I kinda feel like the pressure to professionalize is really cooking a lot of GMs. It’s kinda cooking me. I’m too busy with life and work to …

* produce carefully plotted games AND
* memorize everything AND
* lead scheduling AND
* make maps AND
* cover hosting AND
* figure out backstories / lore AND
* cover all interpersonal conflicts

AND To provide something that isn’t a bit of a chaotic mess. And you know, pay for most things since this is a NOTAFLOF game. And that is kinda the expectation among players. It is extremely common for them to not own books, or expect pirated copies. One player one said he enjoyed D&D because it was one of the few hobbies he could take up without expense. I just quietly looked at the dice, minis, space, books, food, drinks, and printouts I was providing and nodded. #TTRPG

@NullNowhere I don't know the whole story, but it just sounds like you're being used. These players are either too stupid to notice all the effort (and money) you put in, or they are just plain abusive.

It may not be ideal for you, but it's better to play solo than to put up with that kind of foolishness, I say.

@NullNowhere

To paraphrase Brennan, they have the guys from the books on their team now, it's not even really homebrew anymore.

@everbern@dice.camp I usually push back when it comes up, it’s more of an observation of my self and other GMs games.

I just really don’t like this direction in the GM community. You’ll generally get that sentiment “they’re just not contributing”, but if you ask for advice about how these things should be handled, other GMs will often tell you to handle it all. We complain but we’ve also internalized it as the norm that all the duties and responsibilities are on our shoulders.

@nmo@tilde.zone in the sense that they might have rules specific to their game I meant. But yeah, they’ve basically got professional game designers on staff to work and play test any rules BLM wants to modify or add. that’s an incredible resource. Meanwhile I am working with twine, duct tape and whatever gum we pry off of our shoes at the end of the day in this shop. ​​

@NullNowhere I like Brandon’s comedy work (and some other stuff), but I can’t get into recorded D&D. Feels like a fantasy themed panel show to me:/

Being a DM/GM is hard, being a really good one is rare. Players should be happy they can play to be honest.

@yon@sakurajima.moe I feel like tabletop gaming is just not a good spectator sport. It’s kinda boring from the outside.

I’ve had numerous people over the years who just “want to watch” to see if they want to play and they just don’t get it from the outside. They almost never joined us. All the jokes and enjoyment really only land because of the involvement.

Later I switched to a policy of “you either let me roll you up a character so you can join us for a night where we handhold you, or you don’t because otherwise you’re going to sit there bored while distracting us”. The turnaround rate on THESE prospects is way higher. 90% ended up taking on the hobby.

Most podcasts and live plays succeed (IMO) because of artificial agreements made behind the scenes with GMs and players, and their production values. These guys are producing a product together, not just hanging out gaming.