Sleepaway! When the GM is missing in the woods
What happens when the role of the GM is distributed among the players? GMless games are not new, but the potentials and pitfalls of distributed GM responsibilities have not been resolved. I played one, Sleepaway, yesterday and wanted to discuss.
Belonging Outside Belonging (BOB) games use two tools to share GM responsibilities. The first is setting elements, and the second is weak moves.
Setting elements have their own character sheets that have moves that players can use to add color and increase tension. This materially decentralizes storytelling, allowing for a more democratic form of play. In some games, these sheets are distributed among the players and other games players pick them up when relevant. In all the BOB games I’ve played, these sheets and moves rarely get referenced if ever. It seems that players forget that these elements exist. This could be symptomatic of the tools not being intuitive or engaging enough in practice. If there were clearer integrations or reminders within the game mechanics, they might get used more. At the same time, we still had fun with these sheets not being used, so maybe they could be cut from the game.
On the other hand, weak moves are a great driver for tension. My Sleepaway character was the new kid, and a running joke spawned around one of my weak moves: failing at showing someone how to do something. I’d begin to help a kid, and the other characters would run over to intervene. Player-driven tension is a type of agency not typically afforded to non-GM roles.
Without a GM, BOB games really struggle to get running. It really needs the unspoken GM contributions—organization, clarification, and guidance—are not easily replaced: the learning and explaining the game, keeping the group on track, and resolving confusions. It still fell on me to read the rules, and guide players through character creation. This might call for a rethinking of how GMless systems can better support players, perhaps through improved rulebooks, more structured sessions, or digital tools that assist in game management.
