#dm tips
DM Tip: Being a better Storyteller
I talk a lot on this blog about constructing better stories, but I frequently forget to talk about what I call “Tableskills”, those parts of the DM’s craft that are less about formulating plots and laying out narratives than they are relating those narratives to the people around the table. The thing is, teaching tableskills is a lot harder than just suggesting ideas about stories that could be told, as every DM or prospective DM has their own particular type of storytelling that they’ll grow into as they master the art. As such, there’s no hard and fast rubric I can pass down, only the things that have improved my own performances over time.
The basics: The DM Narrator Loop
I’ve been playing d&d for well over two decades now, and I’ve never heard the DM’s art summed up any better than this video by VOX: Describe, Decide, Roll.
- You as the DM Describe what situation the party is in and ask them what do they do next ( in a very leading tone, pulling them forward or offering them direct choices)
- The players Decide among themselves what they’re going to do, with clarifying input as needed.
- If anything needs to be decided by dice, youRolland figure out the outcome, then you snap right back to the descritption phase.
Keep doing this and your party will be guided along your storiy at a steady clip while having a lot of fun. Keep rolling to when it’s really important, and you’ll be doing just fine.
All Killer No Filler
The most basic trick I’ve learned for tabletop storytelling is asking yourself “ what’s the most interesting thing that could happen this session “ and then telling a story abouthow the party gets from where they are to where that interesting thing happens. Sometimes that interesting thing kicks down their door and forces them to react, other times it doesn’t quite happen on time, and you need to elude to the fact that it’s about to happen next time they play. Sometimes your players will take the initiative upon themselves to make interesting things happen, ranging from deep roleplay moments to taking an unexpected narrative turn and throwing all your plotting out the window. Learn to love when this happens, but don’t rely on it. Players should be given the spotlight when they stand up and take it, but that doesn’t mean you should shove them on stage before they’re ready.
Because you’re running a live session and thus have limited “screen time” in which your interesting thing might happen, you should focus on scenes that push the party forward, building narrative momentum while offering the party a chance to break off and do their own thing. “Does anyone want to do anything before we X” and variations of it is your best ally here, as including a pending time limit spurs the party to act before circumstances change while also giving them a direction to fall back on when they don’t want to make a decision. This is where radically open world/hands off DMs fail, because the players showed up expecting to be part if a story rather than entirety making their own fun while a friend if theirs silently chides them for not pretending to be an elf good enough. TLDR:Always be moving towards something interesting happening inside the session, but never be afraid to detour when it looks like your party is going to do your job for you.
Economy of Information
I often have a problem with expressing my ideas to other people because I either trip over myself trying to get out all the data required at once, or I leave people hanging because I presume they can infer what comes next. Naturally this is a trait I’ve had to train out of myself when I’m being a dungeonmaster and I did that by studying a bit of cinematography. Movies are not subtle about how they want you to feel at any given moment: If the audience is supposed to be on edge, the surroundings are eerie and the music is discordant, if you’re supposed to like a character they’ll either be reminiscent of a wholesome archetype or the camera will deliberately show them doing something nice. Don’t sweat the details when you’re describing a scene or doing background world building, paint in wide strokes and then fill in the details as necessary. Likewise, don’t let your scenes dawdle, bake in a reason why the scene is going to end before too long and use that as a ticking clock to spur your party into action.
When in doubt, be a Cartoon
As gritty as some people like their tabletop roleplaying, at the end of the day it’s just a big game of pretend, and in my experience the best way to tap into my player’s emotional base is to engage the sense of play they’ve been fostering since they were kids. Unsure how to describe something? Picture how it’d look in a disney movie and your word-picture will come across clearer in your player’s minds. Not yet confident enough to RP a nuanced NPC? Overact like a caricature of who you’re pretending to be, and you’ll suddenly have a lot more wiggle room to play with. However gritty some people profess to like their tabletop gaming it’s all a big game of pretend in the end, and the way you engage your party’s emotional core is by appealing to that sense of play they’ve been holding on to since they were a kid.
