So you want to be a DM hm? Well here are some tips I have for you!
MY TIPS ARE NOT REQUIRED WHATSOEVER. IF SOMETHING SEEMS TOO HARD FOR YOU DON'T DO IT.
1. Describe. Saying "Oh there's a goblin in the room" isn't enough to get the players immersed. In my games I really want my players to get immersed, because if they aren't immersed usually they'll play a game in the background and not pay attention.
2. Roleplay.If you want your players to roleplay, roleplay yourself. Set an example for them to go off of so they get in the habit. If your player wants to talk to the enemy, give the enemy a why. Do they need the money or are they just evil by heart? If your enemies have no story and are hollow ways for the players to fight, your world doesn't feel like a real one. Again, immersive games are always both the most fun to play and the most fun to DM.
3. The Rule of Cool. Honestly, you don't HAVE to follow this one if your players have played DnD for a while. But as a new DM with new players, the limiting rules of DnD are not fun to play with, especially if your players are like "I'd like to move here and attack." If you allow people to do things to make the game feel better, they could go, "I'd like to take out my sword and kick him in the chest, and put my sword to his throat." Its a lot more descriptive and that's the way I like to play the game. Fighting isn't too fun in my campaigns, mainly due to me being a bad DM, so letting the players add more story really does take load off of newer DM's.
Well that's it for this first part of How to be a better DM! Tune in next time if you want!
Really helpful :) I NEED to learn how to be a better DM hehe. Thanks!
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The Nerd Queen! Minty (me) vs Yvonne (SpiderQueenYvonne)... how will we work this out? POSSIBLE Arachnid Queen Imma nerdy nonbinary YouTuber who lives on Earth, quick summary for ya. (No my channel is not under this username lol) I ADMIT IT: I am two hundred thirty-three years old. Me rn: darn it- can't think of how to design this stupid signature.
1 - only if you have a very quick mind and can come up with all sorts of different scenarios on the spur of the moment. Some people aren't like that.
2 - different voices are good, either accents or just patterns of speech.
3 - some players expect the world to work according to the printed rules, so YES should not be used if using an ability/spell to do something for which it wasn't designed.
1 - only if you have a very quick mind and can come up with all sorts of different scenarios on the spur of the moment. Some people aren't like that.
2 - different voices are good, either accents or just patterns of speech.
3 - some players expect the world to work according to the printed rules, so YES should not be used if using an ability/spell to do something for which it wasn't designed.
ohh, thanks for the advice, i'm still learning too, just put this up for my own reference, didn't know 3 people would see it xD
So you want to be a DM hm? Well here are some tips I have for you!
1. You don't HAVE to have a campaign, whether it be by you or an official pre-written one. I played a campaign that was literally me making things up for the whole thing, and the players loved it.
2. Learn how to do voices, it immerses the players into the world and the roleplay. They don't feel like they're talking to you, but they feel like they're in the universe themselves.
3. SAY YES. Especially if your players want to do something cool. Always. Say. Yes. (Unless it goes against all physics in your world or insta-kills someone. Like if someone wants to distract the enemy with a planned miss of a dagger throw, then actually stab them, LET THEM. You can let them do anything really, just as long as you keep the same dice rolls they had so it isn't TOO over-powered.
Well that's it for this first part of How to be a better DM! Tune in next time if you want!
Clearly, you come from the school of critical role. Your advice is terrible.
Clearly, you come from the school of: how to be toxic online.
seriously though, thanks for the criticism, i'm a newer dm so i wanted to put this up for my own reference
Some people argue about the "matt mercer effect" and how their show is not an accurate portrayal of DND.
From what I've seen, and heard about multiple stories (via youtube, reading them etc), DnD has a whole is different for everybody and the similarities exist throughout everyone's version of DnD. That being said most people cite DnD as being a bad portrayal of DnD due to the fact that people shouldn't explain their games to be like what is streamed... which again isn't inaccurate advice because no one's table is going to be the same, again similarities and common ground exists... but no one's really going to be the same. I mean most tables aren't ran by professional voice actors but that doesn't mean we aren't playing the same game. I do think most well intention-ed people try to do is don't expect to go to a table and have what critical role has, which I would argue is sound advice.
That being said everyone does need to find their own way to play and DM but that doesn't mean we can't pick up tips and tricks from others.
Some people argue about the "matt mercer effect" and how their show is not an accurate portrayal of DND.
From what I've seen, and heard about multiple stories (via youtube, reading them etc), DnD has a whole is different for everybody and the similarities exist throughout everyone's version of DnD. That being said most people cite DnD as being a bad portrayal of DnD due to the fact that people shouldn't explain their games to be like what is streamed... which again isn't inaccurate advice because no one's table is going to be the same, again similarities and common ground exists... but no one's really going to be the same. I mean most tables aren't ran by professional voice actors but that doesn't mean we aren't playing the same game. I do think most well intention-ed people try to do is don't expect to go to a table and have what critical role has, which I would argue is sound advice.
That being said everyone does need to find their own way to play and DM but that doesn't mean we can't pick up tips and tricks from others.
So you want to be a DM hm? Well here are some tips I have for you!
1. You don't HAVE to have a campaign, whether it be by you or an official pre-written one. I played a campaign that was literally me making things up for the whole thing, and the players loved it.
