How do you improve your DM skills?

[Ice man]

I live in a relatively small town, with a limited number of gamers and i usually DM. I cannot afford to travel to go to conventions to see how other people run adventures. I very much enjoy gaming and would like to improve my skills behind the screens...how can i go about this??

I have attempted to improve my skills by sitting in on as many other campaigns as i can and by discussing gaming with other DMs. I also read anything related to the topic of gaming that i can get my hands on...but i'm curious what other people do to improve their skills. As always, all thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

 

[MDSnowman]

Try finding an online game to get involved in. I play in one and the DM there has set one hell of an example for me (No John I'm not kissing your ass). It has improved my DMing skills quite a bit.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

You're a good DM if your players are having fun. My suggestion would be to ask them what they think about the way you DM.

Other than that, you're taking the right actions, IMO, to improve your DM skills. ENWorld is a great ressource.

Also, practice makes perfect

AR

 

[EricNoah]

I'm sure most will say that experience is the best teacher. That, unfortunately, means making (and learning from) mistakes along the way.

Get feedback from your players -- they may have good suggestions -- they can tell you what they really enjoyed, for example.

I also think Johnn Four's Roleplaying Tips website is a good read for any DM, experienced or new. http://www.roleplayingtips.com/index.php

 

[MarauderX]

Read, and not just fantasy. Brew your descriptions and language from them, it has helped me describe the world that surrounds the PCs. Oh, and getting a good feel for how long things take in RL to keep the game moving. Keeping an eye on it will keep you aware of how to pace your game and if you want to go faster or slower.

 

[William Ronald]

Eric is right in that feedback is important. Perhaps taking some time after the game to talk to players is important. I am not familiar with the site that Eric mentioned, but I plan to check it out.

Here are some key questions that you might want to ask your players: Did you enjoy the adventure? Why or Why not? Do you believe that your character mattered during the adventure? Do you believe that the adventure was balanced in terms of opportunities? Are the characters balanced in regards to each other and the campaign? (Different campaigns may have different power levels. A key consideration is to make sure that everyone believes that their characters matter and that they are not overpowered in comparison to another character or their enemies. It is best to avoid the Charybdis and Scylla of a killer campaign and a cakewalk.) Another important question is, "What could I have done better?" Self-examination is important to being a good DM.

You can also try to observe how others run their games. Although you are in a small town, you might want to work with some of the other DMs in your community to sharpen your skills. If you can make it to an EN World Gameday or another gaming convention, try to do so. Most people are friendly and you might see a DM who can offer you some good advice. Good luck!!!

 

[barsoomcore]

Subscribe to RolePlaying Tips, as Eric said above. Read ENWorld obsessively (actually, that won't help you be a better DM, but it will make ME feel better about the amount of time I spend on these boards). Read the Story Hours. Review the classic threads (Small Changes With Big Flavour, 1000 Non-RPG Websites, History In Your Game...)

Try different games. d20 Modern is online for free and there's lots of free resources, adventures, etc lying around. Grab copies of Dungeon and run the adventures and mini-games in there (you'll need back issues to get the mini-games).

Even if you can't get different rulebooks, try running different TYPES of campaigns. Try "low-magic". Try "high-level". Try "Grim N Gritty" (availabe online for free). Run a Princess Bride campaign. A Van Helsing game. A Shrek game. Each time you'll learn new things about the rules and about yourself and your story-telling style. Some experiements will be dismal failures -- that's okay.

In fact, that's CRITICAL. The only way to learn is to open yourself up to failure. If you're not out on a limb trying something you don't know if it'll work or not, what are you learning? You learn when you screw up, not when you succeed. So try outrageous things and if they fail, figure out why.

Most important of all, though, is to have fun.

If you're having fun, you're doing it right.

And just the fact that you're wondering about how to do it better means you will.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Descriptions and adjectives: build an index of words and alternate words to describe and build your story with.

Public speaking, this is something they don't tell you in school but being a good public speaker is a big help. You may want to see if there is a Toast Masters in your area or look to the debate team if still in school. Just reading books out loud helps.

Feedback - talk with your players.

 

[Mark]

I also read anything related to the topic of gaming that i can get my hands on...

Including this...?

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47525

Hope that helps!

 

[Ice man]

Including this...?

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47525

Hope that helps!

not yet but...i'm working on it...a lot of material there and on these forums in general..EN World helps a lot.