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Now, roll for initiative and keep reading to discover one “critical tip” after another!
1) Start With Making One-Shots
By definition, Dungeons & Dragons DMs love to dream big. Nobody takes this gig on unless they want to create the kinds of epic fantasy campaigns that players will remember for the rest of their lives. However, the blunt truth is that you’ll never be able to create an awesome campaign if you don’t start by creating awesome one-shot adventures instead.
Think about it: nobody writes an entire book before they master writing short stories. And creating one-shots will help you get used to DM dynamics (including handling the inevitable unexpected player shenanigans)
2) Every Campaign Needs a Session Zero
After mastering the art of the Dungeons & Dragons one-shot, you’ll be tempted to jump right into the campaign. However, for the sake of both you and your players, you are better off running a Session Zero. If you’re not familiar with the term, “Session Zero” refers to a non-gameplay session where the DM and players go over the most important info. If you have any completely new players, this would be the time to go over basic rules, but don’t feel like you need to explain the entire Player’s Handbook.
For non-newbies, the primary point of a Session Zero is to make sure that future gameplay sessions go well. The players get a chance to get to know one another and introduce their characters to the group. Meanwhile, the DM gets to describe the world he has developed (something new, or maybe a return to the Forgotten Realms), as well as any house rules players must abide by.
It sounds simple because it is simple, but having a Session Zero often makes the difference between a campaign starting strong or dying as quickly as a Level 1 character who just suffered a crit hit.
3) You Don’t Have to Memorize Every Rule
For me, the scariest prospect of becoming a DM was learning all the rules. I often struggled with remembering the intricacies of my own character’s limited rules. Understandably, I was intimidated by the prospect of having to learn all there is to know about my entire group’s abilities as well as the abilities of any enemy NPCs I made my players fight.
Rest assured, though, that you don’t need to memorize every rule. Starting out, you mostly need to know your player’s core abilities, and there just aren’t that many at Level 1. As a DM, you’ll learn more as your players level up, and it’s easy to find answers to most questions by searching the internet. Digital versions of the rules can help, but many old-school DMs still feel like print Dungeons & Dragons beats digital.
Plus, you’re the DM: with your players’ consent, you can always modify the rules you don’t like or that don’t work in the name of creating a more fulfilling campaign.
4) Leave Room for Creativity and Exploration
Writing out a Dungeons & Dragons campaign is a lot like writing a really long story. As such, you’ll often be tempted to write down every last detail of your campaign, including how players are supposed to solve various puzzles, riddles, and enemy encounters. However, here’s some major wisdom it takes many DMs far too long to realize: you just need to create problems without coming up with the “right” way to solve them.
This gives your players plenty of room to get creative. Maybe they find an awesome way to sneak up and kill the Big Bad, or they develop a completely unexpected answer to a crazy puzzle. Bad DMs will fret because players didn’t solve these things the “right” way. Good DMs give players the chance to get creative and explore their options.
As an added bonus, this approach makes planning sessions easier for the DM. Why spend a long time coming up with the right answer to a puzzle when you can just go with whichever player’s answer seems like the most fun?
5) Remember: It’s Not You Versus the Players
Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game with two groups: players and DMs. Unfortunately, far too many of each group feel like this is meant to be a competitive battle between them. Because of this, many bad DMs think about the various ways they can annoy, challenge, and ultimately defeat even the most skilled players.
In reality, D&D is meant to be a cooperative story. Yes, DMs must challenge players, but all of that is in service of delivering moments that are both fun and fulfilling. Think about different ways that you can work with your players to develop their characters and offer the kind of tabletop experience they are looking for. If you just want to argue and kill each other, then you should pack up D&D and just play some Munchkin instead!