2. Learn how to do voices, it immerses the players into the world and the roleplay. They don't feel like they're talking to you, but they feel like they're in the universe themselves.
3. SAY YES. Especially if your players want to do something cool. Always. Say. Yes. (Unless it goes against all physics in your world or insta-kills someone. Like if someone wants to distract the enemy with a planned miss of a dagger throw, then actually stab them, LET THEM. You can let them do anything really, just as long as you keep the same dice rolls they had so it isn't TOO over-powered.
Well that's it for this first part of How to be a better DM! Tune in next time if you want!
Clearly, you come from the school of critical role. Your advice is terrible.
Clearly, you come from the school of: how to be toxic online.
seriously though, thanks for the criticism, i'm a newer dm so i wanted to put this up for my own reference
OK, you want to go through these points, I am game.
First off, what do you mean by "your own reference"? If it was for only your own reference, put them on a piece of paper and with the rest of your D&D materials and use it to remind yourself whenever you are DM'ing.
1. Many DM's, especially "newer" DM's, as you describe yourself, are overwhelmed with data and making decisions on the fly as it is with per-generated material, be it a module or something the DM prepped before the session. To suggest it is OK to "wing it" when it comes to encounter design is ludicrous given the stress this adds to a new DM.
2. I have never ever "done voices". I would never try, as would 90% of all DM's. That is straight out of CR, which is all PAID VOICE ACTORS. So no, no, no, a thousand times no. Once again, added stress on a DM.
3. You want to live by the Rule of Cool, and fall back on Rule 0, well, good luck. Enjoy the anarchy. You want to play with 8 year old kids, who can't grasp complicated rule sets, sure, toss the rule books aside. You want to play a long term game with adults, you need rules that are consistent. Once again, added pressure on newer DM's to now maintain consistency of rulings, as opposed to simply applying rules. Rulings and rules are NOT the same thing.
well i get it, but its not really stressful for me, you can have your own opinion, but this is my advice. people want to play DND sometimes just to feel cool, and that's the way they play. i could: A. Get rid of everyone who wants to feel cool and have to find new people to join the campaign
B. Help them enjoy DnD too.
and i chose B.
you might choose A, but i chose B and i'm allowed to do so, if you don't want to follow my advice thats fine, but i didn't come on this website to get an argument, so i'm going to stop arguing here
1. Learn how to make dungeons; this is where the bulk of the action takes place, in the “dungeon”. Now the dungeon does not need to be a dank old abandoned tower where a lich has made its lair. It certainly can be, but a dungeon can be any discrete bounded area where the players are set loose to explore and overcome a variety of challenges that make this game what it is.
2. Practice game management and pacing; being a DM feels a lot like public speaking, where the spotlight is on you. Be prepared for that, calm your nerves and run the game smoothly. Pay attention to details and try to manage your game effectively.
3. Learn the monsters; study the monster manual and get a feel for the types of monsters in there. Combine ones of different abilities and learn to fight tactically with them to present challenging and interesting encounters.
As for the OP’s list
1. I disagree with this. Unless you have been doing this for many years and are an improv master, chances are this will go poorly. Be prepared, have a campaign.
2. Sure, why not. I do this one myself. If you are decent at it and the players don’t think it is cringy, it adds flavor to the game. Certainly not a priority though, especially for a new DM.
3. Learn to say yes AND no. Need to strike a balance.
1. Learn how to make dungeons; this is where the bulk of the action takes place, in the “dungeon”. Now the dungeon does not need to be a dank old abandoned tower where a lich has made its lair. It certainly can be, but a dungeon can be any discrete bounded area where the players are set loose to explore and overcome a variety of challenges that make this game what it is.
2. Practice game management and pacing; being a DM feels a lot like public speaking, where the spotlight is on you. Be prepared for that, calm your nerves and run the game smoothly. Pay attention to details and try to manage your game effectively.
3. Learn the monsters; study the monster manual and get a feel for the types of monsters in there. Combine ones of different abilities and learn to fight tactically with them to present challenging and interesting encounters.
As for the OP’s list
1. I disagree with this. Unless you have been doing this for many years and are an improv master, chances are this will go poorly. Be prepared, have a campaign.
2. Sure, why not. I do this one myself. If you are decent at it and the players don’t think it is cringy, it adds flavor to the game. Certainly not a priority though, especially for a new DM.
3. Learn to say yes AND no. Need to strike a balance.
your list is great! and your criticism is very helpful to me, but i've winged a whole campaign and honestly my players enjoyed it much more than prewritten ones. i completely agree though because my players have awful attention spans so its much better for them without the whole flavor text thing
1) While I'm sure this is true, I wouldn't recommend this to new DMs, especially those who haven't got a context for how to do sandbox content. Otherwise there'd be a lot of breaking of the third suggestion.
2) Funnily enough, nothing makes me more comfortable at a table than someone having the confidence to knowingly do a voice badly. Or rather, accent or dialect. But like so many things in the name of immersion, they can sometimes be a distraction. I frequently fail to enunciate when applying a Brummy accent too thick, and a lot of the time I wonder why I don't just talk normally, which is something of a pickle as I've aspired to be a voice actor for a good portion of my life.
