Hey fellow Dungeon Masters, so you’re about to run your first game or might even be a few sessions in. These tips can help you elevate your game to becoming an even better DM for your players and making the game more enjoyable for yourself in the process.
Some of these if not most might be known already but when I started as a Dungeon Master I was very rough around the edges. I had never watched Critical Role before or any other Dungeons and Dragons gameplay before. So I wasn’t 100% of what was expected from me as a DM. If you find yourself in that boat then these are the tips for you.
1. Don’t be Afraid to be Theatrical:
My first game being a Dungeon Master was The Lost Mine of Phandelver Module. As many of you know at the very beginning there is a goblin encounter. I was playing with a group of strangers I had never met before and decided screw it, I’m going to go the whole way. When the players fought off the goblins I mustered up a voice that sounded as though I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and got into character as the goblin. I was playing with a group of new players so hearing me get into character and make a voice for them helped everyone else feel more comfortable at the table.
This one can be a bit tricky at first but I promise once you just bite the arrow and do it you will find it rubs off onto your players and how they roleplay their characters as well. I like to make my games feel a bit more immersive and I find getting into a voice really helps.
Why stop there though? Get really into it, use your arms, use your hands. Stand up from the table to show something. Set the example and your players will be sure to follow. It’s also just sure to make the session and characters much more memorable in the long run.
2. Have a List of Names For NPCs
This is one that I can not stress enough. Players will unexpectedly asks for names of a random spa attendant, stable hand, mailman, etc. Have a list of names nearby that you can quickly select from and use so you’re not sitting there for a few minutes trying to think of something.
You can find a list of names online for various races. A resource that we have hand crafted is this list of 295 NPC names for all sorts of races (humans, orcs, elves, merchants, etc.) This is a great resource for new DMs that need a list of names for all sorts of creatures that may pop up in their sessions.
When I run a game I take a look at the NPCs I expect to encounter in the session. Are they mostly goblins and orcs or are they humans and elves? Once I determine that I make sure I have five names for men and five for female characters and that’s typically more than enough to get through a session.
Also be sure to write down the name of the character in your notes. If they talked to a stable boy and you named him John, I’d write in my notes something along the lines of:
“John – Stable Boy the players talked too before getting horses, he told them about the secret cave entrance he noticed just beyond the creek.”
This way if or when your players come back you can be ready and quickly have the information for what you need. That being said, that brings us to our next tip.
3. Write Down Everything
Write everything down that you think might be important or something the characters did that you think could potentially have consequences down the line. This can be tremendously useful after a long 3 ½ hour session where a lot happened as the little stuff can sometimes get lost.
When my sessions end I typically try to have at least 6 bullet points written down to help me better prepare for the following session. The following is an example of brief notes I wrote down after my party was beaten and captured by a strong opponent.
These can seem a bit vague but I promise to me they help jog the memory and get me right to where I need to be to better prepare for my following session.
4. Themed Music For Various Situations
Themed Music is one of the biggest aspects of the game that I felt helped elevate me to a new level. It may seem subtle but when you’re engaging in a battle with demons, your friends are down and it’s just you 1v1ing a beast while the DOOM soundtrack plays, well, let’s just say there’s not much that gets better than that.
I try to have at least three different playlists ready at all times for my session; combat music, regular fantasy ambience, as well as tense music. These three alone can help elevate any encounter to be much more thrilling and keep you on the edge of your seat.
Some of my personal favorites that I use are the following:
D&D Ambient Music:
D&D Dungeon Music:
D&D Combat Music:
These are just a few but there are loads of playlist on Spotify readily available.
5. Rules are Guidelines Not Written in Stone
Hey, we’ve all been there when a player does something or wants to do something and you have a vague or no idea on how to rule that. Just go with it! Determine a fair thing while also letting the player have their cool moment. For example I had a player who wanted to disarm an NPC they were fighting. They didn’t have any special ability to do so but they still wanted to try.
I thought about it and I was still a new DM at the time so I just said the first thing that came to my mind and had the player roll a dexterity check versus my NPCs strength check to see if he could hold onto it. This lets the player at least have a chance at doing something that could otherwise seem a bit overpowered if I let him do it outright.
Another thing that I always tell my players during session 0 is that if I don’t know something off the top of my head, instead of bringing the session to a halt to look it up we just make a ruling on the fly and if it’s the wrong ruling we’ll talk about it in between sessions or at the beginning of the following session. That way we’re all on the same page of how it would be ruled going forward.
Bonus Tip: Ask For Feedback After a Session
Players don’t seem as interested as you thought they might be or feel like things aren’t exactly fitting into place how you thought they would, ask your players what they think. I like to send a text to my players every so often asking what they thought of the session and if there’s anything they think I could improve on or aspects of the game they would like to see more of. This helps me formulate what my players are liking, what they want to see more of, as well as just makes me feel like a better DM.
I typically send a message like that after the second or third session and then from there it’s typically every four sessions or so depending on if I have the time. Here’s an example of what one of those text might look like:
Hey man, I was just wondering how you’re doing with the campaign we are currently playing. If you have time I’d love to hear your thoughts and all feedback is good feedback so if I’m doing something wrong feel free to let me know!
1. Thoughts on the campaign in general?
2. How are you liking playing your character?
3. Anything you want to see more of?
4. Is there anything I can do to make the game more fun for you?
5. Is there anything the group can do to help your experience?
6. Anything else?
Epilogue:
Well, there you have it my fellow DMs, my top 5 tips on how you can help elevate your game. I’m sure to some of you these might be commonplace already but to the few of you who needed to see this I hope it helps. Remember, even the best DMs didn’t get there overnight. It takes time and effort to refine your craft. It can be quite tricky to be constantly thinking on your feet but being the puppet master behind the curtain makes it all so fun in the end. Farewell and may your journeys be safe!
