MrStabby
2017-02-14, 07:45 PM
I like to DM. Sure it's hard work but it is great fun and rewarding. There seems to be a shortage of DMs out there, especially for 5th edition, so to encourage people to have a go I thought I would list the things I love about being a DM.
1) You know all those characters you think would be really fun to play but you dont have time or available games or whilst fun, they would kind of suck? Being a DM you can. Antagonists for the party to face that actually have character!
2) That dramatic, tragic end that would round out a character perfectly but you don't want because you like the character? Allow a favourite NPC to take the hit instead. All of the rewards of a tragic end without having to roll up a new character.
3) There is a lot of fun stuff that kind of sucks... a lot of spells might be fun but also not worth the spell slot. Well screw that - your job as DM is to balance encounters, you can do that by having crappier spells rather than fewer enemies. Have fun with Weird if you want to. How about enemies that can cast arcane lock at will? How can you make a fun encounter with that?
4) Explore settings and themes you always wanted to. You like ancient tombs and think they are neat? Well the campaign has a load in. You want an eastern theme? Well it turns out that this campaign supports that. Want a mad alchemist - well now crazy potions the PCs loot can do whatever you think appropriate.
5) Related to 4 - have the factions you want. You can think of a cool evil god and an awesome plot? Now you can play it out. You can think of two? You can still have them both. None of the trade-offs of being a player and having to choose between things. Be greedy. Have everything you want.
6) You will be forgiven a lot. Few enough people want to DM; get a good group of friends and they will support you as you get the hang of it. If you are doing this there is a good chance you are raising the enjoyment they are getting from gaming so they won't hate you for any mistakes.
7) Of course you keep learning, but actually once you get the hang of DMing it is pretty easy. Don't sweat it.
8) Be as creative as you want. The monster manual isn't a bad start (and there are a lot of resources to support you online), but you can create any monster you want. Two headed dragons? Ale elementals? Colossal millipedes? Whatever fits your setting. If you prefer, build the setting round your coolest monster ideas.
9) The things for you to have fun with are endless, whereas for players they are more limited in scope. Creativity isn't all about antagonists, but also finding creative ways to support players aspirations for their character's development. Work with them as they research new spells, receive blessings from their gods, craft new items develop new fighting manoeuvres. Add as much or as little of your own content as you feel comfortable with. Engineer new circumstances where PCs can use their class abilities more or in new ways, work their backstories in and generally collaborate. Watch with pride as they destroy everything you put in their path with creative use of the tools you gave them. Watch as they are laid low by their own tragic backstory.
10) Satisfaction. It is great seeing what the PCs can do to your world, how they react to the world and how the world reacts to them. Every memorable NPC, every battle - won or lost - that sticks in their mind is rewarding.
I have DMed more campaign than I have played in now and have no regrets. Sure its hard work sometimes but if you are thinking of giving it a go you should. Of all the things you can do there are few you have to do for people to have a good time so don't be daunted. Have fun and help your friends have fun at the same time. It's win all round.
Glad to get that off my chest.
1) You know all those characters you think would be really fun to play but you dont have time or available games or whilst fun, they would kind of suck? Being a DM you can. Antagonists for the party to face that actually have character!
2) That dramatic, tragic end that would round out a character perfectly but you don't want because you like the character? Allow a favourite NPC to take the hit instead. All of the rewards of a tragic end without having to roll up a new character.
3) There is a lot of fun stuff that kind of sucks... a lot of spells might be fun but also not worth the spell slot. Well screw that - your job as DM is to balance encounters, you can do that by having crappier spells rather than fewer enemies. Have fun with Weird if you want to. How about enemies that can cast arcane lock at will? How can you make a fun encounter with that?
4) Explore settings and themes you always wanted to. You like ancient tombs and think they are neat? Well the campaign has a load in. You want an eastern theme? Well it turns out that this campaign supports that. Want a mad alchemist - well now crazy potions the PCs loot can do whatever you think appropriate.
5) Related to 4 - have the factions you want. You can think of a cool evil god and an awesome plot? Now you can play it out. You can think of two? You can still have them both. None of the trade-offs of being a player and having to choose between things. Be greedy. Have everything you want.
6) You will be forgiven a lot. Few enough people want to DM; get a good group of friends and they will support you as you get the hang of it. If you are doing this there is a good chance you are raising the enjoyment they are getting from gaming so they won't hate you for any mistakes.
7) Of course you keep learning, but actually once you get the hang of DMing it is pretty easy. Don't sweat it.
8) Be as creative as you want. The monster manual isn't a bad start (and there are a lot of resources to support you online), but you can create any monster you want. Two headed dragons? Ale elementals? Colossal millipedes? Whatever fits your setting. If you prefer, build the setting round your coolest monster ideas.
9) The things for you to have fun with are endless, whereas for players they are more limited in scope. Creativity isn't all about antagonists, but also finding creative ways to support players aspirations for their character's development. Work with them as they research new spells, receive blessings from their gods, craft new items develop new fighting manoeuvres. Add as much or as little of your own content as you feel comfortable with. Engineer new circumstances where PCs can use their class abilities more or in new ways, work their backstories in and generally collaborate. Watch with pride as they destroy everything you put in their path with creative use of the tools you gave them. Watch as they are laid low by their own tragic backstory.
10) Satisfaction. It is great seeing what the PCs can do to your world, how they react to the world and how the world reacts to them. Every memorable NPC, every battle - won or lost - that sticks in their mind is rewarding.
I have DMed more campaign than I have played in now and have no regrets. Sure its hard work sometimes but if you are thinking of giving it a go you should. Of all the things you can do there are few you have to do for people to have a good time so don't be daunted. Have fun and help your friends have fun at the same time. It's win all round.
Glad to get that off my chest.