A Question to the Masses: Why don't you DM?

Hypnos said: Shortland said: I have generally avoided GM'ing on roll20 for the same reason I have avoiding/left a lot of games on roll20. Players. The great thing about Roll20, is that anyone can get into a game, and play to their hearts content; it can also be the worst thing. I've seen many novice GM's throw in the towel with a random assortment of players, none of whom know each other, all come from different backgrounds and levels of experience, who either antagonize each other, exacerbate the muck up of a ruling, or just derail play by goofing off or drawing attention outside of the game.&nbsp; That's a lot to handle when you're new to the table, and more so when you're the one trying to run it. With my time outside the VTT, I've been doing live groups for nearly 15 years (playing and GM'ing), and have always had the advantage of cherry picking groups that I know can play well together, personalities that, regardless of what kind of character they play, will still be able to negotiate that within the confines of the game. You don't always (almost never) have that advantage online - which has turned a lot of people I know away from MMOs in the same vein. Aside from that, some people just don't have it in them, or want to both with GM'ing; it is a lot of work, and only worth while if you find the time you spend in it rewarding. You can't make people like golfing; you can tell them it's easy, or it's relaxed, or that the clubs are light, you can give them a handicap - but if they don't enjoy the process, or the time spent on the green, it's not going to keep them there. I think you really hit one of the nails on the head with your comment about random players and new DMs. I know well how it can frustrate newer DMs when one has to deal with an unruly bunch, because a bad experience can pretty much sour the idea of DMing for a lot of people. Playing online is never very easy and I've had my share of games that failed because most of the people just wandered off or the group seemed to have little interest in playing at all. Antagonistic players or outright trolls are easily one of the biggest problems, but can be dealt with by decent Vetting of players coming into the game. Personally? When I set up a game, I personally interview each of the individuals to see if they come across as too quiet, grating, antagonistic and the like. You always have to keep watching though, because players might become bored after starting and will end up having to be removed. It's doable, but I imagine for new DMs? It's not easy at all. Hi guys. I'd like to introduce myself and my roleplayers guild. We're a small community of players and DM's dedicated to running high quality campaigns and teaching new players and DM's the ropes. We're like one big gaming group, running several campaigns and one shots at any given time. The friendships and community is more close knit than the random pick up games you'll find on Roll20 forums, and our DM Mentoring program helps new DMs gain the skills and habits they need to be successful and happy in running a game. I could go on, but I don't want to derail this thread from the topic at hand, so if you are interested in checking us out, our Roll20 recruitment thread has more information on who we are and what we do.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4171/guild-of-roleplayers-recruiting-players-dms-for-2013-campaign-roster#post-4171" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4171/guild-of-roleplayers-recruiting-players-dms-for-2013-campaign-roster#post-4171</a> Thanks for reading :)

JustJessie said: I recommend starting small (read most posts, started skimming, may have missed this if it's already been said) and keep the options limited until you get a handle on things. I used to run a convention game called Jailbreak.&nbsp; Here's the idea. &nbsp; The party wakes up in a jail cell in a dungeon.&nbsp; One of the other inhabitants (the troll in the neighboring cell frex) killed the only guard.&nbsp; Now it's up to you to break out, scavenge a bit of gear and find your way to the surface. The motivation is simple, the encounters can be random-ish, and the environment is limited.&nbsp; They could just plop down in the kitchen and decide not to look for the exit, but then other critters get loose and come looking.&nbsp; So like old-school dungonfests, if the party doesn't move down the hallway, something else will.&nbsp; Once you get a feel, you can expand on this one by giving them something to do once they escape or start a new game with the same players. You just have to explain the situation up front.&nbsp; "I'm a new GM, so this is a very limited game to help me learn to use the tools of the trade.&nbsp; The dungeon floor/ceiling/walls are unbreakable, there's only one way out, and you'll starve or be eaten in your sleep if you don't work toward escaping" That sounds like a pretty good way to start things! Simplicity is definitely the best friend of a DM who is new to running things. Someone new to it starting off with overcomplicated plots and such are just asking to get frustrated, because things naturally become a little overwhelming pretty quickly when doing so. Good advice!

