Have you ever thought about the jargon used to describe us? Dungeon Master. Master of Dungeons. or, for non D&D-ers, Game Master. It seems a little pretentious, don’t you think? Doesn’t it imply that we’ve indeed “mastered” the game, or that perhaps we hold some form of rank (setting aside all PC demands that we don’t make comparisons) like a master does over a slave? And, speaking of the non D&D-ers, did you notice that they dropped “Dungeon” rather than “Master?” It could have as easily been “Dungeon King” or “Dungeon Narrator,” but they went with “Game Master.”
I like what Vampire does. Their DM is a “storyteller.” Of course, in D&D terms it makes us sound like bards. And, as we all know, bards are completely lame. So, I guess “storyteller” is out.
We could go with the old-style “referee,” I suppose, but I don’t know who it is we’re refereeing between – monsters and PCs? Seems a little silly for one person to referee between himself (running the monsters) and the players.
There’s always “screen monkey,” but I think that one’s probably offensive. To the monkeys.
So, what do you think? I’ll tell you my choice tomorrow.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dungeon Master is perfect…we do create them…we do run them…we do pretty much decide what goes on with them…and the game does have Dungeon in it’s title, not to mention it is the iconic adventure setting…..heck, to paraphrase Dave Noonan of WOTC “fame”…we all know that every DM worth his salt has at least a little bit of a god-complex….the title fits.
NOw Dungeon Lord or Dungeon Diety would be cool too…um, come to think of it , that last one is probably better…but DD just doesn’t flow off the tongue like DM…..
I like the term Dungeon Master myself. In a way, you are the master of your world. You decide who lives and who dies. You decide what governments there are, how the average person lives their life, and you direct your PCs to interact with the world you have created.
I think something along the lines of storyteller would be good, but I can’t think of anything that sounds cool.