To the uninitiated, being a game master may appear simple, interesting, and perhaps glorious. The title grants absolute power over a campaign world, power to make decisions and affect lives. As a game master there is no one to contend with, no one to answer to. The decisions you make are final and beyond reproach. You have the authority to create whatever setting you desire and stock that setting with monsters, treasures, and people at your whim. The universe is yours to control and the players are simply in awe of your creativity and genius. On the surface, gaming mastering does have a seductive charm; but I am here to tell you it is all a facade.

First, absolute power is a false appraisal. A game master's power is limited to the rules that govern the fantasy setting and by an obligation of fairness and neutrality. Despite the game master's ability to alter the adventure and the characters within, he is bound to maintain an impartial judgment concerning the players and their actions. Should a game master become arrogant, dominating, or unjust, the game will lose its enjoyment and the players will simply stop playing. So, although a game master has the power to make decisions, the judgments must be balanced and fair.

Second, if you think a game master is beyond reproach, think again. Players have a pesky habit of speaking their minds, arguing their points, and fighting over rules and facts until they are red-faced and gasping for air. It doesn't make a difference how obscure the rule or if their rendition of the facts is flimsy. Players don't like to lose. They don't like their well-laid plans to go awry. Players want to be heroes and they want to win. Pure and simple. Because the game master is the only person the players can solicit for recompense, the game master can become buried in a quagmire. His every judgment and decision can be scrutinized and dissected. Furthermore, some players, in their pursuit of victory, will bully and pressure the game master while others will argue over rules and contingencies just for the sake of argument.

And then there is the campaign setting. While it is true that the game master can create whatever setting and story he desires, he best be thick-skinned. Players will comment on the setting, the names, the story, the plot, the individual people; you name it, the players will find humor in it. And, if they're not poking fun at the setting, they're trying to find a way to muck with the overall adventure in ways you can't imagine. They threaten people, they steal things, they provoke conflicts; they do everything except what you originally had planned. Sometimes players do these things because they think it is what they are supposed to do. Other times, they do it out of spite. Either way, the game master must improvise and adapt. Should the game master become too protective of the world he created, he can become impartial and judgmental; the game will suffer. The best thing to do is give players free reign, ignore their mockery, and remain unimposing and neutral. Having a sense of humor helps too.

Now, I've made these points simply to display the falsehoods of game mastering. Here are some actual facts. Being a game master is a hard and time-consuming endeavor. It takes hours of preparation work before each gaming session to provide an entertaining adventure and to prepare for the players' antics. The obligation requires an open mind, regardless of the effort that was expended to create the adventure. Things will not flow as you imagined. Players will find ways to thwart your well-developed scenarios. Also, a game master has no one to consult with or to apply for recompense. The only payment he receives for his hard work is the adulation he gets from his players. There will be times when such praise is slow coming. And then, during game play, being a game master can sometimes feel like a job rather than entertainment. Separated from the players, the game master cannot really experience the great victories and triumphs that his players enjoy nor can he rally by their sides during terrible defeats. In both cases he must remain unbiased and uninvolved. Like the genie in the lamp, the role of game master provides ultimate power but offers a lonely and isolated life.

I have experienced both sides of the screen and, in my opinion, there is nothing more exhilarating than being a game master despite its hardships. As a player I did have a great deal of fun solving puzzles, finding treasures, killing monsters, and advancing my characters. I must admit that I did occasionally argue with the game master over rules and, now and then, muddled with an adventure's plot. But, playing through an adventure in no way compares to actually creating one. It is the creation process that I enjoy - the building of worlds and the formulating of stories. I endure the pressures, the arguments, the mocking comments, the disparaging remarks, and the altering of my adventures. I spend the time necessary to create the setting and build the campaign, finding time in the spare minutes I have between life's obligations, and I enjoy each minute that I spend at the task.

Being a game master is a difficult task. There is so much more involved than rolling dice, describing situations, and spouting rules. A game master must be fully versed in his game, as well as his setting, and must always remain impartial despite his feelings for both his creation and his friends who are exploring it. So, next time you are playing in a campaign, keep in mind that the game master is not your adversary or your obstacle but rather your vehicle for playing. Without his devotion and commitment, you would not be gathered around the table on gaming nights having amazing fun creating the heroes that will live on in myth and legend. And, lastly, remember to tell your game master what a great job he or she is doing and try not to get consumed with rule mongering or heated arguments. Let everyone enjoy the gaming night. After all, you're all there to have fun.

By Mark Kibbe of Basement Games (www.basementgames.com)
© 2002 by Basement Games Unlimited, LLC. All rights reserved.