I am a long time DM. I have run numerous campaigns across more than ten years. It’s been fun for sure. But as many a Dungeon Master can attest to, all too often the weight of running a game falls on their shoulders. To be sure, being a Dungeon Master isn’t something everybody can do. It is a demanding job, even with a premade adventure. But a few of us have wondered if it was possible to run without a Dungeon Master at all? In my own searching, I’ve found that it is possible, but not without some form of supplement material and neither are without their flaws. To my knowledge, there are only two such supplements that do what I want: run a game for me. These are the Mythic Game Master Emulator and the 4th Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The Mythic Game Master Emulator is actually an off-shoot of an entire role playing game that I haven’t explored beyond knowing that it is a “rules light” role playing game. Which is fine, all we need is the emulator. So how does this emulator work? Very randomly. To grossly oversimplify it, it’s like you’re making a magic 8-ball and a game of Pictionary run your game. Again, that’s a gross oversimplification, and I can vouch that the Mythic Game Master Emulator DOES work. The jist is you start an adventure by rolling on some charts and tables, ask yes/no questions to better define things, and use logic to guide and dictate exactly what’s going on. You, all alone or with a group, decide what’s just happened. Mythic just gives you the pieces. If it is just you, then the events are as you interpret them. If you’re in a group, it goes to whatever the majority of you agree on. This cycle of questions and answers goes on until you resolve your threads (your quests). Of course, nothing stops you from taking a break to come back later. One of the things I don’t feel Mythic reiterates well is that your character(s) should start the game with a small handful of known NPCs (parents, friends, bosses) and personal Threads. That is, if you’re starting truly randomly. It draws on those details to start your quest. It takes time and some getting used to, so it isn’t for everyone, but I like using it.

The second option is from the 4th Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide, of all places. I know 4e doesn’t have a good reputation, but the 4e DMG was very well written and has one jewel of a rule on playing without a DM, you just have to go to the trouble of adapting it to another edition. It is very simple too. Make a deck of monsters, roll up a random dungeon, and draw one monster from the deck per player in the party when someone enters a room. One card is the “boss” monster and the adventure is over once you defeat it. The caveat is that you shuffle it into the deck after the first time you find it. Only after the second time you draw it does it stand its ground. The rules set recommends that you either designate one player to control the monsters or you decide as a group how the monsters act. When adapting it to another edition, the decks you make will each be tailored to an individual level. Most of the monsters should be at a ratio of 1-to-1 with an average character of the given level, with a few stronger and weaker monsters thrown in for good measure. I haven’t used this as much as I have Mythic, but I have used it in 5e and I can confirm the idea holds up. If nothing else, it is an excellent way to get with some friends to test drive recent Unearthed Arcana material. And that’s nothing to scoff at.

With prospects like these, playing D&D without a DM is doable and enjoyable. If I were to recommend one over the other, I would say go with Mythic, however, it’s absolutely worth the effort to master both. I will try using the two in tandem when I can, I just need the time. Until then, keep trying to hit the endgame, folks.

-The Clark Side