# Game Master

- Term: Tabletop term
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/game-master/

> The player who runs the game: describing the world, voicing every [Non-player character](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/non-player-character/), adjudicating rules and deciding what the dice mean. Different games give the role different names, such as Dungeon Master in D&D, Storyteller in Vampire: The Masquerade and Keeper in Call of Cthulhu. The role descends from the neutral umpire of refereed wargames.

The player who runs the game: describing the world, voicing every [Non-player character](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/non-player-character/), adjudicating rules and deciding what the dice mean. Different games give the role different names, such as Dungeon Master in D&D, Storyteller in Vampire: The Masquerade and Keeper in Call of Cthulhu. The role descends from the neutral umpire of refereed wargames.

**Origin:** Early D&D called the role the referee; the term Dungeon Master soon became D&D's own, and Game Master became the generic term across the hobby.

## Quick answers

**What does "Game Master" mean?**
The player who runs the game: describing the world, voicing every Non-player character, adjudicating rules and deciding what the dice mean. Different games give the role different names, such as Dungeon Master in D&D, Storyteller in Vampire: The Masquerade and Keeper in Call of Cthulhu. The role descends from the neutral umpire of refereed wargames.

**Where does the term "Game Master" come from?**
Early D&D called the role the referee; the term Dungeon Master soon became D&D's own, and Game Master became the generic term across the hobby.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.