Claim to Game Podcast
Replay: Should I Play with a Gamemaster or Go GM-less? (Ep 009 Encore)
Claim to GameJuly 17, 2025
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Replay: Should I Play with a Gamemaster or Go GM-less? (Ep 009 Encore)

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#R9 - This episodeā€™s a rewind of my most downloaded one everā€”yep, the big question: should you play with a Gamemaster or try a GM-less game? I break down the pros and cons of both, share some honest takes from my own tables, and help you figure out what fits your crew best. Whether you missed it the first time or need a fresh perspective, this one still hits. Settle inā€”itā€™s a fun ride.

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00:00:00
>> Clint Scheirer: Hey friends, Clint here.

00:00:01
>> Clint Scheirer: Ive got something a little different for you today while I work on

00:00:04
some technical snags with my latest interview, im

00:00:06
hitting replay on the episode that continues to get The Most

00:00:09
Love Episode 9 Should I play with a Game

00:00:12
Master or Go GM list? And whether youre new to the show or

00:00:15
a longtime listener, this one dives deep into something we've all

00:00:18
wrestled with. How much structure do we really want

00:00:21
in our tabletop RPG sessions? Now this is a

00:00:24
little bit older, the audio'not quite as crisp, but the

00:00:27
insights are still gold. Stick around. This

00:00:30
one is worth a second Listen.

00:00:32
>> Clint Scheirer: Is a GM necessary in tabletop

00:00:34
RPGs? Today? We'll explore this

00:00:37
equivocal question so you can consider which mode is

00:00:40
best for you and your crew when playing Goblin Quest

00:00:43
rpg, or when playing any other game for that

00:00:46
matter.

00:00:46
Welcome to Claim to Game the podcast helping

00:00:49
busy people master tabletop role playing games one

00:00:52
game at a time. I'm Clint Scheirer. I've been an

00:00:55
educator for over 12 years and have helped gamers of all

00:00:58
levels quickly grasp tabletop

00:01:00
RPGs so they can enjoy playing them to

00:01:03
the fullest. Stay tuned so you can make your

00:01:06
claim to Game

00:01:41
hello and welcome back to Episode nine,

00:01:44
Season one of Claim to Game, a predominantly

00:01:47
educational, fun podcast in which I am daring to

00:01:50
coin the word fun. It's like that

00:01:53
Tagline from the 1996 movie Twister. Don't

00:01:56
breathe, don't look back. Go for a ride

00:01:58
you'll never forget. Our podcast may not have

00:02:01
flying cows, but you will experience other delightful surprises

00:02:04
during our ride. Don't forget to keep your hands and feed

00:02:07
inside the mine vehicle at all

00:02:10
times.

00:02:10
Here we go. the game for this season

00:02:13
is Goblin Quest, the RPG brought to you by

00:02:16
game designer Grant Howitt, whose works include

00:02:19
but are not limited to Honey Heist, Die,

00:02:22
the RPG Spire, Unbound, One

00:02:25
Last Job, Heart, and most recently at the time of this

00:02:28
recording, Eat the Rich. In the

00:02:30
description for the intro of this episode, I use the

00:02:33
word equivocal. My dictionary goddess

00:02:36
of choice Merriam Webster, says this word means

00:02:39
having two or more possible

00:02:41
meetings, ambiguous meanings, or open

00:02:44
to multiple interpretations or opinions. And

00:02:47
that is how we're going to view the question Should I

00:02:50
play with a game master or go

00:02:53
gmless? Gmless, as you, may have

00:02:56
guessed, is implying we are playing a tabletop role play

00:02:58
game without the assigned person who acts as

00:03:01
the organizer, the eff officientt of the rules,

00:03:04
or the referee, the moderator and the overall

00:03:07
story director for what's happening within the game.

00:03:10
The game is built with no gm, with

00:03:13
mechanics to help players interact and rolepl play without

00:03:15
the assistance or presence of the gm.

