How to be a Good Dungeon Master

Currently, I have dived into the creating world of being a Dungeon Master. If you are not familiar, that is basically the narrator and controller of the environment when it comes to playing Dungeons and dragons. That is not the only function of a DM and it can be overwhelming if you take on too much. Today we are merely focusing on the basics and how to have a good time with the other players. More importantly, new to the game players! KNOW YOUR PLAYERS Schedule a chat with the players to discuss their overall hopes for the game, your DM style, rules, and overall session details. Doing this simple step can help make sure you have a decent experience and do not have disappointed players. You will want to discuss the below aspects and do not be afraid to draw a line if you are uncomfortable changing your style.

-What are some of your favorite RPG style games? -Are you interested in killing monsters, taking down evil empires, succeeding at well-planned heists, be the hero or some romance? What type of game do they want? -How familiar is everyone with the basic rules? -What do you, as the DM, have as additional rules? -How long should sessions run, and can everyone do virtual sessions? Discussing the above will help to make sure everyone is on the same page and avoid conflicts down the road. Take notes as to what the players respond with and do your best to incorporate those changes, as necessary. It should also be noted to be kind to your new players and help them feel comfortable by encouraging them to ask questions. Additionally, you should know your player’s backgrounds and why they may take certain paths. Include their backstory into the campaign by having them see a familiar face or be a fugitive in certain villages or cities. Give them the feeling that they really are in the game. BE PASSIONATE You should not be a DM if you are not in love with the game. Make sure to be enthusiastic and leave the real world struggles out of the game. Take the time to be creative and have some visuals for your players by utilizing online sites to create maps or drawing it yourself! Possibly, your adventures receive a letter from a mystery person, write up a letter they can have on them and review together. Follow some of the below ideas to show off how passionate you really are! Show interest in the players’ characters and their back stories.

-Put time and effort into preparing for the campaign. -Create an ambiance that enhances your narrative. -Share the spotlight with the party. Let the players add their take on how they finish a foe. -Be open to feedback! -Reward your players and be creative. KEEP THE RULES SIMPLE It can be useful to bend rules on the occasion to assist the party or allow for more freedom. What you want to avoid is making rules unclear and causing it to take up gameplay with heated discussions. Do your best to outline rules ahead of time and let players know when acceptations would be made or if they are never made. Most highly experienced DM’s would advise avoiding doing this as much as possible. Having a printed out basic rule list can be very helpful. KEEP THESE ITEMS CLOSE BY Notepad, this is excellent for taking down notes when you make up a certain shop on the fly and may need to reference it later. This is also nice to have for if the players do some spectacular role-playing and you want to reward them with some unique items instead of experience. All the handbooks! Have on hand the players handbook and any other D&D books that give you detail on the story you are trying to tell. These will be helpful to have some rules close by and items to reference. Having a cheat sheet with rules on hand will assist to make rule decisions smoother. You can purchase a set that will have a dungeon master screen with some notes to utilize already on it. Lots of dice, if your campaign involves that because you are likely to do lots of rolling and the more dice the better. A device of some kind and a speaker to create an ambiance with music and to do quick google searches on rules. Overall, have fun and immerse your players into the world you create. Let the adventurers become heroes or villains. Use lots of detail and let creativity flow in a safe space for everyone!