So I’m a new DM. I heard about D&D about six months ago and immediately realised that it was the game for me. But I have never actually played a game and I’m self taught as a DM, only playing a botched game or two every month or so with my two brothers as players. I have posted about some weird sounding stuff because I haven’t ever had to deal with complete incompetence; I’m always knowledgable about what interests me, yet I don’t know a thing about D&D. Can someone please help me understand how to be a proper DM?
Watch some actual plays (Critical Roll and Dimension 20 being the most popular). Realize you'll probably never be of that calibre but that's okay because all tables are different. Try out some of the stuff they do and see if it feels good for you and your table.
Wash, rinse, repeat. DMing is a matter of trial and error. You get better at it as you do it more and figure out how to do it. There is no set of hard rules for being a good DM as it's a super subjective skill set. But seeing other people do it and checking out guides on YouTube is a great way to learn some basics so you feel comfortable at least giving it a shot.
Then poll your players and see if there's anything they didn't like that you did and what they did like. Lean into the things they liked and adjust the things they didn't.
That's the best advice I can give as constantly-questioning-my-capability DM.
There is no ‘right way to dm’. Sometimes you have to be tough. Other times you should accept bribes :). Just remember to ban the CoffeeLock and you should be good. DM to your game. Be creative, and remember to improvise. If a PC breaks your game and starts flying around on a dragon completing the campaign in minutes (like what happened to me), make the dragon die of the plague or something. Be tough, and don’t allow loopholes. But most importantly, make sure everybody is safe, and having fun!
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DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________ Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew
Don’t watch actual plays or ‘professional’ d&d youtubers. Do pick up an official low level module and read it. Run some players through it. Once you understand turn order and how to run the game from even a simplistic rules perspective-the rest is just dm style and aesthetic.
Watch - Watch DM YouTubers talk about DnD. Take notes if you need to.
Ask Questions - Go to Forums like this and ask questions. Most of us are happy to help.
Read - Read books for ideas. Read supplements for ideas. Read adventure modules for ideas. Read forum posts for ideas, a lot of rule questions have been delved into here plus people have great adventure ideas that others help grow. (Then steal them for their campaigns. But not me, no never me.)
Never surrender - Keep at it, like making your own YouTube videos. Start before you are ready, make mistakes, fix mistakes, and have fun. If you are not doing that last part then something is wrong.
Remember - If the players are still showing up to play then you are doing something right.
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I live my life like a West Marches campaign, A swirling vortex of Ambitions and Insecurities.
1) biggest most important thing to do as a DM is find the right players for the table you want. don't look at add anyone and everyone who wants in, look for a group that is at least somewhat on a similar wavelength. for me, my entry qualifications were: Be willing to live with my mistakes, be willing to live with my 'dad jokes', and be overall respectful of people regardless of background. after that i gave a rough age of DM and a preference to kindof be in that ballpark for the most part.
2) Don't have to buy anything on the first campaign or the first story, but if you want to build a whole world i would advise to make a beginning, middle, and end for that first story so that the folks know what to expect of you and you know what to expect of them. If one side or the other side isn't having fun, it can end there and you can try again with some other players or maybe step away from the DM seat and review what your expectations are. This beginning/middle/end of a story at least gives the group closure if it is time to part ways. If both sides love the story so far, maybe work out some ideas for next story or next event after a brief downtime full of roaming and other things.
Modules and such can also help, but i would say they aren't strictly required. You can get the gist of it by watching other tables online or via youtube libraries as mentioned above. Otherwise, there are so many tips/walkthrough videos out there that explain the functionality that you can make do with that as a guide. Whats more important than form here is honestly the ability to think on your toes or have some information prepared and in place for when things go off the rails and you need an NPC or combat encounter.
Good luck, and enjoy falling down the rabbit hole :)
You seem like you know how D&D itself works, so it’s more about figuring out how to write and prepare adventures, and run through combats right? If so, People will debate regarding if watching the pros play is a good or bad thing, so here’s my two copper pieces.
I am in favour of it, but not Matt Mercer, and not Dimension 20. And that’s just because of how twisty and confusing it is. If you’re looking for the ideal podcast to listen to for inspiration I would recommend World Beyond Number. Technically it’s not all D&D, but they’re still releasing episodes and at the moment it IS all D&D. It’s pretty simple in how the story flows, but it’s really interesting and most certainly not bland in the slightest.
The other podcast I would recommend, maybe a bit more, is High Rollers Aerois. It’s a very large podcast (totally worth binging) and the players and dm are all very fun, I base a decent bit of my own DMing off of his style.
The the thing with pro D&D is that they will all have different styles, but those styles work! So you can play with each of those styles till you find something that’s comfortable for you!
Watch some shows where you see actual gameplay like the different critical role campaigns, Dimension 20, etc. Maybe you can even find one for the setting, module, or campaign you are going to run. Also, there are some free one shots on startplayinggames so you can see as a player how other DMs do things. Try and target more experienced DMs there, DM me if you need help finding some.
You should probably listen to d&d campaigns and start using what they use in your campaigns. I'm a self-taught DM also, and have been playing for about two years. I posted a similar post and I had someone recommend I listen to the podcast 'stinky dragon pod', which is a good pod that I learned everything from. I still listen to it today.