00:03:18
The gm. For those of you who are like what does that

00:03:21
mean? It's also known by many other titles. This

00:03:24
position is also known as Dungeon Master,

00:03:27
Master of Ceremonies, Keeper Lore

00:03:30
Master, Game Mother and

00:03:33
Mutant Overlord. One of my favorites. And that's just

00:03:36
to name a few. Tabletop RPGs have

00:03:39
spawned many different names over the years. If you want,

00:03:42
there's a super crazy long list out

00:03:44
on Age of Ravens Games blog

00:03:47
which has a list of over 200 of

00:03:50
2023 and I'll include the link to that in the show notes

00:03:53
so you can check it out for yourself.

00:03:55
And the first question is how can

00:03:58
you play a tabletop RPG without a gm?

00:04:01
Isn't that a key part of even playing a

00:04:04
tabletop rpg? Who'snna tell me what I'm

00:04:06
supposed to do? Who's going toa tell me what's happening in this made

00:04:09
up world? I'm not creative enough for this. I didn't sign up

00:04:12
for this. Oh no. Oh geez.

00:04:16
All right, chill out. It's actually not as scary

00:04:19
as you think. But to bring us back, this is

00:04:22
not a right or wrong scenario. Both GM

00:04:25
run games and GM less games have their

00:04:27
tenders and tuhs. The trick for

00:04:30
you as someone who wants to play the game is figuring

00:04:33
out what mode of play best suits

00:04:36
you in light of the gamers at your table and

00:04:38
your personal preferences. And after this app

00:04:41
I think you'll make out just fine. And luckily

00:04:44
Goblin Quest has both modes of play

00:04:47
available without a lot of effort on your part. So breathe

00:04:50
easy, put down your paper bag haoss and let's

00:04:53
dig into it.

00:04:54
Let's first make the pitch for the GM list

00:04:57
game a fair pitch have you. With both Tenders and

00:05:00
Tufts. How can you even play without a gm? Some

00:05:03
of you ask? Well, the mechanics of the game have to help move the

00:05:06
story forward without a person doing that for

00:05:08
you. A good GM list game has a

00:05:11
beginning, a middle and an end that is

00:05:14
all controlled by the mechanics. A well set up

00:05:16
gmless game makes it easy for the players to generate

00:05:19
ideas for what the problem is, what the characters are going to

00:05:22
try to resolve, and what happens regardless of the

00:05:25
positive or negative outcomes of the characters. And this

00:05:28
entire season has been dedicated to a

00:05:31
great GM list game. Hint hint.

00:05:33
Goblin Quest, the rpg. Clearly it can be

00:05:36
played without a gm. Even though I've basically been

00:05:39
my own GM as I've been walking you through

00:05:42
and you've been following along with me since the

00:05:45
beginning, I could have been walking through

00:05:47
pregame setup as well as the short game test I

00:05:50
played in episode six with another person or a group

00:05:53
of people. If others had been at the table with me, all of

00:05:56
the players could have shared equal ownership in the quest

00:05:59
creation, making their characters playing out the

00:06:02
results of each task and stage and drawing up the final

00:06:05
conclusion of My Goblins horrible fates without

00:06:08
me GMMG them and games like Fiasco

00:06:11
created by Jason Morningstar, Ironsworn Sworn

00:06:13
or Starforged Forge created by Seaw Tomkin, a

00:06:16
personal hero of mine and a really stand up kind

00:06:19
dude and yes, Goblin Quest created by Grant

00:06:22
Howitt, also an exceptionally honest and creative

00:06:24
individual. They have all provided this experience

00:06:27
for me personally. Great games, true

00:06:30
gems and work fantastic in the GM

00:06:33
list format.

00:06:34
We're going to have a many tenders and tough episode

00:06:37
here. Remember, tenders are

00:06:39
aspects that I like right away and you can enjoy

00:06:42
straight out of the box. And tufts require a little

00:06:45
extra work or perspective to enjoy. And we're

00:06:48
looking at this through the lens of what are the tenders and

00:06:51
the tufts of a GM list game. Tender Number

00:06:54
one GM less games create more agency and

00:06:57
ownership in the storytelling of the overarching

00:07:00
narrative that is happening at the table. And since

00:07:03
players aren't just actors navigating through the world and reacting

00:07:05
to it, but instead participants who are creating

00:07:08
the world, the situations, its conflicts

00:07:11
and the resolution, it's a much more collaborative

00:07:14
experience. Now that's just my opinion. On a side note, it

00:07:17
is arguable that PCs

00:07:20
can still do this in a GM run game, but it really depends on

00:07:23
the expectations of the players as well as the GM

00:07:26
style of facilitation. Are they

00:07:29
given collaborative opportunities to add to the world

00:07:32
in the situation? Teninder #2 the GM list

00:07:35
game lends itself to less time preparation.

