Dungeon Master
The Dungeon Master controls all aspects of the game except player characters.
The Dungeon Master (DM) is the game organizer and referee in Dungeons & Dragons, controlling all aspects except player character actions.[1] A typical D&D group is made up of one DM and multiple players.[1] The DM tells players what they sense in the fictional setting and how their choices change it.[2]
Quick Facts
- Introduced in
- 1975
- Introduced by
- Tactical Studies Rules (TSR)
- First appeared in
- Blackmoor (second supplement to Dungeons & Dragons)
- Alternate titles
- Game Master (GM)
- Game Operations Director (GOD)
- Judge
- Referee
- Storyteller
- Keeper of Arcane Lore
- Hollyhock God
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
In a storyteller role, the DM describes events and makes rulings based on player decisions.[3] Getting ready for a game session and knowing the rules well are duties of the DM.[2] Three hardcover rulebooks—the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual—have held the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules since 1977.[2] The DM builds the story's world and plot, keeps the story moving, and offers immediate reactions.[3]
Either crafting an original adventure story and world or relying on a ready-made module is an option for the DM.[4] Adventure creation often uses a branching path structure, and a custom design may need many hours of work for each hour of gameplay.[4] The DM acts as the rules judge, both instructing players in the rules and making sure they are followed.[3] Even though rules create balanced gameplay, the DM may choose to set them aside when necessary.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Dungeon Master" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dungeons & Dragons FAQ", Wizards of the Coast; La Farge, "Destroy All Monsters", The Believer Magazine, September 2006; Livingstone, "Dicing with Dragons", Routledge, 1982, p. 72; Kushner, "Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax", Wired.com, 2008-03-10 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dungeon Master" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kushner, "Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax", Wired.com, 2008-03-10; Ewalt, "Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It", Scribner, 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dungeon Master" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Game Master", ACM, 2005, p. 215–222 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Dungeon Master" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nugent, "American Nerd: The Story of My People", Simon and Schuster, 2007, p. 190–192 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Dungeon Master (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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