Tips for the Beginner Dungeon Master
Intended Audience: DMs
By Jay Watamaniuk
Special thanks to Tom Rowton for keeping my monkey-headedness to a minimum.
This is an introduction to the world of being a Dungeon Master (DM). A DM is responsible for running a game that both thrills and delights players; making them come back for more. To a gamer, there is no higher compliment than being called a good DM.
This document is broken into the following sections:
1. Introduction
2. A Few Important Vocabulary Bits
3. Types of DMs
4. Six General Rules for the Newcomer DM
5. The Final Word
Tips for the Beginner DM - Part 1
IntroductionBeing the DM is the most demanding and difficult job in the role-playing world. Your scope encompasses everything in a world you create, apart from the players. As the DM you are part deity, part writer, part actor, part artist, part mediator, part villain and part hero. The world must be created and populated by you to make the playing experience the best it can be.
You are probably asking yourself; 'why would anybody EVER want to do that?'. There are many reasons for people taking on the responsibility of becoming a DM: they love to create puzzles, they love creating worlds, or they love creating stories. DM's especially love to see what happens when all these factors come together in the face of real, live players.
Tips for the Beginner DM - Part 2
A Few Important Vocabulary BitsLet me first clear up some vocabulary you will likely run into as you read more about role-playing games (RPGs) and Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) in general:
D&D 3rd Edition: The specific set of rules used to play the game Dungeons and Dragons, which has been around for a very long time in several incarnations. The third, most recent, edition came out in 2001 and was a dramatic change from the previous editions. This is the rule-set that Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is based on.
PnP: Pen and Paper. This is any RPG where people sit around a table and play the game using only…well pens, paper and the rulebooks.
Module: A specific story or adventure that a group of players can play through with a definite beginning, middle and end. One module can usually be completed in a short number of play sessions.
Campaign: A number of modules put together to represent a longer span of time in game terms. A campaign may represent the entire adventuring life of a particular character. It is generally expected that a character will grow and develop as he or she gains experience during a campaign.
Encounter: This is an event where something specific happens that affect the players. An encounter does not have to be violent, or even exciting, as it encompasses everything an adventurer may run into during the course of a module. Some examples are meeting the local butcher, being attacked by orcs, talking with the shady bartender or rescuing an old woman's cat from a tree.
PC: A Player Character. This is the character of someone actually playing in your game.
NPC: Non-Playing Character. This is everybody else in the world. The pageboy, the king, the enemy general or whomever the players come across during the game.
Grade 6 D&D/ Munchkin D&D: (No insult intended to those of you in Grade 6, as I am sure you are much smarter than I was at that age). These two terms refer to a style of play that can be fun but is for a very specific type of DM and Player. The following would be an example of a Munchkin describing a typical game: "First I went into the future and got a laser cannon, then I killed Thor, and took his hammer which I used to slay Odin and Zeus who were asleep, and then I took over the world using my Panzer tanks I invented when I was granted 17 wishes...".
You get the idea.
Tips for the Beginner DM - Part 3
Types of DMsThere are many ways for a DM to run a game. If you are new to RPGs, and the concept of having a DM is unfamiliar, you may think that playing a module by DM #1 will result in the same game as that same module run by DM #2. This would be a wrong assumption. If you end up playing enough RPGs you will notice very, very different styles of 'DMing'. The following is a quick list of several types of DM styles that I have encountered in my years playing RPGs.
The Detailer: This type of DM has pages of notes, facts, bits,pieces and maps for their game. This type revels in making extra material, even if the chances are somewhat remote that any of it will be used in the actual game. For example, I knew a DM once who had several charts for the weather at certain times of the year. He would roll to see what sort of weather we had for any given day. This type of DM loves making all this stuff even if it doesn't appear in the game.
Caution: Excessive detail can be very, very tedious. Imagine having to write up some sort of history on exactly where you got your mundane inventory items. In addition, this type of DM may become very controlling, as Players tend to do whatever they like and mess-up the best-laid plans (this is the fun part). The Detailer may not be very good at going with the flow.
The Improv Guy: Exact opposite of The Detailer. Has very little prepared and usually makes up things as he goes along without referring to a source material. The ability to do this style of DMing is a definite skill, and takes practice and a naturally creative mind. When running a module in NWN, a lot of detail is inherent because of the visual nature of the game, but there is certainly room for a lot of improv in your module.
Caution: The Improv Guy can become The Vague One if he's not careful (see below). The absolute worst case of this is a DM who thinks he is good at making stuff up and is not. Very painful to witness.
The Story Teller: Has a complete story in mind that the players can experience. This story can have certain elements that are 'scripted' and the players have no control over it (like cut-scenes), but in general, the players must find their own way through this story. Most modules are based on the structures of a good story. These elements include back-story, initial incident, rising action, climax, falling action and the end. DM'ing a NWN module allows less absolute control over a group of players, but a DM can still force the players into doing certain things and moving to certain areas. Since a module is defined as a single story, all DMs must have an element of the Story Teller in how they run a game.
Caution: There is the danger of telling a complete story where players have very little say in what happens. The player must be allowed to play, make mistakes, and be their own heroes. It is not very interesting to play a module and have no ability to make decisions about what your character does. A DM can still set up certain situations that make the characters look good or bad to spice things up…
The Socializer: This DM is less interested in actually playing the game than having his friends over. Any group of friends playing an RPG together will of course, socialize-that is why you play- but a DM that does not crack down on conversation tangents and idle chit-chat, risks losing the point of the game entirely. A DM needs to bring his or friends together and have them enjoy themselves playing the game itself.