3) I strongly disagree with this one, even though I see where you're coming from. There are instances where I'm not going to let something fly at my table, even if it wasn't established at Session Zero. This is especially when it's to the detriment to the players specifically rather than their characters, such as arguing or hogging materials. Call it uncreative, call it draconian, but especially as an inexperienced DM I'd like the freedom to say "I'm not confident my abilities to run the game by letting you do that" for any reason. And this goes for experienced DMs too. "Yes, and" can be wielded like a cudgel as much as "it's what my character would do" in the hands of a misguided or malicious participant. Players approaching my table can equally say 'no, I don't want to play your game' and can go elsewhere, which will be to both our benefit.
If I had to suggest three pieces of advice, they would be thus:
Zero is the first and most important number. Rule Zero dictates that the DM is God Almighty and decides how the game works, not the books. Session Zero is where participants get together and discuss house rules, tone, character concepts, and a general get-together. This is especially important for groups that are newly formed and/or consist of players who may not know one-another.
Make a ruling and run with it. Don't hold up the game umming and arring as you leaf through the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), Player's Handbook (PHB) or Monster Manual (MM) to see how something works. If you have to play leapfrog with the index, come up with a ruling on the fly to keep the game moving, and then talk about it with the player afterwards if they're rubbed the wrong way. Which leads me to my next point,
Communicate. There's a forum user whose name I fail to recall's signature says that there'd be about 24.75% fewer threads if DMs talked to their players and vice versa, but I'd go as far as to say 70% of D&D problems are solved this way; another 20% of problems are solved by reading the books. But then the forums would be far more boring, I suppose. Few want to be the one to give a problem player the boot (especially if they fall into the Geek Social Fallacies), or say the game's cancelled because something cropped up at the last minute, but sometimes these things must be done for the sake of the group's longevity, and that of your sanity. And when the fun stops, don't just stop: ask everyone else how they feel, read the room, and decide if it's time to step down or work towards improving the experience.
I will end by saying that I don't want to shoot your, or anybody's advice down in flames. You've come out and told us your rationale, which is good. I hope you go on to run many more great games. ^^
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
1) While I'm sure this is true, I wouldn't recommend this to new DMs, especially those who haven't got a context for how to do sandbox content. Otherwise there'd be a lot of breaking of the third suggestion.
2) Funnily enough, nothing makes me more comfortable at a table than someone having the confidence to knowingly do a voice badly. Or rather, accent or dialect. But like so many things in the name of immersion, they can sometimes be a distraction. I frequently fail to enunciate when applying a Brummy accent too thick, and a lot of the time I wonder why I don't just talk normally, which is something of a pickle as I've aspired to be a voice actor for a good portion of my life.
3) I strongly disagree with this one, even though I see where you're coming from. There are instances where I'm not going to let something fly at my table, even if it wasn't established at Session Zero. This is especially when it's to the detriment to the players specifically rather than their characters, such as arguing or hogging materials. Call it uncreative, call it draconian, but especially as an inexperienced DM I'd like the freedom to say "I'm not confident my abilities to run the game by letting you do that" for any reason. And this goes for experienced DMs too. "Yes, and" can be wielded like a cudgel as much as "it's what my character would do" in the hands of a misguided or malicious participant. Players approaching my table can equally say 'no, I don't want to play your game' and can go elsewhere, which will be to both our benefit.
If I had to suggest three pieces of advice, they would be thus:
Zero is the first and most important number. Rule Zero dictates that the DM is God Almighty and decides how the game works, not the books. Session Zero is where participants get together and discuss house rules, tone, character concepts, and a general get-together. This is especially important for groups that are newly formed and/or consist of players who may not know one-another.
Make a ruling and run with it. Don't hold up the game umming and arring as you leaf through the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), Player's Handbook (PHB) or Monster Manual (MM) to see how something works. If you have to play leapfrog with the index, come up with a ruling on the fly to keep the game moving, and then talk about it with the player afterwards if they're rubbed the wrong way. Which leads me to my next point,
Communicate. There's a forum user whose name I fail to recall's signature says that there'd be about 24.75% fewer threads if DMs talked to their players and vice versa, but I'd go as far as to say 70% of D&D problems are solved this way; another 20% of problems are solved by reading the books. But then the forums would be far more boring, I suppose. Nobody wants to give a problem player the boot, or say the game's cancelled because something cropped up at the last minute, but sometimes these things must be done for the sake of the group's longevity, and that of your sanity. And when the fun stops, don't just stop: ask everyone else how they feel, read the room, and decide if it's time to step down or work towards improving the experience.
I will end by saying that I don't want to shoot your, or anybody's advice down in flames. You've come out and told us your rationale, which is good. I hope you go on to run many more great games. ^^
thank you! great advice btw. I'm def gonna change the tips up a bit because what works for me DEFINITELY doesn't work for some people
So you want to be a DM hm? Well here are some tips I have for you!
MY TIPS ARE NOT REQUIRED WHATSOEVER. IF SOMETHING SEEMS TOO HARD FOR YOU DON'T DO IT.
1. Describe. Saying "Oh there's a goblin in the room" isn't enough to get the players immersed. In my games I really want my players to get immersed, because if they aren't immersed usually they'll play a game in the background and not pay attention.
