History Main / TheGmIsACheatingBastard

While Video Games are run by a cold, inhuman computer, TabletopGames can be more flexible because they spring from the mind of living, breathing GameMaster (who may or may not be cold and inhuman). The RandomNumberGod's power can be broken, plot-devices can appear to [[DeusExMachina save]] or [[DiabolusExMachina bedevil]] the players, encounters can suddenly [[DynamicDifficulty become harder or easier]] and, depending on whether or not the game is SeriousBusiness, in-jokes can abound. There are even specialty "Dungeon Master's UsefulNotes/{{Dice}}," which are more-or-less the same... but blank on every face!

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' has two examples.

* The infamous [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=9Kgx2b1sIRs "Dungeons and Dragons" sketch]] by The Dead Alewives (you know, "I'm attacking the darkness") has the Dungeon Master eventually reveal that he fudged a roll [[PetTheDog to avoid killing a character]] [[YouGotSpunk whose player showed admirable gumption]].

->''"Rule Zero: The GM is always right."''
-->-- '''Urban Dictionary'''

* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' has [[spoiler:Masamune Dan]]. While [[spoiler:his son Kuroto]] had an unfair {{GMPC}}, [[spoiler:Masamune]] has both the PurposelyOverpowered InfinityPlusOneSword and [[spoiler:the ability to pause time]], but anytime the heroes try to even the playing field, he'll try and undo it. Use energy items against him? He'll take them all for himself. Break his [[TransformationTrinket gashat]]? [[spoiler:He'll literally reset time.]] Summon and defeat the FinalBoss to end the game? [[spoiler:He'll fuse with it.]] Notably, when he's forced to play fair, [[UnskilledButStrong he's not very good]] and starts breaking down over it.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Inscryption}}'', the GM will fill his entire side of the field with powerful bears if you are beating a boss too easily on the first try, since he expects you to lose at least once to each boss. While difficult, it is still possible to defeat all of these bears, which will cause the game to continue as usual [[DeathGlare apart from the GM having glowing red eyes for the rest of the run]].

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* In ''Anime/YuGiOhSeason0'', Yami Bakura is this for his Monster World tabletop board game. As Game Master he initially cheats at his dice rolls to continue giving himself super criticals, until Yami Yugi counters with his own dice cheating and forces Bakura to implement a rule that forbade both of them from spinning the dice. However Bakura still manages to cheat, by using specially prepared dice with souls trapped in them. However, he then gets thwarted by the good Bakura who steals the dice and makes them roll the worst possible combination. His final act is to seal a part of his own soul into a pair of dice in an attempt to kill Yugi and his friends, but the good Bakura uses his own soul to possess said dice and destroy them, finally defeating Yami Bakura.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "D&DD", we see Dexter as a KillerGameMaster, cheating at dice rolls and throwing badly unbalanced encounters at his party for the express intent of "winning".

! In-universe Examples:

* ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' references this [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/37.html here]]. (The characters are in a DeepImmersionGaming situation, so it makes sense in that context.)
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "D&DD", we see Dexter as a KillerGameMaster, cheating at dice rolls and throwing badly unbalanced encounters at his party for the express intent of "winning".
* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' explores this relatively frequently, sarcastically (how else would they do things?) suggesting ''supreme'' vindictiveness on the part of those [=GM=]s. How? [[AWizardDidIt Magic.]] [[MagicAIsMagicA Magic doesn't work like that?]] ''' ''MAGIC'' '''.
* The rules of the parody RPG ''TabletopGame/{{Hol}}'' explicitly state that the "[=HoLmeister=]" is allowed to cheat whenever he wants to. Period.
** This is also the case with ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', to the point that GM Fiat is a listed equipment type.
* The infamous [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=9Kgx2b1sIRs "Dungeons and Dragons" sketch]] by The Dead Alewives (you know, "I'm attacking the darkness") has the Dungeon Master eventually reveal that he fudged a roll [[PetTheDog to avoid killing a character]] [[YouGotSpunk whose player showed admirable gumption]].
* In WebVideo/SpoonysCampaign, during one battle where Skitch's character Garret is downed and fails a death saving throw, [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] fudges it in order to make up for an unexplained AC penalty that came up (and was apparently a glitch in the character builder program). Or at least he tried, but Skitch was kind of spacing out and missed what was happening, causing Spoony to rescind his charity.
** In the ''WebVideo/CounterMonkey'' episode "Botchamania", Spoony describes a game where the players were suffering from a streak of bad luck and he ''tried'' to help them out by giving them more Saving Throws than they should have rightly gotten under the circumstances. Unfortunately, their luck was so unbelievably bad that they kept rolling {{Critical Failure}}s, meaning Spoony's charity was just giving them more opportunities to screw up.