Caution: As mentioned, this can quickly become the focus of a game if not handled well. I knew a DM once who would stop and comment, make a sound effect, gesture, or joke about every single thing that was done in the game by players. The game would frequently grind to a halt for long periods of time. Socializing is great, but ceases to be fun when the game is lost. The other side is The Puritan (see below).
The Role-Player: The characters in this DM's campaign come to life under the impressive acting of the DM. Careful notes are taken on every person you meet, so a standard shopping trip to buy armor becomes a social visit to a real, unique person. Good Role-playing begets good role-playing, and can elevate our game to new heights of immersion.
Caution: Imagine having that trip to the armorer become an hour-long gossip session that has no relevance to the game. Good role-playing is great but the DM must keep in mind one of the most basic tenets of a good story- things keep moving toward a definite goal.
The Wrathful DM: The DM sets the difficulty for his modules so high that players generally do not survive. There is no upside to this form of a DM as players will not enjoy having their characters killed repeatedly. As a DM, it is the easiest thing in the world to kill players - that, however, is not your job. Some DMs confuse their role as the organizer and controller of the monsters, as some sort of contest: DM vs. Players. The DM is there to set challenges for the players. The tricky part is setting up encounters that test the skill of the players but are not boring or impossible. The DM can kill players on a whim and so this sort of thing is about as easy as it gets. Players however make the final choice for whether they want to play on a particular server or not with NWN. The DM Client of NWN even has a Difficulty Slider so a DM can change how hard things are on the fly for the players
Caution: If the point of the module is a survival, horror type thing with the last person standing, type of goal, that's great as a special theme module. In general, however, one gains satisfaction from a game by caring about their character and that's hard to do if your character never lives past one module.
The Vague One: There seems to be no reality to anything because the DM has few details about a setting, NPC or even the plot. The player always feels they are in the middle of some strange, out-of-focus film. A good DM seeks that careful balance between too many details, which slows down game play, and too few details, which do not encourage players 'get into' or even care about the game.
Caution: The players may lose interest in a game that has no sense of reality to it. They may also begin to think the DM does not want to play.
The Puritan: Allows only role-playing and that is all when a game begins. Can become an excellent and rewarding game, as there are few distractions. Statements like 'Everything you say, your character says, so be careful' is common among Puritans and enforces the idea that you are playing a character.
Caution: Usually you are playing with friends and excessive Puritanness that can make the get together less fun, if everyone is not agreeable to this strict way of playing.
The best DMs know when to switch between one type and another, and when each type is needed.
Tips for the Beginner DM - Part 4
Six General Rules for the Newcomer DM1. You cannot plan for everything the players might do.In fact it is a waste of time trying to write down what happens if the players, do this, and this, and this...
I once made a list of every household item and the damage it would do in a standard house that could be used as a weapon, (chair, rolling pin, marble cutting board, etc.) in a game set in modern times. The players, of course, hooked up the a car battery to metal candle sticks, held them with the rubber welcome mat and shocked any lurking monsters. I never thought of that. What would have been easier is simply make a DM call on how much damage on whatever the players could come up with. It is easier in the DM Client to create an NPC, and simply speak through them, than it is to try and create dialogue for everything you can think of in every case.
2. DMing is a skill like anything else.If you practice, you will get better. The D&D veterans will be learning how best to use the DM Client with NWN, so everyone will be equal at the start.
3. Be prepared.If you are using a module prepared by someone else then read it through several times. If it is a module for NWN, then play it through several times to get to know it well. Make different choices, play different classes to become familiar with what would happen and what results might occur. Take notes.
If you're running a module you created yourself, remember rule number 1, while you can be prepared, you cannot plan for everything a player might do in your own module. Make liberal use of the 3 Quickbars to store creatures, actions, dialogue and so on.
4. DMing takes energy and organization.Even the biggest Improv Guy needs some organization and the most organized guy needs energy to run a module.
5. Take suggestions from your players.They are your audience and there might be things you are unaware of, that help them have a better game. The same goes for you- if you need something from players, let them know- i.e.: "Can we stop talking about Lord of the Rings during the game, it's distracting".
6. Rules are there for clarity but do not have to be followed in certain instances.For example the 'fudging' of dice rolls is acceptable, when a DM has realized that the difficulty in an encounter has been set too high and will result in all the players dying. All the players being killed serves no purpose but to, stop the game, and make everyone re-roll characters. The players are completely at a DM's mercy. As a DM, you are there to make the game fun- everything else is secondary. The idea of changing the challenge levels on the fly needs to be remembered for encounters that are too easy (and boring) and too difficult (everyone dies= unfun). Apart from the Difficulty Slider, the DM Client allows you many ways to change the difficulty of a module such as healing players, killing creatures, summoning good guys (or bad guys) to help, or hinder, the players. A good DM needs to be aware of what tools are available.
Tips for the Beginner DM - Part 5
Final WordBeing a Dungeon Master can be one of the most rewarding experiences of playing a role-playing game with your friends. Running a world, however, takes a bit of practice and preparation.
*Reposted from the Bioware Forum by JFK