2. Roleplay.If you want your players to roleplay, roleplay yourself. Set an example for them to go off of so they get in the habit. If your player wants to talk to the enemy, give the enemy a why. Do they need the money or are they just evil by heart? If your enemies have no story and are hollow ways for the players to fight, your world doesn't feel like a real one. Again, immersive games are always both the most fun to play and the most fun to DM.
3. The Rule of Cool. Honestly, you don't HAVE to follow this one if your players have played DnD for a while. But as a new DM with new players, the limiting rules of DnD are not fun to play with, especially if your players are like "I'd like to move here and attack." If you allow people to do things to make the game feel better, they could go, "I'd like to take out my sword and kick him in the chest, and put my sword to his throat." Its a lot more descriptive and that's the way I like to play the game. Fighting isn't too fun in my campaigns, mainly due to me being a bad DM, so letting the players add more story really does take load off of newer DM's.
Well that's it for this first part of How to be a better DM! Tune in next time if you want!
Wow! I read your original tips, and while those were awesome, this definitely helped me as a relatively new player. I started a campaign recently with some IRL friends; and I'm the DM. Being a DM is kinda complex, but these tips really helped me, and now I'm really inspired! Thanks :) Please come out with more awesome stuff! Have a nice day :)
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The Nerd Queen! Minty (me) vs Yvonne (SpiderQueenYvonne)... how will we work this out? POSSIBLE Arachnid Queen Imma nerdy nonbinary YouTuber who lives on Earth, quick summary for ya. (No my channel is not under this username lol) I ADMIT IT: I am two hundred thirty-three years old. Me rn: darn it- can't think of how to design this stupid signature.
Nothing. It is great fun, but you should not assume it is for everyone.
Those guys are professional voice actors, who are now making money out of their D&D hobby. So they have the skills and the motivation to spend much time on the game. This is not the case for most people.
Personally, I spend much time preparing a campaign as a DM and try to give detailed descriptions of places, people and events (especially in combat, which could turn a bit boring). Still I am not very good at doing voices and sometimes do not role play the npcs, but rather describe what they do or say. Players could also not feel comfortable speaking in character, or describing their moves "Critical Role style".
So, the only problem that I can thing of, concerning Critical Role, is creating expectations that are to high to be matched in a regular D&D game.
So you want to be a DM hm? Well here are some tips I have for you!
1. You don't HAVE to have a campaign, whether it be by you or an official pre-written one. I played a campaign that was literally me making things up for the whole thing, and the players loved it.
2. Learn how to do voices, it immerses the players into the world and the roleplay. They don't feel like they're talking to you, but they feel like they're in the universe themselves.
3. SAY YES. Especially if your players want to do something cool. Always. Say. Yes. (Unless it goes against all physics in your world or insta-kills someone. Like if someone wants to distract the enemy with a planned miss of a dagger throw, then actually stab them, LET THEM. You can let them do anything really, just as long as you keep the same dice rolls they had so it isn't TOO over-powered.
Well that's it for this first part of How to be a better DM! Tune in next time if you want!
Clearly, you come from the school of critical role. Your advice is terrible.
Clearly, you come from the school of: how to be toxic online.
seriously though, thanks for the criticism, i'm a newer dm so i wanted to put this up for my own reference
OK, you want to go through these points, I am game.
First off, what do you mean by "your own reference"? If it was for only your own reference, put them on a piece of paper and with the rest of your D&D materials and use it to remind yourself whenever you are DM'ing.
1. Many DM's, especially "newer" DM's, as you describe yourself, are overwhelmed with data and making decisions on the fly as it is with per-generated material, be it a module or something the DM prepped before the session. To suggest it is OK to "wing it" when it comes to encounter design is ludicrous given the stress this adds to a new DM.
2. I have never ever "done voices". I would never try, as would 90% of all DM's. That is straight out of CR, which is all PAID VOICE ACTORS. So no, no, no, a thousand times no. Once again, added stress on a DM.
3. You want to live by the Rule of Cool, and fall back on Rule 0, well, good luck. Enjoy the anarchy. You want to play with 8 year old kids, who can't grasp complicated rule sets, sure, toss the rule books aside. You want to play a long term game with adults, you need rules that are consistent. Once again, added pressure on newer DM's to now maintain consistency of rulings, as opposed to simply applying rules. Rulings and rules are NOT the same thing.
So I'm going to point out number two and just say this: again doing voices is different depending on the table but it was done before critical role. I mean I get your point a large portion of tables out there aren't using voices and accents and such but people were doing it before critical role and they'll be perhaps doing it as long as DnD is around.
The "main" DM at our table considers himself an old school player... and he does have a lot of old school philosophies while trying to adapt to newer things, but voices were being done at tables he was playing at a good twenty years ago, I mean sure they might not have been good or professional but I'm assuming those who did it were doing it for fun or to try to add fun to the group. I do understand that trying to add that expectation to a table, especially a newer DM, is far from realistic and could add more pressure than necessary but it should be decided by the people for the people. At least I think so.
1. Describe. Saying "Oh there's a goblin in the room" isn't enough to get the players immersed. In my games I really want my players to get immersed, because if they aren't immersed usually they'll play a game in the background and not pay attention.