Follow the Fun
It took me a while to realize that “fun” was like oil in the engine of any d&d game, and that the primary job of the storyteller was ensuring that it was properly circulating throughout the session. Not enough fun? whole thing grinds to a halt and playing feels like pulling teeth. Too many sessions like that and a campaign falls apart. It takes a bit of practice as a DM, but try to be attentive for when fun “bleeds out” of your campaign. Players beating their head against a puzzle? Skip it, try a different sort of puzzle next time. Someone doesn't’ enjoy shopping trips? give em something to do while the rest of the party is perusing. Combat bogging everyone down? Experiment with techniques to make it snappier. Keep up this mindset and your games will be pumping along like a precision engineered machine.
Fail Faster
I’ve listened to this video so many times I could probably repeat it as liturgy. Just like any performance art, the main metric for advancement is realizing where you’re doing poorly and then figuring out ways to improve upon them. Sooner you figure out what you’re doing on and why, the sooner you can try out ways to fix them, and the sooner you can find things that works. Take on an experimental attitude towards your own works, if something is hard: find a way around it that works for you.
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YO I think we as a DnD community need to address the fact that when PCs flirt with NPCs they put the DM in the position of having to play that NPC and not all DMs are comfortable with that all the time and it shouldn’t be an expectation that the DM is comfortable playing NPCs that are being flirted with
I think that is something that you should talk about as a group before playing. In our group we allow npcs and PCs to have romantic interactions but we have respect for each other.
If someone is not comfortable we don’t push it. We don’t get graphic or cross lines with players or DMs that are not ok with it. If you are in a group that doesn’t respect your boundaries talk to them about it. If they don’t listen it is time to find another group.
I am a female Dm with a group of all males(one is my boyfriend of 10 years) all but 1 player has a romantic interest NPC. None of them have ever crossed my boundaries or made me (or my boyfriend) uncomfortable. Other DMs have no npcs that have romantic interest in the players. If you are clear about what you want from the game and what is allowed I find there is rarely a problem with a good group.
Does anyone else have to deal with your DM punishing you strictly because you beat their combat scene too easily or used a magic item too effectively?
In a game I’m playing we found a magic item that basically let me do blood bending, it was made by a necromancer and we took it as well as a few other fucked up magic items, like a hammer that shatters bones into dust on a nat 20, after we kicked his ass. The DM designed these items knowing we would find and use them and typically my gaming group rewards players for finding creative ways to use magic and solve problems.
Later we came up against this guy who was just the worst type of character, murderer, slaver, kept women as his “personal servants”, and was just in general not a person we wanted alive. We fight the guy and we aren’t doing great so I use the item and I asked to just straight up rip the blood out of his body and it does a lot of damage, this basically changes the direction of the fight.
After we kill the guy, our DM is clearly annoyed because I got two good hits on him with the item. He tells me that me using the item in this way was an evil act because it was so merciless and I had to make a roll for my alignment. I called bullshit because we were there to kill him and none of us were going to spare him regardless. He tried to argue some shit that him being a bad person doesn’t mean I get to do bad things to him.
Ultimately I asked why the fuck he gave us the blood bending item if he didn’t want us to use it in the most effective way possible. He tried to spin some philosophical bullshit about self restraint but he was clearly just mad that we bested his boss fight when he wanted us to flee or for the boss to get away.
He wouldn’t let the alignment thing go, so no my lawful neutral monk is lawful evil for no reason and I’m plotting how to further fuck over his campaign. I’m gonna start with the den of thieves he’s put in our city and see how far he pushes me after that. I will also be using the magic item much more often because obviously I’m evil now so it shouldn’t bother my character to do this now all the time.
Suggest to your DM to write a book instead of DMing. That way no one can ruin his story and all the characters will do what he wants. As a DM you need to prepare for players who will do the unexpected. Personally I love it when my players think outside the box and they are rewarded for being clever/creative.
Maybe it is time to talk to the DM or look for a new group. A DM has to make sure their players are having a good time. If they are not that isn’t a someone who should DM. Maybe consider becoming a DM yourself if you can’t find a new group. I’m sure the others in your party are also frusterated by this.
Best of luck with this. Hope it works out!
As the old rune-covered door creeks open by your hand, the corridor ahead is as quiet as death.
The end of the corridor is nowhere to be seen, but you see each individual brick, even those on the ceiling and floor, are either etched with a colourful rune written in dead languages, forgotten characters and sigils, or contains a carefully placed colourful mechanical button, that could do anything is pressed even slightly.
DM Note: If a button is pressed, a random magical effect may occur (consult the Wild Magic Surge Table if needed). If a character makes physical with one of those colourful runes, the brick fires out with great force from the wall, threatening to injure the person directly in front of it, and if enough bricks are “accidentally” triggered, the whole corridor may collapse in on itself!
