Advice for Dungeon Masters, New, and Old, Part 1

This is about Dungeons & Dragons and other TTRPGs

My first exposure to polyhedral dice and the idea of playing out the adventures of an elf happened in January 1979. I had received the Dungeons and Dragons Basic Set (Holmes edition) as a Christmas gift from my parents because one of my friend’s parents had recommended it, and me having the game would give him someone to play with.

Within a few months, I moved on to the Advanced rules, and I’ve been a fan of the game ever since. I’ve played every edition except 4th and am a fan of both the original game and its latest 5th edition incarnation.

In those 43 years, I’ve spent a lot of time behind the DMs screen, guiding players through adventures in underground bases, caves, savage islands, bustling cities, cursed forests, the Outer Planes, and, once, an underwater castle.

I like to think I’ve learned a thing or three. And while I’m always learning new and better ways to run adventures, I think it’s also high time to share a few tidbits of things I’ve picked up along the way.

Roll initiative.

Support the Player Characters

It’s sort of a running joke that DMs are always out to kill the player characters. That there’s a sort of adversarial relationship.

Games, in general, tend to pit players against players, but in a cooperative roleplaying game like Dungeons & Dragons (and others), the DM is actually there to support the players.

Sure, they support them with challenges, and sometimes those challenges don’t work out so well. In essence, however, DMs want to see the players succeed and grow.

In-game, the player characters are often better positioned to know what’s being described than the players themselves. With that in mind, the DM should help keep players from making simple mistakes their characters probably wouldn’t make and, better yet, give those players as many opportunities as reasonably possible to be heroes.

That’s not to say DMs should go too easy on the players or fudge dice rolls and stats. But they shouldn’t take advantage of player ignorance when a character stands a good chance of knowing better. For instance, Kevin may not know how dangerous it is to cast Fireball in an enclosed space with his companions in the room, but Wendarium the Wizard should. A responsible DM should at least ask Kevin, “That’s pretty dangerous. Are you sure?”

All Hail the Rule of Cool

I love seeing players get engaged with a scene and try something a little bizarre or over-the-top heroic. I equally love it when, as a player, a DM lets me do this.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been able to pull that vampire lord’s cape over his head so my compatriots could get in a round of attacks at advantage. Maybe I shouldn’t have been able to Misty Step above that giant for a “death from above!” attack. But Amber and Rene let me get away with it. Thanks, guys! Those were fun scenes.

Maybe I shouldn’t have let that barbarian leap from the city wall and onto the attacking dragon’s back for a few good hits before being shaken off, but it was too epic of a scene to pass up.

Sure, you have to know when to say “no” as well. No, you can’t roll dexterity for a knowledge check because you think standing on your head might shake some knowledge loose. I also know you have a +6 on Dexterity and a -1 on Intelligence.

Nice try, though.

That said, if a player comes up with something fun and awesome, whether it’s swinging from chandelier to chandelier or sweet-talking a flying broom to be its new pet, a good DM should consider how cool it would be and maybe let the players give it a shot.

Build Situations For Players To Discover Themselves

Most players hate a linear, railroaded plot.

I understand the temptation for the DM. A linear plot to an adventure is a lot easier to keep track of. The checklist approach leading up to the final boss battle is a product of a lot of video games and fantasy adventure novels.

But they can be uninspiring, and players prefer to have more agency.

At the same time, I’ll admit here that I’m not a fan of open sandbox games where players might end up spending weeks opening their own tavern or exploring a sewer while the kingdom burns.

The balance is laying out a sense of purpose and mission for the players but not telling them explicitly what steps they need to take. Now’s the time for the players to go into the sandbox, look for clues, and experience what’s going on in the world. Hopefully, your players will learn what they need to do by acting independently.

Say they’re traveling north and come across burned towns and fleeing refugees. That’s how they learn about the red dragon attacks — not as some assignment handed to them. The player characters talk with some refugees, explore the areas around the ruined towns and follow signs that suggest a dragon has taken up shop in the mountains.

You don’t tell the players what to do, but you do set up the situations in which they can discover what to do for themselves and then elect to do it.

Try to set up multiple ways for players to find an adventure hook. Make it personal, if possible. In one of my games, the dwarven ranger hates dragons for backstory. She feels a lot of empathy for the villagers and is totally down with killing a dragon. Her snotty wizard companion can’t stand the idea of the dwarf killing a dragon with an axe when he could do a better job of it with a major ice spell he’s been working on. The thief just wants to see what kind of treasure the dragon has amassed.

Not every player needs to be on the adventure for the exact same reason. Ideally, their overall goals should align, but let each player make their own decision — or at least come up with a reason for being there on their own.

Endless Possibilities

Almost 50 years ago, Dungeons & Dragons changed gaming as no other game has. Since then, it’s inspired a lot of other groundbreaking games, and it has evolved in ways that have only made the world of roleplaying games larger.

As much as the rulesets and fantastic settings have allowed this to happen, good DMs are what makes the game possible.

I’m not the best DM in the world, nor am I the most experienced compared to others, but I’ve been around the dungeon a few times. If I can make the gaming world a touch better, then it seems the least I can do.

This is the first installment of a series. I have more tips, advice, and thoughts to share.

What would you like me to cover?

Feel free to chime in.

It’s all about collaboration.

Cheers!

About John Teehan

John lives in Rhode Island with his wife, son, and dog. He specializes in tech, health, business, parenting, pop culture, and gaming. Visit wordsbyjohn.net for more info and rates. Twitter: @WordsByJohn2