Taking up the mantle of Dungeon Master in a roleplaying game can be a very daunting task. There are so many responsibilities one must content with. Between crafting an interesting campaign, preparing for story twists and plotting the demise of those pesky, loot-hungry mini-gods, it can get quite overwhelming and stressful. One of the most difficult tasks can be crafting an interesting world or campaign that immerses your players and keeps them interested for the long haul. There are many ways of attempting to accomplish this but there are a few steps that can apply to almost any campaign.
“I don’t care if you did roll a natural 20, you cannot grapple a Tarrasque…”
The first thing any aspiring DM should do is read, read again and then read some more. Learning the rules of your chosen system will provide for more fluid and smooth gaming sessions. You are the DM, the last line of defense against your players insanity. Having an intimate knowledge of the system rules ensures everything is handled and resolved fairly between PCs and NPCs. The only that should be random is the roll of the dice. Besides there is nothing more immersion-breaking than having to take a time out to review system rules and descriptions in the middle of a tense battle or high-octane chase scene.
That being said, once you have gotten as firm a grasp on the rules of play in your chosen system, set yourself up some quick reference material for the particulars and then get ready to throw anything and everything out the window. Many roleplay systems are build on a certain structure but are also written in a way for the DM and players to develop their own house rules as well. Sometimes, your players will come up with some awesome homebrew ideas that might conflict with system rules but might bring more fun to the table. Other times, you might be facepalming at your players suggestions so hard you leave a semi-permanent mark on your forehead. Thus is the shaky, twisted line DM’s must walk, attempting to properly balance the fun and insanity. Because when it comes down to it, many systems are built on more what you would call more guidelines than rules.
“…I see. And you’re sure you rolled these stats legally?…At home?…Alone?…”
No two groups of players are the same and each group will most likely have different needs and expectations from the campaign. Thus, it’s a good idea to find and piece together like-minded players that share similar ideas for roleplaying and motivation. A roleplay-minded player is likely not to mesh well with a player who just loves fighting and looting. Likewise, a player who enjoys developing interesting but flawed character concepts might have a tough time playing with a munchkin-type player. Arguments can and will break out at the table occasionally and when it comes down to it, like-minded players are more apt to work together for an amicable resolution instead of trying to kill each other or just walking away from the table and group
This can be especially important when it comes to your chosen system’s rules. It is safe to assume that all players should follow the the Rules-as-Written (RAW) style of play. However, once you start to introduce homebrew and alternate rules, things can get complicated, especially if those rules drastically change the way the system is played and managed. The key here is consistency. Any rule you enact for one player or NPC, you should be fair and enact said rule for everyone else in the campaign, player or NPC alike. Remember, if you allow any homebrew races, classes or skills at the beginning, those will last the entire campaign till the end. It is considered bad form to allow any homebrew or alternate rule and then take it away a few sessions later because you decided it’s too game breaking. That’s why all of these details need to be hammered out during your session zero. It will help set the framework and consistency that you and your players will expect for the rest of the campaign.
“So you all are sitting in a tavern and you’ve know each other for years…”
So you’ve worked to assemble a good group of players to play with and you are ready to roll. The next step would be to get to know your new players. True, you might already have a great campaign idea. I mean who wouldn’t want to play in your sea-based world with vampire pirates and jedi merfolk? I get it. However, it’s important to also gather ideas and suggestions from your players to set the tone and story framework of the campaign in a way that will interest and entangle. Player interest and story-hooking is what will help your players become immersed in your world. Plus, no DM wants to spend their time crafting a campaign and story that their players might ultimately show no interest in. Even if that story does sound awesome with a final battle between vampire pirates, jedi merfolk and some dinosaurs with laser beams on their heads that showed up out of nowhere at the last second.
Once the tone of the campaign and story have been set, you and your players are probably inching to get out there and save the world. There is nothing wrong with this, as some player group thrive on action more than roleplay. However, at the same time, don’t be afraid to take it slow for a few sessions. Put in the work to get some genuine roleplay and character development going on at the beginning. This can help your players grow interest in their characters early on, hooking them even more when you do throw a decent challenge or deep mystery towards their characters now that they are attached. Get your players thinking about not just how they are pillaging and looting, but why as well. I mean, without conviction and direction, we’re all just murderhobos aren’t we?
“Now…Bring me that horizon…”
So what now? From here on out, as the DM it’s up to you to conduct this crazy train of a story and wrangle this herd of cats you call your players. The best advice I can give in my experience is be flexible with your story arch and plot hooks. It always happens, things are going well and then boom! Your players go and completely derail your campaign, story arch and plot hooks be damned. This is where flexibility comes into play. You always want try and think two steps ahead of your players, in all directions. Sometimes, your players are gonna go east instead of west. Other times, they are gonna run away from the evil-looking cave instead of braving it. Or they might just fire themselves out of ballista at a complete stranger in sky flying away from a storm god for no good reason other than they can. Some of the greatest stories can come from the dumbest, craziest, most insane actions. Not mention your players will probably injure themselves in more stupid and gruesome ways than you could ever conceive by yourself. And it’s always hilarious.
So let your players go east instead of west. Be encouraging when they try stealing from the king. Guide them when they decide to jump head first into a t-rex’s mouth. Gasp in awe when they try to seduce the undead villain. Cheer when they try to grapple the gelatinous cube. And above all, let them stand together to fight to the death when they should be running. These are the moments and stories your players live for and will remember forever. Trust me, I still do.
