There's always room to grow. Being a Dungeon Master is no easy task, but it is quite a unique experience, creating a world and a story but having no control whatsoever over your main cast of characters. However, that also means you have the biggest job in the party since you are in charge of literally everything that isn't the party of players.
Here are some little (or big) things you can do to ensure a better 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons experience for꧒ both you and your players. Grab your dice and get ready to🌞 roll them.
8 Pไreparing For A S൩ession
Winging a session is not impossible. In fact, winging a whole campaign is not impossible, though it would require a lot of experience in D&D. All that said, it's still not the best idea. Though doable, if you're improvising everything, there's a strong chance your sessions will always feel shallow.
Take some time to prepare for what will happen during the next game. You don't need to prepare everything, and improvising is a big part of the game - your players will do something you're not expecting sooner or later - but having the groundwork prepared will even make it easier for you to improvise. For example, you'll know how the villain behaves to whatever your characters are doing if you already know your villain's demeanor, backstory, and motivations. You'll understand how their actions will affect your baddie - you'll automatically improvise and not even notice you're doing so.
7 Have A Goal In Mind, But Don't Be Afraid To Change It
It's always good to have an endgame in mind. Your players and baddie are fighting over a MacGuffin, but what for? What will the baddie do if they obtain it, and how will they react if the players get it first? The final confrontation needs to be in your mind, and the game's events should lead toward it.
That said, it's also important to know when to change it. Your players may do something unpredictable. What if they get and break the MacGuffin? What will happen to the plot that revolves around it? Or you got a better idea of what to do as the campaign continues, and you still have time to change things without breaking the plot. Why not, then? That's especially important if you're running a Pre-Made Adventure. If the ending described there no longer works due to players' actions, don't be afraid to do something else.
6 �🅺� Multiple Objectives
Having more than one goal is also imperative, and we don't mean only during the main plot. Sure, each player character will likely have a personal goal in mind, which you can tackle during the main story or side quests (more on that later), but single-minded villains aren't as interesting either.
But, as mentioned, that is for more than just the main plot. Having a problem that can be solved multiple ways is always good, as it allows your players to choose what to do - or having a combat encounter where they need to both fight and save someone simultaneously, for example. Just taking turns for attacking is one thing, but worrying about a weaker NPC, a minion running away with the MacGuffin, or the need to escape wherever the fight is taking place because it's falling apart, makes things much more enticing.
5 Use Your Players' Backstories
Yes, this seems obvious, but some DMs ignore these details because they don't fit the story they're going for. It's important to have everyone in the same mindset. If you have a particular plot in mind, give your party a synopsis, so they can 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:plan their backstories around it and fit everything accordingly. Or, ask for their backstories first, and use them to build the plot, connecting the dots. Alternatively, if their goals don't fit the story you want to develop, create side-quests that focus on a particular PC.
Still, mixing plots is easier than it seems. You may already have a villain in mind, but why not take the antagonistic NPC from one of your players' backstories and give them the BBEG role, for instance? Why not have their villains working together, having the PCs following their respective villains is what even made them meet one another in the first place. It'll also make things a lot more personal, and, from the players' perspectives, seeing their backstory causing consequences to the campaign is one of the coolest feelings D&D can give them.
4 Don't Be Afraid Of Using References
Don't be afraid of copying things. You're (probably) not doing something that will turn into a revenue source, such as turning your story into a book, movie, or something else. Hence, nothing stops you from literally having Geralt of Rivia in your game. Still, even if you don't want to take someone else's plot or character entirely, you can take bits of it, adapting it to your world.
You could have a group of monster hunters who altered themselves through experiments and magic, creating your own Witchers. Even if your players pick that up, who cares? If they like what you're referencing, they'll also enjoy seeing it in the campaign.
3 It's Okay To Railroad A Little
If you Google railroading - aka forcing the players to do something specific in the campaign - you'll see how much people complain about it, and with reason. The idea of D&D is to have your players choose what to do; thus, forcing them to take a certain outcome removes their agency to the story.
That said, it's okay to give them a focus. If you let them loose in the world and tell them they can do whatever they want, most players will feel lost, wandering without knowing where to go or what to do, which is why a basic plot is so important for games. Give them a direction to go, even if it's just one, and give them options as to how to get there, as well as let them discover a unique option you'll have to improvise or use some smoke and mirrors to discourage them from options you don't think are good for the story. Otherwise, they'll roam aimlessly.
2 Get Players' Feedback And Input
Players' feedback is always important not only during session zeroes, where you'll plan together the scope of the adventure, but also throughout the campaign. As mentioned before, they are also responsible for the story.
For example, suppose a player wants to be a boy-scout character, like Superman. In that case, you can create scenarios that challenge their ideas but don't punish them for wanting to be a nice person unless the scenarios make the player want to be a bit more neutral or evil. Regardless if they try to talk their enemies out of their violent ways or go all Injustice Superman on them, their response to your scenarios will show you how they want to keep the character. Or if someone wants to be 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:an evil character, create opportunities for them to be mean to NPCs and cheat their way through encounters. And get their feedback to ensure they're enjoying what you're giving them and if there are things they want to pull off. Ensure they're having fun and you're doing a good job.
1 𝓡 Take A Bꦇreak Sporadically
As fun as it is, you need time to relax too. Keeping tabs on the whole world and how your players are changing is a challenging task. Don't let yourself get burnout; take breaks from time to time. Don't let the pressure stack on you, whether it means doing a quick pause on playing or taking turns with a friend so that they can DM and you can be just a player.
Open communication helps with a lot of issues. If your players know DMing is being stressful on you, they'll likely be on board with pausing, having someone else DM, or even making sure they don't do something too overt during sessions, so you won't have to deal with it. In fact, have "Open Communication" as a bonus tip; A lot of problems can be solved by just openly talking about them.