For Dm(s): why do you enjoy dming?

[Entessa]

I swear I understand the appeal of being a player, but not a DM.

Can you guys explain me:
1) What's the enjoyment you get as a dm
2) Why does it appeal to you?

Cheers

[Batcathat]

I think it mostly appeals to my creative side. I like creating characters, creating settings, creating stories.

[KorvinStarmast]

It's fun.
Creativity is its own reward.
In some cases it's a labor of love.

And when I've done it too much I stop, and let someone else do it.

[Telonius]

It's definitely rewarding, but in a different way than being a player. It's like the difference between being an actor and being the stage manager. Creating that space where everybody can have fun and shine can be a great feeling.

It's a creative outlet, too. My groups usually have longer-term campaigns, so setting up an over-arching (but not too complicated) plot with memorable side characters can be great. The look on my players' faces when they realize a betrayal, or get a truly weapons-grade hidden pun, is wonderful.

One of my favorite examples: about half of a campaign a few years back took place in a D&D variant of Equestria, with nearly all of the side characters being lifted directly from MLP. Names had been changed to protect the joke. Iris "Speedy" Ritter was the town barbarian; Diane Copperwing was the local Bard; a gnome with a purple Pseudodragon familiar named Fang ran Ye Olde Magick Shoppe and Library... It wasn't until they got to the capital city (described extremely closely to Canterlot) and had to stop a wedding of the Queen's sister that they finally got the references. Everybody was laughing for a good twenty minutes as they went through them all.

Sometimes being DM is a practical necessity. If I'm the most experienced gamer in the group, it'll sometimes be that if I'm not DMing, nobody else will.

[Anonymouswizard]

To me there's also the challenge of having to improvise plot and characters on the fly. Yes some people walk into the room with a hundred statted and backstoried NPCs and a full adventure, I go in with a few ideas and maybe a folder of stats*.

You as a player are likely thinking along one of three lines: how can I kill all the baddies, how can I get the most pie for the least effort, and how can I make this a better story. To me GMing is the third but more, I've got to stop the story from bogging down, bring back old plot threads, and come up with the next set piece all while the game is running, ideally without losing anybody's attention (to their phone/book/computer, not to other players being awesome). When GMing I can throw a villainous plot or inescapable deathtrap at my players and see them come up with six ways to foil it of which at least one will make a good story.

Sure we don't come out with the deepest stories. But I'm getting much better at steering more enjoyable ones.

* Including the 5 NPCs with custom stats and notes on which recurring character gets what.

[Grod_The_Giant]

A lot of reasons. I enjoy the mechanical side of games, and GMing lets me indulge that a lot more than being a player usually does; I like the extra power to add elements to the world when roleplaying; I LOVE the moments when I can sweep the players up into my narration and control the mood of the table...

And at the risk of sounding egocentric, a less obvious but (to me) very important element is that the GM is, by necessity, the focal point of the group. You don't really have to share the spotlight and wait for other people to finish their turns/roleplaying scenes/etc--everything in the game passes through your hands. I mean, everything is still geared towards showcasing the players, but the constantly active nature of GMing makes it way easier for my ADHD-addled brain to stay focused and engaged for the entire session.

[Telok]

1) I enjoy the world building and being surprised by players.
2) I means I get to play something other than the current D&D or a super similar d20 knockoff.

[OldTrees1]

There are a few sources of enjoyment:

1) Player agency results in surprises. Imagine the last time you enjoyed something one of the other PCs did. Being a GM puts you in a great place to see those things, including the cases that are not visible to the players.

Two examples:
A) The party is in a dystopia and came across a coven of hags that ate children. Instead of avoiding or fighting the hags, they struck a carefully worded peace that would limit the victims. They made allies out of these hags. Already that is a great session. However I also knew the party would likely free a second stronger rival coven of hags. The PCs had not only gained an ally, but they set up a future conflict.

B) Later in that campaign the party found a prison for many strong malicious spirits. These spirits were individually stronger than the current BBEG. The party went out of their way to free a handful of these spirits before realizing what they had done. (Normally this is a cliche that requires railroading instead of unexpected outcome of player agency). As a result an extra chapter was added to the campaign because the old BBEG was no longer the end of the campaign.

I would have thoroughly enjoyed both of these cases as a normal player, however my 3rd person vantage as a GM let me see the rippling side effects of their actions. That foreshadowing improved the story for me by building up my anticipation. You can tell players surprising me is the big appeal for me. I'll be more concise on the other reasons.