Not meaning to bump my own post, but my guide has begun! I want to thank everyone so far for all of your advice and links and to let you know that it's really appreciated! Hopefully we'll see some more DMs as we go from all of the advice posted in this thread! I'll make sure to post the link to it once I get it all done so folks can take a look! (The resource section is already huge because of you guys. Big props for that, especially. *chuckles*) If you've got more to say, haven't posted yet or have more links, be sure to speak up!

Hypnos said: If you've got more to say, haven't posted yet or have more links, be sure to speak up! I don't mind if I do. Here's a DM's guide I wrote myself, hosted at our roleplayers guild forums. <a href="http://www.evcitadel.com/community/threads/a-dms-guide-by-ardis.30400/" rel="nofollow">http://www.evcitadel.com/community/threads/a-dms-guide-by-ardis.30400/</a>&nbsp;

I started DMing years in high school and now 6 years later I still find myself a DM far more often then a player. I've come to the conclusion that it's because most people just want to play and they don't want to do any work so naturally no one wants the job of being a DM. Now I have had a lot of fun being a DM but I can see where they are coming from. It takes hours to days making encounters plot hooks ect. Heh I joined Roll20 in hopes of fixing that and sadly this dose not seem to be the case, as I am now in charge of 2 games as a DM, and have joined 2 games as a player hosted by my friends (seeing as no one online apparently plays D&amp;D or pathfinder much on the week ends) and out&nbsp;of those 2 games only 1 has actually started. (The other game is having a very hard time&nbsp;convincing&nbsp;the players to create&nbsp;their&nbsp;characters) Shame though I get burnt out pretty fast since I'm always doing this work and very&nbsp;rarely&nbsp;get a chance to be on the other side of the table.

If you're spending more time prepping than on the actual playtime that prep produces, then you're doing something wrong. (Unless you just like prepping, of course. Some people do.)

@ Iserith, prep time&nbsp;&nbsp;≠ play time. This is truer when writing out entire&nbsp;campaigns then in single games. But I have never had a case where I could spend 30 mins&nbsp;prepping&nbsp;and expect to get 4 hours of play time. But then again I have very&nbsp;demanding&nbsp;players, they like to wonder and poke the&nbsp;scenery&nbsp; They are also an&nbsp;argumentative&nbsp;lot so if I don't have solid rules down they start to pout.&nbsp;

hey everyone, I am contemplating the idea of running a game...but the thing is I do not know enough about the dungeon and dragons world. I currently play wanderers which is fun! I do run an Only War game at my university but again the game dynamics are new to me ( well it is a new game). also I fear that if i did run a game on this i would be shut down by other player who know more than i do. If i found people that would just be happy with a story line maps and ideas and knew the ins and outs of the game and actually went along with things i would happily DM but that would almost be impossible. &nbsp;

@ Jason L: I find that DMs waste a lot of their prep time on things they don't need or on things that shouldn't be prepped (like the plot or minutia that can be improvised). Right now, my current process puts me at 4 hours of prep time to 16-20 hours of actual play. I think that's a good return and keeps me in the DM chair more often and more readily. This is for 4e D&amp;D. For something like Dungeon World, I can produce a solid 4 hours of play (maybe more if I wanted to) from zero prep.

Gordon, finding the right group is indeed pretty hard, but not impossible! &nbsp;When you start looking for players, be up front with them. &nbsp;Tell them exactly what kind of game you want to run -- heavy on story/atmosphere and light on rules (or however you'd like to do it). &nbsp;I would also recommend interviewing your players before you even start so that you know what they expect and what their level of experience is. &nbsp;You don't have to take every single person who asks to play in your game. &nbsp;If they want to play a game that is really different than the one you want to run, you should always feel free to politely decline. &nbsp;Most people are pretty understanding about that sort of thing. If you get a good group of people together, you don't need to be too afraid of not knowing the rules 100%. &nbsp;They'll pitch in what they know and accept it when you decide to make a ruling of your own. &nbsp;The other option would be to get a group of players who are all just as new as you to the system. &nbsp;That way you can all learn together. &nbsp;As long as you have the same goals in mind (tell a great story and have fun), it might be a really great experience.

