Tips for good DMing

[TheManicMonocle]

Hi there, I'm the manic monocle, and today I would like to present to you some things I have learned in my five years as a DM, playing 5e.

Remember, your biggest goal is for the players to have fun
Now, I cannot stress this enough. Fun fun fun. Games are made to be fun. Why has everyone taken time out of their schefule to meet? To have fun! This takes on different meanings of course depending on your group. Some groups will have fun if you stick to the rules strictly, while for others they prefer less strictness. Some players want the game to be as hard as possible while others want something easy but with a good story. Learn what is fun to your group and keep with it.

Make characters feel useful
So, let's suppose player A has a very high acrobatics. It would make that player feel useless if he never gets to use it, right? That's why you should know the strengths of your characters and offer challenges to match. I'm not saying give him an acro challenge every session, but I'd reccomend at least one skill check per session that makes one of your five characters feel validated in maxing out their favorite stat.

Not all challenges need a clear cut solution.
There's something to be said about a puzzle with one solution in a dungeon, the feeling of satisfaction when they finally figure it out. But balance this out with open-ended challenges. One of my favorites is a simple broken bridge in the players path. How will they cross the river/chasm now? I don't know, but the players might!

Not everything has to be known.
I made a few mistakes of course as a DM, and one of my biggest ones I think was that I was over enthusiastic about my world's lore. As a result, my world had little to no mystery for the players. One such example of this was when I had my players camp in the woods for the night. As one player went to take a leak, they saw a figure silohuetted by moonlight across the river. After the party ran away, I told them it was the spirit of the dark forest. After the game, a player commented that it was more fun when he didn't know what it was, and I realised from that point on that sometimes it's better to leave things shrouded in mystery.

Don't worry if your plot gets derailed.
Let me tell you something, your careful story is going to be derailed at one point or another. Sometimes it's as simple as your characters exploring instead of pursuing the main quest. Usually when this happens to me, I just be honest with the players and say, "give me a sec, I don't actually have anything written for the area you want to explore" and then make a joke that it's still rendering. Either way, if your story gets derailed, don't panic, and don't think your players won't understand if you need a second, your only human and they know this.

Make sure all players get a turn
Now this goes without saying in combat, but out of combat? It can be a problem if some of your players are louder than others. The solution? Give each player a time limit for non-combat turns. Now when I say non-combat turns, I mean like when the players wish to split up in town to buy stuff or run other errands. So, I had each player roll for turn order without bonuses, and used a three minute sand timer for each person's errand. If the timer ends and they're not finished, they can finish next time their turn comes around. Sand timers can also be good for combat, usually I use a 30 second or 1 minute one for combat turns.


So that's all I got guys! Thanks for reading, and feel free to post your own tips as well!

[Citan]

Hey ;)

Thanks for the tips!

I don't consider myself a seasoned DM, far from it, but there are already some things I learned from trial and errors.
Like...

Don't use "global real-time" timers during encounters (use "rounds" instead).
Putting pressure by creating timed objectives to fulfill is nice for various reasons.
However, I learned the hard way that using real-time chronometers is usually the bad idea as soon as you are in an encounter (read: Initiative, turn order and all) situation.
Simply because...
- As a DM, you usually spend several times more minutes than any player because you have to manage many creatures, which is legitimately perceived as unfair time loss from your players (even if you exactly know what to do with each minion and act, roll and describe as fast as possible).
- More generally, it puts unwanted additional pressure on people that usually take time to think, whether that slowness is legitimated by the situation or not.
All in all, it is very difficult to accurately predict how much real-time should be allowed, and in the end creates a strong, immersion-breaking discrepancy between the players and the game.

Instead, just use an amount of rounds: less pressure on all (you especially ^^), fairer, still keeps the pressure (just display a counter or remind them each turn).
And if you want to make players feel even more pressure while avoiding those aforementioned problems, just tell them beforehand that one turn must be resolved in 1mn (or 2) max. This is usually enough to prevent the other kind of discrepancy that is created when players take a whole half-hour to discuss how to tackle... The next round. XD

Don't make variations of the same creature unless you take the time to depict the differences and/or use different enough tokens
Case in point: you want to make your party fight a big group of bandits, while adapting them to fit several archetype (like having several "kind" of martials, one with bigger damage and lower AC, one "tank", one max HP etc).
I did that once, but failed to find several tokens (so I had to use the same for all) and also made the big mistake of forgetting to describe them.
Consequently, the players had no way to know creatures were slightly different from one another (although having the same weaponry) and were kinda puzzled when players had different results attacking against seemingly identical creatures (I did warn them that usually HP varies, but it's normally the only thing varying).

