How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM

Welcome to How to Be a Better DM. Today we talk about how to start an actual play podcast, how to keep going with a creative idea and how to make it happen with Brennon from the Afterlife Pod. Today is part 1 of a special 2-part series. The 2nd part of this show is over on the Afterlife Pod. You can find out more about the Afterlife Pod at https://www.patreon.com/AfterlifePod/ Mentioned in this ep...

Welcome Back to How to Be a Better DM! Today is a very special episode. Today is a Dungeon Master Coaching episode with our friend Aaron Singh. Today we talk about Dungeon Mastering for kids and tying up loose ends in your campaign. If you're interested in having your own dungeon master coaching session go to https://session0studios.com/coaching . If you let us record the first episode, it's free....

Your party probably gets into a lot of sticky, unforeseeable moments, where death or a terrible consequence is on the table. At that moment, you might be tempted to utilize a Deus Ex Machina plot device, saving them from their own mistakes through some person or change that they never expected. But is that a crutch for you, or an opportunity? Let's talk about it! Mentioned in this episode: Brought...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. Today we talk about the afterlife. Listen to episode 109 of our show to learn about death in D&D if you want more on this topic. Here are some questions to help you flesh out the topic of the afterlife in you Is there an afterlife? How many types are there? With many different gods who rule over many different domains, you need to know how many afterlifes...

We’ve all been there: you’ve had a great run with all your players. Month after month, and maybe even week after week, you’ve been able to meet without any significant delays or gaps. And then, all of a sudden, it’s hard to meet. And if you do discuss meeting up, people don’t seem to prioritize it as much. And you’re worried that the campaign might not have much longer to live, so to speak. So, wh...

Welcome back to today's Show. Today, we talk about 8 tips for beginner dungeon masters. Stop Waiting - For Finding Players listen to this episode: https://session0studios.com/captivate-podcast/how-to-find-your-dd-group/ Push Past the Learning Curve Start where you are. Focus on your Strengths or on Finding your Strengths Don’t Stop - Be Consistent Focus on Player Engagement Do what feels fun and c...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM Today we have a special episode with Jay Foster from Swole Initiative ( https://swoleinitiative.com/ ) Today we talk about a lot of things including: The importance of player check-ins How to push boundaries without crossing lines or veils Why and how to add theme to your game And more. If you liked today's episode and you want Jay to come back on the show, go...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM This is another RAW episode, which means more personality and less polish. I'm your host today, Justin Lewis. Today we talk about what I would spend $50 on to improve my D&D hobby. This is my list: A dungeon master screen A new Sourcebook A large tablecloth and some pipe cleaner A lot of Foam and some paint A set piece Some LED lights A simple sound system...

Welcome back to the show! Today we talk about what skills you need to develop as a DM. Mechanics Understanding the basic gameplay of the game Being able to make twists on the rules or invent new ones to suit your game Player Management Scheduling Management Relationship Management Story Writing Being able to create beautiful settings Being able to build amazingly real characters Plot twists, turns...

Welcome back to today's RAW podcast episode. This is a special episode where it is shorter and less edited and more real. On today's show we talk about 8 voice acting tips from a non-voice actor. They are: Tip #1: Commit Tip #2: Faster or Slower Tip #3: Eye Contact Tip #4: Loud or Quiet Tip #5: Pauses or Breaks Tip #6: Your Breath Tip #7: Inflection and Emphasis Tip #8: Accent If you like today's...

Sometimes, it feels like all of your efforts are focused on the things you DON'T feel good at as a DM: maybe you don't feel like you do voices well. Or you don't feel great at drawing maps. Or maybe you feel like combats drag a bit. Whatever it is, you definitely have spent too much time focusing on your weaknesses. Stop it! This episode is all about finding and focusing on your strengths as a DM....

Welcome back to this RAW episode of How to Be a Better DM. This is from an Instagram Live I did about how to move DnD along when it gets slow and boring. Here are 8 tips to help you move things along in your DnD games: When the party has been planning too long introduce a complication. Describe something trivial in suspiciously extreme detail. Make the bad guys make a move Jump Cut Talk honestly w...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM! Today is a special episode with our guest, author, and professional Dungeon Master Dan Wells! Check out information about Dan Wells here: https://www.thedanwells.com/ Dan is partnered with Dungeon Master Direct which has some great events coming up: https://dungeonmasterdirect.com/ On today's show, we talk about: Professional Dungeon Mastering How it's ok to...

