Why we keep being Game Masters in tabletop RPGs

Pubblicato il 22/1/2026

Anyone who has been a game master for years eventually asks themselves the same question: why do I keep being a GM? Sometimes the preparation weighs heavily, organizing the group is stressful, and you feel almost “obligated” to keep the table running. Yet despite it all, many of us never truly stop being behind the screen.

In this article we explore why so many players choose to always be the GM, what makes this role so special, and how to avoid turning it into work that only brings exhaustion and burnout. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s still worth it, this reflection is for you.

The pleasure of being a game master

For many players, the game master is not a sacrifice, but the most fun part of tabletop RPGs. Some openly say they prefer to run games nine times out of ten instead of being a player, because the GM role allows creative control and continuous participation in the story that no single character can ever have.

Being a master means always having something to do: listening to players, reacting to their ideas, weaving plots, giving voice to NPCs, managing the pace of scenes. For those who get bored easily when it’s not their turn or struggle to stay focused, being a GM can be the most natural way to stay engaged at the table.

Creativity, shared stories, and satisfaction

Many game masters describe their role as their main creative outlet. Preparing adventures, building settings, creating memorable NPCs and interesting scenarios is similar to writing a novel, with one fundamental difference. Here the audience responds in real time and helps shape the story.

The real reward is watching players get surprised, emotional, laugh, or fall silent when a scene hits just right. The idea of “telling stories with friends” is one of the strongest motivations that keeps GMs going. Every campaign leaves behind anecdotes and memorable moments that become part of the group’s shared language, and knowing you made them possible is incredibly satisfying.

But alongside the pleasure, there’s also the harder side of the role. In many groups, the game master is also the one who organizes sessions, keeps the calendar, reminds all the players of the times, and often manages online tools too. This organizational load adds up with the creative work and table management.

Then there’s the very common feeling that if you don’t run it, the group doesn’t play. Being the only available GM can turn a passion into a responsibility that weighs on your shoulders. When preparation becomes heavy, when you constantly have to save campaigns in crisis or manage conflicts at the table, the risk of burnout is real.

Preparation, improvisation, and systems that help

One of the most effective ways to keep being a game master without burning out is learning to reduce your prep load. Many GMs have discovered that you don’t need to spend hours writing every detail of the session anymore. Instead, they prefer to prepare only what’s truly necessary and rely on improvisation for the rest.

Some games and structures help a lot with this. Sandboxes with active factions, well-written random tables, short and intense modules, systems designed to support improvisation and collaboration allow you to get 3-4 hours of play with minimal prep. This way the master can focus on hooks, situations, and consequences instead of rigid plots and complete scripts.

Beyond the technical aspects, there’s a simple reason why many GMs keep going: tabletop RPG is one of the few stable occasions to see your friends. Having an ongoing campaign means having a regular appointment where you disconnect from devices and share quality time around a table, physical or virtual. For some, being a game master is also a way to care for the group. Preparing a good session, creating intense or fun moments, adapting the game to what the participants enjoy is seen as a form of voluntary “service.” As long as this remains a conscious choice and not an obligation, it can be an important source of personal satisfaction.

Being always a GM: problem or conscious choice?

The GM role comes with a certain ambivalence. On one hand, there are people who are comfortable in this role and don’t feel the need to change. They have more fun running games than playing, prefer to have control over the campaign’s tone, system choice, and the types of stories told. For them, always being the GM is a peaceful choice. On the other hand, there are game masters who stay stuck in the role because no one else wants to try, or because they fear that if they step back, the group will fall apart. In these cases it’s worth pausing to think about how to redistribute the workload, such as by proposing mini-campaigns with rotating GMs, one-shots where someone else tries the role, or alternating lighter systems with longer campaigns.

To figure out if it makes sense to keep being a game master, you first need to ask yourself what you really enjoy about the role and what drains you. Make an honest list of both. If you discover that the satisfaction comes mainly from creativity, player reactions, and socializing, then you can work to reduce everything else that weighs down the experience.

You can experiment with new systems that require less prep, agree with your group on a more sustainable schedule, introduce sessions with less prep work, simpler or modular structure. Sometimes it’s enough to just stop trying to control every detail and give more space to player decisions to rediscover the spontaneous joy of being a GM.

An honest question to ask yourself as a game master

In the end it all comes down to one simple question. If you remove the sense of obligation toward your group, do you still want to run games? If the answer is yes, then your role as a GM continues to be an important piece of how you play, create, and spend time with people you care about.

If the answer is no, that’s not a failure. It’s a sign that maybe it’s time to take a break, try being a player for a while, explore other systems, or simply change pace. Being a game master should be a choice, not a cage. Understanding why you keep doing it is the first step to making it a healthy and rewarding experience again, for you and your table.

Blog burnout, creativity, game master, GM, master, RPG, storytelling, tabletop RPG