00:07:37
Most of the thinking is done on the spot or

00:07:40
during the preg game preparation at the table. There is little

00:07:43
an individual person orm would need

00:07:46
to do to prepare to bring anything to The

00:07:49
Gaming Experienceendor #3

00:07:52
Because of the on the spot nature of GM less games they

00:07:55
tend to be more spontaneous and comedic. Thats

00:07:58
not always it depends on the players at your table

00:08:01
but he just said but

00:08:03
Peter sorry couldn't help it. The

00:08:06
conclusion is the tender conclusion that I have for

00:08:09
you is that if you want a short

00:08:12
one shot game or a break in

00:08:15
between longer campaign style sessions, GM list

00:08:18
games could really fit the bill and be A nice

00:08:21
breather. But the GM list game is not for

00:08:23
everybody and here are a few toufts that I've even experienced

00:08:26
myself. Tough. Number one since there is

00:08:29
less preparation for the overall story, the goals, the

00:08:32
character development, etc. This could leave some

00:08:35
feeling let down. A player is coming to the

00:08:38
table hoping for a deep, purposeful,

00:08:41
grand scale epic proportion like

00:08:43
game. You might need a m

00:08:46
GM run game so it can be crafted with a little bit

00:08:49
more care and a little bit more

00:08:51
foresight. there could be exceptions to this, but the

00:08:54
players more or less would need to bring the expectations

00:08:57
that you are playing an epic scale game

00:09:00
to the table for a GM list game and they would

00:09:03
need to uphold that through the actions that they make.

00:09:06
And in my personal experience I have not felt

00:09:09
that when playing a GM list game.

00:09:11
Tough. Number two even in a GM list

00:09:14
game, the GMs of the world will still try

00:09:17
to break out like the Kool Aid man through a wall.

00:09:20
Have you ever experienced this? Oh no. Oh

00:09:22
no. Oh yeah. no matter how much a

00:09:25
game isn'designed to have a main leader or

00:09:28
storyteller, certain players end up just

00:09:31
driving the story forward in meaningful ways.

00:09:33
GM list games could be frustrating for these folks,

00:09:36
reason being they don't have the ultimate authority

00:09:39
or the last say in resolution. They have to be

00:09:42
okay with fun and having their

00:09:45
intentions thrown asunder when their fellow collaborative

00:09:47
storytellers throw their precious magical medallion meant to

00:09:50
stop the evil warlord down a jello filled

00:09:53
well of rainbows and stardust farts.

00:09:56
Right? It's so frustrating when you want something to

00:09:59
be cool and epic and it ends up

00:10:02
being silly and comedic. The expectations

00:10:04
really matter, as does the intervention of the GM

00:10:07
to uphold whatever it is that your players want

00:10:10
at the table. So with the GM list game, that can be

00:10:13
hard. And my final tough is that GM less

00:10:16
games, at least the ones that I've set up or played, tend

00:10:19
to be more focused on a one shot

00:10:22
story and an experience

00:10:24
that's in and out rather than a

00:10:27
long extended gameplay. There are certainly some

00:10:30
exceptions to this rule, such as Ironsworn Sworn or

00:10:33
Starforged Forge, once again designed by Seaw Hopkins,

00:10:36
personal hero of mine. But in our game of

00:10:38
focus, Goblin Quest, the one shot experience is

00:10:41
the desired result. So you want to set

00:10:44
your expectations towards the experience

00:10:47
that can be enjoyable for all of your players at the table. That

00:10:50
is the summary of the tough here. Quick

00:10:53
pause on the show. Have you been listening to this first season of

00:10:56
CTG and do not yet have your very own

00:10:59
copy of Goblin Quest? The RPG

00:11:01
Picture yourself pretending to be gross grotty little

00:11:04
buggers on your next game night with your closest

00:11:07
friends, laughs, Goofs and Goblins.