You’ve probably wondered if you could do or give more. Specifically with your roleplaying, you may have finished a session and thought that you could do better. I’ve been there too. I’ve had many sessions where I’ve wished that I was a much better roleplayer. Luckily today, we’re going to share 7 tips to help you give more to your roleplaying. Welcome to How to Be a Better DM. This is the show tha...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. Today we talk about how to bounce back after a bad session. Today is also a very special episode as it is our first published Dungeon Master Coaching episode. If you want to sign up for some dungeon master coaching, go to https://session0studios.com/coaching/ If you let us record the first session, the first session is free. Mentioned in this episode: Start L...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. Today, we talk with Ethan Myers from Lyres for Hire. you can check him out at https://www.instagram.com/lyresforhire/?hl=en We talk about some linguistic tactics to use to make characters sound more real. The 3 recommended in today's show are: Phonotactics: keeping the general rules for sounds and sound pairs consistent within a region Idioms: Creating saying...

On today's episode, we have Tyler & Noah, the musical masterminds behind Monument Studios. As some of you know, Monument Studios has been a sponsor of How To Be a Better DM, and our Live-play D&D show The Pact & Boon for the better part of the past year. Their app Fantasy + is a must have for any dungeon master! Tune in to hear about their upcoming Kickstarter launching on August 20th,...

Welcome to How to Be a Better DM. Today is a special episode. In it, you'll hear the first 30 minutes of one of our professional dungeon mastering sessions. Some of the players are new to D&D and have very little experience. If you're interested in this episode, and want to hear the rest of the session, reach out to us on our Discord. If enough people reach out, we'll put all of the rest of th...

When you are planning a combat encounter, do you know how to get it into the "Goldilocks" zone in terms of length? You don't want it so short that no one got anything out of it, but you also don't want it so long that all the players are secretly praying that it will be over after the next turn. To help you plan the length of your encounter, whether beforehand or on the fly, here are 3 questions:...

Things Every Dungeon Master Should Remember As a Dungeon Master you have so much to remember, it’s a wonder you can even remember your own name. Yet, what if, by remembering a few more things, you were able to not only make your game better, but feel better yourself, and make everything you do as a Dungeon Master better? I know what it’s like to deal with all the disappointment of a dungeon master...

Things Every Dungeon Master Should Remember As a Dungeon Master you have so much to remember, it’s a wonder you can even remember your own name. Yet, what if, by remembering a few more things, you were able to not only make your game better, but feel better yourself, and make everything you do as a Dungeon Master better? I know what it’s like to deal with all the disappointment of a dungeon master...

Have you ever seen amazing terrainscapes worthy of legend and have looked on with envy? Do you want to learn how to start getting into terrainscaping so you can have amazing battlemaps like all of the famous actual play shows? Well, this is the episode for you. Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. Today Justin and Tanner are joined by Jay from Jay's Tabletop Terrain on Instagram. You can learn m...

Welcome to How To Be a Better DM. In today's episode I (Cayden) go over 3 of the biggest lessons I've learned over this past year as I've started running D&D games for my friends & family. Hopefully something in this episode inspires those of you who have yet to give DM'ing a shot, to try it out. Mentioned in this episode: Play D&D with Us Did you know that you can have one of our hosts he...

Should you encourage your players to run a business in your campaign? What would that even look like? And, most importantly, can allowing players to run a business in your D&D Campaign become an additive to the overall story, or a distraction? Tanner explores these questions, their many other nuances, and the effects of a player-run, in-game business on your campaign. Also, if you'd be interes...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. Today is a special bonus episode. We were fortunate enough to have been invited onto RPG Academy. Listen to our conversation but absolutely check them out at https://therpgacademy.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Brought to you by Session 0 Studios Visit session0studios.com for more information. Give Us a Rating and Review You obviously have really good taste,...