Traditionally, roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons have each player taking on the role of a single character, while one player is the Dungeon Master, Game Master, Narrator, or Facilitator. This player usually has a greater sense of authorship over the game's world, plays pretty much every other character, and sets up the broad strokes of the story. However, there are many games that do away with the boundary between player and GM, inviting all players to share the roles equally.

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Sometimes these games have everyone playing a single character and collaboratively building the story, while other times the players work together to tell a broader story, stepping in and out of any given character at any given time. These games are perfect for nights when the whole party can't make it, or to help build a shared sense of ownership in a game's setting.

10 Fiasco Provides A Great Framework For Chaotic Stories

fiasco game logo

One of the most popular GMless games ever, Fiasco by Bully Pulpit Games is "a game about powerful ambition and poor impulse control." Players work together to build a set of characters with complicated needs and relationships, then take turns improvising scenes to watch these characters' lives spin out of control. Fiasco's strength lies in its structure, as it is cleanly divided into two acts, with two scenes per player per act. Players who might feel somewhat intimidated by the idea of coming up with a story completely on the spot will find a nice support structure in Fiasco. 

9 Firebrands Games Keep The Action Moving

Mf0 firebrands cover art

With their sci-fi game Mobile Frame Zero: FirebrandsD. Vincent and Meguey Baker created a framework that would go on to be used in dozens of GMless games. These games, united under the "Firebrands framework," use a series of minigames to tell stories about people with incredibly strong convictions running into each other headlong. Some standouts of the genre include Dragonheartsabout mystical dragons, The King is Deadabout a fractured kingdom, and We Became Seabirdsabout birds who may or may not be the souls of deceased sailors.

8 Across the Endless Sea Is About A Magical Journey

across the endless sea rpg cover

Inspired by works like C. S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Drader and Ursula K. LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea, Across the Endless Sea by Games From the Wild Wood tells the story of a group of people as they make a fantastical journey across a vast ocean. Each player is responsible for detailing one aspect of the People, be it their keen Eyes, their strong Hands, or their wild Heart. In addition, each player plays a Facet of the Endless Sea, like the Weather, the Dwellers, or the Islands. The game is woven throughout with common motifs and themes, guiding players effortlessly in telling an amazing story.

7 For The Queen Guides Players In Creating The Story

for the queen logo

One of several GMless games that have spawned an entire genre, For the Queen has players taking on the roles of courtiers and partisans in the company of a powerful queen as she journeys to a distant land to broker an alliance.

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Cards are drawn from a shared deck to help players create the story in real-time, with no preparation required. Other games have used this structure, many of which are compiled on a site dubbed For The Drama.

6 Dusk To Midnight Is About Soldiers On The Losing Side

dusk to midnight by riley rethal title image

This game tells the story of mecha pilots dealing with the fallout of a failing war. Like many GMless games, it plays out in a series of scenes, with a number predetermined at the game's start. Each character in Dusk to Midnight by Riley Rethal has stats reflecting their relationship to the war, their mech, and their personal skill, as well as to their fellow pilots. The game ends with the pilots filling either their "resolve" or "disillusionment" track, reflecting a decision to commit to the war or succumb to doubt respectively.

5 Dialect Tells Stories About Language

dialect language is my awakening among leaves and feathers

With some of the most beautiful artwork in the medium, Dialect by Thorny Games is a treat to read, let alone play. It guides players through the story of an isolated group of people, telling their story by developing their fictional language.

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By the end of the story, something will happen to the isolation to break, disperse, or destroy them, leaving their language only in the player's minds. There are several different scenarios to play through, from boarding school students to internet communities to Martian explorers, ensuring that Dialect can be played again and again.

4 The Quiet Year And The Deep Forest Are Mapmaking Games

The Quiet Year windmill drawing

Avery Alder's The Quiet Year and The Deep Forest are two deeply connected games, as the latter exists as a response to the former. The Quiet Year is a mapmaking game that tells the story of one year in the life of a community escaping the collapse of their civilization. With a 52 card deck representing the 52 weeks in a year, players are guided through the events of four full seasons. The Deep Forest is a sort of inversion, as it tells the story of traditional fantasy "monsters" in the year after they successfully oust human adventurers from their lands. Both of these games are excellent ways to build worlds for future games, but they are just as valuable as stand-alone stories.

3 The Ground Itself Is A Story About Place

the ground itself rpg cover

GMless games are often praised for the fact that they can be played with little to no preparation, something that The Ground Itself by Everest Pipkin pushes to the extreme. This game tells the story of one place, regardless of who or what might (or might not) live there. One of the first things the group does is determined by a random die roll whether the story will unfold over the course of a few days or a few thousand years. This one die roll will radically alter the way the game plays out, making it a totally unpredictable experience.

2 Mage Against The Machine Hits Players Where It Hurts

Mage against the machine giant robot eye with wizards

The rules for Mage Against the Machine by Jordan Palmer take up just six pages, but this game really packs a punch. Players are wizards tasked with traveling back in time to prevent a robot apocalypse before it happens. To begin, the players each write down a series of memories that are deeply important to their character.

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The bulk of the game involves traveling to important spots in the timeline and rolling dice to determine how successful the group is. At the end of the game, players must use the information gained in the last step to determine if their original memories remain intact in the new timeline. This structure has the potential to create some truly heartwrenching moments, despite being exceptionally simple and easy to pick up.

1 I'm Sorry Did  You Say Street Magic Helps Build A City

im sorry did you say street magic heron at a bus stop

GMless games are perfect for collaborative worldbuilding, whether as a standalone activity or in service of future games. Caro Asercion's i'm sorry did you say street magic has the group working together to build a dynamic and lively city by creating Neighborhoods, Landmarks, and Residents, plus playing out short scenes and events in those locations. It features elegant rules complemented by beautifully surreal artwork and easy to read layout, making it perfect to pick up and play at a moment's notice.

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