Line #54 Main/GameMaster


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2d4dea06_5033_4959_b2ec_b6d3abd89eef.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Roll for initiative!]]
3
4	-> ''"In [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]], there is no act more reckless and fraught with danger than that of outsmarting the DM."''
5	-->-- '''Creator/ShamusYoung'''
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7	%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional quotes on the quotes tab.
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9	Most [[TabletopRPG Tabletop Role-Playing Games]] isolate one player from the rest to fill the role of the Game Master (or [=GM=]), who has four major "hats" to wear:
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11	* ''Author'': The [=GM=] plans ([[SchrodingersGun in the]] [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants loosest sense of the word]]) the plot of the story of which the PlayerCharacters will interact; creating, adapting, or choosing the setting, populating that region with villains and other [[{{NPC}} Non-Player Characters]], and assigning them any necessary backgrounds, motivations, plans, and resources. Beware, as overdoing this aspect of the GM role can lead to [[{{Railroading}} preventing players from affecting the game with their choices]].
12	* ''Director'': During the game, while each non-GM player typically controls the actions of one character, the GM decides the actions of every other character. The GM may also direct a particular [=NPC=] that travels with the party (commonly known as a {{GMPC}}), but this is open to abuse since the GameMaster having a [[CreatorsPet "pet" NPC]] may compromise their role as a neutral entity.
13	* ''Referee'': In most [=Tabletop RPGs=], the rules are supplied to resolve conflicting situations (avoiding the "Bang! you're dead!"/"No, you missed!" quandary). The GM is expected to provide any necessary interpretation of those rules in fuzzy situations. The GM may also approve or provide house rules in order to cover these cases or provide a different gaming experience. And when that doesn't work, [[RuleZero the GM can just supersede the rules-as-written and decide what works best for them]].
14	* ''Manager'': The portion of [=GMing=] that takes people the most by surprise. The GM is typically the one to organize the game in the first place -- finding players, scheduling sessions, figuring out a place to play, acting as a mediator, and balancing the needs and desires of all participants. The last bit may include having to divine the real desires of indecisive or self-deluded players.
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16	The GM may be separated from the other players at the table by a cardboard screen that hides their notes on [=NPCs=] and upcoming events in the story; many games print custom GM screens, decorated with various tables and charts from the rulebooks, to reduce the amount of book referencing needed during play. Such screens have become less common -- many [=GM=]s and players prefer to use their computer to create their ''own'' screen, if they ever use one at all.
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18	Game Masters may be practiced actors, and some [=GM=]s are also talented vocal artists and authors -- for some, they're skills that see a ''lot'' of use, and many games have come into legend because of a memorable GM-controlled NPC.
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20	The Game Master may encourage a variety of game styles (ranging from MediaNotes/{{dice}}-heavy hack-and-slash to semi-freeform roleplaying) and moods (ranging from the [[KillerGameMaster sadistic and adversarial]] to [[MontyHaul loot raining from the heavens]]).
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22	The [=GM=]s in MMO Games (RPG or otherwise) are more like ''moderators'' with punitive powers but no ability to change the fundamentals of the game itself. They're the cops, in other words, whereas a Tabletop GM is the ruling deity of their world.
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24	The concept of what would become the Game Master in role-playing games dates back to early wargames. As chess was evolved to more closely model real-world battlefield conditions, some of these games required one or more neutral arbiters to enforce the rules fairly among all players and keep knowledge that players would not have (concealing and discovering a force's movements on the battlefield being an intrinsic part of warfare). As [=RPGs=] grew out of tabletop wargames, this neutral arbiter became not only the adjudicator of rules, but the author of the interactive story.
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26	----
27	Renaming the Game Master is a popular option to add a dash of custom flavor to a game:
28	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': "Referee" was the original term used in [[TabletopGame/OriginalDungeonsAndDragons the very first version]] (published in 1974 by Creator/GaryGygax and Dave Arneson, may they Role-play In Peace). "Dungeon Master", or "DM", arrived with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', which the game has stuck with ever since. It is from "Dungeon Master" that Game Master rose to become the generic term for such a player in a tabletop RPG.
29	* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'', first published in 1977, still uses "Referee".
30	* ''TabletopGame/AlienTheRoleplayingGame'' calls the referee the Game Mother, after the master computer from the original film, which handily still shortens to the common "GM".
31	* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'' calls its game master the Loremaster, after the in-universe term.
32	* Free League's ''Franchise/BladeRunner'' RPG uses "Game Runner".