00:11:10
Don't wait. Enjoy your copy of Goblin Quest, the

00:11:12
RPG today by clicking on the link in the

00:11:15
Show Notes. You'll be wreaking havoc all over the Great Battle

00:11:18
Camp in no time. All right, back to the

00:11:20
show.

00:11:21
Shifting Gears let's make a fair pitch

00:11:24
for the GM M Run game and how do people

00:11:27
play GM run games? The answer to this question may seem

00:11:30
silly for anybody who has frequented tables

00:11:33
of tabletop RPG games before, because

00:11:36
this is kind of the status quo.

00:11:39
As mentioned earlier, the game master, regardless of his

00:11:42
or her specific game title,

00:11:45
is the assigned person who acts as the

00:11:48
organizer, the officiant, the rules referee,

00:11:51
the moderator, and overall story director

00:11:53
for the happenings within the game. They can,

00:11:56
but aren't always the person who organized the game into

00:11:59
existence, scheduled the game with the players for the date and

00:12:02
time and location of play. It is the

00:12:05
GM's role to at least have an

00:12:07
idea of the adventure that is being run

00:12:10
and the rules and mechanics of the game prior to everyone

00:12:13
meeting up. There are many opinions on how much

00:12:16
preparation is needed by a GM to make the game run

00:12:19
smoothly. Anywhere from minimal to no

00:12:21
preparation to those who say every single important

00:12:25
detail should be mapped out and accounted

00:12:27
for. Again, no wrong way to

00:12:30
do things here, but the idea is that the GM is

00:12:33
giving a starting structure to the game session

00:12:36
direction at the beginning, throughout the

00:12:39
middle and the end. They're the person who keeps

00:12:41
things moving along with most tabletop RPGs

00:12:44
when the players describe what they want to do and

00:12:47
then roll their dice, spin their spinners or whatever it

00:12:50
is that determines the results of their character's actions.

00:12:53
The GM is the interpreter who takes

00:12:56
the results positive, negative, neutral and then

00:12:59
describes them out loud to the players and how

00:13:02
these results play out in the made up world of the game.

00:13:05
The GM is like the omniscient

00:13:07
storyteller, the author of the book, the

00:13:10
godlike mover of pieces behind the curtain. They

00:13:13
orchestrate the game to allow players to feel as

00:13:16
much power and satisfaction or

00:13:18
despair behind their decision as possible,

00:13:21
while also ensuring that boundaries, restrictions and

00:13:24
rewards are dealt out in a reasonably

00:13:26
believable fashion. Now, I hope that I'm getting across to

00:13:29
you my extreme respect for

00:13:32
anybody who takes on this role. It can be a lot of work.

00:13:35
It can also be a lot of fun. So for

00:13:38
this reason it's time for another Tenders

00:13:41
and tougfts I am sure that we could get McDonald's to start

00:13:44
selling these with the right marketing. Maybe a little barbecue sauce. But

00:13:46
remember, tenders are tasty right out of the

00:13:49
box, easy to enjoy, little effort and toughs.

00:13:52
You need a little extra work or perspective to enjoy.

00:13:55
Tender number one for the GM Run game

00:13:58
the GM run game has always given

00:14:01
me a more amazing plot and story

00:14:04
experience. This is likely due to the planning in the

00:14:07
preparation prior to running the game. The GM can

00:14:10
establish truths about the world or the story

00:14:13
in order to make the players discover them

00:14:15
in a way that feels authentic.

00:14:18
describing real world truths or

00:14:21
if you were watching a movie or reading a book

00:14:23
to find out what happens next. It gives a sense of

00:14:26
discovery that sometimes feels

00:14:29
absent from a GM list game where it's more

00:14:32
on the spot in the moment and you're hearing

00:14:35
other players create these truths as you go.

