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Player Management

The 8 Most Important DM Traits

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What defines a DM who is truly great at the craft they practice? Some would argue that it’s a masterful comprehension of the rules and their applications, while others might say it’s the experience they possess from years of running successful campaigns. While both knowledge and experience of the game are important, even the most polished DM can have a game end up lackluster or even go off the rails entirely. This is why we have assembled a list of eight essential DM qualities to help ensure your next game starts off with a bang or the one you’re currently running is filled with high player energy and memorable moments. 

What to do With a Bored D&D Player? A DM’s Dilemma

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ored? Maybe they’re bored with their character or combat or the way things are going, and now figuring out a way to pick things up a notch for this player falls to you, the DM. Do you let them revamp or replace their PC? Do you make combat more difficult? If the other players are having fun, will adjusting for the bored player ruin it for the rest of them? Here’s how the 3 Wise DMs handle it.

The Fast Start-Up Guide for DMs With New Players

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When running a campaign for new players, you will want to lead off with your A-game.  However, at the same time, you don’t want to work until Christmas designing every detail of the first adventure. Below is a list of 8 tips that will allow you to accomplish this and hopefully have an extremely successful opening campaign with your new group. 

All Eyes on the Game: 12 Tips to Keep Your RPG Players Involved and Focused on Playing

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It’s a problem as old as roleplaying: You have a few players who are engaged, paying attention and driving the story, and other players who may be shy or not interested in what’s going on today. On the show today, Thorin, Tony and Dave will dig into what causes players to disengage, how to bring their attention back to the table, and the tricks they use to keep everyone involved in the game.

Teaching Your Wife to Play RPGs: How to Bring a Non-Gamer — and Perhaps Shy or Unmotivated Player — Into the Game You Love Without Making Them Hate It

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Can you teach your wife, girlfriend, best friend, family member or anyone you love to play your favorite RPG? It’s a risky proposition, as listener Dave points out in this week’s listener question: He wants to teach his wife to play D&D, and she’s agreed to give it a try, but he’s afraid that “if she doesn’t enjoy that first session, she will never come back to the table.” In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about their experiences — both successes and failures — in bringing non-gamers into RPGs and what they’ve learned about giving them the best chance to love it.

8 Ways to Accomplish More in Your Games

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What happens during every gaming session needs to matter. Perhaps not directly to the main story, but at least to some plot thread. When this doesn’t happen, players can find themselves frustrated or disappointed after a game if it doesn’t feel like they really accomplished anything. This is why we’ve put together some tips to ensure every game feels satisfying. Because no one wants to sit through a session that feels like a double-sized filler episode.

6 Ways to Get Everyone at the Game Table More Involved

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Ideally, you want all of your players getting the most from their gaming experience instead of just one or two players stealing the show. Rather than trying to coach several of your players to be more involved, there are ways you can adapt how your game runs to accomplish this painlessly. This is why we’ve composed a list of tips to get all of your players more involved in the game without it feeling forced. If done well, these will help your party not only function as a more effective team but perhaps enjoy the game itself even more. 

14 Tips for DMing First-Time Players: Teaching RPG Newbs the Game, Their Characters, and How to Have a Great Time Playing Both

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Of all the roles the DM takes on, none is more important than bringing new players into the hobby. DM a game, and your player has fun for a night. Teach them to play, and they may have fun for the rest of their lives (or think you’re a gigantic weirdo — it’s a win either way). In this episode, on the eve of DM Dave launching a mostly rookie campaign, the 3 Wise DMs talk about how they handle new players, what they do to try to teach them the game, and how they make it fun without overwhelming the poor newbs.

DMing RPG Party Conflict: 5 Tips for When Your Players Get Along But Their Characters Don’t

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Gaming keeps friendships together. But. what do you do when one or more of your friend’s characters either don’t get along or outright dislike each other? Unfortunately, when this happens, it can kill a game like nothing else. And on this topic, I’m speaking from experience. So, I would like to give some tips to help navigate this situation if you happen to be that unlucky DM whose party members have more hate for each other than the final boss.

RPG MythBusters: PC Party Balance Is Essential! … Maybe Not as Much as You Think?

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TTRPG Party balance: It’s the most important thing every new campaign needs, right? Maybe not. Is there any role the PCs really NEED to have a good time? In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave take a deep dive into what party balance and imbalance do to the game, what it means to the DM, and what it means to the players.