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The Dungeon Master
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Time and again I've heard people describe their first D&D experience as horrible. The number one reason for this is the DM. Yes, the buck stops there. DMing is a hard thing to do, he is the vessel through which the players percieve the fictional world around their characters. If the DM drops the ball everyone suffers.
What makes a good DM? Well, alot of things but mainly imagination, the ability to think on your feet, and the ability to communicate. Without those three things you might as well start reading an old Choose Your Own Adventure book because you'll have alot more fun.
Imagination is key, without imagination your game will become boring fast! You need to be constantly injecting your game with new ideas. The great thing about Dungeons and Dragons is that the only limit is your imagination, if you can think it you can do it. Case in point, I once ran a campaign on Oerth that was quickly becomming old hat. So, to shake things up a bit, I had the players come acrossed a UFO crash site ala Roswell. The players had no idea that they were getting into the middle of a galactic civil war they had no idea was going on. But once they did everyone had a blast even the thief who got "probed". Don't be afriad to take chance like that.
Over the course of the game you're going to come acrossed a few conundrums. D&D has lots of rules and keeping up on all of them is a task in and of itself. Now you can stop the game and look through the books or you can think on your feet. Don't be afraid to make a snap decision, even a wrong one. The most important thing is that the game continues, down time can kill the suspension of disbelief required to immerse your players in the universe you create for them. There's nothing worse than stoppin a fight on round three so you can look up the effects a lightening bolt spell would have underwater (FYI treat it like a fireball). Instead of reading make a snap judgement, and move on. Remember you are the dungeon MASTER! Your word is law.
Players experience the game via your words. You breathe life into the world you create but the players only have you to tell them what that world is like. What does a goblin smell like, what color is it's blood, and what kind of sound would the player hear when they crack it's puny little skull with a heavy mace? Only you can tell the players that, and they look to you for that. The DM is the sensory organs of the players and you need to communicate these sensations to your players. This skill is what seperates an average DM from the true Masters. If you can do this well you are on your way to running a truly memorable game.
What makes a good DM? Well, alot of things but mainly imagination, the ability to think on your feet, and the ability to communicate. Without those three things you might as well start reading an old Choose Your Own Adventure book because you'll have alot more fun.
Imagination is key, without imagination your game will become boring fast! You need to be constantly injecting your game with new ideas. The great thing about Dungeons and Dragons is that the only limit is your imagination, if you can think it you can do it. Case in point, I once ran a campaign on Oerth that was quickly becomming old hat. So, to shake things up a bit, I had the players come acrossed a UFO crash site ala Roswell. The players had no idea that they were getting into the middle of a galactic civil war they had no idea was going on. But once they did everyone had a blast even the thief who got "probed". Don't be afriad to take chance like that.
Over the course of the game you're going to come acrossed a few conundrums. D&D has lots of rules and keeping up on all of them is a task in and of itself. Now you can stop the game and look through the books or you can think on your feet. Don't be afraid to make a snap decision, even a wrong one. The most important thing is that the game continues, down time can kill the suspension of disbelief required to immerse your players in the universe you create for them. There's nothing worse than stoppin a fight on round three so you can look up the effects a lightening bolt spell would have underwater (FYI treat it like a fireball). Instead of reading make a snap judgement, and move on. Remember you are the dungeon MASTER! Your word is law.
Players experience the game via your words. You breathe life into the world you create but the players only have you to tell them what that world is like. What does a goblin smell like, what color is it's blood, and what kind of sound would the player hear when they crack it's puny little skull with a heavy mace? Only you can tell the players that, and they look to you for that. The DM is the sensory organs of the players and you need to communicate these sensations to your players. This skill is what seperates an average DM from the true Masters. If you can do this well you are on your way to running a truly memorable game.
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About this Content
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Author: Giaus Added: October 24, 2008 Views: 1,086 Rated:   (6) |
The DM can make or break your D&D game. Here's a few tips from a Master.
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