Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Taking on the role of Game Master is not a decision to be taken lightly. It requires a lot of work, both inside and outside of the game. It sometimes means making unpopular decisions and sticking to them over the protests of your friends. It requires you to not only learn the rules, but also to know when to apply them, when to break them, and when to ignore them completely.

However, the rewards are immense. Sharing in your player’s joy as they finally take down the Big Bad Evil Guy or solve the puzzle that you lovingly and painstakingly crafted for them is an immense pleasure. Knowing that you crafted an adventure that gave them hours of enjoyment is extremely satisfying. Creating a world and watching them breathe life into it is incredibly rewarding.

Congratulations on your decision to run the game for your friends. May it bring you as much pleasure as pain, and may you learn quickly to inflict that pain on your players.