Full agreement. In fact the more you can describe the more you can lay the scene in the minds of the player. Go beyond vision as you tap their senses. What do they smell? What does the air feel like on their skin? Does this remind them of anything good or bad? Think about the mood you want at the table and lean into that.
Taking a page from Dead Poets Society:
So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women - and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.
2. Roleplay. If you want your players to roleplay, roleplay yourself. Set an example for them to go off of so they get in the habit. If your player wants to talk to the enemy, give the enemy a why. Do they need the money or are they just evil by heart? If your enemies have no story and are hollow ways for the players to fight, your world doesn't feel like a real one. Again, immersive games are always both the most fun to play and the most fun to DM.
Again agreement here but be careful over how much you "humanize" your enemies. Not every bandit needs or should have a complex back story and motivation. Your players will like having monsters they can just kill and not feel bad about killing. Zombies are great for this because there IS no way to side with the zombies and no way to empathize with them. You can't train them out of it and you can't reach for a deeper fix to their problems.
That said, there's a big jump between Roleplaying and Writing Fully Formed NPC's. It's definitely easier to do RP when you know a character's reasons for being as well as their personality traits, voice etc. But I'd be cautious against over preparing. In the fantasy genre, sometimes there are just thugs. Extras who show up to flesh out the legions of the baddies so that the heroes have a bunch of people to defeat. You know this is happening when you see masks on the minions: It's so they can keep using the same stunt men. And that's okay. You can do that too.
For Roleplaying you also don't need to master accents but you should think about "voices". Talking fast or slow, high or low, with a slur or very crisply. If you can give each of your major NPC's a certain manner of speech it's easier for your players to know who they're talking to, you the DM or you the NPC.
3. The Rule of Cool. Honestly, you don't HAVE to follow this one if your players have played DnD for a while. But as a new DM with new players, the limiting rules of DnD are not fun to play with, especially if your players are like "I'd like to move here and attack." If you allow people to do things to make the game feel better, they could go, "I'd like to take out my sword and kick him in the chest, and put my sword to his throat." Its a lot more descriptive and that's the way I like to play the game. Fighting isn't too fun in my campaigns, mainly due to me being a bad DM, so letting the players add more story really does take load off of newer DM's.
The intention is good: Get your players to come up with creative descriptions. Try to stay "Yes and" rather than "no". But I disagree with going to an extreme and I disagree with it being good for new players.
A lot of DND is about progression. You level up, you get new cool stuff to do, you do that for a while, feel good and you level up again. Then you do more cool stuff. It's all about unlocking that next cool thing. On the other hand if you "rule of cool" and you let a level 1 character do a cartwheel kick, followed by a dagger stab, you effectively give them a monk power, or the multiple attacks that comes with level 5. You're short circuiting the drive to level 5.
Don't call yourself a bad DM. You're learning as we all do. And it's good that you're thinking of ways to make combat interesting. That said, the more you modify the rules as written the more you risk unintended consequences. For example, if a player isn't as good at coming up with cool descriptions still going to feel like they're fully contributing with their more basic attack and spell casting?
There's a balance to be struck and until you feel 100% confident with it all, I'd try to stay within the rules as much as you can. Rather than telling a player "no" however I'd do this:
Ask what they WANT to see happen or what they're TRYING to accomplish. 99 out of 100 times you can find a way that's level and power appropriate to let them TRY to do something like what they wanted to do. And if you can't you can also say "this sounds awesome and I can't wait for you to get to level 5 and do it".
also what's wrong with critical role?
So a lot of things shifted as CR got to be popular and not all of them are "good" for the game as a game (that is something with rules).
One of things is the expectation that a DM can be a professional voice actor. It's really challenging to do dozens of voices, on command and there's a reason people like Matt Mercer get paid to do it. It's a talent and a skill. Another element is the fast and lose rules that aren't always what players want out of a game. When everyone at the table wants a game where the rules are dynamic and flexible it's fine. But the faster and looser you play with them, the more you're pushing others at the table to be equally fast and loose.
For me, it's about expectations. I think I'm as good of a DM as Mercer even if I'm not a voice actor. But I also don't let my players expect me to come to a game with the polish that someone working in a multi million dollar company (and yes CR is a multi million dollar company) does.
I think that you have a good baseline with your 3 points, but I will add another that can make an unsure new DM every bit as good as a seasoned DM:
Talk to your players.
If you have an idea you want to try for your game, or a type of plot, make sure your players are interested in those things. Many people will emphasize the importance of a "session zero" for such things and I agree with that, but some people will have one talk up front and then never again. People change, especially through a year long campaign. Make sure you are always engaging with your players about their thoughts and feelings on the game and make sure those are the thoughts and feeling you want to invoke.
Personal point in case: I run a fairly dark fantasy game for my wife. Over the course of the game her characters have suffered, lost loved ones, struggled against an encroaching force that she at many times felt helpless against. This was the tone of the game and we both loved it. Because we have open communication (the key to a great marriage AND a great game) she told me with her current struggles in the real world due to health and work she didn't have the heart to sit down to a game where she felt helpless and needed something lighthearted. So we began a different campaign of light fantasy and put our "game of suffering" on pause. I cannot imagine the damage to the game (or my wife for that matter!) that would have happened if we didn't talk about it and decide a better option.
