--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always, always wanted to be the Dungeon…" description: "\"“I always, always wanted to be the Dungeon Master because that's where the creativity lies - in thinking up places, characters and situations. If done ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_creativity_i-always-always-wanted-to-be-the-dungeon_2855598.png" --- # I always, always wanted to be the Dungeon Master because… ![“I always, always wanted to be the Dungeon Master because that's where the creativity lies - in thinking up places, characters and situations. If done well, a game can be a novel in itself.” quote by Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_creativity_i-always-always-wanted-to-be-the-dungeon_2855598.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_creativity_i-always-always-wanted-to-be-the-dungeon_2855598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/sharyn-mccrumb-18772_creativity_i-always-always-wanted-to-be-the-dungeon_2855598.png) > ““I always, always wanted to be the Dungeon Master because that's where the creativity lies - in thinking up places, characters and situations. If done well, a game can be a novel in itself.”” [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees the Dungeon Master role as the creative heart of a game, where world‑building and storytelling happen. **In simple terms:** Being a DM is about creating places, characters, and stories. Key Takeaway Embrace the DM role to unleash narrative creativity. Themes creativity storytelling leadership Mood enthusiastic inspirational Type motivational creative When to use this quote - game nights - writing workshops - team building Key Concepts world‑building improvisation player engagement Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities does a DM have to players? - How can a DM balance structure and freedom? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook the collaborative nature of RPGs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Dungeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dungeon/) [Dungeon Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dungeon-master-1277164/) [Game Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-novel-2835306/) [Master Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-creativity-2768904/) [Nytimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nytimes-134288/) [Video](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video/) ## Related quotes > [I do think some games are works of art, although their medium is visual rather than verbal. Both games and novels allow the reader/player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/i-do-think-some-games-are-works-of-art-although-their-medium-is/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [“Only God is the Giver and Master of Creativity and imagination because they are gifts that can only come from Him Alone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-god-is-the-giver-and-master-of-creativity-and-imagination/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I say, seeking to diminish the human dignity of another whose only crime is not loving whom you would have him or her love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/i-say-seeking-to-diminish-the-human-dignity-of-another-whose-only/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [I consider myself a better storyteller than a Dungeon Master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mercer/i-consider-myself-a-better-storyteller-than-a-dungeon-master/) [Matthew Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mercer/) > [“You don’t have to dumb it down, but you do have to sum it up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/you-don-t-have-to-dumb-it-down-but-you-do-have-to-sum-it-up/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [“Our politics are overrun with characters acting at the behest of shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/our-politics-are-overrun-with-characters-acting-at-the-behest-of/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [Smart technologies are not just disruptive; they can also preserve the status quo. Revolutionary in theory, they are often reactionary in practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/smart-technologies-are-not-just-disruptive-they-can-also-preserve-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [You are not entering this world in the usual manner, for you are setting forth to be a Dungeon Master. Certainly there are stout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gygax/you-are-not-entering-this-world-in-the-usual-manner-for-you-are/) [Gary Gygax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gygax/) > [The rules - I think that's one big thing that people seem to get caught up in is that I have to know all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mercer/the-rules-i-think-that-s-one-big-thing-that-people-seem-to-get-caught/) [Matthew Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mercer/) > [“The coup that overthrew President Chavez of Venezuela in April 2002 was greeted with euphoria in Washington. The new president—a businessman—was instantly recognized and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-coup-that-overthrew-president-chavez-of-venezuela-in-april-2002/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Role-playing isn't storytelling. If the dungeon master is directing it, it's not a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gygax/role-playing-isn-t-storytelling-if-the-dungeon-master-is-directing-it/) [Gary Gygax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gygax/) > [“Canceled checks will be to future historians and cultural anthropologists what the Dead Sea Scrolls and hieroglyphics are to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-staples/canceled-checks-will-be-to-future-historians-and-cultural/) [Brent Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-staples/) > [I was a huge fantasy geek growing up. I was the dungeon master in my D&D game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benioff/i-was-a-huge-fantasy-geek-growing-up-i-was-the-dungeon-master-in-my-d/) [David Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benioff/) > [I think the biggest mistake you can make in creator owned work is having info-dumps like, "Here's how this world works!" it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-remender/i-think-the-biggest-mistake-you-can-make-in-creator-owned-work-is/) [Rick Remender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-remender/) > [The biggest trap, the biggest dungeon in life isn't laziness or bad luck, it's comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-biggest-trap-the-biggest-dungeon-in-life-isn-t-laziness-or-bad/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) ## More by Sharyn McCrumb > [“Seasons didn't come behind the nicotine-stained walls of Mountain City's prison, so Harm always imagined it spring--the locust trees clustered with shaggy white blooms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/seasons-didn-t-come-behind-the-nicotine-stained-walls-of-mountain/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [SHADOW KNIGHT'S MATE is a compelling story, extremely well-written and alarmingly plausible. Jay Brandon does for politics what Dan Brown did for religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/shadow-knight-s-mate-is-a-compelling-story-extremely-well-written-and/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Cities are judged by their richest inhabitants and rural areas are judged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/cities-are-judged-by-their-richest-inhabitants-and-rural-areas-are/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“The people who live happily ever after - they don't appear in the history books. They just fade away. I reckon that's what happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/the-people-who-live-happily-ever-after-they-don-t-appear-in-the/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [I wonder which is worse-the death, not knowing what comes after, or the wedding, when you think you know, but you're wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/i-wonder-which-is-worse-the-death-not-knowing-what-comes-after-or-the/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Nobody has time to write a book. Some people just do it anyhow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/nobody-has-time-to-write-a-book-some-people-just-do-it-anyhow/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Machines seem to sense that I am afraid of them. It makes them hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/machines-seem-to-sense-that-i-am-afraid-of-them-it-makes-them-hostile/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“Oh, son, hardly anybody wants to leave. These mountains are more than just a place for folks around here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/oh-son-hardly-anybody-wants-to-leave-these-mountains-are-more-than/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Trying to act normal is the most unnatural behavior of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/trying-to-act-normal-is-the-most-unnatural-behavior-of-all/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/there-is-a-time-in-late-september-when-the-leaves-are-still-green-and/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“Being a professional writer is a lot like being a hooker. You'd better find out if you're any good at it before you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/being-a-professional-writer-is-a-lot-like-being-a-hooker-you-d-better/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [High school and equality are forever incompatible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/high-school-and-equality-are-forever-incompatible/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [“The most momentous events in life—baptisms, weddings, and funerals—don’t seem to take much time, but the effects of them bind up the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/the-most-momentous-events-in-life-baptisms-weddings-and-funerals-don/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [Boondocks' is simply the Tagalog word for mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/boondocks-is-simply-the-tagalog-word-for-mountains/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) > [You take a handful of rocks and put them in a jar. Then once a week, you take one tiny pebble out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-mccrumb/you-take-a-handful-of-rocks-and-put-them-in-a-jar-then-once-a-week/) [Sharyn McCrumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) [Explore all 34 Sharyn McCrumb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyn-mccrumb/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I always, always wanted to be the Dungeon Master because that's where the creativity lies - in thinking up places, characters and situations. 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