How to (maybe) be a great DM (Advice for New Players)

Welcome to "We Love TTRPGs," I’m your host Aten and this video is packed with useful advice and guidance for those new to tabletop role playing games. I made this video to encourage everyone new to the fabulous hobby of TTRPGs, specifically Game Masters. And though we have a lot of information to discuss, let's begin with letting you know, I'm worried about you. No wait, that doesn't sound right ... I mean I'm worried for you ... I'm concerned that you might be feeling overwhelmed. When I began

DMing all I had to learn was a 32 page adventure like these, which back then were called "Modules" because they were intended to be modular - meaning you could plop them down in your existing game with some very simple tweaks The very first long campaign I ever ran began with 1985's "The Temple of Elemental Evil." I had been playing and DMing for five years at that point so the length of it wasn't a drawback and the entire adventure is a pretty straightforward mega dungeon. There are some politi

cs, World Building, and other elements more common to modern gaming but those aspects were so trivial you might blink and miss them. The 128 page "Temple of Elemental Evil" was only the second "Super Module '' ever published by TSR, with the first coming just a month earlier in Lankhmar: City of Adventures. The idea of such a long adventure was very new and unique at the time. They later followed it up with Slavelords and the Queen of the Demonweb pits - both of which were anthologies of previou

sly released modules. Now combined in a single book, the modules were given some additional material that attempted to tie them together more clearly than the individual releases had accomplished. Looking back at the individual modules, the introduction of Super Modules and thinking about the size of current WotC hardbound adventures, I have to wonder if the larger books might be creating a barrier to new players. If I had not been able to learn D&D through small bite sized pieces, what effect m

ight that have had on me? With the brevity of those modules you could be finished in a night or two of game play. And the story was still whatever my players, my skill level, and my whimsy found best for our table at that time. And they inspired individual creativity. They didn’t give you all the answers. That was up to each DM to flesh out. I gotta say, that's a very pleasing and flexible way to learn the hobby. But now, holy catoblepas ... you need to learn a 250 page hardbound book where ever

ything at the end depends on everything in the beginning unfolding and concluding in a specific way ... and too bad if your players aren't enjoying themselves, you still need to grind through 200 pages of material or just abandon the whole thing. No part of that sounds fun to me. Could you imagine having an interest in any other game, from poker to football where from the start, you're expected to play at and know the rules used by professional leagues? I’m aware of the starter sets but there’s

not much material in the middle range to act as a bridge for new players. Are those 250 page hardbound books that attempt to detail every single NPC, every single plot detail, and the bathroom habits of every single monster really the best way for new DMs and players to learn TTRPGs? From my perspective, I'm going to assume no so we'll be talking about that and what I recommend doing instead. But even without those big adventure books the hobby has advanced so much over the past 50 years there's

a lot to learn. And with some of the most successful streamers like Critical Roll creating unrealistic and incorrect expectations among new players this can all seem more like the punishment of Sisyphus than a fun hobby. For clarity, in Greek Mythology Sisyphus was forced to push a boulder up a hill every day for eternity and the closer he was to the top the larger that boulder grew only to roll back down. That really does create a mental image of what it must be like for those new to the hobby

.. just when you think you've figured it all out ... bam .. something new to learn. And that's absolutely true. But that's not anything to be afraid of. I've been playing since 1980 and I'm still learning new stuff on a regular basis. This is also an exciting time to be playing - you've got so many of us weirdos on YouTube offering advice and the fan base is so big now, there are countless books and other resources to support hobbyists of every skill level. And so long as you avoid the toxic wa

ste dump that is reddit, you have a plethora of helpful information to fall back on. Yet, as helpful as all of the advice and supporting material is meant to be, it too could have an unintentional side effect of making it seem like the barriers to entry are really high. And I'm not going to sugar coat things. It is a lot to take on but it might not be as much as it appears and you really don't need to know any of it to have fun. Do you know what the real difference is between a new Dungeon Maste

r and an Experienced one? Are you somehow playing a lesser game with an inexperienced DM as opposed to a super experienced veteran one? From beginning to expert, those two and thus the results, might be closer than you think. The desired result is to enjoy ourselves. It doesn't require any prior experience to achieve that. A group of new players might be participating in a different type of game than experienced ones but neither is less than or greater than the other. Just different. This is Cas

