In the modern day of theDungeons & Dragonshobby, it can be difficult to stand out as a Dungeon Master (DM). After all, you’ve got professional DMs like Brendan Lee Mulligan, Matt Mercer, Chris Perkins, and many more who have been running games for decades to compete with.
Instead of comparing yourself to these shining examples, think about actions you can take in your own games to improve the experience of your players. Dungeon mastering is one of the deepest skills someone can take up, and there’s always room for improvement: no matter who you are. Here are some ways to make your players appreciate you even more than they already do.
10Run A Session Zero: The Right Way
Lots of DMs run session zeros nowadays, but few truly take advantage of the opportunity to start their campaigns off on the right foot. Session zero is much more than a simple meet and greet for the players to build a cohesive party and get to know one another.
It’s your chance to set the stakes, discuss rules, introduce player etiquette, determine a schedule, begin story arcs, and establish trust. A good session zero will see all of these topics and more brought up with the players. One of the best things you can do storywise during a session zero is tie each player character (PC) to at least one other PC using their backstories.
This immediately explains how the party got together and allows you to get right to adventuring versus doinga typically boring openingwhere the PCs meet each other in a tavern.
Another important topic is where the players want the stories of their characters to go. What kind of narrative is each player trying to tell? The answer to this question will help immensely in developing future sessions.
9Work Cooperatively On Character Backstories
Speaking of tying the characters together, you should also work with each player individually on their character’s backstory. After you get a rough draft of each player’s backstory, you should reach back out to them with suggestions of how the story could fit into the campaign you all are going to play.
This could include alliances or hostilities with planned NPCs, secret information their character knows, membership in important factions, and more. The better you ground your PCs into the campaign before you actually begin play, the easier it will be to dive into everyone’s backstory while still staying on the primary campaign arc. That’s a win-win.
8Bring Back Compelling NPCs
As DMs, we all have NPCs that we’ve worked hard on and love dearly. Unfortunately, those aren’t always the NPCs that our players think about fondly. At the end of the day, the players will make their own decisions about the NPCs they enjoy interacting with: whether they be allies or enemies.
Take this information in stride, and use it to your advantage. The game will be more enjoyable the more the players get to see the NPCs they like. It’s okay to let go of an NPC that the players didn’t quite take a liking to. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. Besides, you’re bound to come across the right place to insert your favored NPCs at a later date.
7Provide Inspiration
Inspiration is a mechanicby which you reward good gameplay by awarding a player advantage on a future roll of their choice. Players love receiving inspiration as it’s a pat on the back that can have huge consequences on their character’s future fate. That being said, don’t give it out too much either. That defeats the purpose of receiving the award.
There are a lot of homebrew rules surrounding inspiration. We encourage you to find some that you and your players like and lean into them. Whatever options you go with, make sure that your inspiration method remains an opportunity for players to be recognized for their actions in the game. After all, it inspires better play from everyone at the table.
6Issue A Challenge
There’s nothing more boring than a D&D session where the points don’t matter, and nobody cares about the rules. The PCs are adventurers. It’s a difficult lifestyle to live, and one that comes with more than its fair share of dangerous moments. As the DM, it’s your responsibility to challenge the PCs in interesting ways.
Own up to this responsibility, and place the PCs in situations where they have to make hard decisions. These difficult choices might be strenuous in the moment, but they’re the whole reason we play D&D to begin with. Trust us, your PCs might hate having to make these choices, but your players will love you for including them.
5Roll In The Open
It’s hard to deny the grandeur and usefulness of a good DM screen. It’s a great place to hide all kinds of notes, reminders, and other information that’s relevant to the game. Nonetheless, rolling your dice in the open for all the world to see is the easiest way to earn the respect of your players.
The players know that a DM who rolls dice in the open isn’t pulling their punches. They know that the dice matter, and that the fate of their characters might be decided at any moment by a particularly cruel roll. This feeling brings something to the game that’s hard to put into words. If you don’t believe us, try it for yourself.
4Customize Magic Items
The most exciting treasure for your players to receive isundoubtedly magic items. This equipment provides character options beyond what’s available in each character’s sheet: providing the opportunity for alternative methods of play. Either that or it enhances the abilities that a character already has. The best magic items do both.
Great DMs tailor the magic items their party receives to the characters that the party is comprised of. For example, Monks may not be able to use most magic items to their fullest extent, but nothing is stopping you from creating a magic item that works thematically and mechanically for the Monk at your table. Players love magic items, so make ones they’ll never forget.
3Bring Miniatures And Maps
You can see the epicness that miniatures and maps bring to games in any live play that includes them. There’s no reason not to include this excitement in your own games. That doesn’t mean that you should go out and buy the most expensive miniatures and maps you can find. You can easily do this on the cheap!
Buy a dry-erase mat, some markers, and a handful of unpainted minis for the possible upcoming encounters your players might face. With this small investment, you can draw an infinite number of battle maps with a wide array of opponents for the PCs to face off against. These efforts make combat many times more exciting, and good game prep is all about spending time on exciting things.
2Allow Their Wild Ideas To Work (Sometimes)
As the saying goes, ‘No session prep survives contact with the players.’ If you’ve been DMing for a while, you know exactly what we’re talking about. The PCs are sure to come up with no small number of absurd solutions to the problems you place before them. Allow them to work!
Sure, they might need to roll high in certain cases or otherwise make additional sacrifices for their silly ideas to come to fruition. But the whole point is there’s a chance that their solution could answer the situation. No solution you come up with to an issue will be as entertaining as what the players think up. In other words, eave the playing to the players.
All of that being said, sometimes what the players come up with is simply too far-fetched. ‘No’ is a device in your DM tool kit. Don’t forget to use it when necessary.
1Keep A Tight Schedule
The often-forgotten most important responsibility of the DM is to ensure that the game happens in the first place. The best way to do this is to keep a tight schedule. Pick a time and day of the week, day every two weeks, or day every month for the campaign to take place.
Then, keep to it. Even if a player has to miss a session. By doing so, everyone knows that a certain time and date is time to play D&D.
