Anyone who thinks being a dungeon master is "not really playing" can expect disagreement from me.
Listening to the players describe their plan and then leading them into an encounter. Their sense of anticipation and nerves when you unexpectedly draw a combat map. The thrill when they fall into a trap. The satisfaction when you describe something they think is important enough to write down, and their speculation about what is to come. The sheer fun that comes from roleplaying a scene you outlined, thereby bring it to life.
This is the joy of the Dungeon Master.
It has been some time since I became the game master for my D&D group (one of two), and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. There's a lot of stuff to keep track of: monster abilities and stats, which monster has which HP total, the conditions, the initiative order, etc. Then there's the stuff to track of this information. I had to buy school supplies (pencils, notebook paper, folders, etc.) in addition to tools like condition markers and find a way of arranging it all behind the DM screen.
It can get confusing, and every fumble you make slows down the game and decreases everyone's fun i.e. the real loot. My first several sessions suffered because I tried to manage everything from my smart phone. Now I go lower tech, one notepade, one sticky note pad, and paper copies of notes and maps. All this prep has been worth it.
More recent sessions have gone smoother than those earlier ones, and in my personal opinion, the last one has been the best so far. I planned something for everyone's character to do and improvised as necessary. I stuck to these notes instead of ignoring them without reason. I looked to the mechanical side of things as well as the narrative potential, remembering that I a dungeon master instead of an author in this scenario. No rail-roading, just collaborating.
And it worked.
We had lots of good roleplay as the party prepared for the final assault upon a goblinoid war camp. I dropped plot hooks for adventurers after this one, which they picked up and used as suited their characters. I lead them into a goblin trap but they suspected something amiss and only the rogue player triggered it, who was best equipped to survive it. Then the battle commenced.
It will begin in earnest at the start of my next session as dungeon master, and I can hardly wait.
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration). His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
Listening to the players describe their plan and then leading them into an encounter. Their sense of anticipation and nerves when you unexpectedly draw a combat map. The thrill when they fall into a trap. The satisfaction when you describe something they think is important enough to write down, and their speculation about what is to come. The sheer fun that comes from roleplaying a scene you outlined, thereby bring it to life.
This is the joy of the Dungeon Master.
It has been some time since I became the game master for my D&D group (one of two), and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. There's a lot of stuff to keep track of: monster abilities and stats, which monster has which HP total, the conditions, the initiative order, etc. Then there's the stuff to track of this information. I had to buy school supplies (pencils, notebook paper, folders, etc.) in addition to tools like condition markers and find a way of arranging it all behind the DM screen.
It can get confusing, and every fumble you make slows down the game and decreases everyone's fun i.e. the real loot. My first several sessions suffered because I tried to manage everything from my smart phone. Now I go lower tech, one notepade, one sticky note pad, and paper copies of notes and maps. All this prep has been worth it.
More recent sessions have gone smoother than those earlier ones, and in my personal opinion, the last one has been the best so far. I planned something for everyone's character to do and improvised as necessary. I stuck to these notes instead of ignoring them without reason. I looked to the mechanical side of things as well as the narrative potential, remembering that I a dungeon master instead of an author in this scenario. No rail-roading, just collaborating.
And it worked.
We had lots of good roleplay as the party prepared for the final assault upon a goblinoid war camp. I dropped plot hooks for adventurers after this one, which they picked up and used as suited their characters. I lead them into a goblin trap but they suspected something amiss and only the rogue player triggered it, who was best equipped to survive it. Then the battle commenced.
It will begin in earnest at the start of my next session as dungeon master, and I can hardly wait.
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration). His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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