What makes a good dungeon master for a Dungeons and Dragons group? Is it roleplay capabilities? Is it attention to detail?
What makes a good dungeon master for a Dungeons and Dragons group? Is it roleplay capabilities? Is it attention to detail?
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A good story teller I think.
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To me, attention to detail, sandbox stories (If you don't want to go into the dungeon, go marauding to the west, go for it), and doesn't flat out say "No" unless there is a major reason (Seducing a ghost for example). there could always be a chance. Might be highly unlikely and high difficulty, but possible. My last DM had multiple story lines going, if we didn't go necromancer hunting the necro guild got stronger and influenced X, if you went necro hunting, the human nobles to the south had slave raids happening, whatever you did, other things advanced making a TON of story options, no railroading to X.
EDITED TO ADD:
And as Captain N below said, adapts on the fly because dice don't care about your plans.
A good story teller who can adapt to the decisions his/her players make on the fly. Also being able to flesh out the NPCs so they have some personality that makes them stand out.
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Having fun, and having your players have fun. It doesn't matter if your story is crap, or your detail is meh, if they're having fun together that's what's important. Of course, being a good storyteller and attention to detail might be PART of that.
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As someone who has DM'd dozens of sessions, and been DM's by people who were much worse than me with far more experience- I can tell you exactly what the most important thing is, which is being able to deliver a game experience that the players want. If the players are going to have fun with you doing silly voices for all the characters, you do that. If they want their characters to fight against big monsters and hack and slash their way through a dungeon, you do that.
If you're playing with people who know the rules like the back of their hands or who are really into roleplaying, you should focus the adventure on that. The worst DMs I've seen had an approach to keep the session "on rails", punished players for not staying on course, policed alignments, etc. Of course, being able to improv new characters or even locations on the fly goes a long way.
Absolutely not. A group of complete newbs doing their own thing and discovering the game together is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. All of the skills mentioned above are signs of an experienced and talented DM, and a new DM won't have that yet, but I think it's better to have an inexperienced DM discovering the game with you rather than have an experienced DM teaching you to play the game his way.
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No rules lawyers.....no give you everything under the sun you are now a demi-god at level 5.....No ITs MY STORY YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!!!!......No Hurray today we are going to the seveneth level of hell and killing the devil because you were lucky enough to roll three 100s in a row..... And no... Your alignment is X so you can only do X or Y not Z You'd never do that!
A good storyteller who knows when to rely on the dice to create variety and when to ignore them to keep the story from simply being randomized garbage.
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I'd generally pick a friend that knows the rules the best, because there's a lot going into it. Really if your group wants to have the most fun with it, it'd be better to raise a DM from within than try to find one from outside. The premade adventures are relatively new to me but seem like a great way to get the sessions going.
Roleplay ability is big but even bigger is story telling and an attention to mood and atmosphere. I DM very regularly and ones ability to tell engaging stories and really set the scene and characters is absolutely essential. You also have to be very good at improvisation and thinking on your feet. Things like tension-bed music, good maps, and creative storytelling are essential if you want to be a GOOD DM.
Other than that you need a Dungeon Masters Guide, some dice, a Monster Manual, Players Guidebook. Oh, and basic math skills and some notecards / a notebook.
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Confidence, Imagination and the ability to communicate and tell a story.
A person who can spend the time to effective plan an adventure.
You don't have to have every detail planned but a knowledgeable overview of what you want to happen.
When I first started I asked each of my players to fill out a questionnaire (stupid I know), but it helped me work out 1) Who wanted to focus on RP of their character 2) Who's there only for combat 3) What's their character's purpose, and then tailor the adventure to fit.
If you're going to be a GM for a group as suggested, get a premade adventure and then add your own extra bits in. The concept is all there and then you can tweak it how you want.
Get feedback from the players. I play with my brother and cousins so I tell them to be harsh in the hopes I can be better. (I tend to give too much away - and don't let the players figure things out).
I get more enjoyment from playing though because I'm more enjoyment out of problem solving than creating problems for others to solve.
Whatever the ability is called that causes the players to come back for more than a session or two before it falls apart.
/rolls Charisma check. Oh yeah, that.
If you want to see how a somebody performs as a DM at master level go watch Critical Role and see Matthew Mercer treat it like an art. If you want to see how anyone can be a DM and learn how to be a DM go watch Matthew Colville. Watching the two Matts on Youtube will show you how to be a great DM.
What I believe in being a good DM is a combinations of many many factors.
First I would say understanding your player base. try in the first session to understand your players habits. Follow up the further sessions with designs based on that. The encounters should be appealing to the current players while not harming the story you were aiming for.
Take time to LOOSELY plan out your story. Plan a lot mentally and prepare for as many deviations as possible. but even then you can't be prepared. Its easier if you put most of your planning in NPCs and world, make a skeleton plot, and create the adventure as the players go. Add key elements to it.
most importantly: BE FLEXIBLE! you will be surprised how blind players can be even if you put the key story element in front of their eyes with giant magical glowing arrows pointing at it with clear text saying "IMPORTANT PLOT DEVICE" and they would never realize it existence. Being a good DM is guiding your players in the story rather than forcing them or railing them to it. I understand there are moments for examples they are meant to be a little railed, but keep the controls in the players hand.
DM knowledge is VERY different that players knowledge. try to see things in their eyes. For you, it will be simple and clear as day but for the players it would difficult and hard to spot.
don't be shy. Players like to roleplay a lot, create a lot of very interesting NPCs the players can interact with and enjoy roleplaying with. They enjoy encounters a lot, look online or at the monster manual for very interesting encounters that the players would find challenging and accomplishing.
Most of all, it is meant to be fun for the DM and the players. If you, as the DM, are not having fun, then something is totally wrong. There are sometimes where A good DM can become a terrible DM due to his style of play vs the players being complete opposite. like a DM that enjoys more RP style campaigns and the players hate it and want just pure combat oriented sessions.
It really matters the group you are playing with as much as your own personal skills. If the group is awesome, you will be awesome.
Last edited by Esna; 2017-07-17 at 04:21 AM.