2) You get the big picture. Players get to enjoy discovering parts of the picture until they have a good idea of the overall shape. GMs can see it directly. Imagine being in a dungeon with rotating rooms and rooms that change floor. Now imagine watching a group go through that dungeon.

3) Everyone has areas of the game they like to invest more love and care into. While being a GM means you want to make sure everyone gets an enjoyable game, that also means you can put a little more into parts you like too. For me that is dungeons.

4) Worldbuilding. The creative process of creating a world can be fun. Other people exploring that world, and thus sharing that world, is another aspect to that fun.

5) Hanging out with friends over a shared hobby. Having someone GM is usually a requirement for an RPG. Some of the reward of GMing is having the session happen.

[elros]

1) I enjoy the world building and being surprised by players.
Those are my main reasons, too. I like building worlds without an overarching narrative, and then I would watch the players take things in directions I could not have predicted. I mainly DMed lower power games, so the players could decide if they wanted to work with or against more powerful characters and organizations. My players enjoyed doing the things they wanted, and I had to react to keep them on their toes.
The other big reason is that as a player you get to role play one character, but as a DM I could role play dozens of them! Each merchant did not have to be memorable, but there were characters that the PCs got to know as the campaigns played on.

BTW, what is MLP? I didn’t get the reference.

[OldTrees1]

BTW, what is MLP? I didn’t get the reference.

My Little Pony (probably the Friendship Is Magic generation). A good source for inspiration.

[RedMage125]

I swear I understand the appeal of being a player, but not a DM.

Can you guys explain me:
1) What's the enjoyment you get as a dm
2) Why does it appeal to you?

Cheers
Man, I could fill a huge block of text, but a lot of what I was going to say has been said. So I'm just seconding almost all of it, lol.

And one of the key distinctions is this:

It's definitely rewarding, but in a different way than being a player.

It's a whole different kind of fun. A lot of us DMs like to also have at least one game where we get to play, too. Because we like BOTH. But the enjoyment derived from one isn't even the same as another.

Compare to other kinds of fun and enjoyment people have. I thoroughly enjoy time spent with my wife on the couch watching an engaging story from binging a Netflix show. I also enjoy rollercoasters that get my heart racing. Entirely different kinds of enjoyment.

[Saintheart]

I swear I understand the appeal of being a player, but not a DM.

Can you guys explain me:
1) What's the enjoyment you get as a dm
2) Why does it appeal to you?

Cheers

(1) Service to others. Seeing people enjoy themselves over playing in, or with, you made, an experience you gave them -- that's the real enjoyment I get from DMing. Knowing you made someone forget the world for a while, knowing someone who comes back to your table (or your PbP thread in my case) is, by their actions, opting for your experience over any other experience they could be having - video game, nightclubbing, watching a movie, watching a band - that's something both rewarding and a spur to hold you to the mark.

(2)
(a) Control
(b) width of perspective
(c) constant shifts between immersion and the metagame
(d) bounded creativity.

(a) I don't control that much in my own life. I can control a RPG. Well, I don't completely control the game, of course, but I can control what challenges you meet, what choices you have available, what vistas you see, what people you run into, how much of a hero you can become. I can make you enjoy something by saying "yes" or "no" to you in careful denominations of either. If I'm good at it, you'll take the world I give you and surprise me with your actions in it. And if I'm at my absolute best, I can make you feel something for people who do not exist. And rather than write a novel, hope it reaches someone in the world, and hope I don't get destroyed by Current Political Obsessions, I can watch your reaction in more or less real time.

(b) I have greater width of perspective than you, as a player, will ever have.
You have your character's viewpoint and maybe his meta-analysis of other characters he meets.
If I choose to dive into it, I know what every character you meet is thinking, I know what their obsessions are, I know their fears, I know their hopes, I know their secret guilts.
I know you don't care about the default merchant who sold you a +2 arrow, but I know he sold you a knockoff version that'll break in flight, and I know he did it because he's tried so hard at succeeding honestly but can't due to the protection racket in his city run by a rakshasha and the ruinous rates it charges, making his dishonesty necessary if he wants to feed his disabled child who cannot be cured by the local cleric because he does not worship the God of Justice.
I know the hobgoblin warlord you skewered had dedicated his life to raising his people from the squalor the local elves had crushed them into, and has already inspired a new generation of zealots who will aspire to be like him.
I know the masterwork buckler you recovered with a faded insignia on it was wielded by a halfling who made a last stand against a hundred lizardmen to allow his family to get away, and the shield has survived this long because the archons of his god were so touched by his loyalty and his sacrifice they vowed to never let that little memory of him pass from the world.
I know the man you mentioned in the "Enemies" section of your Character Sheet. I know he long ago repented of the evil he did to you and has been seeking you out to ask your forgiveness and ask for your help liberating his little sister from the Scarlet Pillow in Akaban, a thousand miles from here.
I know your past better than you do. I can tell you a memory from your character's childhood, I can take you to the moment you chose the vocation of mage, or cleric, or fighter, or outcast rogue, and what your mother and father said to you to place you on that path.
If I choose to run a module, I know where your story ends, and all that happens through it.
I am not just some deity in the setting, I am the setting, I am the sun, the clouds, the hills, and every blade of grass in the plain you walk across.

