So now you know how to be a better Player and a DM, but what about a better experience overall? There's more to a good game than a good DM and having excellent players.
It certainly helps, but you can do so much more than what I've already mentioned, and this is just for everyone to do. Players and DMs listen closely, because these can help your game immensely.
Prepared for war:
The best players and DMs are prepared for whatever session they come to. As a dungeon master you will need to prepare more than your players, but never just wing it for a session.
You will need to improvise sometimes, but what you plan to do should have some prep work done for it (it also makes things WAY easier). This helps the game flow much better when you have material ready and on hand.
This applies to players as well, have everything ready for your characters. This include your character sheets, any special abilities or spells you may have.
Understanding everything there is to your character makes it much easier when you're put in a tight situation and have so many options available. If you have a spell for invisibility, knowing that makes a stealth based mission you're trying to go through.
This also pertains to the flow of the game. It breaks the immersion and fun when you're sitting there for 5-10 minutes trying to pick what you want to do.
Be prepared so you don't stop the flow of combat or usual role playing opportunities, it makes the game flow much better, and overall keeps everyone involved and motivated.
All of these things are necessary to keep the game going, and makes it much more enjoyable for everyone.
Good people:
This may sound cheesy (and extremely stereotypical) but you have to be a good person. Being rude to people while you're trying to play with them just makes you a terrible person no one wants to play with.
It sounds like something you learned about in grade school, but it's true. No one wants to play with people who suck all the fun out of everything.
DMs can do this by being very strict, playing exclusively to their own house rules or not letting their players have freedom to do what they want. Don't feel bad taking the reigns every so often (players derail all the time) but don't go overboard.
Players are guilty of this too, but the biggest offense is being a distraction at the table. Looking at your phone or talking over people just makes the game feel, bland.
It's not fun, does that sound like fun to you?
No, it's not. Basic human decency is necessary for a game so dependent on people. People run the game, and they play every part of it.
Being preachy is necessary as too many newcomers have ruined experiences because one person couldn't keep it together.
Welcome players, explorers, adventurers of every sort! Players get to experience the world firsthand created through your Dungeon Master. They have built a world for you, or have used one of the many adventures created by Wizards of the Coast, the creators of D&D!
Now your job is to have fun - do crazy and wacky things that your heart desires (going off the rails is a lot of fun). However there are a few things that you can implement to be a better player at the table.
No Showboating:
As players you are all part of a team - a party if you would. Now parties work best when everyone is able to work together.
Remember that everyone is there to have fun, so you should allow them to.
Don't steal the spotlight, everyone is passionate about their characters (that's what makes them fun!) . So you can sometimes get carried away and steal the focus off of what should be going on.
Do not do this, it's a horrible thing to do for other people. You may have a cut throat criminal with a dark and brooding backstory that no one knows, but that doesn't mean you can steal other people's thunder.
Everyone has their chance to be in the center spotlight, and you'll get your own too.
If you feel like you're a bit out of hand - ask people to get involved. Simply asking for a character's opinion can do wonders for letting your party get active and participate. Even if they've just been quiet that day.
Letting other participate lets others have fun, everyone will have their time to shine, and some characters are better at things than others. Each class does their own thing.
That's where you let your hulking barbarian win you a bar bet - letting them take the show instead of you!
Cooperation:
All the best teams work well together, and your D&D party should as well. Understand that this is a team game, otherwise why would there be multiple players working together?
The best parties work well together, and continue on the path in a way that makes sense. You can have someone who isn't quick to trust others, but give them a reason to be with the party.
Your character should want to be there, otherwise why would they be?
In fighting and confrontation between characters can be fun - hell it's a wonderful way to build character and relationships - but it shouldn't be constant. If you and another player don't work well, be the better person and just walk away (metaphorically or literally).
If someone is just not letting everyone have fun, why even play with them? It sounds like schoolyard talk, but it makes sense. Why invite someone to play a game when they're just going to sap all the joy out of it.
Your characters should connect in some way, either they're just really good friends or they realize it's better to work together than alone.
Anyone can make a loner, but they have to realize that working together is for the better. Working solo can only get someone so far, and in D&D it just doesn't work.
It's a multiplayer tabletop role playing game, and the multiplayer is very important.
