Advice for New Dungeon Masters
Advice for New DMs
I have been running D&D games since the early 1980s. Here are my thoughts that may help new Dungeon Masters as they begin running games.
Keep it moving.
This is the most important advice I can offer. Keep the game moving and don't get bogged down by the rules. If you aren't sure about a rule or game mechanic, make a quick ruling at the table and move on. Make a note about the rule and in between games look it up and implement it next time around, or if you prefer your own house ruling, keep using it. The rules are a framework, and there are many optional rule variants in the official books. Experienced Dungeon Masters like Professor Dungeon Master over at Dungeoncraft or Ye Old Geek frequently recommend game hacks or rules changes to improve or speed up the game.
Make Notes
If your players meet an NPC or make a discovery make a quick note, particularly if it was not something you anticipated. These things will come back. Three sessions later they will ask you about "Bob" the NPC they met three sessions ago.
Have a list of Names
You will always need to come up with names on the fly. Sometimes it's the blacksmith in the town they are visiting, other times they will question a bandit they captured. Rather than having a world full of NPCs named "Bob the Blacksmith" or "John Doe" having a list of names handy will allow you to take the first one off the list and wind up with more setting and world-specific names. Here is a great website that will help you quickly generate NPC names.
Ask your players to help
Your players may be able to help with some of the game management. I have an initiative tracker when we are face to face at the table, and I put one of the players in charge of setting it up and taking care of it during the game. We play with minis and sometimes I will have them help with the monsters and NPCs during combat. I will ask them to "Move those orcs up to the most advantageous position possible, they are trying to get to the wizard to take him out." You can always adjust what is done, and it keeps them active and involved.
Have a plan
There are many published modules and using one is probably a good idea for a new DM. This can take some of the preparation workload off of your shoulders. If you are running a custom scenario, I recommend thinking about the length of your game, and what events are likely to occur during that session. These are the events or encounters you should focus on as you prepare. Furthermore, outline what is likely to occur in each hour of the game. This can aid you with pacing. Here's an example:
- Hour one: The player characters' airship is attacked and crashes. The prisoners escape
- Hour two: The characters track and pursue the prisoner. Combat encounter with dire wolves.
- Hour three: Climax, final combat with escaped prisoners. Players gather information from prisoners leading to the next session.
Forget the plan
Listen carefully to your players. They often have ideas that you haven't thought of and might be better than your own. If they begin to speculate about the hypothetical scenario above, that the prisoners had help in their escape, then maybe they did. If there is enough flexibility in your scenario, then perhaps it was an inside job and someone on the airship helped them. I frequently hear my players talk about what they think is happening, or what they are worried might happen. This provides a wealth of ideas to draw upon. If your players turn out to be right regarding one of their theories, they are very likely to enjoy this. Don't share with them where all of your ideas have come from.
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