History Main / GameMaster

* "Host" in ''TabletopGame/CastleFalkenstein'', to maintain the 19th century drawing-room atmopsphere. Similarly, a PC is a "Dramatic Persona".

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': "Referee" was the original term used in the very first version (published in 1974 by Creator/GaryGygax and Dave Arneson, may they Role-play In Peace), and in ''{{Traveller}}'' (published in 1977). "Dungeon Master", or "DM", arrived with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', from which Game Master became the generic term.

** Though TSR themselves used it as a term for the GM of their ''TabletopGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' role-playing game.

* "Dispatcher" in the 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.

* "Marshal" in ''{{Deadlands}}''.

The Game Master may encourage a variety of game styles (ranging from 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]]).

** Speaking of TheSeventies, Spectrum Games's -- the same company behind "CartoonActionHour", latest game, "RetroStar", which focus on the decade's television science fiction series, calls the Game Master the Showrunner.

* "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Zombie Master]]" in ''AllFleshMustBeEaten''.

* "Host" in ''{{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''.

* ''[[SeventhSea 7th Sea]]'' 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.)
* [[DragonRaid DragonRaid]] uses the generic-sounding (but not actually very common) "Adventure Master."

* "Game Master" in ''{{Rifts}}'' and other Palladium systems.

* "Host" in ''CastleFalkenstein'', to maintain the 19th century drawing-room atmopsphere. Similarly, a PC is a "Dramatic Persona".

* ''[[SeventhSea 7th Sea]]'' simply calls it the Game Master... but in the book Los Vagos (detailing a secret society run by a CaptainErsatz version of {{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.)

* As ''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".

* ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest'' and ''Descent'' (Fantasy Flight Games): 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.

* Since 200+ people are playing at the ''LARP/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.

* ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'', ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', and ''TabletopGame/Scion'' (White Wolf): "Storyteller".

* ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' (White Wolf): "Storyteller".

* "Referee" was the original term, as used in the very first version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' (published in 1974 by Creator/GaryGygax and Dave Arneson, may they Role-play In Peace), and in {{Traveller}} (published in 1977).
* "Dungeon Master", or "DM", in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''; this term arrived with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, with Game Master being a genericized expansion from it.
* "Star Master", or "SM", in ''Space Opera'' by Fantasy Games Unlimited.
* "Storyteller", in ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' games by White Wolf.
* "Storyguide", in Atlas Games' ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica''.
* "Ghostmaster" in West End's ''Ghostbusters'' game.
* "Hollyhock God" in ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'' (yes, it's a weird game).
* "High Programmer" in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}''...sort of. Actually the text usually calls him the Game Master, but the GM's section is labeled "Ultraviolet" clearance - which is the clearance of High Programmers.
** 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.
* The Board Games Hero Quest and Descent both cast the Dungeon Master as the Heroes' actual antagonist, the former as the BigBad (Zargon or Morcar, depending on where you bought the game) and the latter as the Monster of the Week, called the Overlord.

* "Animator" in ''TabletopGame/{{Toon}}: The Cartoon RPG''
* "Game Control" or "GC" in ''Spycraft''

* "Leon" in "Midnight Madness".

* Since 200+ people are playing at the ''LARP/OtaLARP'', 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.

* Since 200+ people are playing at the ''OtaLARP'', 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.

* As ''ModelUnitedNations'' has been described as LARPing 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".

* The Producer of "TabletopGame/PrimeTimeAdventures"

* As ModelUnitedNations has been described as LARPing 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".

* The Producer of "Prime Time Adventures"

* "Raconteur" in ''Holy Lands''.

* "Referee" was the original term, as used in the very first version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' (published in 1974 by GaryGygax and Dave Arneson, may they Role-play In Peace), and in {{Traveller}} (published in 1977).

Most [[TabletopGames Tabletop RPGs]] isolate one player from the rest to fill the role of the Game Master (or [=GM=]), comprising four major "hats" to wear:

* ''Director'': During the game, while each of the other players typically controls the actions of ''one'' of the Player Characters, the GM decides the actions of all the [=NPCs=] as they are needed. The GM may also direct a particular "NPC" that travels with the party (commonly known as a {{GMPC}}), but this may occasionally be open to abuse since the GameMaster having a "pet" NPC may compromise his neutrality.

* The "Aedile" in {{FATAL}}.