you are, what your style is, and communicate to your GM. I have found many, and I will say STELLAR Gms here. Their key attribute is they go the extra mile, are willing to work with players, know what they are bringing, and let players know what they are bringing to the campaign. No surprises at the last minute. And finally they are willing to take the hit politically and get rid of bad apples who would otherwise wreck a game because of the one guy that's the egotistical spotlight hogger, or bully, or creepy innuendo specialist that harasses, insults or outright verbally abuses female players. We need more GMs, sure. Anyone can step up. Most of us who have been doing this for decades learned with very simple games like Traveller and Basic D&D, AD&D 1e, or Tunnels & Trolls, Star Frontiers, Top Secret, or Gamma World. I think it is a mistake for a New DM to start with something complex like 3.5. Once you know how it works it is okay, but there's just too much material, and it is off-putting. Starter games like Dragon Age, Old School D&D are good. I have seen a resurgence here in people seeking to play in honest to God 1st edition AD&D, likely because of the reprinted Old School revival. Hook up with Gold and get in touch with all of those people, It's wide open. Then by Dming you get to meet a dozen players. They know DMs and can get you into a game as their approved Good Buddy when someone else drops. Then you meet a good group and you are set. It's all about networking. I run campaigns, and then next time I run a different campaign I get people from the old one, that might like something different. It's a constant cycle of recruiting, but .. that's how it is. Step off the player pier into the shallow end, the water is warm, and we Dms welcome your efforts to serve the community. Over time you'll get seasoning, and be able to run anything, because you intimately understand how games work. GM: You see this. Player: I do That in response. GM Roll the dice. Player: Here is what I rolled. GM This is what happens. Now you see this. Rinse and repeat. That it. That's GMing. The rest is frills and artifice. If you can Make a decision, like a Judge in a court (and old School DMs were sometimes called Judges), and stick by it, you can be a GM. Good luck to all. Go forth and roll 3d6, and getsome NPcs going, right? Scratch a map on a sheet, and put in a town and a dungeon. Put in a forest and some rivers. Read the 1e AD&D DMG it shows you how to do all of this in about 15 pages. A lot of us did this as 13 year old kids, in the 70s. It's not tough, it is just NEW. Right. Salute to Mouse. Your efforts at being fair and cool are well respected.Good luck in your next game.