True, never thought about interviewing people beforehand...sounds like a plan :)

@ Gordon V Interviewing people is an absolute must, really. It helps a lot to ensure that the players fit your style of play and assisting in telling them what you like. It's a great method of ensuring that you and your players are on the same page and they know what to expect of you. It does help a lot. :)

@Hypnos: I think it's great you're doing a guide. The problem is how many people will see it on roll20. Do people actually check forums other than LFG? Hopefully if you do something like that, it'll be advertised properly. It'd also be cool if you made it roll20 accessible as well since people would be overwhelmed with learning another ruleset of roll20 on top of DMing. I also can't emphasize enough how amazing the&nbsp; Beginner box for Pathfinder &nbsp;is. I'm not trying to blatantly advertise Paizo, but whether you can afford to buy it or retrieve it through other means that I wouldn't support, it is worth the money IMO. Black fang is a really easy campaign that you can run while learning the basics. Then you read the&nbsp; Pathfinder Directory &nbsp;for more advanced rules without buying the books and bam you are a DM. Easier than getting a passport or driver's license. Seriously, just do it. Saves you so much time. You also get the pleasure of telling other people to DM and why you can't DM someone's friend you don't know for a long campaign because you are already in enough games. xP

@hypnos: Where's you guide link? If it reads well I will post a link to it in my Forums. We have about 1400 members but most of them are just lurkers. Our daily visitors are about 20-30 a day but any visitor is better then no visitor. As for new DMs, I generally just teach by example. I've already helped a new player get his courage to start his campaign. He's recruited his players and have been in communication with them while he is prepping. All experience DM should be willing to answer any question and make suggestions (constructively) to new DM's as needed. As with the New DM that I'm helping, I walk him through how I set up for my campaign and show him different ways of doing stuff. As for recruiting players, I generally recommend opening up a dialog with them before the game is ready to be started. This way you can discuss what you are expecting in the game and they can have some input in the game also. For example, if you have an interested player that like to play a specific race but you never thought about that race, he can help you place that race in the game world or make a suggestion on that races' history. If you can get players interested in the game world then they will be more willing to become more involved in the game. I played in one game that had lizardmen for a playable character race but no one had done much work with them so I took charge of providing more detail to the DM while I played a lizardman character. I have encouraged my players to do the same also. This lets them become invested in the game more then just with their character. I still have players talk about this or that aspect of a game world because it reflected their work and it also allowed players to learn some of the aspects of being a DM and what goes on behind the screen.

@ Jesse S Thanks! I appreciate that. I'm not entirely sure how many folks will see it or will even use the resources, advice and what not, but, hey, if even one person gets the confidence and information to start playing their own game? Totally worth it at that point. I appreciate the links as well! I've already made sure to link in the Pathfinder SRD into my resources section as well. Also, I did make sure to link Roll20 off of it. That could be an interesting idea, though, doing an all out tutorial for Roll20, but I have no idea if that would be stepping on the site people's toes that did that instruction video and what not. If it's viable, though, I'd totally consider writing up a detailed tutorial for working Roll20 stuff. More information never really hurts. @ Metroknight I'll be posting the guide link as soon as I'm finished with the basic articles. Right now it feels a little barren in that degree, so I need to make sure to get it populated first with a few more things before I really start releasing the link. It still feels 'work in progress' and it would drive me just about insane to have people see the unpolished version. heh Sure enough though, I will be working on it more today and will hopefully be able to get it functional enough to show off. As well, really great advice! I'm definitely of the same mind when it comes to teaching and helping out those who are new to DMing. It offers a lot of confidence when someone is willing to help them out. Investment in the world is also pretty great, definitely.

@Hypnos Nah man. It shouldn't be a problem. If you write it well enough, the mods should even feature it.

Iserith said: @ Jason L: I find that DMs waste a lot of their prep time on things they don't need or on things that shouldn't be prepped (like the plot or minutia that can be improvised). Right now, my current process puts me at 4 hours of prep time to 16-20 hours of actual play. I think that's a good return and keeps me in the DM chair more often and more readily. This is for 4e D&amp;D. For something like Dungeon World, I can produce a solid 4 hours of play (maybe more if I wanted to) from zero prep. That is an incredibly low return on your time. In 4th edition, I spend perhaps 30mins at some point during the week writing a few notes on what will happen in the next session, and where necessary, notes on the ongoing campaign plot/villains/npcs etc. Then before each game session I spend another 30mins getting my notes ready, my "dm toolbox" open, and away I go. As a DM, the best thing one can learn is learning how to improvise. Games are a lot easier to prep and run, and they progress in a natural fashion according to the actions of the various factors in play- the NPCs, PCs, factions, the environment, deities, etc. I would encourage you to pickup a guide on how to run your games this way if you don't know well enough how to do this already. One such guide I would rate highly is Sly Flourish's Lazy DM.&nbsp; <a href="http://slyflourish.com/lazydm/" rel="nofollow">http://slyflourish.com/lazydm/</a>

