The Gamemaster is a player too, they're just playing everyone that _isn't_ a protagonist. While there's some level of responsibility it would be a very toxic group that expects the GM to do all the "work" and they just get to "play". It should be everyone's responsibility to make sure the game is fun for the entire table.
Seconding a vote for Ironforge/Starsworn, very cool settings and super easy to get started solo. There's a great webapp (customized for both flavors) IronJournal/Stargazer that makes it easy to track your adventures.
I was introduced to TTRPGs this year by my friend Robby Howell. He spent the past 10 years designing a system called Enclave [0] (which he successfully Kickstarted). Enclave is a diceless system that focuses on the character acting and collaborative storytelling elements. It was a very easy system to pickup and has been a blast to play. I've made several new friends and I'm now in a session every week. Even surprised myself in becoming a Gamemaster (Conduit in Enclave). I've found being the Conduit as a consistent way to enter "flow state" where time is just flying by as the story unfolds in my mind. Would highly recommend checking out Enclave or any TTRPG that strikes your fancy, you might find a new hobby.
I recently played The Zone[0], which is loosely based on Roadside Picnic/Stalker, and it’s the first time I found myself welling up with emotion in an RPG. I’ve played D&D since I was a teenager, but this game similarly has no dice, and describing my character’s tragic death that was poetic and heartbreaking was truly a different experience. Definitely recommend branching out and trying something outside your comfort zone.
I've been playing online via the Discord server using their LFG channel. That might sound odd for TTRPG but Enclave is a bit unique in that its played almost exclusively as one-shot missions rather than a campaign. So you can bring your character to various Conduits (GMs) without much issue. I know what you're thinking, what about progression? Enclave does have a progression system that works in this format.
Tabletop Role-playing Games (ttrpg), specifically being the Game Master (gm). I'm actually pretty new to ttrpgs was always more of a card and board gamer. I have a friend who recently Kickstarted a diceless system he designed. I helped with some proofreading and it seemed really interesting. He invited me to do an Actual Play and I was hooked. Decided to dive into the deep end and immediately started gm'ing.
The goal of the game is to progress, by any means necessary. You'll need to "hack" your way forward. Think outside the box, the browser is your playground.
>>> from pattern.en import sentiment
>>> print sentiment(
>>> "The movie attempts to be surreal by incorporating various time paradoxes,"
>>> "but it's presented in such a ridiculous way it's seriously boring.")
(-0.34, 1.0)
