Ten Principles for Dungeon Masters in Dungeons and Dragons

This was a really awesome video

Principal X reminds me of something similar from the muppets. Jim Henson said that if he couldn't think of an end to a sketch he'd have one monster eat another. :D

I wonder why Monty likes his beard to be so low. I feel like it would look good still if he let it come in.

I somehow wound up in a large discord server and befriended some fellow DnD lovers. They decided "Hey, let's start a group and try playing some games together!" On an impulse, I volunteered to DM, despite having never done it before and having only been playing since September 2019.

Turns out my players are all basically newbies. One has never actually played before.

hELP

Stealing ideas can work really well. In a Feng Shui game I was running I managed to rip off the first 3 Die Hard movies and it was great.

Thank you so much for doing these videos! Had never played before or even rolled anything besides a d6 in my life but got the starter set for my friends and I. Was instantly overwhelmed when I found out what it meant to be a DM. We're about half way through LMoP having a blast and I wouldn't be running things half as well without these videos.

Our 'Best' gaming sessions were those that happened on the fly with everyone improvising and flying by the seat of our pants.

I went because of my kids they are all theatre into doing theatre and I wanted an idea of what they did

The explosion principle is the best. Exactly what i needed ahahahhajzhziqkqbs

I think I’ve watched all your content as of now. Always golden—Always watch through to the end. Thank you guys for being such a bastion of knowledge for the D&D community! ❤️

Have you guys considered offering DM/player classes for patrons or some form of monetary compensation? I would pay good money to DM a game for you guys as the players and then have you critique/teach me where my skills need improvement.

Leave 'em hanging! Cliff hangers are awesome! Makes the players talk between sessions, planning and scheming!

I lost my shit when Kelly said "Don't be a dick"!! I've said that to people as a "Golden rule" for years. This world would be a way better place if everyone actively tried not to be a DICK!

wth, i watched hours of your video and didn't suscribe, srry!

Take it a step further and use the Batman writers rule by asking yourself, "what is the worst thing that can happen here?" That always will make important moments even tenser.

New DMs will kill PCs and that's ok. Forgive yourself when you screw up and talk to your players.

I love there kind of video because I’m horrible at being descriptive of stuff and talking as a NPC. This has helped be become a little better at being a DM.

Be a fan of the players.
That's really all. You need to challenge them for it to be fun, but not so much that it becomes antagonistic and petty (be fair) . Always remember 5 people matched their diary and made an effort to be available. That isn't easy, so be respectful about that and you should be good. Leave religion and politics outside.
Have some easy diverting topics to redirect conversations that head that way.

Ideally a DM is like a pitcher who throws the ball in such a way that it looks difficult, but sets up the player for a home run from time to time. Make them feel awesome.

“You walk into a bog and the smell is so terrible you’re surprised I haven’t made you roll a con save yet”

I like how they have different nicknames every video.

Fast food or retail, know your product....customers will ask questions. Players will ask questions, know your module

You guys should reference these books you mention in the doobly-do, you know?

"I think this all boils down to, 'don't be a dick.'" While I agree wholeheartedly, I also feel as though it's not always that simple and people can think they're being helpful when they're actually being incredibly toxic. As a player I have had a very well meaning DM take the role a bit too far by using the campaign to lecture me about my life choices and identity parameters without realizing that this was what was occurring. I'm sure they saw themself as being a kind of counselor or life advisor or something - they're older than me and probably do know more about life in general, but I'm nearly 40 years old, so it was still very demeaning. Overall it really killed the fun I normally have playing D&D to repeatedly be reminded that my sexually inactive characters were missing out on possible buffs and experience, as though my characters were costing the party by being asexual or celibate (I'm aro/ace and often play characters that are as well,) and having other PCs pointedly praised for "*really* living life to the fullest" whenever they pursued sexual interactions.

I guess my point is, more than just not being a dick, also try not to be judgemental of player's private and personal life parameters or use being a DM to play life coach or therapist to your players (especially if you are not a licensed and trained therapist who actually knows how to do such things competently.) You might think you're being helpful while doing/suggesting the exact opposite of what professional therapists would do/advise and may be prying into irl stuff that just straight up isn't your business as a DM running a role-playing game.

Go over the rules, there aren’t really any videos that go over each and every rule

One thing that helps a lot with Improv as both a player and a DM is understanding the core concept of "yes, and..."
When you're doing cooperative improvising, that's the entire name of the game. No matter how utterly ridiculous it might seem to you, you accept it at face value and build on it by adding to it. I find that when players and the DM keep this in mind, there's less instances of arguing about things and more storytelling and fun to be had. A lot of times in my experience, the biggest thing that can either slow games down or grind them to a halt entirely are when people take the OPPOSITE of this philosophy, which would be "no, but..."
This often times to leads to bickering about semantics or small unimportant details, when really all that's needed is to just roll with it, and go "yes, and then x and y and z!" to keep the story flowing smoothly.