The problem is not simply over&nbsp;prepping&nbsp;though, I've literaly used every single thing I've prepared for my players every session. Because my players are the type to be very creative or inquisitive. The only thing that has come close to not being used is encounters on a random roll table and thats becuse of the dice. An my players really don't like it when I fly by the seat of my pants.

Ardis F. said: That is an incredibly low return on your time. In 4th edition, I spend perhaps 30mins at some point during the week writing a few notes on what will happen in the next session, and where necessary, notes on the ongoing campaign plot/villains/npcs etc. Then before each game session I spend another 30mins getting my notes ready, my "dm toolbox" open, and away I go. As a DM, the best thing one can learn is learning how to improvise. Games are a lot easier to prep and run, and they progress in a natural fashion according to the actions of the various factors in play- the NPCs, PCs, factions, the environment, deities, etc. I would encourage you to pickup a guide on how to run your games this way if you don't know well enough how to do this already. One such guide I would rate highly is Sly Flourish's Lazy DM.&nbsp; <a href="http://slyflourish.com/lazydm/" rel="nofollow">http://slyflourish.com/lazydm/</a> You won't find someone more an advocate of improvisation and low prep than me. The 4 hours I quoted also includes what I consider a huge amount of production value on Roll20. (My games looks nice.) The basic framework for an action-packed 4 hour game is 1 hour or less including preparing nice maps. The rest of my time is on the bells and whistles. Also, check Sly Flourish's Twitter feed for how many times he retweets my low-prep advice!

Someone in my Sunday game just posted this video and I see there are a lot of related videos by the same creator so I just had to share it with this thread:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2WCh9aeWac" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2WCh9aeWac</a> &nbsp;It's tips and suggestions of what you can do to encourage things as a GM

It's good to hear that your prep time is mostly bells and whistles then. For the DM who chooses to spend a lot of time for the sake of indulging his world building and stretching his creative muscles, well, that's just grand :) Also I've been told that the link I posted to my guild recruitment thread leads to an error page. This error doesn't happen for me, so I'm not sure why it's occurring for everyone else; its unfortunate. Allow me to repost that thread OP below, through the magic of cut-pastery. Please excuse the crudity of quoting myself! ----------------------------------------------------- Hi, I'm Ardis Foxx, and I'm the Portal Commander of the Virtual Table RPG Portal. What's a portal? It's a a section of the gaming guild Eternal Vigilance- a section dedicated to organised play of tabletop roleplaying games over the internet. We're essentially a large community of friends who love playing games and teaching D&amp;D to anyone willing to learn. The friendships you make in Eternal Vigilance are like those you get in your local gaming group- they last.&nbsp; About the Virtual Table RPG Portal&nbsp; Overview&nbsp; The VTRPG Portal was founded in November 2011. We are mainly focused on the D&amp;D 4th Edition ruleset, but we also play other systems such as Pathfinder. We use the virtual table at&nbsp; <a href="http://roll20.net/" rel="nofollow">http://roll20.net/</a> &nbsp;to host these games online.&nbsp; Goals&nbsp; The motivating factor of the portal is to ensure the best play experience possible for an internet-based tabletop RPG. We seek to hold a high standard of excellence in creating, maintaining and running campaigns. Our goal is also to propagate- using a mentoring system we help new DM's every step of the way along their journey to becoming confident and successful DM's in their own right. For a detailed look at how we achieve this, please read the VT RPG Portal Charter.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.evcitadel.com/community/threads/official-vt-rpg-charter.27135/" rel="nofollow">http://www.evcitadel.com/community/threads/official-vt-rpg-charter.27135/</a> &nbsp; Why Join?&nbsp; Our portal offers more than any single gaming group can. We have a dedicated center of leadership, experienced Dungeon Masters, and expertly crafted campaigns. We are driven to make the game a success, and to elevate each member to a place where they can run their own campaign if they so choose. If you need advice on how to play or DM a game, we have the knowledge base to make it great.&nbsp; No matter what game we’re playing, Eternal Vigilance has always been dedicated to maintaining a friendly, mature, active community; we’re a home away from home. We’re as dedicated to our games as we are to our community, and we believe that if things are built on a solid foundation, they have every chance to exceed expectation. Although we realize that nothing is ever perfect, we know that the ability to change and evolve is important, which is why we are a democratic guild. Everyone has a voice that will be heard. These are the values we bring to tabletop gaming.&nbsp; If you're interested in joining or you just want to take a closer look, visit our website at&nbsp; <a href="http://www.evcitadel.com/community/threads/how-to-join-vt-rpg-applicants-read-this.27274/" rel="nofollow">http://www.evcitadel.com/community/threads/how-to-join-vt-rpg-applicants-read-this.27274/</a> .&nbsp;

