Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mandemon 01-18-04, 08:19 PM	I would like to become an assistant GM to give me experience as a DM without all the headaches. Does anyone know the pros and cons of this? I'm planning on writing to Dragon Magazine about this, but first I thought I would ask here first. It seems that an assistant could provide feedback on the campaign prior to actual play, run the game when the DM cannot be there, and take care of a lot of in-session paperwork that DMs usually end up flipping through pages or digging through piles of paper in order to do. The assistant might be more knowledgeable in one area of the game than the DM. For example, I specialize in strategy and tactics and arcane spellcasting, while many players in my area are very knowledgeable on traps and puzzles, at least far more than me. Of course, there are a lot of potential credit and copyright issues if either the DM or assistant DM wants to publish original material used in the game. They could have different styles of play. Thanx
NorthSaber 01-18-04, 08:31 PM	I think our group has this system pretty well down, but it takes a special set-up. Our DM has a "story-editor" who is in charge of the plot-points, while the main DM actually runs the game. Obviously, the story-editor knows most of what's going to happen, which might reduce her playing experience (she also runs a PC). In addition to her, one of our players is more-or-less a rules-lawyer, but in a good way. Whenever our DM or any of the players has a question about the rules, almost by default it will be him who skims through the books (or, more commonly, quotes from memory), saving the DM's time. Also, the same guy volunteered to keep track of initiatives and group funds and treasure, saving even more of the DM's time. I think the ideal situation is when the DM can talk to another DM or friend who is *not* a player in the same campaign and reflect his ideas. Also, the various players could be assigned specific tasks: one to track initiative, one to keep track of group funds and treasure, one to be in charge of mapping, one in charge of keeping a journal of names and places, etc. IMO the DM always has the greatest burden and pressure, and whatever the players can do to ease his task will end up making the game more enjoyable for everyone.
Fixxxer 01-20-04, 01:42 PM	Originally posted by Mandemon I would like to become an assistant GM to give me experience as a DM without all the headaches. My god...where the hell were you when I had players?!? I would have KILLED for the help of someone who actually wanted to be an assistant DM!
Xalxika 01-20-04, 03:33 PM	Originally posted by Fixxxer My god...where the hell were you when I had players?!? I would have KILLED for the help of someone who actually wanted to be an assistant DM! I'm definately with Fixxxer on this one, though I have players now, but that's besides the point. Mandemon, you are a blessing to DM's, so how soon can you move to Michigan. :D Xal
Lewin 01-20-04, 04:33 PM	One of the things I do as a player in my most recent campaign, is keep track of all of the hitpoints and statuses of the characters. Since I play the cleric, it avoids the necessity of me continually asking the DM "Who's injured most?" Assistant DM's can be really useful in a large number of places. From preparing initiative cards with the stats of all the monsters, (or at least the uninteresting ones) to keeping track of turn order, to keeping track of treasure, etc.... there's a lot of things that the assistant DM (or players even) can do to really help the DM keep organized. Another thing Assistant DM's are useful for is doing voices or controlling NPCs when you need to have two NPCs interacting with each other in the presence of the players. Having the main DM start describing something as the mayor, and have the assistant DM interrupt and say "You have other appointments, sir" can force a little mystery into the situation without the players getting quite so annoyed at the DM never explaining stuff. The annoyance is then spread out over the DMs, and the enjoyment remains a group effort.
Lewin 01-20-04, 04:37 PM	Other things like character advancement can be streamlined if you have two assistants (or experienced players) help all the rest of the people do the leveling. Assistant DM's tend to have copies of all the books, and looking up rules in parallel makes things faster. An assistant DM is also handy for providing a second opinion on any on-the-spot rulings that the DM makes, if the players insist on challenging a ruling in the middle of a session. Basically there are a ton of things an assistant can be useful for. Most of which an experienced player can do. Some of which only a non-player (or a very mature player) can handle, like plot or map spoilers.
Mandemon 01-25-04, 05:06 PM	Originally posted by Fixxxer My god...where the hell were you when I had players?!? I would have KILLED for the help of someone who actually wanted to be an assistant DM! I was talking to God, but he didn't want an assistant God. So I figured I could be an assistant DM. :angel: Seriously, thanks for all your comments. Most people I talk to don't seem to like the idea, but I've found a DM who seems to appreciate it. Of course, he's also created his own world. This is going to be a lot of work...
The Axeman 01-25-04, 07:09 PM	We do this in our group. We have been playing the same campaign for about 8 months and it kinda works like this: The other DM takes care of most of the actual DMing. He is the creative one and he takes care of rping the NPCs ect. I prepare the encounters and crunch the numbers mainly. I also am like the Realms encyclopedia. I give alot of insight into historical events, landscapes, weather, economies and general flavor. I also help fill in the specifics/backgrounds of well known NPCs. I also take over actual DMing when the other DM gets tired of it.
Luminous Crayon 01-26-04, 02:51 AM	I have two gaming groups; one at home and one here at college. In each group, I'm fortunate to have a player who also DMs, and can help me remember obscure rules or look up strange mechanics while I'm busy attending to other things. One of these stellar players is also jointly writing my campaign setting with me, and is therefore doubly helpful. It's really useful, and I highly recommend setting things up this way if possible.
Gothic_Demon 01-26-04, 05:39 AM	Whilst I can appreciate the potential for extra aid and another pair of hands, I could never allow someone to assistant DM with me. Maybe it's my control issues, or an intense dislike of everyone elses style of DMing :smirk: but I could never allow anyone else to run things in my game. (Which is odd since I'm considered a reasonably lenient DM.) At the end of the day I need a level of consistency that two DMs could never reach (as far as I'm concerned). What I do appreciate is players who can (and be trusted to) keep a track of their own hit points, spells used, their current status, etc. I've tried allowing another DM to run an adventure within my campaign, and I even understood the story and made sure it would fit, but the whole session felt wrong, and my players agreed.