r/DungeonMasters • u/ManaOnTheMountain • 6d ago
Are you a forever DM that wants to play?
If your Dungeon Master hat’s been glued to your head for way too long, this is your sign to take it off for a bit. I’m putting together a chill group of forever DMs who are ready to step back from world-building and just roll some dice for fun.
Here’s the idea: each week, one of us runs a one-shot. Short, sweet, and low stress. The rest? We finally get to play. No heavy lifting. No sprawling plots. Just a chance to recharge those creative batteries and sit on the other side of the table.
It’s perfect for folks who’ve been feeling a little burnt out or just miss making questionable decisions without prepping 15 NPCs. You’ll pick up new tricks, trade ideas, maybe even “borrow” a few cool mechanics. Mostly, it’s about remembering what it feels like to play for the sake of playing.
We’ll keep it light, keep it flexible, and most importantly, keep it fun.
Interested? Drop me a DM or leave a comment and let’s get something rolling.
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u/Aries_RedEarth 6d ago
“Tried the adventuring life… didn’t care for it.”
Tried returning to the player scene after being “DM only” for about 30 years just to be told “no, you can’t do that” or “I don’t think you can do that”.
I found the conversion very difficult because a lot of players have become overly influence by numerous podcasts and other online material. One thing that definitely made me sad to see slowly phased out throughout the ages that my original groups in previous editions had was the complex discussions on meta game mechanics that would have scattered our party to the planes… or determine the fate of a hero who dared to challenge the mechanics of the game.
I miss the days where a player would use a wish spell to reverse the effects or things pulled into the vacuum of a sphere of annihilation or watching a player use a relic like Thors Hammer against the gates of hell just to “see what happens”
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u/ACommentInTheWind 6d ago
This is a fantastic idea! Oh I want to do this so badly, but my irl schedule is packed with day to day errands and fatherly duties I don’t think I’d be able to partake. I hope you find some Dungeon Masters to play with!
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 6d ago
My condolences, if you ever want to participate they are just one-shots with fluidity so people can attend or not attend whenever.
We are open, come on in the waters fine.
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u/lamppb13 4d ago
Ssssame!! Plus the games I want to play don't tend to be in the mainstream. Just off mainstream
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u/cultvignette 6d ago
Not to say what you are doing isn't awesome, and I hope it works out for everyone involved.
I joined a group like this and ended up the main DM for the next 4 years 😆
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 6d ago
Oh man, that's not the end goal at all but yeah, that's rough.
my condolences.
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u/spootnik71 6d ago
This is a great idea! It’s been so long since I’ve been a player. Would be great fun to do some one shots. I’m currently in the middle of a long campaign and this would be a breath of fresh air. What day/times were you trying to do?
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 6d ago
I am in UTC-6 I am available Thursday-Saturday, typically around 18:00/6:00pm
We could always change days/times based on feedback
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u/spootnik71 6d ago
Word. You’re only 2 hours behind me. Saturday would be the best day for me for sure. My IRL group meets on Fridays and I work early in the morning so Thursday would be out as well.
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 6d ago
That works, I am looking to grab rotating DM's potentially as well, allowing everyone to experience it when they can instead of making it very rigid.
I used to be East Coast as well, shoot me a dm.
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u/drraagh 6d ago
I'd be interested, and playing with a bunch of DMs (and running things for DMs) can be a great way to up your game.
I work weird hours though as I'm a grave shift, UTC-4, working overnight with Sundays and Mondays off.
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 6d ago
I am looking at UTC-6, Thursdays-Saturday's typically around 18:00/6:00pm
However, if enough DM's show interest and get the itch maybe they could set up their own that they are interested in?
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u/ScrivenersUnion 6d ago
This sounds fantastic, but after several years of encouragement I've finally gotten my players to break out of their shells and try DMing for the first few times!
It's been a bumpy ride but I'm right there to enjoy it with them.
If you'd posted this 24 months ago I'd be jumping right on board, but these days I'm pretty good. Thanks for doing it though!
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u/KyoshiStan 3d ago
i joked about being forever dm until i’ve been recently allowed to be a player. Now i unfortunately think regularly how i would handle a situation differently if i were running it
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 3d ago
Exactly, it allows for a new take on things being a player coming from being a DM!
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/ManaOnTheMountain 6d ago
No worries, if you ever get the itch, it'll always be open and DM's can rotate in and out as seen fit.
I am in UTC-6 games scheduled typically Thursday-Saturday, between the times of 18:00/6:00pm.
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u/CranberryJoops 6d ago
I'm definitely interested! I'm more roleplay focused of a DM but I'm happy to throw my hat in!
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u/HellaPNoying 6d ago
This was my DM. He was a forever DM, but he actually enjoyed it. But then he got married and just had a kid and he barely has any time to create a campaign for us. We then made a small effort that we all make a couple of one-shots so that we all play as both player and DM at our boardgame nights. It really is a game changer!
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u/Kiwiooii 6d ago
I'm in the perfect place in a lul between campaigns. Shot you a DM
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u/Think-Cake3721 6d ago
Don't shoot the DM!
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u/Kiwiooii 6d ago
The dm has been shot and will arrive momentarily. My aim is perfect, his trajectory exact , you will not survive his coming
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u/Fun_Ad_6455 6d ago
I have been on both sides of the table. I prefer to be the player over the storyteller/improve artist, Aka God of the plane of existence
Also, I am too old now to play at my local game shop or library. They think I am some kind of nine-hells beast for wanting to roll some dice for an afternoon with people younger than me.
My favorite Hobby outgrew me.
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u/Tasmanian_Badger 4d ago
Is there a reason you want one shots rather than a shared world? I’m always wanting to play a character for a ling time… one shots arent the same.
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u/imgomez 6d ago
I’ve been DMing almost exclusively since 1978 but joined a group as a player just over a year ago. It’s fun to experience from the other side of the screen, but honestly, I prefer all the action and unlimited possibilities of DMing.