tle Amber. When I ran this back in the early 80s we had a great time. I enjoy the premise and backstory of this adventure so much I decided to run it for my current Sunday group. I highly recommend the 5th edition Goodman Game's version. Over the past couple of months I've been able to use this with some creative world building of my own. But when I ran the original as a teenager it was just another dungeon crawl. There was almost no difference in the personalities of different Amber family memb

ers found in part one. They were all just combat encounters and the mansion was just a big weird dungeon. Then in part two, it was the same thing - get from place A to place B, fight something, get your reward and so on - rinse and repeat. Part three was no different. Just combat encounters. And all of that was fine because we had fun. Sure, the NPCs might have had some slight attempts at individual personalities and combat still required something close to intelligent tactics but it was all sti

ll just run like any other dungeon crawl. That's because nearly every adventure back then was a dungeon crawl, even if the scenery was slightly different. So when I ran Castle Amber in the 80s I treated it like every other published module. Go from place to place, fight stuff, kill it, and get a reward. And if that's how you play adventures today it's perfectly fine. D&D streamers aren’t likely to play that way only because it wouldn’t be fun to watch but it’s a perfectly legitimate style of pla

y. In fact, many players prefer combat encounters to other aspects of the game. And remember, someone who loves roleplaying over combat is no less or more of a valuable player than one with a different preferred playing style. Castle Amber is based on stories written by Ashton Clark Smith. Fast forward 40 years and while prepping to run this again, I've been able to listen to all of his stories on audiobooks. This has allowed me to develop the adventure in ways that just were not possible in the

80s. With what I know now it has the appropriate elements of Gothic and Cosmic Horror the adventure was always meant to evoke. I've been able to take ideas introduced in his stories, add to those already provided in the adventure, and indulge my own fantasies of what might happen to a Catholic province of France during the Inquisition if it had been consumed and transported to Ravenloft's Domains of Dread. This is GW1: "Legion of Gold '' from 1981. I loved this back in the early 80s and ran it

many times. But I ran it just like I had run Castle Amber. It was some loosely connected combat encounters setting up a final confrontation that had little to no development throughout the course of previous encounters. And you know what? It was still a blast. Adventures like this allowed game masters and players of any skill level to create and play in the manner most enjoyable to them. Looking back on it, I see Legion of Gold’s lost potential and can imagine it as part of a much larger campaig

n setting with detailed world building. Which is exactly what I plan on doing when I eventually turn this into a Mutant Crawl Classics adventure for my gaming groups. Updating and expanding on it wouldn't even be the first time - WotC's 2011 version was published for 7th Edition Gamma World, and it expanded on the original with a stronger narrative. I will be including material from that 7th edition as part of my MCC conversion. But regardless of if it's 30 or 250 pages, the only thing that matt

ers is whether you enjoy the game while playing it. If you look at reviews for Temple of Elemental Evil on Dungeon Master's Guild there's only a very small number of bad ones and they can all be summed up with, “Oh No!! I had to use my own imagination and create stuff! This sucks! Don't waste your time!! Bleeeh!!" And this might be an example of how different the expectations are between new gamers to those from the 80s. In the 80s we were encouraged to engage our imaginations. With new books yo

u’re encouraged to follow their road map. Maybe the people who hate Temple of Elemental Evil really do need the big hardbound books so I can't say it's all bad but I would encourage you to exercise your own creativity to most benefit the ever changing needs of your games. Did you know in the very beginning days of the hobby, Gygax and company didn't even think that publishing adventures would be profitable, assuming everyone would want to create their own? And though I'm not sure about the young

er generation of players you'll certainly find that older gamers would rarely ever run an adventure that did not include massive expansions to and changes of the source material. Personally, I hope the newer players embrace that as well, if they haven't already. So problem number one as I see it, is new DMs might be setting themselves up for failure if they allow all of the unrealistic self-imposed expectations to burden them and get some idea there’s a “right way” and a “wrong way” to play the