(c) I can shift, freely, between being immersed in the world I give you and out to judge whether what I am giving you is going to excite your interest. I can sit back and imagine your group meeting a literal deity, imagine the sounds, the speeches, the smells, the sights ... and I can freely shift out to ask myself "Okay, but what challenge, what choice is there for my players in this?" Because finding choices, first, and challenges, second, is what the game is all about. I can engage in worldbuilding, crafting out the village down to its last plank, or I can throw up the equivalent of cardboard standups on a theatre stage and you won't know the difference. In fact odds are on you'll probably surprise me more with the latter than the former. People talk about RPGs being "like" videogames, or "like" stories, or "like" movies with the PCs as the main characters. TTRPGs are in fact not like any of them. They are a unique source of entertainment, as difficult to master as high art but forgiving on failure and their own creature.

(d) I can create stories without having to write novels. I can create situations within the bounds of modules; I am most comfortable filling in little side stories within wider set modules or campaigns - hence why I like Red Hand of Doom so much, and probably why my efforts at Adventure Paths fail. And I can incorporate anything you do, any surprise you give me as a player, amplify it, play it up, make it the centre of the story that emerges from the game. That is bounded creativity in one of its finest forms, and it's a major appeal to me.

[Jay R]

1. I like making my friends happy. I have run fencing tournaments, put on birthday parties, and held performing competitions. When I see them having the satisfaction of playing, that makes me happy too.

2. I like world-building. It's creative, and it's fun to make up ideas for towns, ruins, forests, caverns, etc.

3. There's a puzzle aspect to designing encounters. There's a very narrow window where it is challenging without being overwhelming.

4. I like playing a role. As a player, I get to play the hero. As a DM, I get to play the villain, the victim, the bystanders, the queen, the dragon, the tavern keeper, the blacksmith, the sphinx, the ....

5. I don't need it all the time, but there is a comfort level in sometimes being in control.

"Because I have known the torment of thirst, I would build a well where others may drink."
-- Ernest Thompson Seton

[NichG]

For me there's a sense of being able to explore the potential of ideas in a way you can't just do by yourself. You can ask questions you don't have an answer to and see if they get answered, or sometimes the players will find ways to push things or react to things or engage with things that bring out details or new ideas. In that sense, it's sort of like running a conceptual experiment rather than telling a story.

[Batcathat]

It's a whole different kind of fun. A lot of us DMs like to also have at least one game where we get to play, too. Because we like BOTH. But the enjoyment derived from one isn't even the same as another.

This raises an interesting question, I think. There are plenty of people who like playing but don't like GMing, but I don't think I've ever met someone or even heard of someone who only likes GMing, but not playing (there are people who don't get to play or who prefer GMing, of course).

[Telok]

I don't think I've ever met someone or even heard of someone who only likes GMing, but not playing (there are people who don't get to play or who prefer GMing, of course).

I'm getting there. The only stuff I can play is whatever the current D&D/knockoff is, and over the last few editions/knockoffs the increasing limitations on PC capability for the sake of some idealized balance theory have worn pretty thin for me.

[Mastikator]

To crush the PCs, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of the players.

[Batcathat]

I'm getting there. The only stuff I can play is whatever the current D&D/knockoff is, and over the last few editions/knockoffs the increasing limitations on PC capability for the sake of some idealized balance theory have worn pretty thin for me.

That sounds more like you're not getting to play what you want, rather than not liking to play at all. Granted, the end result is pretty much the same in practice.

[Saintheart]

to crush the pcs, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of the players.

Between the time when WOTC drank TSR, and the rise of the sons of Paizo, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jewelled crown of DungeonMaster upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!

[DigoDragon]

It's definitely the labor of love for me. I enjoy world building and creating rosters of interesting NPCs for the party to interact with.