You open the door and a gout of flame rushes at your face. A wave of heat strikes you at the same time and light fills the hall. The room beyond the door is ablaze!
An inferno engulfs the place, clinging to bare rock and burning without fuel. You see dozens of tiny burning towers of un-melting metal, stone huts made of obsidian black, and even smaller, hushed voices, coming from inside the room, speaking a language like crackling and hissing fires.
DM Note: If a Character knows Primordial or Ignan, they may hear the tiny peoples in this room speak of how “The Giants have returned!”
You gaze into the room as hundreds of blackened and charred skulls gaze coldly back at you.
They’re set in niches in the walls in a checkerboard pattern, each skull bearing a half-melted candle on its head and wax dripping from the eyes and nose.
The grinning bones stare vacantly into the room, the skulls of human beings and demons alike, all of them waiting for company.
Look: a video!
So, you enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons, yes? I’m sure we’ve all seen those YouTubers or podcast campaigns with elaborate setups, a shelf full of sourcebooks, hand-painted minis in fancy glass cases, and a designated table just for DnD with a screen inlaid. But what if you can’t afford all that? What if you don’t have a steady flow of income, or you can’t drop 50 bucks on a sourcebook? Well, you’re in luck. This is:
Dungeons and Dragons (on a budget)
For context, I’m a minor. I’m unemployed, since I live in a small town and am not old enough to get a job, and the most money I get per year is from birthdays and holidays. You might be in a similar situation, or you have rent, food, and gas to pay for and not enough money to spend on expensive amenities. Trust me, you don’t need all those fancy doohickeys to enjoy a nice round of DnD. So let’s rifle through my kit. To start,
My DM screen. This is the screen that came in the DnD Essentials Kit. Trust me, the Starters and Essentials Kits are worth their weight in gold. They’re often cheaper than the sourcebooks and come with an incredible amount of information, and even an adventure for your party to play through. These are definitely a worthwhile investment.
Next up,
Dice! I have a total of 11 sets, with a handful of individual dice. You do NOT need this many. Just one set for you, and maybe some for your players if they don’t have them, that’s enough. You can buy them in groups of 5 or so sets on Amazon.
Now, for the most important thing.
Notebooks! If you don’t have sourcebooks, these are your next best bet. The two I use most often are those on top. In the black one is information you need to make a character or NPC, as well as a standard inventory. The History of Magic book has a summary of every spell from the sourcebooks from Cantrips to 9th level. A lot of this information can be found on the internet for free. This takes a long, long time. But if you have more time than money, these will be worth your while. The other notebooks can be used for organizing campaigns, taking notes, keeping track of combat, etc.
Now for the fun part.
Making things! The spellcards I made for my cleric, so he knows what his spells do. And those towers in the back are dice towers made of paper, tape, and cardboard. We use copy paper to track maps and initiative, we play on our grandma’s kitchen table, the players’ character sheets came from the essentials kit, I make smaller character sheets for prominent NPCs, and I draw pictures of NPCs and regions to help my players understand everything better. So get creative!
If you can afford sourcebooks and still have enough to survive and pay to take care of yourself and those who depend on you, they are a worthwhile investment. I’d definitely pick up the Player’s Handbook to start. Xanathar’s and Tasha’s Cauldron are also great sourcebooks. These are all of the sourcebooks I own.
I hope you enjoyed this look through how I run my homebrew campaign, and I hope you got some useful tips! Remember, your survival and well-being is top priority. Don’t buy an expensive sourcebook if you can’t afford to eat without that extra 50 dollars. Survival first, comfort second, DnD third. And you don’t need to buy expensive things to play. You can have just as much fun with a piece of paper and cardboard miniatures as your map.
Happy pillaging, and stay safe!
I see people are discussing the “Matt Mercer effect” on twitter, and since it’s twitter I’m going to avoid it.
But you know when you should aspire to be like Matt as a GM? It doesn’t have to do with voices, and acting, and building sets and having ~production value~
You should aspire to be like him in being considerate to your players. Talk to your players, get to know them and figure out their interests, what will hold their attention. Manage their expectations before going in to the game.
