by B. Ender

Created on: March 30, 2009

Dungeon Masters: The person who i s able to create a magical world where several of his or her friends can go off on adventures and generally enjoy themselves. The dungeon master is an important part of any D&D game, and the abilites of the DM (dungeon master) can make and break a game for the other players. In this article I will provide some tips that should help ensure a fun game for players and Dungeon Masters alike.

First off is game preparation. Although some DMs prefer to "wing it" and send players on there way without much preplanned thought, in order to ensure a memorable game preparation is key. Before the actual day of the first session, a DM should provide a good world and a backstory for the local area where the characters will start. Although you should also have some history developed for the rest of the world, don't get too into detail for things half a world away from the players; you can include that in later as the characters progress. What you really need to focus on is what the local area is like and what "hooks" you want to add into the game early on. The hooks are certain elements of the game world that could draw interest from the players and send them off on their way. It's good to keep options open, but don't add too much because players won't possibly try every path and generally want a relatively quick entry into a game. These hooks should be based on the backstory you have developed and will be the foundation of the first adventure the players embark on. Actually creating a hook and backstory is up to you; just use your creativity (if you're a DM you have creativity, right?) and think of something that will interest you and your players.

After you hook your players, you should try to balance the two things of any D&D adventure: story and action. Although you can change the balance depending on what your friend's prefer, it is usually a good idea to interest players with a rich story, but also make sure there's plenty of action to entertain the party. You can go wrong by having an imbalance either way: too much story and detail will bore players, while all action and no dialogue will cause players to be clueless and will probably forget what they're fighting for. Keep players into your story, wanting to know what will happen next, while providing enough battles to keep the game fun and fast-paced.

Remember: D&D is a game, and the players decided to come to have fun. Although the DM is usually the supervisor that keeps the others in check, remember that if they're not having fun, there won't be much of a reason to play again. Having fun also applies to you: you should ensure that you are enjoying interacting with the players and setting up the worlds and encounters. If you're not enjoying yourself, there's a good chance the players aren't either.

To further send you on your way, simply know your players. If they are joining you in the D&D session, they are most likely your friends, whom you know well. To create the "perfect D&D game", simply think what your friends enjoy and incorporate it into your game world. Your story, the style you are a Dungeon Master, and even the monsters your players will encounter can be determined by what you all enjoy.

Being a good DM does take experience, and even all the helpful tips in the world couldn't remove all flaws from your campaign, so I recommend that you just go out there and start a campaign, You can always improve your style with every subsequent session, and player feedback after each session will also help you improve your game. I'm sure no matter what happens you'll enjoy yourself, and I wish you luck on a great campaign.

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