33	* All three ''Franchise/StarWars'' [=RPGs=] use the simple "Gamemaster".
34	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' officially uses the generic "Game Master". Given the game's status as a spinoff of D&D 3.5, however, many groups continue to use the more flavorful "Dungeon Master" from the parent game.
35	* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': "Storyguide"
36	* "Chronicler" in ''TabletopGame/{{Witchcraft}}'' and ''TabletopGame/ConspiracyX'': Unsurprising, given that the same company adopted both games.
37	* ''Ghostbusters'' (West End): "Ghostmaster".
38	* ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Descent}}'' (Creator/FantasyFlightGames): Both board games cast the Dungeon Master as the Heroes' actual antagonist, the former as the BigBad (Zargon or Morcar, depending on where you bought the game), the latter as the Monster of the Week, called the Overlord.
39	** However, Descent's ''Road to Legend'' supplement has the Overlord act much more like a traditional EvilOverlord, with evil minions and a plot beyond "kill the other players".
40	* ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'': "Hollyhock God"; yes, it's a weird game.
41	* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'': "High Programmer"...sort of. The text actually usually calls him the Game Master, but the GM's section is labeled "Ultraviolet" clearance - which is the clearance of High Programmers.
42	** Lampshaded in the 25th Edition corebook on High Programmers: Unlike all other books, there is no GM section, since the High Programmers are the [=PCs=], here. Instead, the GM notes get sprinkled around, with the [=PCs=] being told to please not metagame, thank you.
43	* ''Space Opera'' (Fantasy Games Unlimited): "Star Master", or "SM".
44	* ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'', ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', and ''TabletopGame/{{Scion}}'' (White Wolf): "Storyteller".
45	* ''TabletopGame/{{Toon}}'': "Animator"
46	* ''TabletopGame/{{Spycraft}}'' (originally Alderac Entertainment Group, then Crafty Games): "Game Control" or "GC".
47	* The "Aedile" in ''TabletopGame/{{FATAL}}'' (though the game's original edition called them the "Maim Master").
48	* "Host" in ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'', ''Jadeclaw'', and other games from Sanguine Productions -- a term that deliberately emphasizes the ''Managerial'' hat in addition to the others. Even if the "Host" isn't inviting the other players into his ''home'', he's inviting them into his ''world''.
49	* The '70s third-party supplement vendor, JudgesGuild, got its name from the assumption that the DM was the game's "Judge," but it never caught on as a generic term.
50	** Yet they still insist on calling the DM that even today, in a rather {{Anvilicious}} manner. They really don't ever give up, do they?
51	** Though Creator/{{TSR}} themselves used it as a term for the GM of their ''TabletopGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' role-playing game.
52	** Creator/GamesWorkshop also got in on the judicial action, with "Judge Master"s laying down the law in the ''Judge Dredd'' role-playing game.
53	* "Director" in the RPG adaptations of ''Buffy'', ''Angel'', and ''Army Of Darkness''.
54	* In ''TabletopGame/CastlesAndCrusades'', they use the term "Castle Keeper."
55	* "Marshal" in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}''.
56	* "Leon" in ''Film/MidnightMadness''.
57	* "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Zombie Master]]" in ''TabletopGame/AllFleshMustBeEaten''.
58	* The "Nightmare Weaver" in [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Panic Panic]].
59	* "Zero Meister" in Spaceship Zero.
60	* The 1980s company "Pacesetter" (currently out of business) always came up with a term that would fit the initials CM. For their horror game ''Chill'', it was "Chill Master", ''Star Ace'' games were run by a "Campaign Master", and ''Timemaster'' had the "Continuum Master".
61	* "Dispatcher" in the TabletopGame/NinjaBurger RPG (second edition). Though, in this game, the GM takes on a more proactive role in the game and is an actual party member for all intents and purposes.
62	* ''TabletopGame/SeventhSea'' simply calls it the Game Master... but in the book Los Vagos (detailing a secret society run by a CaptainErsatz version of {{Franchise/Zorro}} in Castille, Spain's FantasyCounterpartCulture), it's called El Maestro de Juego...which is just Spanish for Game Master. (Said book contains a lot of GratuitousSpanish.)
63	* ''TabletopGame/DragonRaid'' uses the generic-sounding (but not actually very common) "Adventure Master."
64	* The ''Series/RedDwarf'' Roleplaying Game calls them the "AI", and encourages a bit of acting on their part beyond the norm.