I do DM, but to answer the original question.&nbsp; DM burnout - It takes more&nbsp;preparation&nbsp;and sometimes we just want to be players for a while.&nbsp;

^ this

James, that is why I play in at least one game a week while GMing another. Currently I GM 1game a week and play in two more. I might be GMing a second short term game in the near future as well.&nbsp; - Gauss

Woo, sorry I've been silent for so long. Been sick as hell and still am, but will be posting some progress soon! Things seem to be coming along pretty well!

This may or may not have already been stated. I only read about a third of the way through before I decided I wanted to post something. To address the original topic of the thread, there are really only two reasons why someone doesn't DM/GM ... they don't think they can or they just don't want to do it. There is a bit of crossover between the two, but it's as simple as that really. However, within those two possibilities lie a multitude of more specific reasons that vary as widely as the personalities of the people involved. It is something that would require an exhaustive list to quantify and even then it would undoubtedly miss some things. Hates being the center of attention Tried it once and hated it Tried it once, but sucked at it Don't have the time needed for all the prep Don't have the imagination for an entire campaign Can't think quickly enough to compensate for unexpected player actions Prefers being a player And the list could go on and on. Those who have never been a DM/GM often see the role as rather daunting. Those who have been or are a DM/GM know it -can- be pretty daunting at times. That scares some people and attracts others. There are as many styles of being a DM/GM as there are in being a player, but finding the style that suits you best takes time and experience. If you can remember the first time you played a TTRPG, you probably didn't have much of a clue what you were doing. Hopefully, you were part of a good group that didn't care and helped you out where you needed. And you may have discovered, via the experience of playing that character, that type of character didn't feel right to you. The next time out, you tried something different. And the next time, you began to get a feel for what felt right. You started to find your style of play. The same holds true for being a DM/GM. Nobody gets it all right the first time out, or even the second time. And even after 10+ years, or 20+ years, the DM/GM still screws up. It happens. So the real question becomes not -why- do you not DM/GM, but -how- do I get you to become one? For those who simply don't want to be one, not a whole lot can be done about that. No sense in wasting the time and effort to try and convert someone who isn't interested. But for those others ... the ones who think they might be interested, or are definitely interested, but feel scared or reluctant, daunted, overwhelmed, unsure or whatever reason is holding them back ... options are what is needed. Options that fit with the reason/s holding that person back in the first place. For any option to have a chance of success, there is one crucial factor that has to be present in all cases. Well, in best case anyway. That thing is a group that plays well together and can tolerate flubbups. Thinking about becoming a DM/GM and then looking at the monumental task of creating an entire campaign can stop some people before they ever get started. So, start smaller. Let a player help with some aspect of the campaign. I'm not talking about the Quartermaster that tracks all of the items or the Secretary/Journalist that records information, or any of the other OOC roles that help games run smoother, though those are certainly helpful roles. I'm talking about the DM/GM and apprentice DM/GM (ADM/AGM?) working together on one aspect of the campaign. New deity Important Lieutenants to the main villain Different way to track massive battles (100s or 1000s of units) Alternative hooks for certain situations/locations Which 'boss' for what encounter How best to make a boss unique Control of one or more NPCs, from relatively unimportant farmer to King Iwillgiveyoumoneytodothis Or any number of other things that are required when designed and/or running a campaign. It also allows for the player to get more of a feel on how to keep certain types of information compartmentalized and OOC from other parts, since the AGM would have GM info as well as PC info. Players already keep player and PC info separate, to less and greater degrees. As a DM/GM, that becomes even more important. This simple option also gives the player a taste on whether or not he/she wants to pursue the DM/GM role further. If so, then they get to run a mini-sesh. The easiest way to handle this aspect is that the player's PC is doing something else PC-related ... researching a new spell, working on an item, recovering in a temple/hospital, taking a break, spending all of his/her loot on whatever, visiting relatives ... whatever works best for that character. The DM/GM runs a PC/NPC that will be of the most use for what the AGM has in mind and the AGM takes over ... just for the mini-sesh within the main game session. Nothing complicated. The saws at the old mill have gone silent and no one's been seen coming or going for days. Half a dozen rooms maybe. A brawl in the streets turns into a free-for-all and then an all-out riot that engulfs the PCs whether they want it or not. Maybe they started it even. Maybe it's staged and something else is going on while this is covering it. The AGM gets to decide, or let the PCs decide if that's more of his/her style. And the beginnings of a side-plot are in the making. Or maybe it ties to the main plot somehow. Who knows? Someone managed to steal something from one or more of the PCs. Yeah, that's what all those idle dice rolls were for. Now the players know they weren't all idle. Or whatever. The entire mini designed and run by the AGM, but with the DM/GM having supervised/approved it and on hand to help if needed. This kind of thing is best done at lower levels, though if the AGM is up to it or has progressed enough, doing more complicated minis and even entire sessions, with higher level PCs, is certainly an option. This eases a player into the DM/GM role and allows them to take on more and more as their comfort zone and confidence level increases. It also ensures they have a safety net with the Primary DM/GM being right there if/when needed. Eventually, they will be able to run on their own, with their own ideas and then you reach the ideal situation ... each game session is run by a different DM/GM, allowing everyone the chance to just play. The group I used to play with IRL tried this to some degree, with various levels of failure/success. I hadn't thought it out quite as much as I have now, so it definitely could have been handled better. Alternating who was in charge of food for each game session worked out great though. LOL This kind of thing would probably work best IRL at an actual table, but I don't see why it couldn't work almost or as well via Roll20. Thus, my questionable input on the topic.