While that's an extreme example, many times people keep quiet about things in their game they don't like (both players AND DMs) and such things can stew and fester until the game is impacted.
tl;dr: make sure you check in with your players and make sure they're having fun and feeling the way you want your game to feel.
After playing with different people, my best advice is that there is no right way to play. The best DM you can be is who you are, not some guy trying to be Matt Mercer or a famous youtuber. I'm not saying that taking advice from other people is bad, though. I think the best games involve ideas taken from a variety of sources, put together by and added to your own imagination and playstyle.
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Panda-wat (I hate my username) is somehow convinced that he is objectively right about everything D&D related even though he obviously is not. Considering that, he'd probably make a great D&D youtuber.
"If I die, I can live with that." ~Luke Hart, the DM lair
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So you want to be a DM hm? Well here are some tips I have for you!
MY TIPS ARE NOT REQUIRED WHATSOEVER. IF SOMETHING SEEMS TOO HARD FOR YOU DON'T DO IT.
1. Describe. Saying "Oh there's a goblin in the room" isn't enough to get the players immersed. In my games I really want my players to get immersed, because if they aren't immersed usually they'll play a game in the background and not pay attention.
2. Roleplay. If you want your players to roleplay, roleplay yourself. Set an example for them to go off of so they get in the habit. If your player wants to talk to the enemy, give the enemy a why. Do they need the money or are they just evil by heart? If your enemies have no story and are hollow ways for the players to fight, your world doesn't feel like a real one. Again, immersive games are always both the most fun to play and the most fun to DM.
3. The Rule of Cool. Honestly, you don't HAVE to follow this one if your players have played DnD for a while. But as a new DM with new players, the limiting rules of DnD are not fun to play with, especially if your players are like "I'd like to move here and attack." If you allow people to do things to make the game feel better, they could go, "I'd like to take out my sword and kick him in the chest, and put my sword to his throat." Its a lot more descriptive and that's the way I like to play the game. Fighting isn't too fun in my campaigns, mainly due to me being a bad DM, so letting the players add more story really does take load off of newer DM's.
Well that's it for this first part of How to be a better DM! Tune in next time if you want!
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
Really helpful :) I NEED to learn how to be a better DM hehe. Thanks!
The Nerd Queen!
Minty (me) vs Yvonne (SpiderQueenYvonne)... how will we work this out?
POSSIBLE Arachnid Queen
Imma nerdy nonbinary YouTuber who lives on Earth, quick summary for ya. (No my channel is not under this username lol)
I ADMIT IT:
I am two hundred thirty-three years old.
Me rn: darn it- can't think of how to design this stupid signature.
1 - only if you have a very quick mind and can come up with all sorts of different scenarios on the spur of the moment. Some people aren't like that.
2 - different voices are good, either accents or just patterns of speech.
3 - some players expect the world to work according to the printed rules, so YES should not be used if using an ability/spell to do something for which it wasn't designed.
ohh, thanks for the advice, i'm still learning too, just put this up for my own reference, didn't know 3 people would see it xD
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
Clearly, you come from the school of: how to be toxic online.
seriously though, thanks for the criticism, i'm a newer dm so i wanted to put this up for my own reference
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
also what's wrong with critical role?
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
Some people argue about the "matt mercer effect" and how their show is not an accurate portrayal of DND.
From what I've seen, and heard about multiple stories (via youtube, reading them etc), DnD has a whole is different for everybody and the similarities exist throughout everyone's version of DnD. That being said most people cite DnD as being a bad portrayal of DnD due to the fact that people shouldn't explain their games to be like what is streamed... which again isn't inaccurate advice because no one's table is going to be the same, again similarities and common ground exists... but no one's really going to be the same. I mean most tables aren't ran by professional voice actors but that doesn't mean we aren't playing the same game. I do think most well intention-ed people try to do is don't expect to go to a table and have what critical role has, which I would argue is sound advice.
That being said everyone does need to find their own way to play and DM but that doesn't mean we can't pick up tips and tricks from others.
also what's wrong with critical role?
Some people argue about the "matt mercer effect" and how their show is not an accurate portrayal of DND.
From what I've seen, and heard about multiple stories (via youtube, reading them etc), DnD has a whole is different for everybody and the similarities exist throughout everyone's version of DnD. That being said most people cite DnD as being a bad portrayal of DnD due to the fact that people shouldn't explain their games to be like what is streamed... which again isn't inaccurate advice because no one's table is going to be the same, again similarities and common ground exists... but no one's really going to be the same. I mean most tables aren't ran by professional voice actors but that doesn't mean we aren't playing the same game. I do think most well intention-ed people try to do is don't expect to go to a table and have what critical role has, which I would argue is sound advice.
That being said everyone does need to find their own way to play and DM but that doesn't mean we can't pick up tips and tricks from others.
yeah! i totally agree with this
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
well i get it, but its not really stressful for me, you can have your own opinion, but this is my advice. people want to play DND sometimes just to feel cool, and that's the way they play. i could:
A. Get rid of everyone who wants to feel cool and have to find new people to join the campaign
B. Help them enjoy DnD too.
and i chose B.
you might choose A, but i chose B and i'm allowed to do so, if you don't want to follow my advice thats fine, but i didn't come on this website to get an argument, so i'm going to stop arguing here
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
My top 3 list for any new DMs out there:
1. Learn how to make dungeons; this is where the bulk of the action takes place, in the “dungeon”. Now the dungeon does not need to be a dank old abandoned tower where a lich has made its lair. It certainly can be, but a dungeon can be any discrete bounded area where the players are set loose to explore and overcome a variety of challenges that make this game what it is.
