GM or player? GM AND player?

Deceptio said:

When the RP gets that far, that is. Regardless of role, I hate seeing an RP die before its time in the limelight is fully experienced. Still, RPer, GM, it's the experience that matters most to me. I really do enjoy both, maybe if I make a successful RP one day... I'll have a more valid opinion.~

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There is a huge pressure on a GM to keep an RP alive and running. When people are slow to post, he should be there to keep them on the right track just to keep the thread alive for one more week then another then another.

You think it's hard to post as a player? Just imagine what a GM feels when nobody is posting and his/her created world is slowly being lowered to literary graveyard.

Varys said:

There is a huge pressure on a GM to keep an RP alive and running. When people are slow to post, he should be there to keep them on the right track just to keep the thread alive for one more week then another then another.

You think it's hard to post as a player? Just imagine what a GM feels when nobody is posting and his/her created world is slowly being lowered to literary graveyard.

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Hey, hey, trust me... I don't think it's hard to post on a player, nor do I think it's easy for GMs either. I know how insanely difficult it can be for both.

All I'm saying is that I hate to see it when an RP dies. It's a sad time for all involved and it always disappoints me to see a good story and concept go under.~

Deceptio said:

Hey, hey, trust me... I don't think it's hard to post on a player, nor do I think it's easy for GMs either. I know how insanely difficult it can be for both.

All I'm saying is that I hate to see it when an RP dies. It's a sad time for all involved and it always disappoints me to see a good story and concept go under.~

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Hey hey I'm not contesting what you said. It's more like an added fact that the pressure is bigger on a GM to keep an RP alive.

But yes, tales of altaria

Varys said:

But yes, tales of altaria

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;-;

ahem. i've only ever GM'ed once and that actually fell rather flat, so i don't think i'm actually very good at it (as of yet anyway), but i actually think i'd like the worldbuilding and guiding role of a GM more than that of a player, haha. it's just that i'm terrible at coming up with storylines from scratch... i need a base to work with, hence being a player comes so much easier.

Nagi said:

;-;

ahem. i've only ever GM'ed once and that actually fell rather flat, so i don't think i'm actually very good at it (as of yet anyway), but i actually think i'd like the worldbuilding and guiding role of a GM more than that of a player, haha. it's just that i'm terrible at coming up with storylines from scratch... i need a base to work with, hence being a player comes so much easier.

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Well, now you are finding it pretty fun, aren't you? (;


So if we shift the question a bit from "roleplayer OR GM"... How do you guys feel about being a GM and a player in a RP?

Usually when I am a GM, I also sign up with a character of my own and am part of events just in the same way as my players are. But Star Wars could be an example, where I didn't quite sign up with my Felacatian smuggler, nor with my Jedi characters. I just claimed to be the GM and presented them and played them haha. And there have been RPs where I have only GMd and not participated as a player. That works too, if you feel like focusing completely on making a great experience for the others.

But usually I enjoy participating myself c:

Hello everyone, thought I'd share my 2 cents on this.
First of all my role playing experience comes from pen and paper role-playing games and 1-on-1 role-playing on tumblr. Only the first of those two includes a GM. My experience is not forum based so these things might not apply here.
In most cases of my role playing I've been a GM and while I originally didn't chose the role I found it to be amazing. The world building is simply awesome and it's a special kind of feeling when your players are enjoying their time in the world you created.
I've talked to some other GMs on a con I've been to about half a year ago and one of them described the differences between GMing and playing perfectly in my opinion. He said: "Playing a character is fun. Being a GM is fun work."
Imho that's exactly the way I feel about role-playing. When you are th player its a different feeling as you create this alterego of yourself that gets to develop over time. There is just nothing that rivals it.
In the end I would still probably chose GMing over playing as I have far more experience in it and as it feels amazing when you make someone happy with your work!

Fire said:

So if we shift the question a bit from "roleplayer OR GM"... How do you guys feel about being a GM and a player in a RP?

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I never tried being a player and a GM. If I'm a player, I tend to localize myself on characters who are interacting with me and myself. However, if you're a GM, you do need to know everything. Who is where? What is he doing and what is she not doing? If I play on my own RPs, I might tend to overlook some things.

Fire said:

So if we shift the question a bit from "roleplayer OR GM"... How do you guys feel about being a GM and a player in a RP?

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Mm i've only GM'd two Rps thus far and i've participated in both of them. Honestly I'd only GM an RP that i'd personally be interested in myself so even if I went into it wanting to just GM I most likely would just end up participating myself

Though I haven't GM'ed before, though I'm sure I will at some point, I can say with certainity that I would definitely participate as a player as well even if I'm GM. If I am GM'ing an RP that most likely means I like the story and I wouldn't be able to just sit back and watch as everyone else got to enjoy it. Too much fun to be part of the story!

I prefer to be a player in general because I like the simplicity of not having to manage, moderate, and motivate a bunch of people to post. As a GM, you have a lot of responsibility, and that's not something I realized for a long time as I kept failing string after string of RPs. Inventing the story and premise is one thing, keeping it going is another entirely. It requires skills of leadership and coordination that I don't think someone as... socially awkward as I properly displays.

However, situations have forced me to be a GM. A lot of the time, I've found I have a very specific idea I want to RP as and a majority of RPs don't cater to that. So I have to create my own. In this case, I'd rather be just a player who also happens to be a GM. I prefer my character to interact with everyone else's rather than being this almighty god force who people react to. It's also satisfying to be a GM in that the RP can be run exactly the way I want it. I'm a bit of a control freak and don't really react well to authorities that aren't me sometimes. I'm also determined to be a better GM, and prove that I can do it the next time I do it. So, whilst it's more fun to be a player, I find it's more rewarding to be a GM.

I did something horrible as a GM once. My PCs were on a mission trying to catch a necromancer. Their npc followers died, exploding Golems. They found a chair of revive. Only the elf could read it. After a while they thought about reviving the two allies. When they went back to look for the dead bodies they weren't there. As they left the Sun Oracle's temple they encountered their dead friends. Their bodies amalgamated into a walking 3 legged corps. I was never a PC. I would like to at least once.

I haven't had much success with GMing, but I can only think of two times when I've really struggled to make posts as a player. So there's only really one winner here.
I've only ever had one RP get off the ground, and I didnt even manage to complete a page, so GMing is a it of a tainted experience for me.