I don't like homework.

Hello all, &nbsp;I'm very new to the VTT arena. Been playing D&amp;D for a long time and been the DM for at least 90% of that time. Although I like to play too, usually after 2-3 sessions I'm ready to jump back behind the screen. &nbsp;My thought to the original question is that people are afraid to not be any good. &nbsp;D&amp;D and RPG's in general can be a fragile thing. &nbsp;I've had plenty of people I've had to beg to come play promising if you just play once you'll be hooked and then that game session sucked and they've never been back. &nbsp;No one wants that. For me, prep isn't an issue. I run a fast-n-loose with the rules game. As long as everyone's having fun, I don't particularly care about encumbrance or gold, or alignment or whatever. To me the story is more important and everyone being involved. My biggest piece of advice to a new DM would be 1. As long as you're having fun, then you're doing it right. 2. Steal ideas and make them your own. &nbsp;I used to read adventures and modules but any more I stick to podcasts. (my job has me driving a lot every day - keeps me occupied). I'll humbly suggest my own show; &nbsp;Dungeon Talk at Dndacademy.com, but I really like Critjuice, Boneshark, the Tome Show, Behind the DM screen, Critical Hits and Fear the Boot. &nbsp;My current game is mish-mash of all those shows I'm stealing from those, with healthy dose of my sensabilities. &nbsp;Takes a lot less time to prep when you take from someone else. I've not had a chance to run a game on here yet, but i'm hoping to soon just to see how it works. If anyone has any specific questions they'd like to ask about DM'ing i'm more than willing to answer and will likely feature the questions on our show. since I don't know how often I'll be back on here, feel free to e-mail me instead &nbsp;Podcast@dndacademy(dot)com Thanks!! Michael

