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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Scott Christian" data-source="post: 9422334" data-attributes="member: 6901101">Great article as always. As a forever teenage DM, I would add one to this that I think is especially important:- Be a player for several other DMs. If you can, be a player in several campaigns. There is always a lot to learn from, but being on the other side of the table helps you understand that there are many things a DM might like that players don't. Maybe the use of darkness to add to a setting feels right to the DM. They want to create that sense of fear among the group of players that all chose human as their species. So blowing out torches and creating lots of dim light sounds like a way to build suspense. Except for your players it's just a distraction that gives them disadvantage. Hence, as a player you learn what it feels like on the other side. You learn, have the dark cave rarely, the others are filled with glowing mushrooms and crystals.  There are a hundred examples like this. You learn from playing the game as a player: understanding PC's powers, limits, struggles, how to roleplay ideals, bonds, flaws, and how boring or exciting and cinematic skill checks can be. So DMs need to be players.------------------------(I have no sharp quip or humorous quote like Snarf, sorry.)------------------------------------------The second part about being a DM is the actual hard part. Many people can't. Can they learn? Sure. But for many, that learning won't come in their roleplaying lifetime, which for many is high school and college. Some people have it. Many do not. We'll start with younger players. I have run three different D&D clubs in three different high schools in three different socio-economic schools. All had at least four tables full of players. All had at least seven or eight students that wanted to be DMs. Out of those DMs, there were maybe two that could pull it off. The others:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Didn't know the rules and refused to read the books</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Didn't have the social standing to reign in the players</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Didn't have the charisma</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Didn't have the work ethic needed</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Didn't have the quickness to think on their feet (Part of this, I think, comes from knowing the rules and putting in the background work)</li> </ul>All of them liked the idea of being a DM. Of telling a story or of being the one person the other students looked up to or listened to. But few would put in the work or practice. In one school I even thought it might be a smart idea to set up a day without players to practice running their session with the other DMs. None of them showed up because that isn't what they wanted.Moving to adults, I have been part of many a game shops D&D sessions. 4e's Wednesday nights and 5e's Adventurer's League. And 4e also had some crazy tournament style adventures too. Everyone always died, but it was fun. But the point is, watching all these game store DMs, I have had my share of good and bad DMs. Most were mediocre because they lacked the same things my students lacked. Many were there because they like the idea, and many confessed that they don't like being a player. And it shows. Not being able to describe something is a blindspot for a DM. For some, it takes practice. DMs should practice. A few were good, mostly because they had it.More Adults, such as hiring a DM. When I moved and didn't know anyone, I joined a group that had a hired DM. $25 bucks a session, once a week, 2-3 hour sessions, for three months. Our DM was good, but good as in he could think on his feet and he was good at encounter building. Lore building, highlighting things that matter versus just making up superfluous stuff that means nothing, and NPCs was not his strong suit. It worked, we had fun, and I met some really good players. We eventually just formed out own group - cut the middle-man. (We did let him know we were doing this.) And again, I am going to go back to these DMs, because I met the owner of the site that hires them, and have met three of them personally. They all really insist on just making stuff up as it goes. They are all good at impromptu - which is a great skill to have. But without direction and the sense to know what to highlight to help create foreshadowing and plot connections, the game loses half of its umph. You can still have a lot of fun, but man are you missing something that leads to great games.Which brings us to where my bar is set: I have been a player for five different campaigns (2 4e, 3 5e). I had four different DMs. All were great. There were no weak points. They all put in the work. They all knew the rules. They all read the books. They all practiced. That's my bar, and the truth is, it's everyone's bar since the dawning of people watching online play. They all want the Critical Role or Harmon Quest or Acquisitions Inc experience. And only a few DMs can offer that because they need to have:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">work ethic</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">charisma</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">time to practice</li> </ul>One last thing. If I were to give advice to a new DM, it would be to be a player, but also to run the same adventure several times. Five times if possible. Running the same adventure several times helps you understand how to build better encounters, highlight descriptions where needed, and flesh out NPCs. It is one of the best teaching tools I know of.In summary, DMs are hard to find because most people aren't good at it (for various reasons).</blockquote>

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