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So I’m a new DM. I heard about D&D about six months ago and immediately realised that it was the game for me. But I have never actually played a game and I’m self taught as a DM, only playing a botched game or two every month or so with my two brothers as players. I have posted about some weird sounding stuff because I haven’t ever had to deal with complete incompetence; I’m always knowledgable about what interests me, yet I don’t know a thing about D&D. Can someone please help me understand how to be a proper DM?
Watch some actual plays (Critical Roll and Dimension 20 being the most popular). Realize you'll probably never be of that calibre but that's okay because all tables are different. Try out some of the stuff they do and see if it feels good for you and your table.
Wash, rinse, repeat. DMing is a matter of trial and error. You get better at it as you do it more and figure out how to do it. There is no set of hard rules for being a good DM as it's a super subjective skill set. But seeing other people do it and checking out guides on YouTube is a great way to learn some basics so you feel comfortable at least giving it a shot.
Then poll your players and see if there's anything they didn't like that you did and what they did like. Lean into the things they liked and adjust the things they didn't.
That's the best advice I can give as constantly-questioning-my-capability DM.
There is no ‘right way to dm’. Sometimes you have to be tough. Other times you should accept bribes :). Just remember to ban the CoffeeLock and you should be good. DM to your game. Be creative, and remember to improvise. If a PC breaks your game and starts flying around on a dragon completing the campaign in minutes (like what happened to me), make the dragon die of the plague or something. Be tough, and don’t allow loopholes. But most importantly, make sure everybody is safe, and having fun!
DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________
Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew
Don’t watch actual plays or ‘professional’ d&d youtubers. Do pick up an official low level module and read it. Run some players through it. Once you understand turn order and how to run the game from even a simplistic rules perspective-the rest is just dm style and aesthetic.
I recommend the following in no particular order.
Watch - Watch DM YouTubers talk about DnD. Take notes if you need to.
Ask Questions - Go to Forums like this and ask questions. Most of us are happy to help.
Read - Read books for ideas. Read supplements for ideas. Read adventure modules for ideas. Read forum posts for ideas, a lot of rule questions have been delved into here plus people have great adventure ideas that others help grow. (Then steal them for their campaigns. But not me, no never me.)
Never surrender - Keep at it, like making your own YouTube videos. Start before you are ready, make mistakes, fix mistakes, and have fun. If you are not doing that last part then something is wrong.
Remember - If the players are still showing up to play then you are doing something right.
I live my life like a West Marches campaign, A swirling vortex of Ambitions and Insecurities.
1. Phb only for the players.
2. Buy some cheap modules from DMS Guild. Level 1 to 3.
3. You will make a Misstake. Just Owe up to it and tell your players you did more research and are now fixing the mistake.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
this post is getting a bit older now, but imo:
1) biggest most important thing to do as a DM is find the right players for the table you want. don't look at add anyone and everyone who wants in, look for a group that is at least somewhat on a similar wavelength. for me, my entry qualifications were: Be willing to live with my mistakes, be willing to live with my 'dad jokes', and be overall respectful of people regardless of background. after that i gave a rough age of DM and a preference to kindof be in that ballpark for the most part.
2) Don't have to buy anything on the first campaign or the first story, but if you want to build a whole world i would advise to make a beginning, middle, and end for that first story so that the folks know what to expect of you and you know what to expect of them. If one side or the other side isn't having fun, it can end there and you can try again with some other players or maybe step away from the DM seat and review what your expectations are. This beginning/middle/end of a story at least gives the group closure if it is time to part ways. If both sides love the story so far, maybe work out some ideas for next story or next event after a brief downtime full of roaming and other things.
Modules and such can also help, but i would say they aren't strictly required. You can get the gist of it by watching other tables online or via youtube libraries as mentioned above. Otherwise, there are so many tips/walkthrough videos out there that explain the functionality that you can make do with that as a guide. Whats more important than form here is honestly the ability to think on your toes or have some information prepared and in place for when things go off the rails and you need an NPC or combat encounter.
Good luck, and enjoy falling down the rabbit hole :)
You seem like you know how D&D itself works, so it’s more about figuring out how to write and prepare adventures, and run through combats right? If so,
People will debate regarding if watching the pros play is a good or bad thing, so here’s my two copper pieces.
I am in favour of it, but not Matt Mercer, and not Dimension 20. And that’s just because of how twisty and confusing it is. If you’re looking for the ideal podcast to listen to for inspiration I would recommend World Beyond Number. Technically it’s not all D&D, but they’re still releasing episodes and at the moment it IS all D&D. It’s pretty simple in how the story flows, but it’s really interesting and most certainly not bland in the slightest.
The other podcast I would recommend, maybe a bit more, is High Rollers Aerois. It’s a very large podcast (totally worth binging) and the players and dm are all very fun, I base a decent bit of my own DMing off of his style.
The the thing with pro D&D is that they will all have different styles, but those styles work! So you can play with each of those styles till you find something that’s comfortable for you!
Watch some shows where you see actual gameplay like the different critical role campaigns, Dimension 20, etc. Maybe you can even find one for the setting, module, or campaign you are going to run. Also, there are some free one shots on startplayinggames so you can see as a player how other DMs do things. Try and target more experienced DMs there, DM me if you need help finding some.
Food, Scifi/fantasy, anime, DND 5E and OSR geek.
You should probably listen to d&d campaigns and start using what they use in your campaigns. I'm a self-taught DM also, and have been playing for about two years. I posted a similar post and I had someone recommend I listen to the podcast 'stinky dragon pod', which is a good pod that I learned everything from. I still listen to it today.