* In ''VideoGame/CrossCode'', [[spoiler:Gautham]] is this. He appears in the game as [[spoiler: the Blue Avatar]] and uses his world-editing privileges to give some enemies unbeatable amounts of HP. His avatar can also fly.

* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'': Due to the meta nature of the game, the fact that this is one of its founding tropes is lampshaded every once in a while by characters. The best part is that its revealed in-universe that some of the characters are aware of their own fictionality, even ''after'' the point in the second main game when the game master is pulled into the game and a good number of the players decide to get revenge.
** And then amped up when SelfDemonstrating/DocScratch kills twinbuilder (the [=GM=] at the time) and takes over the game temporarily, abusing his [=GM=] powers, even up to the point where he becomes a boss.[[note]] That doesn't keep the players from [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] him though. [[/note]]
* Nimble in ''Film/TheGamers'' is basically able to change the rules of the game at will. His antics include {{Back Stab}}bing a powerful enemy with a ballista, and {{Retcon}}ning his own death ''three times''.
-->'''Nimble''': "Did I say walk down the corridor? I meant sneak down the corridor."\\
'''Nimble''': "Did I say sneak down the corridor? ...I crawl down the corridor. Inch by inch. Looking for traps."\\
'''Nimble''': ''[To Rogar, the party tank]'' "OK, actually, you go first."

* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' has [[spoiler: Masamune Dan]]. While [[spoiler: his son Kuroto]] had an unfair {{GMPC}}, [[spoiler: Masamune]] has both the PurposelyOverpowered InfinityPlusOneSword and [[spoiler: the ability to pause time]], but anytime the heroes try to even the playing field, he'll try and undo it. Use energy items against him? He'll take them all for himself. Break his [[TransformationTrinket gashat]]? [[spoiler: He'll literally reset time.]] Summon and defeat the FinalBoss to end the game? [[spoiler: He'll fuse with it.]] Notably, when he's forced to play fair, [[UnskilledButStrong he's not very good]] and starts breaking down over it.
* ''WebVideo/PuffinForest'': Discussed in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRIr4-oYj1A Should The GM Cheat in D&D?]]". The conclusion he came to is that it shouldn't be used to [[{{Railroading}} invalidate player choices]], and if used at all it should be used consistently.

* ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'': The [[BigBad Auditor]] used the [[RealityWarper Improbability Devices]] to give himself an advantage, such as when he infected [[KungFuJesus Jebus]] with a virus. It's possible that this is also how he also upgraded the [[Mook Agents]]. The Auditor also let [[MonsterClown Tricky]] use an Improbability Device, allowing Tricky to invoke this trope by constantly reviving himself and Hank.

* ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'': The Auditor used the [[RealityWarper Improbability Devices]] to give himself an advantage, such as when he infected Jebus with a virus. It's possible this is also how he also upgraded the [[Mooks Agents]]. The Auditor also let [[MonsterClown Tricky]] use an Improbability Device, allowing Tricky to invoke this trope by constantly reviving himself and Hank.

* The infamous "Dungeon of Dorks" sketch (you know, "I'm attacking the darkness") has the Dungeon Master eventually reveal that he fudged a roll [[PetTheDog to avoid killing a character]] [[YouGotSpunk whose player showed admirable gumption]].

...but sometimes, he's ''our'' cheating bastard.

-->--'''Creator/GaryGygax'''

-->--'''Urban Dictionary'''

While Video Games are run by a cold, inhuman computer, TabletopGames can be more flexible because they spring from the mind of living, breathing GameMaster (who may or may not be cold and inhuman.) The RandomNumberGod's power can be broken, plot-devices can appear to [[DeusExMachina save]] or [[DiabolusExMachina bedevil]] the players, encounters can suddenly [[DynamicDifficulty become harder or easier]] and, depending on whether or not the game is SeriousBusiness, in-jokes can abound. There are even specialty "Dungeon Master's UsefulNotes/{{Dice}}," which are more-or-less the same... but blank on every face!