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.
Could you explain a little about how this game is played? World building sounds fun, but I have no idea what is involved!
ReplyDeleteThe game of Dungeons and Dragons is, complicated, and honestly can take up an entire blog in its own right. The main way it is played is players play a character. Each players have their own race, class and other characteristics. You have six stats, each with a number that corresponds to how good you are with that stat. The stats are Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Depending on your class, you want to specialize in different stats. I hope that gives a good overview of how to start, but there are a million other things due to how open ended the game is.
DeleteSo I don't know way too much about D&D, but I'd absolutely like to play sometime. Would you recommend starting as a player rather than just jumping into the creative world of a DM?
ReplyDeleteHonestly you can start however you feel like. I started as a player so I could learn the rules better and really understand how the game works. That being said a close friend of mine has always been our DM and never really was a player, he jumped straight into the thick of it. If you're willing to be a little uncomfortable at the start I would say DM. If you want some experience beforehand, player is the best for you.
DeleteI'm not much of a video game player, but I think I would definitely enjoy this one if I ever tried it out. I like the fact that you can base the game off of how you want it to be like.
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