Typical games have one game master, huddled behind a screen, forcing the players to dance to his tune. At first, this is great, because he has absolute power. After a while, though, the lone GM begins to wonder, “Am I ever going to get to play a character?” At the same time, no new GMs from the group are given an opportunity to practice their craft.
What if there was a better solution? What if the GM could maintain power while still being able to play a character, a real character? This article is going to take a hard look at round-robin GMing and what it has to offer.
What is the round-robin style?
Round-robin GMing means that multiple members of the group take turns telling different parts of the same metaplot. The metaplot could be something as simple as, “Defeat the evil Empire,” or, “Maintain your status within the city.” If there are four players at the table, there are four potential GMs who can contribute to telling the story. The group can break it up so that each GM runs one sort of session each time (GM 1 always runs dungeon crawls, GM 2 always runs intrigue plots, GM 3 always runs masquerades and social scenarios). Each GM also makes a character who either sits out (hand waved as doing something else) or else plays a very small part during their sessions.
Why would a GM want to share power?
The GM actually gets a chance to play a character
Facilitating an entire story is different from playing one character. A GM typically is someone who has a love of writing and stories. They usually enjoy sharing their stories with others. However, all too often, a lone GM begins to feel trapped on his throne, unable to leave it for even a moment of freedom because there is just too much to be told. Perhaps no one else in the group feels comfortable with the power of the GM. Or maybe the other players refuse to take a turn because they just want to relax and enjoy themselves and let someone else do the work. Over time, this can lead to boredom, and perhaps even resentment. In the round-robin style, the lone GM actually gets to play as a character again, and remember what it’s like to show up to a game ready to let someone else tell the story. The lone GM gets to experience the joy of building a single character and watching them grow as the story progresses. Round-robin drags him out from behind his screen and gets him back in the game, like he was back when he first started playing.
The entire group takes ownership of the campaign
It is difficult for a person to feel disengaged from a game they are actively working on and writing. With the round-robin style, everyone is engaged with the world and with the story. Players begin making more responsible choices because they know they, on their turn, are going to have to deal with the consequences if they just go ahead and torch that orphanage. Players become more attached to NPCs when they get to put on their armor and act them out. The story becomes more real for everyone, because it’s a world the group is living in together.
You prevent game master burnout
If you have four GMs trading off, burnout is no longer an issue. The GM has no reason to feel pressured or stuck, because he has three other people picking up his slack. As mentioned before, he gets to play a character three-quarters of the time now. The several times I’ve been involved in round-robin games, they actually revitalize a burnt out GM, because he begins to overflow with story ideas. The GM can finally pick and choose what stories he wants to tell because a weekly game means he only has to tell one story per month. If a GM isn’t able to write for his week, he can always take a pass and roll on to the next GM, giving him an extra three weeks to come up with another story.
Players learn what it feels like to try to herd cats
Players who constantly challenge a GM’s rulings learn what it’s like to have to make calls on the fly. Players who enjoy derailing the story or who make choo-choo noises at the GM whenever the plot is set in front of them learn what it’s like to try to tell a story and have it fall apart or not be appreciated. Players who recklessly slaughter every NPC put in front of them learn how important surviving NPCs are to a continuing storyline. This should not be taken as an excuse for bitter lone GMs to lash back at players who have made their life difficult, but it is an opportunity to teach them what it feels like to want to tell your story to your friends. And this is an excellent opportunity to let those challenging players learn from some of their frustrating behaviors.
It reminds a game master what it feels like to be a player
Sometimes our minds get stuck behind the screen, and we forget what it feels like to have no control at all. A tyrannical lone GM may learn an important lesson when he steps out from behind the screen and has someone else telling him what he can and can’t do. He may also be given the opportunity to remember what attracted him to gaming in the first place, and what his players are looking for when they sit down at the table. When he steps back behind the screen, he may offer open-ended scenarios instead of 30-minute plot expositions.
This is the perfect situation to mentor new game masters
The reality of the role playing game field is that only a small percentage of the people involved actually want to run a game. A lot of this is due to the intimidation factor of having your creative abilities put on display in front of others. The best place to learn a new skill is around people who are also practicing it. This is also the perfect environment to get immediate feedback right at the table. More experienced GMs can provide great insight when the new GM flounders, and can give excellent feedback at the end.
Get out there and try it
These are only a few of the reasons to try out the round-robin setup. So get out there and try it with your group. Let me know in the comments what you think of this style, if you’ve tried it before, and how it went.