The Role of the GM

The Game Master’s role is to present situations, portray the world, and decide how events unfold in response to what the characters do.

They are not playing against the players, and they are not there to decide what the story should be. Instead, they interpret the situation and apply the rules in context, so that actions lead to consistent and meaningful outcomes.

The GM is also responsible for the world in which play takes place. Some GMs run published adventures or established campaigns, others create their own settings and situations from scratch, and many use a mixture of both. In all cases, this material provides the starting point for play, but it does not determine how events will unfold once the players begin to act.

This allows the game to present real challenges. Situations may be difficult, outcomes are not guaranteed, and decisions can have lasting consequences. At the same time, the structure of the game supports ongoing play, so that characters can continue to develop through the results of those decisions.

The balance between rules and interpretation exists to make this possible: to allow events to unfold in a way that is both consistent and uncertain.