published adventures. . “Learn this 250 page adventure and play exactly like Matt Mercer or your game sucks!” But that’s just not true. You don't need to have everything laid out for you. You don't need to follow any published adventure the way it was written. If a player gets upset that you've changed the adventure from how it was published, they already know too much about it and that's a “them” problem more than a you problem. Our hobby needs more Game Masters. The DM crisis is real and it is

n't new. If DMing sounds appealing then I hope you pursue that because the hobby needs you and in the long run the rewards are well worth it. Honestly, there are some people who just don't have the right personality for it. That's not a failure on their part and I'm not criticizing their efforts - it's just the reality that DMing can involve some traits not found in everyone. Interpersonal skills are very important but the good news is in many cases those skills can be learned. If you have a pas

sion for the hobby, if you love being creative, if you can be extremely patient, and if you can make it through more than six minutes of a D&D YouTube video then you can learn the leadership skills necessary to have enjoyable experiences refereeing literally any tabletop roleplaying game. And the interpersonal skills you learn from playing a TTRPG can benefit every aspect of your life. I’ve made videos about that too. What you need most, more than anything else, is something that can't necessari

ly be taught - it's something you either have or you don't - and that's a deep passion for the hobby. You're going to need a passion for the hobby so intense that your friends will be secretly wondering, "Maybe we should find you some professional help." But that's OK because we're all a little weird. Passion is the most important trait new and even experienced DMs need in order to be successful. You're doing your best and that's appreciated. If you have a player who doesn't respect that then m

aybe have a talk with them privately. See if you can resolve the issue, or replace them. Finding new players that do appreciate your efforts is not too difficult and with Virtual games now available anyone with an internet connection who wants to be playing D&D should be able to find an opportunity to play D&D. I use Fantasy Grounds as my Virtual Tabletop. I’ll be doing a video about that in the future. I’ve also just been contacted by another VTT looking for my group to review their product - s

tay tuned for that as well. If you find yourself struggling with a frustrated player, that might simply be a test of your leadership skills. Don't take it personally, and if you haven't already learned this - listen to criticism and decide if they have a point or they don't. You'll find some people just like to complain and create controversy where none needed to exist. You can just tune that stuff out. But sometimes you'll learn something from that criticism and be able to see things from a per

spective our little confirmation bias blinders might have prevented us from being aware of. Players who really are there to enjoy the hobby - and why would you want anyone other than that - understand this is a cooperative effort. It is a collaborative, cooperative game. Having a good attitude and desire to explore and learn together is far more important than knowing all the rules. When people talk about their games they often speak of them as if they themselves personally undertook those journ

eys. This is a testament to the fantastic positive psychological healing benefits of these games. They can bring us out of your reality for fantastic adventures. Another thing I want new players to consider is when you hear someone say a particular adventure is better suited for more experienced game masters that advice might not be objectively true. I think I've been guilty of that and it's something I try to avoid saying because it's misleading advice. To say some published adventures are best

for experienced game masters might be creating an unnecessary wall. I still think a 250 page adventure is too much responsibility for a new DM and some adventurers are just less complicated overall but ultimately a fear of not being able to run the adventure correctly shouldn't stop you from trying since there really isn’t a right or wrong way. As we just discussed, you'll simply be playing a different version of that adventure than a much more experienced DM. But so long as everyone enjoys the

mselves then the game you're playing is the right one. I do however recommend those new to the hobby look for short adventure modules, like those you'll find in anthology books or pdfs on DMs Guild and drive thru RPG. You will not have the burden of some huge overarching monstrosity that puts a bunch of expectations on you. And with those longer adventures you're in many ways being deprived of the creativity that makes this hobby so enjoyable. If you really want a finished story giving you all t

he answers before your first session then you really don't even need to spend fifty bucks on a big WotC adventure. You could just copy any book, movie, or tv show - change a bunch of the names, and still be able to flex your own imagination. FINAL TIPS: Every Published adventure should only be a foundation to work from. What you do with it is up to you. Change as much as you want. Every game table will run every adventure differently. Even the same DM will run the same adventure differently in r

