D&D General Give One Piece of DMing Advice

[Reynard]

Let's make a thread of just DMing advice. It can be aimed at new DMs or veteran DMs. It can be yours, or something you read/heard from someone else. It can be obvious or mind blowing. But you only get one.

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Mine:

Be Flexible. It does not matter whether you are running a pre-written* scenario going from level 1 to 20, or making the adventure up as you play. The ability to respond to what the players do apparently seemlessly is the most important skill in a game where literally anything can happen. Be flexible when it comes to player choices. Be flexible when it comes to dice outcomes. be flexible when it comes to real life circumstances. It isn't a book or a movie and you aren't the writer or director. It is storytelling, but it is collaborative, emergent storytelling impacted by randomness and rules. Nothing is set in stone and no outcome is predetermined. Be Flexible.

*I'm looking at you, self, and your Avernus issues.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Strive to be a Good DM:
There is a lot of advice on how to accomplish that here

 

[Reynard]

Strive to be a Good DM:
There is a lot of advice on how to accomplish that here

Cheater.

 

[Oofta]

If I'm limited to only one ...

Prepare to improvise by pre-generating lists of things you know your players may encounter. I have lists of names broken down by race and gender. Names of taverns and other businesses, thieves guilds (handy for any nefarious group) along with some towns and geographic locales. Consider also generating descriptions for the above.

The internet is your friend, with some quick google searches there are multiple random generators even if you just use them for inspiration.

 

[Shiroiken]

Adventure ideas are literally everywhere, even without using the internet. I've devised numerous adventures based on books, movies, and TV shows. Hell, I even ran a story arc in my campaign based on the Knightfall batman comic and used the Phantom of the Opera in another. In both of these cases, the players were familiar with the original concept, but they never caught on until the end. Just use core concepts you like, not the full story. If you use the full story, your players will figure it out and ruin the fun.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

If it works for you and your group(s), keep on doing it. Don't let anyone else tell you that you're doing it wrong, or bad, or anything else negative. The only opinions that matter most should be coming from the people who are sharing and creating an experience at your actual table, whether it is real, virtual, or otherwise.

 

[Zio_the_dark]

Always consider your players opinion even if it's always dumb

Edit: of course if you did not understand the joke inside you're probably dumber than me

 

[not-so-newguy]

Show up on time.

 

[Charlaquin]

Set aside all preconceptions based on your experience with past editions. Read the books, and run the game as they instruct you to, not as you’ve run other games called D&D.

 

[hawkeyefan]

The goal is to have fun. Always keep that in mind. If folks aren’t having fun, change things up a bit. Or maybe a lot.

 

[practicalm]

If you have the option to do something the players suggest and is interesting versus doing what you thought would happen always go with what the players suggest. 1. It makes them more interested in the world you are building. 2. Players will always thing things are worse than they are so it makes them happy when they are proved right 3. It shows you are listening to the players 4. It keeps things interesting for you the GM as you and your group work together to build the story and game.

 

[Imaculata]

Ban phones from your sessions.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Don't be boring. The worst sessions I've played in haven't been railroads, they've been lacking in content.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Clarify your pizza preferences before the players order it, rather than vengefully TPK them after the pineapple-buffalo-sardine pizza arrives.

 

[aco175]

Have a plan on where the campaign is going, but be open to change.

I like to have a back of mind idea where the game is going or where an arc is going. This allows for planning of surprises and planting clues such as a map that could come in handy later in the game or a NPC that may be recurring later. Also, don't be afraid to end the campaign when the times comes. I tend to have arcs in the longer game. Each lasts a few levels or tend to last to 5th level at first. I also try to weave clues of other arcs into the longer game before they come up.

 

[Prakriti]

If you ever travel back in time, don't step on anything, because even the tiniest change can alter the future in ways you can't imagine.

 

[iserith]

Don't assume how you best run one game is the best way to run a different game, even similar games of different editions or eras. Read the books and mold your approach to how the game is designed and intended to be played. Things will go a lot smoother this way.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

If it works for you and your group(s), keep on doing it. Don't let anyone else tell you that you're doing it wrong, or bad, or anything else negative. The only opinions that matter most should be coming from the people who are sharing and creating an experience at your actual table, whether it is real, virtual, or otherwise.

I'd add the caveat: even if things are working for you and your group, do not leave it at that. Always strive to learn and improve as a DM in the effort to create an even more fun and memorable experience for everyone at the table.

 

[atanakar]

Don't prepare a detailed world, filled with politics, religions, cultural beliefs, a unique calendar, etc. That is the best way to put yourself in a corner and lock the campaign. Choose a small location to start with and build around that with the input from your player choices.

 

[GlassJaw]

Create hooks, not plot.