Hi,&nbsp; I am new to roll20 as of this past month. I happened to stumble upon it, and I am thrilled that I did. I was actually looking for a thread JUST like this, to try to help me gauge other people's feelings on the subject. I have GM/DM'd games for many years, largely starting in the GURPS system when I was a kid. I have been very reluctant to throw myself out there for a few reasons. First, it has always been that I have DM'd with people I knew. Or at the very least, had a chance to meet first and feel out. The internet can be a very troll ridden place, and quite frankly, part of what deters me is the fear of getting disrespectful people. The last thing I want is to spend time trying to create something and be told (rudely) that it sucks, or even worse, just get trolled while trying to hold together a game. So there is that. Secondly, I worry quite a bit about rules-lawyers. I am one who really is loose about the rules. There are many things in 4e for example that I don't care for, and just work around it. I worry that in DMing,&nbsp;arguments &nbsp;might flare because I am not enforcing certain things, forgetting to apply status effects, or just generally going outside the box when it comes to combat. That said, I realize that there are plenty of people out there who just want to game. And for the most part, they are all pretty happy, chill folks that can roll with the punches so long as folks are having a good time. With that in mind, I do hope to throw my hat in the ring as a future DM here. But for now, I just wanted to express my thoughts.

@Alex: Trolls are a very real thing and they regenerate when wounded, but thankfully I've never seen one on roll20. That being said I GM with a no nonsene approach. There is a meme 'obvious troll is obvious' simply don't tolerate a troll. That being said it's hard enough to find games on here, why earn a bad rep trolling.&nbsp; In regards to rule lawyers, shut them down, you designed the encounter based off your understanding of the rules. I always tell people you're welcome to convince me after the game but we have a set amount of time to play and I'm not wasting it arguing made up rules in a made up game that represents a made up world. I'm a very new GM so I am always open to learning, but game time is game time.&nbsp; Also I recommend checking out the podcasts as well if your new to the game, a lot of insightful folks out there and it's easier to pop in ear buds than to read TLDR articles. The DnD_Academy podcast is very enjoyable and I'm happy to see them on here.&nbsp;

@voth--- very good advice, thank you.&nbsp; I absolutely will be DM-ing in the future. I actually enjoy it more than playing in most cases. I do just need to get a bit more acquainted with roll20, and get out of my own head about having to deal with the issues I mentioned. :) thanks again

@Alex: A GM who prefers to GM over be a PC is a sign of a good reliable &nbsp;GM IMO. If you have any questions over the mechanics of roll20 I have a couple hundred hours of roll20 GMing under my belt do feel free to PM me. If you are looking for a PC let me know too ;)

@Alex, you can still "get to know" players before you GM for them.In fact, the group I joined from a recruitment thread here has ended up being a pretty cool and compatible group in the end. It was a bit shaky to start and some people didn't mesh, but we ultimately sifted into a pretty sturdy core group. The sifting happened because we didn't have much feeling out to start and were thrown right in by the first GM, but then we chatted with each other a lot outside of sessions and really got to know each other better with extra banter on skype.&nbsp; When you start your games, I suggest having banter sessions because then you can feel out the currents of the group, work out character concepts and you can finalize with the group of people and characters that you think work best for the game you want to run. As long as you're up front with what you want from the group there should be no ill feelings. If you stress that you want people that can make detailed character concepts and are willing and able to be sociable not just as part of the roleplaying but outside it, then there should be no problem. Oh yes and also emphasize a commitment to showing up if that's important to you. If you don't mind a large amorphous group where some people are always rotating in and out every week or so, that's fine too.

I wish I had an answer but I just love being the GM. I love a good story and I love to tell them. Sometimes, I might run a module just because I think the characters are so fascinating and I want to bring them to life or the momentum of the story keeps you delving deeper. Sometimes, I wake up with this amazing epic story arc and immediately start writing down in my composition notebook of ideas. I have more campaign and adventure ideas then I have time to make them. I think that most GMs are GMs because they just fit that role better.

I originally got into GM'ing because if I didn't we wouldn't be playing. &nbsp;I now love it. &nbsp;But it is a lot of work. &nbsp;And I do love playing a player and not know everything, trying to figure things out. Luckily I now get both fixes. &nbsp;I just wish I could talk one of my players into running some Super hero games so I can get my super hero playing fix! :)

Getting the right group is important for the GM and players. I met some of my current group through meetup. Some people played one session and then moved on. It's normal for people to shop around for games. &nbsp;Less so in person as you may have limited options. But especially on a VTT. &nbsp;Interview potential players. Find out what type of game they are looking for. Once you find the right group for you you'll know. &nbsp;From what I can see so far, if you are willing to GM on here you should have no trouble finding players. &nbsp; Be picky and pick the ones you think fit your style best.&nbsp;