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

“Who goes there?” Ulv yells into the darkness. He’d found his way into this larger cave and had ultimately gotten lost. This cave was enormous. It honestly reminded of him when he and his old friends had delved into the Underdark looking for a lost library. To think that he had risked his life so Rowan could find a silly children’s book. He chuckled to himself. He’d do it again though. He loved hi...

It's another beautiful day to learn about How to Be a Better DM! Tanner shares how you can spice up a lackluster combat encounter as a DM, which should be a key part of your preparations for each session. Let's roll initiative! Other than that, we have a favor to ask you: We are always trying to be better DMs, but we also want to become better podcast hosts so we can be more helpful and interestin...

Intro Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM, I’m Justin Lewis, here with my compatriot Tanner Weyland, and together we’re here to help you learn how to craft better stories while you DM sessions of Dungeons and Dragons. Suffice it to say, as hobbies go, this one requires a lot of dedication and stick-to-it-I've-ness. Sometimes you just don’t feel like prepping or running a session. Sometimes you j...

Ulv had been living in the cave for 2 weeks. He’d managed to down an elk he had tracked. The elk seemed to have been separated from its herd because it was all alone. He’d fashioned a spear out of rock that he’d found in the cave. So far he felt pretty good about himself. He’d been at this trial for a couple weeks and hadn’t died.  “Of course, you still haven’t made any progress towards the a...

You and your companions make your way down the trail. You’d left the other companions a day or so ago. Now you’ve been traveling with Hipam and Cojari and frankly, these have been some of the calmest days in the previous months. Your other companions had made some very questionable decisions. Assassinations, lycanthropy, starting fights that were unwarranted, yes they were your friends, however, y...

Welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. I hope you are all doing well this new year, making lots of goals, and having a hopeful start to the year. Today, we are talking about creating realistic and rewarding Family Relationships in D&D. Mentioned in this episode:...

Today we talk about the OGL 1.1 License and explain some of our thoughts on the matter. Obviously, the OGL 1.1 hasn't been released yet so we are really only speculating based on what has been leaked. Also, Here's the link Justin mentioned about his upcoming business networking event: https://dndmerchantsguild.com/event/dnd-dungeons-networking-and-dragons/ Thanks for listening to today's show! Men...

Today we talk about D&D Immersion with Alex Aries from https://gameplaycandles.com/ . Use BETTERDM at checkout and get a 15% discount from Alex's Store. Thanks for listening to today's show! Mentioned in this episode: Brought to you by Session 0 Studios Visit session0studios.com for more information. Add the Magic of Sound to Your Gameplay When you set the scene you need to tap into the five s...

Ulv stumbled through the snow covered trees. He’d been stripped of his weapons and shirt and was given a pouch of herbs to crush and smoke when he felt the time was right. Apparently, they were supposed to give him some sort of vision about what  his test was.  “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Ulv grumbled to himself amid strides through the knee deep snow. He needed to find...

Here are some things Tanner and Justin want to work on for 2023. End of the year DM Tips and Techniques Book Dungeon Master Kit Adding new team members to the show Liveplay Show More Dungeon Master Critique Episodes A Discord Mentioned in this episode: Do You Want to Earn some Money? 🎲 Want to Earn Some Extra Gold? We’re offering a referral incentive for our professional Dungeon Mastering service...

The entire tribe sat around the feast. They’d managed to down a mammoth and this was cause for celebration. The shaman claims the downing of the beast coincides with the yearly Midwinter celebration Hogash. All the children have been making gifts for each other and the adults have been creating altars for their ancestors. Now the tribe is sat all around the fire pit, feasting on delicious meat.&nb...

Hello, and welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. I hope you are all doing well this holiday season, and maybe even fitting in a couple sessions with your friends or family. Today’s topic: between session check-ups with your player. We have a favor to ask you: we are...

“For the last time, my name is Ulv and I’m not supposed to be here!” “Whatever you say D’nuk, whatever you say.” Ulv was busy working a leather hide that he and T’Sichk had obtained from downing a large caribou. It was a good find. Ulv had been here for weeks. He didn’t know how he’d gotten here but for some reason, he was now in the far north. Ulv had a sinking suspicion that this was a vision, b...

Here we are again dissecting Justin's one shot from September. We talk about how to make a session mysterious as well as when to reveal certain elements of a mystery. Thanks for listening today. Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Our New Podcast As a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some...

Hi everyone, Today is a short episode since it is Thanksgiving here in the U.S., but we just wanted to take a moment and express our appreciation for all of you who support and listen to us. You have made our experience with this podcast just amazing, and we will never forget that. Thank you. As I mention in the episode, please take some time and express your thanks and appreciation to your player...

Hello, and Welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. Today, we are going to jump right into the announcements! First, Rob from Dungeons, Dragons and Psychology will be running a one-shot for some of our listeners this Saturday the 19th at 7 PM. We will be streaming the...

Welcome back to today's show. We try something new on today's show. We look at Justin's September One-Shot and we critique it. Thanks for listening. Mentioned in this episode: Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree. We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, an...

“Hipam, can’t you do anything? Herlia asks with an exasperated tone. “Well, Miss Herlia, I’m not exactly suited for..” “What about you you dumb bear?” Herlia yells at the large brown bear at the back of the cave. You’d all found this cave a few weeks ago while looking for shelter.  “Herlia. I’m not exactly sure something can be done. He’s just lost his uncle. That’s not exactly something you...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM! I’m Your host, Justin Lewis here with my cohort Tanner Weyland and together we’ll learn how to craft better stories for you and your players as you DM sessions of D&D. We all know that OneD&D is getting ever closer and the newest installment of Unearthed Arcana material has been released by Wizards of the Coast for us to playtest, so today we are goin...

Hello, and Welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. Today will be a bit of a shorter episode, so buckle in! We will be talking about soundboards! A couple quick announcements: First, we are doing a giveaway on our Instagram starting soon! Follow us @howtobeabetterdmpod...

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. I’m your host, Tanner Weyland, here with my cohort Justin Lewis. We’re here to help you tell better stories as you DM sessions of D&D.  As you might have heard, Wizards of the Coast has announced that they will be releasing the next non-edition edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Rather than being a specific edition, this will instead be a constantly ch...

You run frantically through the streets. The cold winter air bites at your face, though the stinging in your eyes comes not from the frigid wind but from the tears streaming down your face. You and your companions manage to climb the ladder onto the wall and then quickly let down a rope on the otherside. Before you know it, you’re running aimlessly through the woods. “Ulv, what happened back there...

 Warmup: Your D&D Group of 5 is suddenly and permanently moving to a D&D group of 4. Your players love having 5 characters. You get to now create a character that is actually your character. Intro: Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. I’m your host, Justin Lewis, here with my cohort, Tanner Weyland. Together, we’re here to help you learn how to craft better stories for your players as y...

Warmup: From Tanner to Gaming Brew Intro Welcome back to How to be a Better DM. I’m your host Justin Lewis here with my cohort Tanner Weyland to bring you the best resources for you to become the world’s best DM. We want to help you craft better stories for yourself and your players as you DM sessions of D&D. Today we have an awesome guest with us today but before we get into that let’s talk a...

Hello, and Welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. This week, we were supposed to have a one-shot run by me, but my wife’s Grandma died this past week. The funeral was overlapping, so Justin offered to take over this month–stay tuned, as we are still rescheduling that...