Surprise is so important, and as the DM surprise is always when and how you want it. Never forget that you can spice things up at any time for any reason

My chief rule is: The monsters are the characters' enemy. You are not your players' enemy. Anyone, DM or player, who thinks that DnD can be "won" should probably try playing something else.

Thank you for making these guides, Dudes, they are fun, informative and well made :D

Good list. Agree that improv is the most important skill. You cannot account for every scenario. I do what was you guys stated, plan what will happen without the characters.

“I think this all rolls down to: don’t be a dick.” Well said.

Set up incredible victories and give heroic deaths not to be forgotten

No adventure survives contact with the players!!

OMG MONTY CAN ROLL HIS DICE 🎲 ON MY NAKED BODY!!!

That was a big thing I struggled with for my first couple of sessions. I made my players roll dice way too often. Specifically for stealth in an area of a dungeon where they weren't near anything. I fixed it for future encounters like this by letting my players ask if they could and granting it to them if I thought it made sense.

My main principle for new DMs is fun is the priority. Fun is above the dice rolls, the rules, and whatever story you, the DM, are trying to tell. DMs win when the party has fun and comes back for more.

I think I read a WotC book (may have been a 3rd party) during 3rd or 4th edition that went into detail about how to recognize what type of player you were, and how your playstyle can enhance and incorporate other players. I dont remember what it was called and have been trying to find it. It was something like "Guide to Being a Better Player". Does anyone know what im talking about? Basically it gave advice about how the power gamer and roleplayer, for instance, can get along and both have fun even when they're out of their pillars.

My first session is today...and my dm (new to dm'ing) wants to start with Curse Of Strahd. I found out yesterday that, even though he owns the book on d&d beyond...he hadn't even read a single page in the book yet and had zero clues on any of the story or anything. He's had several weeks to prepare and I've asked him over and over if there's anything I can do to help him which he's declined.
I'm just frustrated with him. I've done a crap ton of research and reading getting prepared for our first session...but he hasn't put any effort that I'm aware of at all.
We'll see how the session goes. I might see what he, and the rest of our group, feels about running a simpler/starter adventure since we're all so new to the game and will be far easier to manage with less prep.
I might eventually see if he'd be open to me dm'ing. I have more time on my hands to prepare for things, and maybe he's just feeling overwhelmed. I don't want to step on his toes though.

You know one problem that has arisen, only imo of course, with the rise of shows like Critical Role is everyone always had to be so damn clever now. Like those shows are first and foremost for the entertainment of people watching the game, not necessarily people playing the game. (Although I’m sure they have fun. It’s definitely better than most jobs. Lol) Like we aren’t trying to make clickbait. Sometimes, most of the time, I just want to fight the giant ice worm. I don’t want to polymorph it into a turtle and flip it on its back…
Hell actually it annoys me watching those shows as well. As good as the people on those shows are at RP… I mean with a bunch of professional voice actors and writers and directors and general professions creative types, the RP is going to be good… They just turn too many fights into farce. Some meme is good. All meme gets a tad exhausting.

I love all of these videos! I just feel like Monty always implies that using a DM screen means I'm fudging dice rolls. I never fudge my rolls I use my screen to keep other stuff secret like minis notes maps and stat blocks

Why does the background music sound like the 90's animated spiderman theme? 🤣😂🤣

One thing I´d recommend a GM should do is to ask warmup questions just as the session is about to begin. Asking your players questions like "What is your characters deepest fear?", "What is your characters greatest regret in life?" or "Which of the other PCs does your character trust the most and which one does your character trust the least?" makes your players really think about things they may not have thought about before, which in turn helps everybody get into the game a little bit easier.

Great ideas to DM by, thank y'all!

I used to spend far to long preparing epic moments and planning out resolutions to traps/problems. But you learn quick players mess every plan up with creativity. So now i prepare only problems, i have no idea what the solution is myself, its whatever the players decide to do, then i improvise from there. Trust yourself to roll with it

This is one of the best New DM videos ever. I know I watched it years ago, but just re-watching, makes me go, Yep, I'd tell a new dm that too.

Our principles are by no means an exhaustive list of all the great tips and advice you can rely on to run better games, and we only could touch on each so briefly! We'd love to hear YOUR principles for how YOU run great games, too!

We have a LOT more to say about improvisation, game prep, managing social issues at the table, and using the rules well. If you'd like to hear us talk more in detail about one of these principles and the tips and tricks that go along with it, please leave a comment to let us know!