esponse to player choices. Which leads to my next tip - You need to find your own unique voice. You have one. And it may be a process but you'll find it if you haven't already. Mine is still evolving and you should have the same freedom. I have always had some players who leaned more heavily into characterization and roleplaying while others have enjoyed the mechanics and tactical challenges of combat encounters. Don't be fooled into thinking any one style of play is superior to another. Enjoy a

nd embrace the differences. And remember, you're not playing D&D to win D&D. Not in the traditional sense. If you want to "win" D&D then play a video game inspired by it. Or play that card game - you know the one .. Or play literally any other competitive game. In a TTRPG the only person you're competing against is yourself. What I mean by that is, each time I play any TTRPG I "win" when I've improved my understanding of the game, expanded my own creative horizons, and my friends have enjoyed ou

r time together. While there may be elements of competition within the game world, the true essence of playing these games lies in the collaborative creativity and growth that comes from each session. In TTRPGs, success isn't even necessarily about defeating enemies or achieving specific objectives, but rather about the shared experience, the bonds formed with fellow players, and the imaginative worlds explored together. Each session offers opportunities for players to learn, adapt, and contribu

te to the collective narrative, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared accomplishment. Game Masters should never have an adversarial "me vs them" attitude. All TTRPGs are basically just math games with all the math problems dressed up like monsters and heroes. Really that's it. Sorry to break the illusion but really that's all they are. And if you want to run a DM vs the players type of game save yourself the trouble because you've already won. You already have dozens of books filled with h

undreds of monsters that could end the game in one session, so just save yourself the effort. Declare yourself the winner and go home. Likewise players are not served by having a "Player vs the Rules'' mindset either. Those types used to be called "Rules Lawyers' and they still exist today but I’ve seen a troubling evolution in modern gaming where this view of gaming leads some people to spend hours theorycrafting and trying to create unbeatable exploit builds. Sure, get the most out of your bui

ld, look for the best options - min maxing isnt a new thing - but extensive unrestrained theorycrafting and rules bending can lead you far astray from what makes TTRPGs enjoyable over an extended period of time. I'm sorry but the coffeelock isnt joining my table. People can powergame. People can play exploit builds. You do you but I think those people are going to get more enjoyment out of a video game. If you think about it, a superhero is not defined by their strengths. They're defined by thei

r weaknesses. And if you want to create an unbeatable character then why even play? Is a game even a game if there is no chance of losing? Fifth edition D&D already suffers from this lack of risk. Why make it worse? I still DM and run my games not much differently than I ran my AD&D games in the 80s and 90s. Despite my experience I still occasionally need to ask my players for their input which means you can too. This goes back to the collaborative nature of D&D. The only real hard line here is

when the DM makes their final ruling that's the end of the discussion until at least that game session’s conclusion. Then later you can debate it and decide if it needs to be done differently next time. So I just said a lot of stuff to make this larger point - with the hindsight of over forty years as a Dungeon Master, I have found that none of my past experiences make the games more enjoyable today than when I knew nothing. Talking about years of experience is a debate tactic that’s considered

a “Logical Fallacy.” It’s an “Appeal to Authority.” And it proves nothing if the information isn’t useful for you. The imaginative ideas of a veteran player is no more or less valuable than those of a new one. Just like the clout chasers are telling you about a celebrity DM’s secrets, none of it matters. I had just as much fun - maybe even more at times - when I was new to the hobby. In the past couple of years I've been supplementing my 5E campaign with a few published adventures from the 80s.

I'm running them much differently than I did when I was a teenager but neither style is objectively better or worse. Being new to the game shouldn't be making it less enjoyable. If you're feeling frustrated or overwhelmed that's probably because you or some others are placing expectations on you that aren't necessary or realistic. You're not competing with Matt Mercer. He's an entertainer playing for an audience. I made a video on that topic you should definitely watch after this one. If you're

new to the hobby then my hope is you find the same enjoyment I have found over the years. And that’s why I make these videos. Uploading these is a labor of love and it brings me immense joy when I hear they’ve been helpful, so I am grateful to you for that. As always, I'm your host Aten here at We Love TTRPGs and I appreciate your support by liking the video and sharing your thoughts in the comments.