Don't put too much time creating NPC which are not central to the plot
I made that mistake once early in my campaign of creating an NPC which a very much detailed background and features, although I first presented it to my player as just some NPC for some initiatic quest. As a consequence, I had big trouble adapting the plot or NPC to my player's ideas, because it was already too "real", too "present" (I cannot find the right word but I guess you get the idea).

Now, I just take usually "bland" NPC for any interaction that is not a strong, campaign-related one, and instead wait to see if/when the players want to actually develop something with it.
That makes for a much simpler, "organic" and fluid creation (follow the lead of players), avoids the "I don't want my precious NPC to die" trap (-usually- XD), and give the players a much stronger feeling of shaping the universe. It's also a way to keep the game surprising -thus entertaining imo- for you as a DM.
With that said, the problem of this is having enough resources to keep up with players.
So, to help with that...

Keep a few premade NPC (or characteristic lists) close to you
Speaking about "behaviours" and "objectives" rather than classes or jobs here.
You could of course make everything on the fly, but taking time to create traits beforehand allows you to tailor the character as required without having to pause the game.
Basically like taking the "background" and "traits" system of 5e, but extending it to some lifetime objectives ("becoming rich", "avenging someone", "finding a relic" etc), related places (meaning you should also have at least a rough idea of your world's geography, with a few cities already named) and maybe some physical/mental/behavioural particularities (bald, finishes all phrases with "right?", bites his lips when in stress or lying etc).

Of course, if you are comfortable with improvisation while keeping all that had been already created before in mind, you don't really need all that. ;)

Avoid NPC-to-NPC confrontations, unless/until you give a good enough reason for players to meddle with OR you resolve it by sheer description
Probably something obvious for many people here, one of the first mistakes I ever made.
Take the usual chaotic players, put them in a bar filled with people, a fight will inevitably ensue...
2 players, ~10 people, many possibilities... Group fight evolved in a kind of battle royal, with the players with half in a corner, the other half (NPC only) in the other. I had already added Initiative and turns for everyone.
Made the mistake of resolving turns for that group, while those NPC did not arise any interest for players (except of course looting those dying after the fact).
I did manage to make it very quick each turn, but it still put a big dent in the rythm and immersion.

So, when you need to make NPC only fights, three ways...
a) Just describe what globally happens without using the full encounter ordeal. If you can't...
b) Either find a credible way to expedite the fight (people flee away, a catastrophe kill them all, or whatever).
c) Create an interest for players to choose a camp or a way to avoid it altogether. This is actually more easy that it would seem at first glance...
- Players doing an infiltration mission? Well, obviously letting your "comrades" get killed won't help, while saving them will probably earn their trust.
- NPC didn't have any interaction yet? Make them one people asking for help, in exchange for some reward (or maybe describe him as a powerful/rich people when party first sees him, so maybe they will take initiative on their own).
- Party stumbles on two opposing groups? Maybe they will want to help one because of their alignment, or some are common enemies. Or maybe they will try and succeed on stopping the fight in a non-violent way. Or just give them hints beforehand so they understand a fight is ahead and make a detour.

These are the biggest things that come to my mind for now. ;)

Be "nice" for new players without resorting to on-the-fly god mode..
Especially at low levels, using average damage is a good way to get some margin to put pressure on players and make them learn the ropes without outright killing them.
Don't hesitate also in first sessions to remind them (preferably before starting the game) their abilities if it's a bit difficult for them.
Or, if you want to use a premade campaign or want to use an emblematic monster that would be a bit too big to chew on by party, instead of using a DMPC to shore up a weakness, you can drop its AC or HP a bit (this should stay a rarity though, otherwise you will trap yourself later unless you gave a proper explanation: "hey, how come this monster is so hard to beat now?". No problem if you never use this monster again though) or just never use some of its nastiest abilities.