2. Practice game management and pacing; being a DM feels a lot like public speaking, where the spotlight is on you. Be prepared for that, calm your nerves and run the game smoothly. Pay attention to details and try to manage your game effectively.
3. Learn the monsters; study the monster manual and get a feel for the types of monsters in there. Combine ones of different abilities and learn to fight tactically with them to present challenging and interesting encounters.
As for the OP’s list
1. I disagree with this. Unless you have been doing this for many years and are an improv master, chances are this will go poorly. Be prepared, have a campaign.
2. Sure, why not. I do this one myself. If you are decent at it and the players don’t think it is cringy, it adds flavor to the game. Certainly not a priority though, especially for a new DM.
3. Learn to say yes AND no. Need to strike a balance.
your list is great! and your criticism is very helpful to me, but i've winged a whole campaign and honestly my players enjoyed it much more than prewritten ones. i completely agree though because my players have awful attention spans so its much better for them without the whole flavor text thing
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
1) While I'm sure this is true, I wouldn't recommend this to new DMs, especially those who haven't got a context for how to do sandbox content. Otherwise there'd be a lot of breaking of the third suggestion.
2) Funnily enough, nothing makes me more comfortable at a table than someone having the confidence to knowingly do a voice badly. Or rather, accent or dialect. But like so many things in the name of immersion, they can sometimes be a distraction. I frequently fail to enunciate when applying a Brummy accent too thick, and a lot of the time I wonder why I don't just talk normally, which is something of a pickle as I've aspired to be a voice actor for a good portion of my life.
3) I strongly disagree with this one, even though I see where you're coming from. There are instances where I'm not going to let something fly at my table, even if it wasn't established at Session Zero. This is especially when it's to the detriment to the players specifically rather than their characters, such as arguing or hogging materials. Call it uncreative, call it draconian, but especially as an inexperienced DM I'd like the freedom to say "I'm not confident my abilities to run the game by letting you do that" for any reason. And this goes for experienced DMs too. "Yes, and" can be wielded like a cudgel as much as "it's what my character would do" in the hands of a misguided or malicious participant. Players approaching my table can equally say 'no, I don't want to play your game' and can go elsewhere, which will be to both our benefit.
If I had to suggest three pieces of advice, they would be thus:
I will end by saying that I don't want to shoot your, or anybody's advice down in flames. You've come out and told us your rationale, which is good. I hope you go on to run many more great games. ^^
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
thank you! great advice btw. I'm def gonna change the tips up a bit because what works for me DEFINITELY doesn't work for some people
-SleepingRaven, the most annoying person ever <3
Wow! I read your original tips, and while those were awesome, this definitely helped me as a relatively new player. I started a campaign recently with some IRL friends; and I'm the DM. Being a DM is kinda complex, but these tips really helped me, and now I'm really inspired! Thanks :) Please come out with more awesome stuff! Have a nice day :)
The Nerd Queen!
Minty (me) vs Yvonne (SpiderQueenYvonne)... how will we work this out?
POSSIBLE Arachnid Queen
Imma nerdy nonbinary YouTuber who lives on Earth, quick summary for ya. (No my channel is not under this username lol)
I ADMIT IT:
I am two hundred thirty-three years old.
Me rn: darn it- can't think of how to design this stupid signature.
Nothing. It is great fun, but you should not assume it is for everyone.
Those guys are professional voice actors, who are now making money out of their D&D hobby. So they have the skills and the motivation to spend much time on the game. This is not the case for most people.
Personally, I spend much time preparing a campaign as a DM and try to give detailed descriptions of places, people and events (especially in combat, which could turn a bit boring). Still I am not very good at doing voices and sometimes do not role play the npcs, but rather describe what they do or say.
Players could also not feel comfortable speaking in character, or describing their moves "Critical Role style".
So, the only problem that I can thing of, concerning Critical Role, is creating expectations that are to high to be matched in a regular D&D game.
So I'm going to point out number two and just say this: again doing voices is different depending on the table but it was done before critical role. I mean I get your point a large portion of tables out there aren't using voices and accents and such but people were doing it before critical role and they'll be perhaps doing it as long as DnD is around.
The "main" DM at our table considers himself an old school player... and he does have a lot of old school philosophies while trying to adapt to newer things, but voices were being done at tables he was playing at a good twenty years ago, I mean sure they might not have been good or professional but I'm assuming those who did it were doing it for fun or to try to add fun to the group. I do understand that trying to add that expectation to a table, especially a newer DM, is far from realistic and could add more pressure than necessary but it should be decided by the people for the people. At least I think so.
Full agreement. In fact the more you can describe the more you can lay the scene in the minds of the player. Go beyond vision as you tap their senses. What do they smell? What does the air feel like on their skin? Does this remind them of anything good or bad? Think about the mood you want at the table and lean into that.