[elros]

This raises an interesting question, I think. There are plenty of people who like playing but don't like GMing, but I don't think I've ever met someone or even heard of someone who only likes GMing, but not playing (there are people who don't get to play or who prefer GMing, of course).
I agree, but I would add that I am a better GM than I am a player! I am better at creating worlds than I am at trying to figure out how to overcome challenges, which is why I love seeing the PCs do things that I would not have thought of.
That said, I am interested in trying out being a PC in a PbP, so I should start looking for one.

[Grod_The_Giant]

To crush the PCs, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of the players.
Thread over, Madtikator has delivered the prefect answer.

[RedMage125]

Thread over, Madtikator has delivered the prefect answer.
I thought so, too. But then...

Between the time when WOTC drank TSR, and the rise of the sons of Paizo, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jewelled crown of DungeonMaster upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!

Saintheart won an entire internet.

[Kurt Kurageous]

To crush the PCs, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of the players.

Gut-splitting! ROTFL!

My reasons are a creative outlet. I like telling a good story, building up tension, bringing in the unexpected, seeing the faces of the players react to elements.

I write as a hobby. I get to think about conflicts. I get to develop a way of writing that makes it easy to run at table. And I occasionally get to be Strahd.

[Pauly]

In addition to things others have mentioned I specifically enjoy building set piece challenges for the players to overcome.

For example:
About 25 years ago I designed a dungeon set piece for a one shot for a convention. It was a 9 level dungeon based on a ruined factory map, I think from a traveller supplement. The players entered at level 3 and had to exit on level 7. The wizard had an item that showed the layout of the 2 floors up and down from his current level. Each level had 3 to 4 ways to go up and down, there were no doors to lock behind them, and the locations of things they could hear but not see marked by counters on the map, and each level had an entrance or 2 from which additional defenders could enter the map. Some of the monsters were rats and bats moving around, with no combat, others were strong enemies with limited mobility, some were weak enemies with high movement.
The fun for me was seeing how players responded to an environment where SOP (meat shields out front, casters at the back, don’t worry about your rear) didn’t apply. I got a couple of TPKs, which ended in the group being captured and set down a different path, but the groups that were able to grasp 3D and the need to change tactics had a lot of fun.

[J-H]

I seem to be one of the few who can consistently run a 1+ year campaign reliably (life choices and follow-through).
I like getting to try lots of different character types (briefly) by making enemies.
I run the kinds of games I would want to play in with a longer storyline, interesting combat, varied encounters, and little rail-roading.

[Shpadoinkle]

It lets me use the bajillion characters I've drawn up but will never have time to play. I have a bunch of character sheets, so I drop them into my game as NPCs, sometimes they're helpful, sometimes they're antagonists.

[Tawmis]

I swear I understand the appeal of being a player, but not a DM.
Can you guys explain me:
1) What's the enjoyment you get as a dm
2) Why does it appeal to you?
Cheers

For me, it's quite simple.
I have, since the 4th grade - have wanted to be a writer. My teacher read The Hobbit to the class and it changed me forever.
Over the many years since then - I've written a number of stories, short stories, poems, lyrics, you name it.

Now, if someone is a visual artist - like a painter - and they show their painting - the reaction (good or bad) is instant.
If someone is a musical artist - like a pianist - and they play their music - the reaction (good or bad) is instant.
If you're a writer - and hand someone a short story - they will "get to it eventually."

When you DM - you're opening up a story, a world, full of characters, problems and dynamics -

And your players are interacting with it all.

Giving you that instant reaction to what you've just described (good or bad) instantly.

Over the many, many, many years - my DMing skills have greatly improved because of it.

As a result, so has my own writing.

[Anonymouswizard]

It lets me use the bajillion characters I've drawn up but will never have time to play. I have a bunch of character sheets, so I drop them into my game as NPCs, sometimes they're helpful, sometimes they're antagonists.

Heh, this was why I got into Gaming in my teens. Endless hours making D&D 3.5 1st level PCs, who I eventually realise could be used as filler.

Don't have time for rolling up endless characters anymore, but maybe when I'm old you'll find me in a retirement home preparing characters and running games for the other residents. Until then I still like Gaming, but I do have to do it in a different way than I used to.

Old AW: *Shakes fist* back in my day we didn't have these fancy online map rollers or AI GMs. Now pick up those dice and roll for initiative.
Carer: can you keep it down please you're disturbing the other residents.

[elros]

Heh, this was why I got into Gaming in my teens. Endless hours making D&D 3.5 1st level PCs, who I eventually realise could be used as filler.

Don't have time for rolling up endless characters anymore, but maybe when I'm old you'll find me in a retirement home preparing characters and running games for the other residents. Until then I still like Gaming, but I do have to do it in a different way than I used to.
I can think of many things worse than playing RPGs in a retirement home!