For "chilling" games of low-level players, you can also keep at hand a few "wow, what a turn of luck" things like reinforcements (ex: defending a village, a demand for help was sent beforehand), quick environmental change (like a tempest arising, creating obscuration) or NPC displaying an ability (the man party had to guard had some initiation in Clerical path so can stabilize) to avoid a TPK. This should be considered the last card of the last card though, and only for this kind of games. Experienced players probably expect the full treatment in the first place. ;)

But don't hesitate to make them face consequences of their actions.
If party kills anyone on sight, local police should quickly put "wanted" on them, normal people should avoid them, commerces would try and close their door before they arrive. If they kill a local warlord that had ties with other gangs, they should expect some assassins or thieves when going into some places. If them poach any and every animal (including rare ones) during their travel, past a point they should have a bad reputation with "animal defenders" like Druids or Elves, etc...

Also, if they act stupidly, unless it's really the first three sessions or so, let them do. If the world seems impervious to whatever atrocity, stupidity or achievement they do, they will lose interest. ;) If their own greed or stupidity leads them to their death, then so be it.

[Demonslayer666]

Session 0
Before you start the game, make it perfectly clear how you intend to run your game. Discuss rules you will use, not use, and add, and how you plan to handle rule disagreements. Also address world lore, character death, absent players, and of course character creation. It's also a good idea to set up a start and stopping time for the game session.

You vs. them
It's is not a game of DM vs. the players. The goal for everyone is to have fun, including the DM. Be firm and be fair and appropriately challenge the players, and things will fall in line.

Be Prepared
Before you run a session, look over the encounters you have planned. Be familiar with their spells and abilities so you don't have to look them up during the session.

Don't over prepare
Make sure the encounters you have planned have meaning. Don't design a huge dungeon that the party will skip if they can, because they will. You have to be flexible. Make a few random encounters and have them handy when they get off-track from the main plot.

Use tools
There are tons of great resources available to help you plan random encounters, generate treasure, and roll dice.

[Citan]

Another thing I learned the hard way... ;)

Keep all the PC's characteristics in mind to support your on-the-fly description
&& Embrace the results of the roll to shape the story

Another "obvious one", so why do I speak about it?
Illustratation with a small story.

In short, a group of players are fighting sea monsters on a boat. One of them tries a great acrobatic (like "Sea Tarzan"), manages what he wanted but ends prone as a result, with a big monster just at his side.
Well, no influence on my part, but it just so happened that when I rolled for this monster's attack, I missed with a fair margin *every* *single* *time*, 10 straight consecutive times.
I was myself so surprised at the time (and frankly a bit annoyed, because obviously the player didn't feel any pressure as a result which was the whole point of the encounter XD) that I just found a very poor explanation.
Reflecting back, considering that player was a Half-ling with an incarnation of an Arachnid deity on his shoulder, I had many immersive ways to "explain" that fact, like...
- "You are so small and so close to him that, in this strong tempest, the big enemy does not see you well".
- "Your deity has granted you a favor, cursing the enemy to avoid you a brutal death. It still needs you for its grand scheme".
Or things like that... And if enemy had still been alive, I may have "enforced" that story to prolong this streak artificially if I'd feel it could be fun.

So, now, before session starts, I make sure I have most of PC's characteristics in mind, or read back their sheet quickly (also helps to provide occasions of skill checks too), and I try to keep an open mind to "read" powerful strokes of good or bad luck like that, whether on PC side or mine. ;)

[Chugger]

You can't possibly keep all this "step-by-step" advice straight in your head. Don't even attempt to memorize it. It won't stick. It doesn't have to.

Most human decisions are made by something deeper (and bigger and stronger) than the thing we call intellect or consciousness.

Just get your core settings right. You are taking on the role of "god" - not God - but "god" - it's similar though, and just as God doesn't give us an easy world to live in, you shouldn't give your players one, either. But there is choice and freedom, as there should be in the game. Be virtuous. That's really all you need. There's an inner voice inside you that will guide you. Find it. Listen to it.

Those other posts above - the regrets about the mistakes they made and so on - pshaw! Players aren't usually as picky as you think they are. Their perspective is not yours. You think reality doesn't "make mistakes"? Or something much like that?

If I can give you any advice, "make _big_ mistakes." It's why my orchestra teacher told us years ago. She meant don't be timid and mincing and so afraid of goofing up that you never spread your wings and fly. Be bold. Take risks. And understand that the system you're creating with your friends is as resilient as they are. Good luck.

