I've recently started creating a campaign for my friends and was wondering if anyone had some advice as to how to keep it interesting or just some good techniques for being a DM. Thanks.
I'd say be ready for your players to derail your game. It happens all the time, intentional or not. Keep an open mind, have your main plan, and practice impromptu roleplaying.
One example that comes to mind was in a game of PotA; the party had joined a cult. The DM gave them a couple of quests and afterwards had the cult betray our heroes to get them back on track.
One thing I would add to that excellent list (and maybe it was there and I missed it) is to try and make sure your players are engaged (and equally so). As you play you will get a sense of who your players are and what engages them or what they enjoy the most (and it's rarely the same thing for all of them, obviously). One player might be heavy into the role playing, whereas another might love the tactical element of battles, and so on. Try to give everyone at least a little bit of what they love when reasonable to do so.
Keep your framework for your adventure in mind, but dont plan out where your players are going. Let the plot evolve naturally around them and their actions.
Dont forget to add challenge. Youre not out to kill them, so keep it fair, but if their bad luck, lack of preperation or plain stupidity gets them killed, thats okay.
Dont feel obliged to make everything epic. Oftentimes the best stories are the ones more rooted in simplicity and grim reality.
Remember, this is a story. The events of the world and the actions of your players should always build up to a climax.
In your first few sessions, you should just run dungeons and practice your story building 101s there. Everything should have purpose, and youll likely need to practice this. Magic sword in the chest? Who put it there? Why? When? What is this dock doing in this cavern? where does the water lead? Etc.
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I've recently started creating a campaign for my friends and was wondering if anyone had some advice as to how to keep it interesting or just some good techniques for being a DM. Thanks.
I'd say be ready for your players to derail your game. It happens all the time, intentional or not. Keep an open mind, have your main plan, and practice impromptu roleplaying.
One example that comes to mind was in a game of PotA; the party had joined a cult. The DM gave them a couple of quests and afterwards had the cult betray our heroes to get them back on track.
There is a large tips thread in the DM subforum:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/dungeon-masters-only/6695-so-youre-going-to-dm-tips-for-beginners
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One thing I would add to that excellent list (and maybe it was there and I missed it) is to try and make sure your players are engaged (and equally so). As you play you will get a sense of who your players are and what engages them or what they enjoy the most (and it's rarely the same thing for all of them, obviously). One player might be heavy into the role playing, whereas another might love the tactical element of battles, and so on. Try to give everyone at least a little bit of what they love when reasonable to do so.
Thank you all for your advice. I appreciate it.
Keep your framework for your adventure in mind, but dont plan out where your players are going. Let the plot evolve naturally around them and their actions.
Dont forget to add challenge. Youre not out to kill them, so keep it fair, but if their bad luck, lack of preperation or plain stupidity gets them killed, thats okay.
Dont feel obliged to make everything epic. Oftentimes the best stories are the ones more rooted in simplicity and grim reality.
Remember, this is a story. The events of the world and the actions of your players should always build up to a climax.
In your first few sessions, you should just run dungeons and practice your story building 101s there. Everything should have purpose, and youll likely need to practice this. Magic sword in the chest? Who put it there? Why? When? What is this dock doing in this cavern? where does the water lead? Etc.