Game Master Information

The Game Master (GM) is the creative force behind a Delvebound game. The GM creates a world for the other players to explore, and also creates and runs adventures that drive the story. An adventure typically hinges on the successful completion of a quest, and can be as short as a single game session. Longer adventures might embroil players in great conflicts that require multiple game sessions to resolve. When strung together, these adventures form an ongoing campaign. A UESTRPG campaign can include dozens of adventures and last for months or years.

A Game Master gets to wear many hats. As the architect of a campaign, the GM creates adventures by placing monsters, traps, and treasures for the other players’ characters (the adventurers) to discover. As a storyteller, the GM helps the other players visualize what’s happening around them, improvising when the adventurers do something or go somewhere unexpected. As an actor, the GM plays the roles of the monsters and supporting characters, breathing life into them. And as a referee, the GM interprets the rules and decides when to abide by them and when to change them.

Inventing, writing, storytelling, improvising, acting, refereeing — every GM handles these roles differently, and you’ll probably enjoy some more than others. It helps to remember that Delvebound is a hobby, and being the GM should be fun. Focus on the aspects you enjoy and downplay the rest. For example, if you don’t like creating your own adventures, you can use published ones. You can also lean on the other players to help you with rules mastery and world-building.

The Delvebound rules help you and the other players have a good time, but the rules aren’t in charge. You’re the GM, and you are in charge of the game. That said, your goal isn’t to slaughter the adventurers but to create a campaign world that revolves around their actions and decisions, and to keep your players coming back for more! If you’re lucky, the events of your campaign will echo in the memories of your players long after the final game session is concluded.

For further information on the role of the GM see 5e Core Rules.