[Demonslayer666]

Another thing I learned the hard way... ;)

Keep all the PC's characteristics in mind to support your on-the-fly description
&& Embrace the results of the roll to shape the story

Another "obvious one", so why do I speak about it?
Illustratation with a small story.

In short, a group of players are fighting sea monsters on a boat. One of them tries a great acrobatic (like "Sea Tarzan"), manages what he wanted but ends prone as a result, with a big monster just at his side.
Well, no influence on my part, but it just so happened that when I rolled for this monster's attack, I missed with a fair margin *every* *single* *time*, 10 straight consecutive times.
I was myself so surprised at the time (and frankly a bit annoyed, because obviously the player didn't feel any pressure as a result which was the whole point of the encounter XD) that I just found a very poor explanation.
Reflecting back, considering that player was a Half-ling with an incarnation of an Arachnid deity on his shoulder, I had many immersive ways to "explain" that fact, like...
- "You are so small and so close to him that, in this strong tempest, the big enemy does not see you well".
- "Your deity has granted you a favor, cursing the enemy to avoid you a brutal death. It still needs you for its grand scheme".
Or things like that... And if enemy had still been alive, I may have "enforced" that story to prolong this streak artificially if I'd feel it could be fun.

So, now, before session starts, I make sure I have most of PC's characteristics in mind, or read back their sheet quickly (also helps to provide occasions of skill checks too), and I try to keep an open mind to "read" powerful strokes of good or bad luck like that, whether on PC side or mine. ;)

This is a great one.

being familiar with the party's capabilities is very important when it comes to preparing appropriate challenges for them. I am constantly surprised at the damage output of the entire party when they focus fire.

I have what I call my sh*t sheet that tracks basic info about each character; AC, HP, saves, perception, etc.

[furby076]

Hey ;)

Thanks for the tips!

I don't consider myself a seasoned DM, far from it, but there are already some things I learned from trial and errors.
Like...

Don't use "global real-time" timers during encounters (use "rounds" instead).
Putting pressure by creating timed objectives to fulfill is nice for various reasons.
However, I learned the hard way that using real-time chronometers is usually the bad idea as soon as you are in an encounter (read: Initiative, turn order and all) situation.
Simply because...
- As a DM, you usually spend several times more minutes than any player because you have to manage many creatures, which is legitimately perceived as unfair time loss from your players (even if you exactly know what to do with each minion and act, roll and describe as fast as possible).
- More generally, it puts unwanted additional pressure on people that usually take time to think, whether that slowness is legitimated by the situation or not.
All in all, it is very difficult to accurately predict how much real-time should be allowed, and in the end creates a strong, immersion-breaking discrepancy between the players and the game.

Instead, just use an amount of rounds: less pressure on all (you especially ^^), fairer, still keeps the pressure (just display a counter or remind them each turn).
And if you want to make players feel even more pressure while avoiding those aforementioned problems, just tell them beforehand that one turn must be resolved in 1mn (or 2) max. This is usually enough to prevent the other kind of discrepancy that is created when players take a whole half-hour to discuss how to tackle... The next round. XD


Generally I agree, since we are not our characters. For example, I have lots of experiences in life (skills, abilities, etc). I can drive a car without second thought (i race my car); operate this keyboard that I am typing on without looking or really thinking about it (i type faster than a normal person can speak); I have a demanding IT job that requires me to make decisions on various technical topics. Given all that, I am not a wizard, fighter, etc and have to look at the character sheet to make decisions. I think spell casters are particularly hard (lots to choose from). So yes, for the most part - no real timers.

BUT (there is always a BUT)

Some players do a few things to abuse the system, and a DM needs to implement a timer to 1) speed up the table and 2) not allow total crazy meta gaming. These players are those that either a) cannot be bothered to learn the basics of their characters and are constantly trying to figure out what weapon they have, it's damage die, and what die to roll to attack and/or b) the player who is constantly asking the other players what to do, thinking about it, discussing it, and trying to figure out multiple options. This slows the table down and is meta gaming to a bad degree.

[Citan]

This is a great one.

being familiar with the party's capabilities is very important when it comes to preparing appropriate challenges for them. I am constantly surprised at the damage output of the entire party when they focus fire.

