by Len Morse

Created on: June 25, 2008   Last Updated: February 26, 2010

In a Dungeons & Dragons game, the role of an effective Dungeon Master (DM) is multi-faceted. You must be a prepared organizer, entertaining storyteller, omniscient guru, and tolerant improviser. Your players, whether novice or advanced, want to immerse themselves in a fantasy world for a few hours; it is your job as Dungeon Master not only to create that world, with all of its people, surroundings, creatures, magic, traps, and treasures, but also to supervise and enhance the players’ time there.

You are responsible for ensuring their enjoyment and allowing them to come away from your Dungeons & Dragons campaign with satisfaction. You should let their characters experience enough battles, puzzles, fortune, friends, enemies, romance, enchantment, and similar gains to make them want to return to your world, whether to continue the same campaign or begin a new adventure.

== Creating Your World ==

When creating your fantasy world, you must balance plot advancement, treasure collection, character interaction, combat skirmishes, and magical encounters. Too much of any one of these increases the risk of player boredom.

Successfully dispatching an Orc Chieftain does earn experience points, or finally finding that elusive +4 battle-axe that can detect hidden traps is exciting, but too much fighting or too many treasures can get old very quickly. Space it out a bit - let the characters catch their breath.

On the flip side, if the characters often find themselves discussing their next move at length, wandering the corridors looking for a fight, or taking inventory frequently, you may not have stocked your dungeon properly. Down time may encourage interaction within the party, but all planning and no exploits make characters a dull lot. Advance the plot of your campaign and/or help avoid boredom by providing any combination of the following:

- Wandering monster (Characters get practice in combat and gain experience; remember that you can give the monster intelligence, a personality, and even a name if you want.)

- Mechanical or magical trap (Characters get practice spotting and avoiding hidden, concealed, or obvious dangers; make sure not all of your traps are lethal.)

- Mysterious door or other opening (Characters get practice investigating new rooms/areas or mapping new corridors; be sure your descriptions include all senses, not just sight and sound.)

- Non-player character (Characters get practice interrogating, befriending, or possibly spying; allow them

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