00:14:38
Tender number two of the GM Run game. The

00:14:40
GM is able to reign in unruly

00:14:43
players that are getting out of hand. they are the

00:14:46
enforcer. Ah, ga the chopper

00:14:48
Now. I was playing one of Grant

00:14:51
Howit's one page tabletop RPGs during this holiday

00:14:54
season. It was called WI3 Kings. Though it

00:14:57
was not historically accurate, it was

00:15:00
pretty sweet getting to take control of the

00:15:02
magi who instead of just visiting baby Jesus, were

00:15:05
coming to save him from the evil intentions of the evil

00:15:08
King Herod. but during the game we had

00:15:11
so much fun and if I could have recorded it I would have

00:15:14
because it was non stop goofs and

00:15:17
laughter. But that was our purpose to be silly and over

00:15:20
the top. Had we gone into that game wanting to

00:15:23
accomplish actual goals and have a completely

00:15:26
satisfying epic serious story, we would have

00:15:28
had more sour than a sour patch Kid. Drink a

00:15:31
lemonade. one of the players actually was opposing

00:15:34
another player during the gameplay which brought several

00:15:37
rounds of the game to a standstill until one player

00:15:40
finally bowed out of the conflict to move on to the next part of

00:15:43
the adventure. We got bored and we're like okay, let keep let's keep

00:15:46
moving here. If a GM had been running the game, he or

00:15:49
she could have curb the player against

00:15:52
player action, set the expectation

00:15:54
pregame that this wouldn't be allowed so that we could

00:15:57
cohesively work together for a common goal and we could

00:16:00
have moved on much quicker. The GM is like

00:16:03
the rudder of the game ship. Keeps things on

00:16:05
course, keeps things from syncing. And the final

00:16:08
tender for GM Run games is really

00:16:11
for the players. All the players have to worry about

00:16:14
is their own character, their own actions, their

00:16:17
own backstory, their own part of the narrative. They can

00:16:20
relax and allow themselves to be immersed in the

00:16:23
world created or at least shared by the

00:16:25
gm. So the conclusion for the Tenders here is

00:16:28
There is a reason tabletop RPGs have

00:16:31
a strong portfolio of GM run games.

00:16:34
Having a captain, a president, the glue holding it

00:16:37
all together produces in most cases, a

00:16:40
unique experience with satisfying

00:16:42
results.

00:16:43
On the flip side, let's talk about touhs for the

00:16:46
GM run game. Tough Number one this

00:16:49
first tough is my only tough, but has a few

00:16:52
parts to it. And from what I've seen at least from the

00:16:54
RPG community on Reddit, it is truly a

00:16:57
matter of personal opinion. As I was skimming and

00:17:00
delving into this thread, I saw a lot

00:17:03
of IMHO M in my humble opinion

00:17:06
and everybody had a humble opinion about this one

00:17:09
tough which is GM

00:17:11
Fatigue all right, part one. My

00:17:14
definition of this is that you are a GM

00:17:17
who is tired of being the gamer who is always putting the

00:17:20
work of scheduling, preparing and running the

00:17:23
game. You would like someone else in your group to step

00:17:26
up and take a turn with this, maybe even alternate with you

00:17:29
so that you can be a player and recoup from the

00:17:31
responsibility, time and effort needed to run a

00:17:34
good campaign or a game. Some

00:17:37
folks would always choose to be the

00:17:39
forever gm. They dont like being a player and they

00:17:42
dont enjoy when somebody else is in charge and gets to make the

00:17:45
final calls during gameplay. I am not one of these

00:17:48
people. Im okay with others being in charge once in a

00:17:51
while. I would even enjoy getting to explore

00:17:54
my role as a playeruse preparation

00:17:57
takes time. This is part two.

00:18:00
Even with excellent resources like Mike Shays, the

00:18:03
Lazy Dungeon Master and his sequel Return of the Lazy

00:18:06
Dungeon Master, giving tips to GMs on how to save

00:18:09
time, planning only the aspects of the game that are

00:18:12
truly important and impactful. It still takes time and

00:18:15
effort. If you are a forever player,

00:18:17
think about how nice it is to just show up with your character

00:18:20
sheet, your dice, your pencil. Or maybe that's all

00:18:23
provided to you by the gm. Even, it's nice,

00:18:26
right? To show up and play and just have fun as you are.