[Name_Here]

For me it’s the constant engagement. When I’m DMing I’m always talking to players trying to suds out what they want and how to make it happen and how their actions effect the world I’m making.

As a player I can’t do that. I try support and cheer on the other players but it’s just not the same constant input. I try to hold back so I’m not just constantly taking over the game just cause I’m loud and hard headed.

Might be the difference between playing a video game and watching somebody else play a video game.

[Anonymouswizard]

I can think of many things worse than playing RPGs in a retirement home!

Oh it's all fun and games, at least until I pull out the Belial's Brood sourcebook.

More seriously, in a small home* and/or day centre I think it would be a lot of fun for those involved. It wasn't meant to be a bad thing, just an easy way to express when I think I'll have the time to do lots of prep again. It's certainly a better fate than spending all day in a home watching TV.

Heck, I'm sure many homes could do with a better board games collection. Not big modern games for serious players, but certainly things like Scrabble and Apples to Apples.

* Many large homes have issues which I won't go into here.

[Yora]

I believe/tell/delude myself that I know how a really great campaign is run much better than most people, and that everyone should see how much more fun they are than the mainstream stuff presented in rulebooks. And the best way to get people to enjoy it is to start and run campaigns myself.

Now that I think of it, it actually fits the expression of my ADHD. When I find something amazing, I impulsively want to share it with others to let them marvel at it as well.
If they want to or not. :smallwink:

[Lemmy]

- I love creating new worlds and their history and lore.

- I love trying multiple characters that I'd never have the chance to play as a player.

- I love seeing (and being surprised by) how other players come with ways to deal with different situations.

- I love hinting at the history and lore of a world or character without actually giving it all away in a silver plate. Like adding an ancient building that has no kitchens or bathrooms because it was built and inhabited by sentient constructs.... Even if no one will catch on to it.

- I also don't like interrupting other players, so sometimes my own PC ends up a little erased... As a GM, that problem doesn't really happen.

- I love creating new types of creatures and artifacts and everything else.

My favorite part of TTRPG is the absolute freedom they give you. And who has more freedom than the GM??

That's probably why I'm a better GM than player. I tend to be very permissive and liberal with improvising, home-brewing, etc... But as a player, I don't have nearly as much control on what the game will include.

[Mr Beer]

- I like being the centre of attention sometimes. As a player you speak sometimes, as a GM, you speak all the time. It's fun.

- I like making people laugh, since you are playing every person in the world who isn't a PC, there is ample opportunity to crack jokes.

- Sometimes its the only way I can play the game I want to play.

- It's more involved than being a player, so it's more rewarding.

- Being able to make good decisions on the fly is a skill, it feels good to use your skills.

- It's nice to help other people have fun.

- It's great when players do something interesting or creative and you can reward them for doing that by running with it.

[elros]

- Sometimes its the only way I can play the game I want to play.

- It's more involved than being a player, so it's more rewarding.

- Being able to make good decisions on the fly is a skill, it feels good to use your skills.

- It's nice to help other people have fun.

- It's great when players do something interesting or creative and you can reward them for doing that by running with it.
I agree with that list, and I would add “being able to try out a new game.”
Like many people on this forum, I read more RPGs than I play, so if I want to play some of them I have to be the one to GM. The one thing I regret is that there are certain games that seem great but I have trouble figuring out how I want the game to go, and I wish I had someone who could set up and run the game instead. The World of Darkness games are that for me- great concepts, but I wish I could be a character in someone else’s campaign.

[Jervis]

I'm a control freak who's never satisfied playing one character. Simple as that really. It lets me flex my creativity and play every character who isn't a player. I also tend to get annoyed when i'm a player for too long because my plans usually don't work out as well as id picture, and since i'm very narrative minded that gets on my nerves.

All of this is to say that I'm a horrible, horrible player but a above average GM. (At least i hope so)

[Easy e]

This is a difficult question to answer......

There is a certain satisfaction with helping lead the players through a compelling and interesting session, that they leave the table from wanting to play more, listening to them recount the tales, planning what to do next, and just having a good reaction to the session.

It is like a form of recognition, that you did a good job and everyone had fun. It is a hit of endorphins. What specifically causes that response? I am less sure about.

[Jay R]

When I am a player, I am playing D&D for a few hours on the weekend, once a week, and when creating or leveling up my PC.

When I am a DM, I am playing D&D for a few hours on the weekend, plus every day, whenever I have some free time to work on world-building, NPC creation, or encounters.