So you decided to be a Dungeon Master - craftsman of fate, god of the gods! Now you just need to start. The hardest part really. I love to create new worlds with their own people inside of them - characters that you crafted with their own goals, inspirations, and passions.
World Building:
It sounds like a lot, but contrary to popular belief you don't have to think out every small detail, the best place to start is to start broad. Think genre, do you want this to be pure fantasy, maybe some science fiction?
It is entirely up to what you and your players enjoy. Want to go through Camelot with knights, kings, and arch mages? High fantasy is your best bet. Use these legends as a format (if it ain't broke don't fix it).
The best genre is the ones you enjoy the most, and the one your players are going to like playing in.
Don't worry about thinking out every significant detail, focus on what your players are going to do, the type of campaign they're going to go through.
Whether they go through a traditional dungeon crawling experience, or a war campaign where your party is a part of a fire team - mix it up! Do things you may not totally have experienced before.
Any story can be extraordinary with a little flair and passion on your end, even making your players simple farmers into reluctant adventurers with amazing feats of glory to their names.
This is all up to you and what you think your players are going to enjoy! Genre means a lot, but don't be totally bound by it. The main goal is to have fun, for both you and your players.
Provide plot hooks - opportunities for your players to get a new quest or adventure. Think those through, and be ready for anything. Don't get angry when they completely avoid your plot hooks either (IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN! AND IT IS FRUSTRATING!)
Stop yourself and check if everyone is having fun - if not you have to change things up. If so, why change at all?
Be Flexible:
The best DMs are flexible and can work on their feet. You're working with people - and that means it's going to be unpredictable. Like I said before, be ready for anything.
Most of the time what you want to happen - won't - and that's okay. Why worry?
As long as people are having fun, it's perfectly fine. You can think out every single detail, and it'll all go down the drain. Be ready for that.
Personally, I was running a campaign (still am but that's not important) and I had this whole quest planned out, but it all fizzled away from my own simple mistake (and you WILL make mistakes).
A demon that my players weren't supposed to kill yet for some time, except they were able to do it. They slayed the beast and triumphed over a bloody battle between good and evil - now doesn't that sound more fun than the enemy getting away? (I'll give you a hint, it is!)
Stephen King said "Kill your babies" when writing, and the same can be said with D&D, just be flexible and have fun!
This is important to remember - let your players have fun. Don't be a railroad DM where they have no options, it's up to you for the story to be flexible. The most bloodthirsty soldiers can still have a laugh or two (it helps make deeper characters that way).
Knowing the rules and understanding every possible action is important, but this is even more significant when implemented correctly.
Hello fellow players, Dungeon Masters, and fantasy aficionados. Welcome to Dungeons and Dragons and Dunderheads, my personal blog about Dungeons and Dragons!
I LOVE D&D, and fantasy in general. Overtime it's become much bigger in the public eye, making a lot of new players, and first time Dungeon Masters scrambling to make a new story.
D&D has gone from kids playing in their basements to a very large and fun pastime enjoyed by many a player and bystander alike.
Personally, I've been on all sides of the spectrum. I saw people playing for the first time when I was only 12 and in that time I have been a part of many adventures with my friends.
Being a Dungeon Master (DM), and running a campaign is much different than playing the game, but equally enjoyable. Running a game currently has been an eye opening experience, especially to how hard yet easy it is to come up with your own story that you can put your players through.
D&D is a lot of fun to play, and there's a huge number of tips about being a good player, working out the best way to be a DM are amazing tips for someone to get started.
Even seasoned veterans who can tell the difference between a Gelatinous Cube and a Black Pudding can always benefit from a few pointers.
I hope to share my own personal experiences, both from my own campaign and campaigns I have run in the past. After all, everyone who has played the game knows there is nothing more exciting than hearing your DM say "ROLL INITIATIVE!"
In the next few posts I will talk about the hardest parts of Dungeons and Dragons, running the game as a Dungeon Master. As a DM you need to create an effective and compelling story, which in itself has its challenges.
Running a campaign requires good collaboration between your players and yourself, as they want to have a good time as much as much as you do! Finally there are many make or break moments that if gone through effectively can make a campaign memorable or leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