00:18:29
My guess is that some GMs out there

00:18:32
would also like to just be able to show up for an

00:18:35
epic GM run game as a player and have some of

00:18:38
those same luxuries as well. I know I would. Since

00:18:41
this doesn't happen within my circle of gamers.

00:18:43
I've felt that fatigue in my own bones.

00:18:47
part Number three, being on during

00:18:50
the game. This adds to my GM fatigue.

00:18:53
And by that I mean the GM is required to be a

00:18:56
part of most, if not all interaction happening

00:18:59
at the table. They're listening to each player

00:19:02
describing their actions. They're playing

00:19:04
NPCs or monsters if they are, a part of the

00:19:06
scene, asking questions about what the players will do

00:19:09
next and improving things on the spot

00:19:12
that they may or likely have not prepared

00:19:15
for. It's exhilarating, it's

00:19:18
wonderful. But it can be tiring.

00:19:21
being an introvert myself, someone

00:19:24
who recharges by being alone,

00:19:26
not speaking. These experiences, no matter

00:19:29
how enjoyable, are exhausting to me personally. And

00:19:32
for those extroverts out there, you may be like, no, no no,

00:19:35
feed me more. Good for

00:19:38
you. Not all of us have the insatiable

00:19:40
appetite of a full grown bull moose. So I'm going to do my

00:19:43
best to summarize the

00:19:46
conclusion of this tough the issue I run into

00:19:49
is the commitment from those in my immediate community,

00:19:52
jobs, family. Other commitments make it very

00:19:54
scary for those who are fully in love with the

00:19:57
hobby to want to commit to being a GM on a regular

00:20:00
basis. This fear, this hesitation. It's

00:20:02
perfectly valid. Though it would be nice to

00:20:05
alternate GMs. There are some groups where this just

00:20:08
isn't a option. There just

00:20:10
aren't enough members of the group who are able to

00:20:13
commit to that level for

00:20:16
gaming. And for those of you out there with GM

00:20:18
fatigue, you love doing it, but you want to trade on

00:20:21
and off sometimes. This is where I have

00:20:24
personally found GM list games to be such a

00:20:27
fantastic alternative for short term breaks.

00:20:30
Prep is minimal, everyone gets to be a player,

00:20:32
and I get to recharge my creative juices in a

00:20:35
different way. For those of you who feel like GM fatigue

00:20:38
is another phrase for GMs who just can't hack it

00:20:41
or aren't true GMs, that's fine. I'm not

00:20:44
afraid to admit that some are built to be forever

00:20:47
GMs, and that's just not me. Whether you

00:20:50
identify with my sentiments or prefer to write it off,

00:20:53
just remember there are room for all types at the

00:20:56
table.

00:20:57
Final Thoughts okay, so how does

00:21:00
this tie in into our current season? How does it tie

00:21:03
into our current game, Goblin Quest, the

00:21:05
rpg? Well, let me make it clear, I

00:21:08
appreciate and enjoy both modes of play

00:21:11
GM run games as well as GM list

00:21:13
games. Regardless of Tenders and Tufts, each has

00:21:16
its place. And this is why I appreciate

00:21:19
that Grant Howitt, when writing the game, gave the option to

00:21:22
play with or without a GM for you,

00:21:25
forever GMs out there. You can still enjoy the thrill

00:21:27
of doing what you love best, facilitating an

00:21:30
absolutely terrific experience while maintaining

00:21:33
a level of control and order. Are you out

00:21:36
there who feel that GM fatigue and just want

00:21:39
to be a player? Even if you don't have a replacement GM

00:21:42
for the evening, you can play this bad boy GMless

00:21:45
game without so much as a sneeze or a hiccup in

00:21:48
the planning process. A few things to consider

00:21:51
with Goblin Quest when you do decide which mode

00:21:54
of play is for you. Page 54 is

00:21:57
the section in the Goblin Quest RPG book advising

00:22:00
how to play the game with the GM. The game was

00:22:03
naturally designed to be played without a gm.

00:22:06
The way Ive laid it out in season one is assuming

00:22:08
no GM is at the table, only players.

