RPG Systems with no DM/GM/etc
- Thread starter Torm
- Start date
Ars Magica uses Troupe style play, where the duties of the conventional GM are spread among the players.
Theres a GMless system called Mythic I looked into a while back, its been a while, but the basic gist is that a basic scene is set, and the players "build" the scene from there by asking questions of the system, determine how likely the question is of being right, then roll a percentile to see if its a yes or no.
Skywalker
Adventurer
Primetime Adventures, Polaris, Theatrix, Shock...
The traditional roles of a GM and player is really just one way to distribute narration rights over a group created story. In the above RPGs, the narration rights pass from player to player at set times as determined by the rules. This could be done on the basis of turns or when a player wins a contest of some kind (like rolling dice).
The number of RPGs that have some form of a GM but break the traditional distribution of GM and player are evn more numerous. For example, Burning Empires has a competive style of play where the GM again plays the antagonism of the story as if they were a player. In BlissStage, the GM acts as a facilitator but players often take the GM's normal responsibility of antagonism for a specific player.
FWIW it is easy to incorporate some of these ideas into a traditional RPG. I often do it in D&D by allowing players to create cut scenes as if they were the GM and grant them narration rights to the scene.
The big question from a lot of people who haven't played in a GM-less game is how do you prevent one player just making stuff up and ruining the game. GM-less play does require a level of trust, but arguably that applies to all RPGs to some extent. Plus there is the "don't be a dick" rule, which basically says a player should be a dick
The traditional roles of a GM and player is really just one way to distribute narration rights over a group created story. In the above RPGs, the narration rights pass from player to player at set times as determined by the rules. This could be done on the basis of turns or when a player wins a contest of some kind (like rolling dice).
The number of RPGs that have some form of a GM but break the traditional distribution of GM and player are evn more numerous. For example, Burning Empires has a competive style of play where the GM again plays the antagonism of the story as if they were a player. In BlissStage, the GM acts as a facilitator but players often take the GM's normal responsibility of antagonism for a specific player.
FWIW it is easy to incorporate some of these ideas into a traditional RPG. I often do it in D&D by allowing players to create cut scenes as if they were the GM and grant them narration rights to the scene.
The big question from a lot of people who haven't played in a GM-less game is how do you prevent one player just making stuff up and ruining the game. GM-less play does require a level of trust, but arguably that applies to all RPGs to some extent. Plus there is the "don't be a dick" rule, which basically says a player should be a dick
Henrix
Explorer
Universalis has no GM. Or, well, perhaps all players are GMs. And it can be a roleplaying game.
Asmor
First Post
I seem to recall the RPG based on the video game Rune being touted as having options for playing without a GM, as well as touting a more competitive nature with clearly defined winners and losers. Never played it, though, so I can't say.
There was also some weird indie superhero RPG where you'd take two cards with interlocking teeth, stick them together to form your character, and people would collaborate to tell a story. Can't remember what that's called, though.
There was also some weird indie superhero RPG where you'd take two cards with interlocking teeth, stick them together to form your character, and people would collaborate to tell a story. Can't remember what that's called, though.
Shock: Social Science Fiction is a game where you play a protagonist and another player players your antagonist but other players are in charge of various setting details that are created when you make the science fiction world at the beginning of play.
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