Taking a page from Dead Poets Society:
So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women - and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.
Again agreement here but be careful over how much you "humanize" your enemies. Not every bandit needs or should have a complex back story and motivation. Your players will like having monsters they can just kill and not feel bad about killing. Zombies are great for this because there IS no way to side with the zombies and no way to empathize with them. You can't train them out of it and you can't reach for a deeper fix to their problems.
That said, there's a big jump between Roleplaying and Writing Fully Formed NPC's. It's definitely easier to do RP when you know a character's reasons for being as well as their personality traits, voice etc. But I'd be cautious against over preparing. In the fantasy genre, sometimes there are just thugs. Extras who show up to flesh out the legions of the baddies so that the heroes have a bunch of people to defeat. You know this is happening when you see masks on the minions: It's so they can keep using the same stunt men. And that's okay. You can do that too.
For Roleplaying you also don't need to master accents but you should think about "voices". Talking fast or slow, high or low, with a slur or very crisply. If you can give each of your major NPC's a certain manner of speech it's easier for your players to know who they're talking to, you the DM or you the NPC.
The intention is good: Get your players to come up with creative descriptions. Try to stay "Yes and" rather than "no". But I disagree with going to an extreme and I disagree with it being good for new players.
A lot of DND is about progression. You level up, you get new cool stuff to do, you do that for a while, feel good and you level up again. Then you do more cool stuff. It's all about unlocking that next cool thing. On the other hand if you "rule of cool" and you let a level 1 character do a cartwheel kick, followed by a dagger stab, you effectively give them a monk power, or the multiple attacks that comes with level 5. You're short circuiting the drive to level 5.
Don't call yourself a bad DM. You're learning as we all do. And it's good that you're thinking of ways to make combat interesting. That said, the more you modify the rules as written the more you risk unintended consequences. For example, if a player isn't as good at coming up with cool descriptions still going to feel like they're fully contributing with their more basic attack and spell casting?
There's a balance to be struck and until you feel 100% confident with it all, I'd try to stay within the rules as much as you can. Rather than telling a player "no" however I'd do this:
Ask what they WANT to see happen or what they're TRYING to accomplish. 99 out of 100 times you can find a way that's level and power appropriate to let them TRY to do something like what they wanted to do. And if you can't you can also say "this sounds awesome and I can't wait for you to get to level 5 and do it".
So a lot of things shifted as CR got to be popular and not all of them are "good" for the game as a game (that is something with rules).
One of things is the expectation that a DM can be a professional voice actor. It's really challenging to do dozens of voices, on command and there's a reason people like Matt Mercer get paid to do it. It's a talent and a skill. Another element is the fast and lose rules that aren't always what players want out of a game. When everyone at the table wants a game where the rules are dynamic and flexible it's fine. But the faster and looser you play with them, the more you're pushing others at the table to be equally fast and loose.
For me, it's about expectations. I think I'm as good of a DM as Mercer even if I'm not a voice actor. But I also don't let my players expect me to come to a game with the polish that someone working in a multi million dollar company (and yes CR is a multi million dollar company) does.
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I think that you have a good baseline with your 3 points, but I will add another that can make an unsure new DM every bit as good as a seasoned DM:
Talk to your players.
If you have an idea you want to try for your game, or a type of plot, make sure your players are interested in those things. Many people will emphasize the importance of a "session zero" for such things and I agree with that, but some people will have one talk up front and then never again. People change, especially through a year long campaign. Make sure you are always engaging with your players about their thoughts and feelings on the game and make sure those are the thoughts and feeling you want to invoke.
Personal point in case: I run a fairly dark fantasy game for my wife. Over the course of the game her characters have suffered, lost loved ones, struggled against an encroaching force that she at many times felt helpless against. This was the tone of the game and we both loved it. Because we have open communication (the key to a great marriage AND a great game) she told me with her current struggles in the real world due to health and work she didn't have the heart to sit down to a game where she felt helpless and needed something lighthearted. So we began a different campaign of light fantasy and put our "game of suffering" on pause. I cannot imagine the damage to the game (or my wife for that matter!) that would have happened if we didn't talk about it and decide a better option.
While that's an extreme example, many times people keep quiet about things in their game they don't like (both players AND DMs) and such things can stew and fester until the game is impacted.
tl;dr: make sure you check in with your players and make sure they're having fun and feeling the way you want your game to feel.
A couple of things I have found really important/useful:
Run games. You can learn a lot from reading and watching vids but the only way to really get better is to run games.
Find out what your players enjoy and do that. Think of it like you are hosting a dinner party - you want to cook food that your guests will love.
Find out what YOU enjoy and do that too. This one is surprisingly difficult, but it is a fun journey to go on.
Good luck!
After playing with different people, my best advice is that there is no right way to play. The best DM you can be is who you are, not some guy trying to be Matt Mercer or a famous youtuber. I'm not saying that taking advice from other people is bad, though. I think the best games involve ideas taken from a variety of sources, put together by and added to your own imagination and playstyle.
Panda-wat (I hate my username) is somehow convinced that he is objectively right about everything D&D related even though he obviously is not. Considering that, he'd probably make a great D&D youtuber.
"If I die, I can live with that." ~Luke Hart, the DM lair