If you shoehorn people into your strict ideas, with no wiggle room or without the ability to adapt then you are a crappy GM, and you should be more like Matt.
by “good” I mean “this npc is enjoyable as a character”, not “this npc is moral”
1. I have no gender, only (pick at least one: an air of mystery, a bouyant outpouring of joie de vivre, a rare extra-large helping of calm common sense)
2. I’m old and I’ve been doing weird and questionably legal experiments, arcane or mundane, since before your parents were born, whippersnapper
3. Oh, hello! I almost didn’t see you there. Welcome to my place of work, where I am being very sexy, both by being a supportive listener and also having excellent hair.
4. as a former adventurer myself, I am so sorry to inform you that it be like that some times. Do you need a potion of healing or some tea?
5. I’M JUST A BARTENDER WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME SO MANY FUCKING QUESTIONS
6. annoying sibling, but in the end, ride or die
7. annoying sibling, who was evil all along
8. I initially come off as a reasonable and even helpful authority figure which will make my betrayal much more gut-wrenching
9. has justifiably been driven absolutely insane by the nightmarish surroundings in which they find themselves and is now going to seriously fuck things over for your party because you crossed paths with them, even though it’s really not their fault
10. WHY DID YOU BRING ME INTO BATTLE I KNOW YOU’VE IMPRINTED ON ME FOR SOME REASON, BUT I ONLY HAVE 6 HIT POINTS
11. I’m middle-aged, still extremely attractive, and I’ve been doing weird and absolutely illegal experiments, arcane or mundane since you were a child, and I’m going to kill you now
12. 1800s London Street Urchin, but make it D&D
13. I would gladly destroy the universe to gain personal immortality, also my voice is calibrated to be the exact timbre to raise the hairs on everyone’s neck (frequently overlaps with 11)
14. I have the misfortune of being a guard for the being against whom you have a vendetta and I am about to get one-shot killed by the rogue, because of course I am
15. I am a highly ranked authority figure in the realm, and you are a horrible adventuring party.
16. Loving parent who is trying their best in a setting that basically makes a cottage industry of murdering the heroes’ parents
17. WHY DID YOU BRING ME INTO BATTLE I KNOW WE’RE FRIENDS/RELATIVES, BUT I STILL ONLY HAVE 6 HIT POINTS (frequently overlaps with 16)
18. Crochety dwarf who sounds like they’re reading Scottish Twitter
19. I appear irritated but it’s only because you pretty insensitively interrupted my (pick one: sparring practice, study time); I have a soft spot for you idiots despite myself.
20. I am a small business owner specifically because I’m so fucking weird that I couldn’t make a living in any other capacity
Followinga conversation I had on Reddit the other day, I thought I’d share a quick insight into how I run combat (especially in D&D, which doesn’t have any mechanics for increasing tension or making combat more dynamic like other games might).
Basically…
If something new doesn’t happen every 2-3 rounds, the combat will be boring.
Now here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of new things that can happen:
- A new enemy arrives
- An enemy dies or flees
- An enemy reveals a new ability
- An enemy dramatically changes their tactics (moves to a new spot, starts targeting a different PC, switches from melee to ranged or to spellcasting or w/e)
- A PC dies/goes down
- Reinforcements arrive for the PCs
- The environment changes (a surge of lava flows through the battlefield, a crack opens in the floor, a locked door opens, etc)
- A new “ticking clock” starts (a bomb is about to go off, the enemy is charging up a devastating attack, an innocent person is in danger, the room is collapsing, etc)
- A new goal for the PCs arises (an object to grab, a ritual to foil, a lengthy spell to cast, a location to reach, etc)
- An NPC reveals something related to the plot (“I am your father”, “This fight is just a distraction!”, “This is actually a simulation”, “I never wanted to fight you”, “If you call this fight off and let us leave, I’ll tell you what you want to know”, etc)
The more “organic” you can make these new things the better, which is a skill you will develop as you DM more (also, some of these will just happen naturally, especially #2 and #5). At the start, just focus on the first 5 points since they’re the easiest to implement at short notice. #7 is also a good one if you have ideas for it. Your goal is to force the players to adapt to new circumstances as they arise! If something new happens but the players don’t need to change their own behaviour to match it, then it may as well not have happened at all.
Basically, be creative and be fairly brutal (as brutal as is tolerable for the players!) and you will find your combats will have a lot more punch than if you play it safe.
So you like making encounter tables? But you hate rolling d8+d12 together and want to roll % instead… alright, here are your ranges.
