Advice for improving as a DM

[Thyrkill]

Hi All,

Let me start with giving you a little background of my gaming and GMing experience. I started playing AD&D in 1981 at the tender age of 11 and from there fell headlong into the Role-Playing world. Most of my friends didn't like to run the games so I became the default DM, and ran games (AD&D, Boot Hill, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, Villains and Vigilantes, Bushido, Sar Wars, MERP, Call of Cthulhu, and Runequest) all the way through high school. I then started playing in a very serious, weekly AD&D game that lasted for about 5 years and included a difficult transition from 1e to 2e. Then real life and graduating from college asserted itself and I , like many others, fell out of Role-Playing. Then 3e arrived and with it my passion for gaming returned. I have been running a Forgotten Realms game since then (at least twice a month) for a consistant group of players.

I consider myself a decent DM with a lot of experience behind the screen. I run a fun (at least according to my players ), story driven game, with a "loose and not too rules heavy" style. But I feel that I am not improving and have not improved as a DM for a while now. And I want to change that. Having read many story hours on this site and many interesting threads (MerricB's recent "Back in the Day" inspired me to post), I see some amazingly creative and excellent DM's out there, and I aspire to be one of them.

I am not looking for a "DMing for Dummies" solution but would rather get some advice, tips, and inspiration from this community on how to improve as a DM.

Thanks very much in advance,

Matt

 

[DmQ]

I felt much the same way for a while… But then I had my last gaming group and realized that I am not all that bad. Unfortunately you can never satisfy everyone… Least of all yourself. You are your own worst critic. But if you are just looking for some advice, I can tell you what I have done…

Dream…

Day, Night, Evening, Morning, it doesn’t matter… Dream and dream often. Write down stories, even if you will never play them. Make whole adventures, plots, hooks, NPC’s, and everything… Even if you never end up playing them. If nothing else you will have a record of how you did things, in order to contrast and compare.

I often write up prototype plots when bored. Especially when at work. I just grab a peace of paper and start writing. But in the end, the thing that has helped me the most, is that I never stop thinking about it. Practice makes perfect.

 

[RogueRonin]

I felt much the same way for a while… But then I had my last gaming group and realized that I am not all that bad. Unfortunately you can never satisfy everyone… Least of all yourself. You are your own worst critic. But if you are just looking for some advice, I can tell you what I have done…

Dream…

Day, Night, Evening, Morning, it doesn’t matter… Dream and dream often. Write down stories, even if you will never play them. Make whole adventures, plots, hooks, NPC’s, and everything… Even if you never end up playing them. If nothing else you will have a record of how you did things, in order to contrast and compare.

I often write up prototype plots when bored. Especially when at work. I just grab a peace of paper and start writing. But in the end, the thing that has helped me the most, is that I never stop thinking about it. Practice makes perfect.

Literally, I have actually based a couple adventures on dreams I had. I know thats not what you meant by dream, though. My players said the adventures were fun, I told them they were inspired by a dream I had and they were pretty shocked. Anyway, that probably didn't help you at all, but I always keep a pad of paper and a pen by my bedside now, just in case.

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Be ready to find inspiration anywhere, from anything. True story -- I'm a basketball nut, as well as a D&D nut, and in the busy life of studying for my undergrad, I would multitask... planning the next session during the commericials and timeouts of NBA games.

One week I was watching a game (Denver versus someone), but I noticed the Denver team was much much faster than their opponents, and they would dash up and down the court for fast breaks and the like.

My DM mind started churning. My players were very powerful for their level (rookie DM error... giving them things based on "that's neat!" rather than looking at what power level they were already), and I needed to give them a challenge.

Enter demon warriors mounted on high-speed evil horses of doom. One desperate battle and one kidnapped NPC later, my players had found their challenge... and once again resumed calling me an evil dirty man.

 

[kolikeos]

Then real life and graduating from college asserted itself and I , like many others, fell out of Role-Playing.

i feel like i wanna die

 

[John Crichton]

i feel like i wanna die

Uh. Dude. Everything ok?

It's a little OT but that kinda response is cause for concern if you are serious...

 

[dren]

1. Read as many D&D stuff as you can
2. Play as much as you can
3. Ask players want they want
4. Ask yourself want you want
5. Read stuff outside the genre
6. Make notes but prepare to drop them if need be
7. Know the game, know the rules
8. Get a feel for story, atmosphere and character
9. Make notes
10. Anytime you get an idea, think long and hard, has this been done before? If so, try to come up with your own.

And always remember, have fun! This is a game just as much for the DM as it is for the players. Don't read or play for DMing purposes only, but to have fun, everything else will follow.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

If you're looking for some ideas of where to direct a game... then try a questionaire for the players. Seen other threads where people have tried this, so gave it a go.

Works pretty well. Just had a bunch of questions about the type of game, the 'feel' of it, setting, system and so on everyone wanted to play. Gets some more directed answers than 'What do you want to do?'. Discuss it all afterwards.


I've found playing in someone elses game a real eye opener - seeing a different style of GMing in action is a great way to get some pointers for your own games. Besides, you can 'recycle' all their great ideas.

It could be worth seeing if any of your group is up for running a game... or, if you have the spare time, you could always try your local game shop or the 'gamers seeking gamers' section of this site. If those appeal.

 

[kolikeos]

Uh. Dude. Everything ok?

It's a little OT but that kinda response is cause for concern if you are serious...

no, it was a joke. i just feel bad that i will most likely stop palying dnd because of -----ing college

 

[Hand of Evil]

If your players are having fun, you are doing nothing wrong.

If you are having fun, you are doing nothing wrong.

Now, to improve your abilities as a story teller.

Read out loud in your spare time
Actting classes
Build a list of alternate words to use in gaming
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