>be the forever GM of my group >literally haven't

>>51990659
You don't.

>>51990659

Oh man, the urge to start backseat DMing is brutal.

What I do is just try to come up with possible reasons for some inconsistency, or barring that, try to focus on something else and ignore it.

Oh shit, are all GMs like this? I'm going to be GMing for the first time soon, are my GM friends going to be this nitpicky? My worldbuilding is flimsy as is.

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>DM for years, constantly reading to get better at it because I'm extremely self-conscious and anxious
>Finally join a game with randoms at a game shop
>So many small mistakes constantly

You know what was the worst?
>Oh, anon, your character's central theme is deciphering and copying of magic runes and script, and you've got numerous skills related to that, tons of languages, and any magic you could need to make sure you can read anything?
>The strange ancient ruins are covered in a script you don't know
>None of the languages you know match up and your magic doesn't help
>Find portals covered in the runes
>Go through one, participate in a vision of some pre-historic magical event
>After coming out of the portal there's a magic staff with some runes on it
>Guy picks it up, hears what they are as he runs his hands over it
>The mysterious ancient runes are just English with each letter replaced, gotta go through all the portals to get the code and read shit
The combination of logical fallacy, worldbuilding holes, and absolute refusal to utilize a character's specialty infuriates me.
You could have us need to learn the various letters/syllables the same way, then translate for the scholar to realize it's a different way of writing a defuct form of elvish or something, and enrich the story and the make the character useful so easily. Instead, it's some bullshit that the magic linguistic expert should have been able to solve with an hour and a DC 12 Int check.

>>51991897

In general a lot of GM's don't pay enough attention to what's on their players character sheets. It's why you have games where characters aren't ever given opportunities to use their skills, or useful skills surprise the GM when they come up.

It's aggravating, because it really is as simple as understanding the system, reading the sheets and maybe making a few notes as you plan stuff.

>>51992008
Youd have to be completely ignoring your player characters. Unless its a one shot or the first or second session then you must surely be familiar enough with your characters to know what they do and see where they fit in. I mean, there is probably only 5 of them at most.

>>51991594
It shouldn't matter as long as it's fun. I sometimes do oneshots when my DM gets burned out and he finds my style of DMing "a refreshing change" from his

Once you start GMing, if you have some dedication to it, you'll be stuck in the GM limbo forever. Playing will always feel lacking something and you'll notice the inconsistencies and plot holes and you most probably will never play "that campaign" that you always dreamed of playing because only you would be able to be the narrator for it. On the other hand you can get stuck as the forever GM, you'll be able to create a world and stories that feel satisfying (for you and the players) but never having the taste of playing.
I've met quite a few GMs that are in the limbo, myself included. My advice would be trying some co-operative GMing, if you find someone with a good synergy, that could mean you'd be able to enjoy their DMing as a player.
Sorry for TL;DR

>>51991897
>DM for years, constantly reading to get better at it because I'm extremely self-conscious and anxious
I know this feel too well anon. Been dming for 10+ years now, and im still looksing up any dm guide i can get my hands on. Will the anxiety and self-conciousness ever end.

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>>51990659
>How do I break out of the mindset of being the GM?
There is only one concrete method, but it's kinda fallen out of favor.

>>51991594
Yes. Very much yes.

My worst case was...
>Play Monster Hearts. Buffy with mechanics focused on teenage monsters plus interpersonal drama.
>My PC gets into fight with another PC, which is totally fine- conflict is purely IC and driven partly by mechanics triggering my PC's Darkest Self mechanic. Rest of party takes other PC's side and gangs up on me.
>Have crazy scene taking them on while being really impressed by how much of a hardass this normally-mild mannered player is as GM- like, holy shit this is a really hardline enforcement of the Darkest Self mechanic and it's having major story consequences, it's brutal to me but I can totally respect it and wow he's clearly setting it up for the other PC's actions to have negative consequences down the road as well (since they dragged me outside and attacked me in front of everyone at this giant party, even pulling a knife midfight.)
>despite it being 3v1 and me having to politely remind others & GM to let me take my turn, I manage to do well enough at the fight to trigger OTHER PC's Darkest Self, which exactly what my character wanted. Get incredibly hype.
>Another PC immediately uses an ability that is literally "will you come away with me to a magical fairyland?" PC I'm fighting accepts. GM allows this to instantly cure their Darkest Self state.
>The effect of this PC's Darkest Self is explicitly that they reject all aid from their friends and try to take on everything by thenselves. I don't say anything because it'd look whiny and it's actually a very touching in-story moment so I'm cool with it taking priority.
>Welp, it's a complete loss for my guy after all. Guess he'll exit stage right-
>GM: "What are you talking about? You're still in Darkest Self."
>Super hardline enforcement of my char's darkest self continues. GM expects me to spend hours mindlessly attacking nearest NPCs.
>All that clever foreshadowing that impressed me wasn't actually foreshadowing. Literally no negative consequences for other PC whatsoever.

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>>51990659
You cannot unlearn what you have learnt.

You're seen behind the curtain, your prospective is different now. I sometimes worried I'd never have a pure player experience ever again but there was one GM who made me feel something, he ran a great Dark Heresy campaign. You've got to find someone as good as or better then you.

GM things thread?

>Watch/read any piece of media
>I wonder how I could campaign this?

Every time, I can't help myself.

>>51995697
>GM says all witnesses to fight saw me as the aggressor because other PCs joined in and ganged up on me. (Again, other PC dragged me outside with a crowd following, attacked first, and pulled a knife midfight.)
>Session after that, start of new school day- "What? Why would your guy be there? You're wanted by the cops after last night, you'd be arrested if you showed up on school grounds."
>...I have effectively been banned from downtime rp?
>"Um. I mean, not forever, necessarily? Uh, here, you can interact with this new homeless wolverine expy NPC who'll let you stay in his cave in the woods."

>>51990659
You have it better than me. When I go from DM to Player, I don't just notice the holes in world-building, I notice the holes in EVERYTHING: world-building, character-building, creature-making, plot-progression, and especially rules-interpretations, those are most notorious for me.

>>51991594
The decent ones won't let you know and will simply oscillate between distracting themselves by focusing on playing, grateful for the chance, and quietly dying inside.
But they have fun too.

>>51995697
>>51995785
A Namefag so bad he gets rejected irl