00:22:11
If you do decide to play with the GM you are given a few

00:22:14
options with varying degrees of normal GM

00:22:17
responsibilities. Option one you can

00:22:20
be a traditional GM. This is the role most

00:22:23
GMs take when running tabletop RPGs. The GM

00:22:26
takes control of all NPC voices and

00:22:29
actions. The GM helps walk the players through

00:22:32
creating their quests and tasks, stages,

00:22:34
setbacks, etc. The GM is in

00:22:37
charge of narrating Goblin deaths and can

00:22:40
describe what happens as a result of the player

00:22:43
dice rolls though Grant encourages the GM to

00:22:46
push the interpretation back on the players to encourage

00:22:48
the spirit of collaboration. Option

00:22:51
2 the facilitator this is more

00:22:54
like a hands off GM. Its the facilitators job

00:22:57
to learn and teach the rules, reminding the other

00:23:00
players of the rules if they forget. But this

00:23:03
person still gets to play on their own with their own goblins.

00:23:06
This was the role that I took when I tested the game with my

00:23:09
friends and I still had a pretty good time.

00:23:11
Option three is Cartographer. This could be

00:23:14
included with the previous responsibilities but if you just want to

00:23:17
be the one drawing on a whiteboard, grid, paper

00:23:20
or map that you've created for the group to give them a visual

00:23:23
of the Goblins locations and antics. Knock

00:23:26
yourself out or you can go assign it to another

00:23:29
person within the group who likes to draw. And

00:23:31
option number four is the questmaster

00:23:34
and we covered this in episode six how to play

00:23:37
the game and mark successes achieved per stage

00:23:40
during the quest to help you move throughout the different

00:23:43
tasks and help move the story forward to the

00:23:45
conclusion of the game. If all the players dont want to

00:23:48
keep track of this individually on their own and on their own

00:23:51
character sheet, one person can do it and just keep

00:23:54
everybody up to pace. So whether you play

00:23:57
with or without a gm, this game has room for both

00:24:00
types of play. Possibly try doing both,

00:24:03
but maybe not at the same time. That would be hard.

00:24:06
Reach out via, email to Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com

00:24:07
shireaimtogamepodcast.com

00:24:10
and let me know if you have a preference with Goblin Quest.

00:24:13
Playing with or without a GM or even just with tabletop

00:24:16
RPGs in general. What do you prefer

00:24:19
and why? It's kind of like a teacher telling you to show your

00:24:22
work. Just do it. Join us next

00:24:25
week. What's that? You love the

00:24:27
CTG podcast but find it could get lost in a

00:24:30
mix of notifications you get throughout the week. What

00:24:33
if there was an effortless way for you to never

00:24:36
miss another episode or important deets

00:24:39
released ever again? Well my friend, that's exactly

00:24:42
what happens when you are a part of the Lounge.

00:24:44
The Lounge is our podcast newsletter, ready.

00:24:47
>> Clint Scheirer: And waiting for you to be a.

00:24:48
>> Clint Scheirer: Part of and enjoy. Go ahead and click on the link in the show

00:24:51
notes to sign up today. It'time for

00:24:54
you to relax and be in the know and

00:24:57
until the next time we make our claim to game. One

00:25:00
game at a time.

00:25:02
>> Clint Scheirer: Okay?

00:25:03
>> Clint Scheirer: Wow.

00:25:03
>> Clint Scheirer: That was a blast from the past.

00:25:05
>> Clint Scheirer: And a lot has changed here on.

00:25:06
>> Clint Scheirer: The CTG podcast, but its good to be able to go back

00:25:09
to my roots and remember where I came from. Thanks for

00:25:12
taking this rewind with me. If this episode got

00:25:15
you thinking or gave you permission to rethink how

00:25:18
you run your own sessions, do me a.

00:25:20
>> Clint Scheirer: Favor, share it with your crew. If youd like to Hear more about.

00:25:22
>> Clint Scheirer: GM list tabletop RPGs Ill put a link in the show notes to

00:25:25
episode 35 top 5 best GM

00:25:28
list tabletop RPGs. Ill be back on

00:25:31
July 31st with that brand new episode I mentioned

00:25:34
featuring Anthony from the Daily dm. trust me its

00:25:37
worth the wait. Until then keep having a great time with

00:25:40
friends and telling amazing stories. Your Tabletop role playing

00:25:42
games.