Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines.
One of the few things that can be guaranteed about running games is no matter the system, both the expectations of the players, as well as your own, will steadily rise over time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but could also leave you forever under the pressure of outdoing what you did the last session, the last campaign, or the one from five years ago. This is why we have put together five tips which will help you sharpen your skills with running games by embracing constant improvement without it feeling like DMing has become a second job.
1. Acknowledge Mistakes and Learn From Them
Even the most experienced and talented people who have ever run a game or designed a plot have made mistakes at some point along the journey. These may seem very basic, but you would be surprised how often we come across posts from DMs who act like all of their games run so smoothly that each one could be its own individual movie that was shot in one extended take. And if that’s really the case please let me know when your movie will be hitting the theaters because I will be there.
However, when something goes south during a game it can be easy to beat yourself up. Because no one behind the DM screen likes getting a rules call wrong or making a judgment which doesn’t sit well with the rest of the group after the fact.
Accept what happened and look at the misstep as an opportunity to improve your skills. Be honest about whatever transpired and learn from it. This will make you all the more competent and better prepared to deal with similar issues in the future.
2. Seek Out Feedback and Welcome it
Receiving feedback is not always easy because no one likes to hear negative things about a campaign that you probably put a great deal of time and effort into. And initially your reaction may be to push back, especially if you feel that it’s neither entirely fair or unwarranted. Likewise, it can be easy to be dismissive about how the players thought something went, especially if it’s from newer players and this isn’t your first rodeo.
However, everything shared most likely comes from a position where the player or players want things to improve and be more inline with what they are looking for. This is a fine line for a DM to walk because you can’t always give into what a player wants because that can cause a whole host of issues. Instead, listen to what they say as objectively as possible and seek compromises which aren’t destructive to the continuity of your game. For example, you probably don’t want to just hand every player in your game a very rare magic item but you could decrease the amount of combats they have and replace those encounters with different activities to make the session feel less like a grind.
3. Read the Room as Events Unfold
While some players are more than happy to provide a near endless stream of nonstop commentary of how every aspect of the adventure is going, others are much less confrontational and may not be especially comfortable giving feedback. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as they weren’t a fan of the plot twist or they have absolutely no idea what just happened. This is why some of the things which you should try and observe in terms of your players’ reactions are just as important as what they do share with you.
This could become something to discuss with a player at some point after the game and before the next game about what they thought about that particular scene. Maybe the player was confused or a point was really lost and they’ll be happy that you’re taking the time to explain to them what happened. Especially since this conversation isn’t taking place in front of the entire party!
4. It’s Never Too Late to Make Adjustments
You may very well be an accomplished DM who has several successful campaigns under your belt. However, this doesn’t mean that the direction of the current campaign is being well received with your players. And if you have gotten feedback or are just getting the feeling that everyone isn’t enjoying themselves as much as they should be then it may be time for a change. This is not a mark of failure, as countless games have ended before their time because a DM refused to adjust what they were doing despite the writing on the wall.
For myself, I came up with a game with some expertly hardcore gamers who loved super complex lore drops and knowing that a new room in an adventure could be your last. These days, most of the players I’m gaming with are much more casual players, who are more looking to eat some delicious game night food and laugh with their friends. With this said, the plot of my current game was a bit heavy with respect to how frequently we play which caused confusion with both the players and party goals. This encouraged me to make some changes like streamlining the main plot as well as limit the introduction of new subplots.
5. Be Objective and Be Honest
While there is not a set length for a campaign, it most likely will be dozens of sessions. Over the course of all of this, it’s worth taking the time to look at your last game, or last few, and consider where there could be room for improvement. This could take many forms from how well combat runs, how long any given scene lasts, to how your descriptions sounded as you read them out loud to your group.
Were there any points where you felt the gameplay stalled, or you as the DM found yourself wishing that you were better prepared? Also, ask yourself how much agency are the players generally allowed? Even something like providing too much agency can cause issues with your game flow, as newer players might not enjoy the freedom of an entire open sandbox world and are just hoping a strange wizard would approach them in a bar with a quest.
Final Thoughts
The journey of someone who runs and or designs games for their friends to play in should be one of constant improvement. Place yourself in a position where, aside from being the storyteller, you will objectively call balls and strikes, even when it comes to yourself.
Got a Question?
3 Wise DMs mission is to help DMs with problems that you can’t find answers to in the rulebooks. If you’ve got a question or a problem, visit the website and enter it in the “What’s Your Problem” field. Or reach out to us at 3wisedms@gmail.com.
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