65	* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' and all related games use "Keeper of Arcane Lore," usually abbreviated to just "Keeper".
66	** ''TabletopGame/DeltaGreen'' changed on its standalone version to "TheHandler" to fit with the games shift to SpyFiction and conspiracy thriller.
67	* The CRPG themed "Console" and "Super Console" calls him the "CPU".
68	* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
69	** Known as a "Gamesmaster" in the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' RPG GaidenGames ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' and ''Warhammer Quest'' (when using the optional roleplaying rules).
70	** In ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'', the ''Outlanders'' supplement for 1st Edition of the game and the ''Necromunda: Gang War'' books for 3rd edition introduced rules for campaigns run by a Game Master known as an Arbitrator[[note]]a rank of the Adeptus Arbites, the police force of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' setting[[/note]]. During such campaigns it is the job of the Arbitrator to organise games, keep track of campaign turns, introduce random events and generally make sure that all those involved in the campaign have the most fun possible.
71	* "Host" in ''TabletopGame/CastleFalkenstein'', to maintain the 19th century drawing-room atmosphere. Similarly, a PC is a "Dramatic Persona".
72	* "Overseer" in Fallout Pen and Paper.
73	* As ''Roleplay/ModelUnitedNations'' has been described as {{LARP}}ing in suits, and crisis committees -- in which you have constantly-changing topics of discussion -- require direction, the equivalent position to Game Master is the "Crisis Staff" (a collective GM of 3-5 members, typically) and the players are "Delegates".
74	* "[=HoLmeister=]" in ''TabletopGame/{{HoL}}''.
75	* The Producer of ''TabletopGame/PrimeTimeAdventures''.
76	* "Mythguide" in ''TabletopGame/AriaCanticleOfTheMonomyth''.
77	* "Raconteur" in ''TabletopGame/HolyLands''.
78	* Since 200+ people are playing at the ''Roleplay/OtakonLARP'', there’s a staff of [=GMs=], usually with specialization in certain areas, and two Co-Head [=GMs=]. There is also a special player category called “Specialist”. They are players that have proven experience and knowledge that allows them to be a little more involved in creating complicated plots with other players, utilizing limited "Manager" and "Referee" roles.
79	* ''TabletopGame/{{Ryuutama}}'' places the [=GM=] as a "Ryuujin" ([[OurDragonsAreDifferent a dragon that gathers the stories of mortals to nourish its eggs]]) who acts as the party's unseen guardian angel. Interestingly, [[ClassAndLevelSystem Ryuujin level up alongside the players, and each colour has abilities related to different kinds of stories]], giving them aspects of a SupportPartyMember.
80	* ''TabletopGame/StuporPowers'' says the Game Master needs a cool title to go with his (or her) position, and thus gives them the moniker of The Big Mac Daddy. (Even if they're female.)
81	* "Game Chief" in ''TabletopGame/PlanetMercenary''
82	* "Master of Ceremonies", short "MC", in ''TabletopGame/ApocalypseWorld''. The term was specifically chosen by the author to deemphasize the traditional Author hat of the GM in favor of Director and Referee roles ("ceremonies"), in accordance to Creator/TheForge's [[http://socratesrpg.blogspot.com/2006/08/what-is-gm.html philosophy]] that maintains that authorial control must be spread evenly across all game participants, rather than concentrated under the GM. Many games MediaNotes/PoweredByTheApocalypse continue to use the term for this reason, with some notable exceptions:
83	** ''TabletopGame/MonsterOfTheWeek'', however, homages ''Cthulhu'' and uses "Keeper" (short for "Keeper of Monsters and Mysteries") instead.
84	** ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfSeventySeven'': The DJ, evoking the old school [[TheSeventies 1970s]] radio DJ's who spun that groovy vinyl.
85	** ''TabletopGame/ThirstySwordLesbians'', not wanting to pass up a pun, dubs its GM the ''Gay''master.
86	** ''TabletopGame/WorldWideWrestling'' calls the GM "Creative" i.e. the driving force behind maintaining {{Kayfabe}} and booking matches in a wrestling promotion; it makes the GM sound like an actual collective, if one reads Creative as a team of writers rather than an individual.
87	* Speaking of TheSeventies, Spectrum Games's -- the same company behind ''TabletopGame/CartoonActionHour'' -- latest game, ''TabletopGame/RetroStar'', which focus on the decade's televised science fiction series, calls the Game Master "the Showrunner".
88	* "Game Moderator" in TabletopGame/{{GUMSHOE}} games.

Context Main / GameMaster