I have what I call my sh*t sheet that tracks basic info about each character; AC, HP, saves, perception, etc.
Well, the main point was rather "keep your imagination at the ready to 'explain' dice results using character's full context, and follow up on consequences, even if that implies that the action goes in another direction than what you expected" because I think keeping character sheet close to self is the 1st step of 101, but thanks still. XD

Generally I agree, since we are not our characters. For example, I have lots of experiences in life (skills, abilities, etc). I can drive a car without second thought (i race my car); operate this keyboard that I am typing on without looking or really thinking about it (i type faster than a normal person can speak); I have a demanding IT job that requires me to make decisions on various technical topics. Given all that, I am not a wizard, fighter, etc and have to look at the character sheet to make decisions. I think spell casters are particularly hard (lots to choose from). So yes, for the most part - no real timers.

BUT (there is always a BUT)

Some players do a few things to abuse the system, and a DM needs to implement a timer to 1) speed up the table and 2) not allow total crazy meta gaming. These players are those that either a) cannot be bothered to learn the basics of their characters and are constantly trying to figure out what weapon they have, it's damage die, and what die to roll to attack and/or b) the player who is constantly asking the other players what to do, thinking about it, discussing it, and trying to figure out multiple options. This slows the table down and is meta gaming to a bad degree.
I agree, but that bit was actually covered by my last paragraph, maybe I wasn't clear.
Let me reformulate. ;)

"When you want to give time-based mental pressure to players, keep it separate between...
A) global pressure (campaign-changing events like a country being invaded, or a meteorite crashing) which should be counted down in game-world hours/days/weeks.
B) strategical pressure (big events happening in "game-world" time during an encounter, such as a powerful spell being prepared on enemy side, or an allied NPC close to dying) which should be counted down in "rounds".
C) tactical pressure (for any reason, you as a DM want to remind them that a round is actually 6 seconds simultaenous for everyone, and as such decision-making must be as close to instant as possible) which should be counted down in dozens of second on a turn by turn basis."

Case A is obvious, no need to explain, that's just you giving mid or long term drivers to party.
Case B is imo the best way to go because of what I explained, the time it takes in real-world to resolve a full round varies wildly from one another so using a number of rounds for deadline is the only way to keep it fair for players and DM alike.
Case C is imo the easiest way to deal with these bothersome players that you mention, but not only, there is also the case (occuring often for me) when player X or Y starts shiming on player'Z choice of action because he thinks his idea is better (rather impolite and disruptive imo), or cases where all players just honestly have a group feeling of being lost at what to do, then this forces them to at least *do* something. XD

[Oramac]

Don't use "global real-time" timers during encounters (use "rounds" instead).
Putting pressure by creating timed objectives to fulfill is nice for various reasons.
However, I learned the hard way that using real-time chronometers is usually the bad idea as soon as you are in an encounter (read: Initiative, turn order and all) situation.
Simply because...
- As a DM, you usually spend several times more minutes than any player because you have to manage many creatures, which is legitimately perceived as unfair time loss from your players (even if you exactly know what to do with each minion and act, roll and describe as fast as possible).
- More generally, it puts unwanted additional pressure on people that usually take time to think, whether that slowness is legitimated by the situation or not.
All in all, it is very difficult to accurately predict how much real-time should be allowed, and in the end creates a strong, immersion-breaking discrepancy between the players and the game.

Instead, just use an amount of rounds: less pressure on all (you especially ^^), fairer, still keeps the pressure (just display a counter or remind them each turn).
And if you want to make players feel even more pressure while avoiding those aforementioned problems, just tell them beforehand that one turn must be resolved in 1mn (or 2) max. This is usually enough to prevent the other kind of discrepancy that is created when players take a whole half-hour to discuss how to tackle... The next round. XD

In almost all cases, I agree. However, there is one time I think a timer can add tension and drama (in a good way). The real key, though, is that it needs to be rare. Once every 10-15 sessions, tops. It needs to surprise the players moreso than their characters.

That is for non-combat based skill challenges. If you watch Critical Role, Matt Mercer does this extremely well. Things like the roof of a long hallway collapsing, Escaping a building before the big arcane bomb explodes, and the like are great times to use a timer.

But again, it's incredibly easy to overuse it, which greatly diminishes its effect.