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First of all, everyone knows Dungeon Masters are the creators of their world, and what world creator ever needed advice from mere mortals? But for those world-creators who might seek out their fellow divine beings from a different world, here are some tips that I've come up with in over twenty years of Dungeon Mastering:

1. Cater to your audience: This is probably the most important tip I can provide. For many years I DM'd for one group, players came and went but the core group remained largely the same. We had a nice mix of personalities, a problem-solver, a couple of hack and slashers, at least two natural leaders, and a few good followers (who are usually good to provide snacks and soak up damage). I catered to that mix by providing a good strong helping of combat, direct and up-front, but also provided short-cuts and secrets that the problem-solver would often ferret out to the benefit of the whole group. The group learned that bulling straight through everything would risk their lives needlessly, so learned to embrace the talents of the problem-solver.

Many years later, my nephews approached me about starting a game, DMing for them and their friends. I found that my carefully cultivated style did not appeal to them. My rich scenarios and hidden puzzles were not what they wanted. A steady diet of World of Warcraft and 3.5 edition "powergaming" made them interested in simple quests full of roll-playing, much more muscle than brain. While never as satisfying as my old group (several of them off in foreign lands risking their real-life hit points at present) I found that I could adjust my style to give them the experience they wanted. Like any story-teller, write to your audience, not to yourself.

2. Create memorable characters: Remember that the players are not the only "real" people in your world. If they are going to interact with someone more than once, give that NPC ticks and traits that will make him memorable. You will know you've succeeded in this when your players call them by their names, or even better by an assumed moniker. Scarface could be the sergeant at arms who breaks up the player-induced bar brawls. Pinchpenny could be the miserable merchant that never quite ponies up the value of all those gems and jewelry. But if your group says "that jeweler" or "the guy at the gate", you need to put in a little work on the supporting players in your drama.

3. Do not engage in rules-lawyering: Every DND group I have ever seen has a rules lawyer, someone who

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