101 Specific DM Tips

[The Cats]

Just specific stuff that you don't often see posted in "New DM, Help me!" threads. Probably because those threads seem to be looking for more general advice.

1. Have your NPCs talk to the players, not each other. NPCs having long conversations with each other (Read: The DM talking to themselves) is kind of awkward and feels like the players are watching a cut scene instead of playing the game. Not necessarily to be avoided at all costs but keep it minimal.

2. Collect character info. Having a sheet behind your DM screen that has, at the very least, all the characters' AC makes combat a little faster as you won't have to ask if the seven goblins hit every time they attack. Other useful info to have is CON saves (in case the character gets diseased and doesn't notice) and passive perception. And whatever else you think you might use to either speed up the game or for rolls you don't want the players to know about. Tape it to your DM screen for ease of reference.

3. For new players, physical reminders of their abilities (beyond the shorthand on their character sheet) will help them remember all their options. I print and cut out cards with more detailed descriptions of abilities and use tokens (little blue gem-thingies you can probably find at a craft store) to represent limited-use abilities ("OK Jim, your druid used a wildshape so take one of your gems out of the pool until your next short rest."). Another option for some abilities that use a certain number of dice (Bardic inspiration and Combat Maneuvers) is to just give the player that many of that kind of die.

[sengmeng]

4. Keep your options open. Don't designate every NPC as villain or ally. Have their allegiance depend on the players treatment of them.

5. Don't have a DMPC save the day unless it's a heroic sacrifice. It gets old otherwise.

[Noje]

6. Make sure your players are able to interact with the setting. there's no point in spending hours building a setting if the players can't make a difference and be involved.

7. If you can afford the time, a session 0 can make the campaign run much smoother

8. Don't shove a bunch of information about your setting in the players' faces all at once. The information reveal itself naturally. Remember, the game is ultimately about telling a story, not teaching a class about your setting.

[JAL_1138]

9. If using a physical battle map, check the type of marker before making a mark! (Edit: Since it needs spelled out, vinyl mats are semiporous, meaning you should only ever use wet-erase. But all three types of markers look very similar if you aren't careful snd you can easily grab a dry-erase or Sharpie by mistake). Dry-erase will stain a vinyl Chessex-style mat and will be tricky to remove without damaging the grid, but it can be done. Sharpie is possible, albeit difficult, to remove from a vinyl mat, but often takes the grid lines with it.

10. If using houserules or variant rules, writing them up and distributing them ahead of time can save a lot of headaches.

11. Learn the game's math—meaning the specific edition's math; don't rely on knowledge of previous ones or newer ones than the one you're playing—and a bit about dice probability in general if you don't already know, before homebrewing crunch.
11a. Never use anything from dandwiki.

12. Having a few generic encounters already prepped and ready to go whenever needed can save a lot of headaches.

13. Reskinning and/or tweaking-and-recycling encounters can help you avoid the Quantum Ogre Problem, help you not get bothered if players skip things you've prepped, and save you a ton of prepwork down the line.

[sengmeng]

14 (but piggybacking off of 12 and 13). The stats of one 5th level fighter can stand in for 4 or 5 different NPCs, especially if only one of them turns out to be hostile to the party.

15 (piggybacking off of 14). Don't stat something up that they don't fight. If they avoid or befriend it, bring it back later or reuse it's stats for something else.

[a_flemish_guy]

9. If using a physical battle map, check the type of marker before making a mark! Dry-erase will stain a vinyl Chessex-style mat and will be tricky to remove without damaging the grid, but it can be done. Sharpie is possible, albeit difficult, to remove from a vinyl mat, but often takes the grid lines with it.

9a: permanent marker can best be erased by overdrawing it with non-permanent marker and then erasing that (might take more then one try though)

[JAL_1138]

9a: permanent marker can best be erased by overdrawing it with non-permanent marker and then erasing that (might take more then one try though)

I've never had any luck with that on (semi-porous) vinyl mats with either Sharpie or dry-erase stains (even with multiple attempts and elbow-grease, they never seem to pick it up), but it works wonders on (non-porous) whiteboards or plastic-laminated paper maps. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great to take dry-erase marks off vinyl mats, but for some reason will damage/fade the grid-lines a little bit when removing Sharpie.

[The Eye]

16. Don't railroad.

[Jay R]

17. In each session, plan to have an encounter in which each PC can shine.

A situation in which the Fighter's feat stack is overwhelmingly good.
A situation that the wizard's favorite spell is devastatingly effective.
A lock in an anti-magic field that the rogue can pick.
etc.

Don't worry about the time. By definition, these encounters are very quick.

18. But also have a situation planned in which each one's favorite tactic does not work.

The fighter likes to trip? Beholders attack.
The rogue has a great backstab or sneak attack? They are surrounded by one enemy.
The wizard loves fireballing? Large creatures with fire resistance.

Give them each a moment when their go-to approach doesn't work, and they have to get creative.

[ThurlRavenscrof]

19. Discuss with your players what type of play they enjoy most: intrigue, negotiation, hack and slash, heroics, rp scenes, straight forward quests, tough decisions, etc

[The Cats]

20. Arrange a rotating snack schedule with your players or something like it (Unless you just want to be the awesome guy who always brings the food). Make sure there will always be something to munch on at the table, especially if you run long sessions.

[JAL_1138]

21. If you game at a FLGS, support them with purchases (if financially able). Be respectful of others playing and shopping, and of the employees and any store policies. If you rearranged tables and chairs to set up your gaming table, ask if the store would like you to put them back the way they were initially (they may or may not, depending on what they've got scheduled next). Clean up your table space when leaving (hopefully the players will help out, but it's still kinda on you to see that it gets done whether the players help or not). And definitely call ahead several days in advance to check if the store is running any events that might conflict and make sure there's room for your table.

[AshfireMage]

22. Don't be afraid to take a second to figure out how to react to something really off-the-wall your players do. Ask your players to pause for a second or call a mini break if needed. If you're constantly being completely thrown for a loop, you may need to plan your sessions better, but don't feel as if you need to instantly have answers for everything.

[TheFamilarRaven]

23. When designing challenges for your group, do not make them so that there is only one pre-defined solution. Let the party figure out how to best use their resources to overcome the obstacle.

24. When designing a dungeon, be sure to take into account the party's general power. Many non-combat obstacles that would challenge a low power party are obsolete once your party gains enough power or resources. Likewise, obstacles that may have previously been impossible for low power groups to bypass are now well within reason to encounter.

[sengmeng]

25. Become friends with logical consistency in world building. I got so good at this that being attacked by orcs in a place where they weren't common had the players wondering if it was a plot hook with a story behind it. You can't have them invested in solving a mystery if everything is presented without logical reasons behind it.

26. Following up on 25: random encounters should not be labeled as that to the players. They should always wonder if it's part of the plot. A bounty hunter coming after them for plausible reasons is much better than 1d4 monsters that aren't appropriate to the terrain.

[TheFamilarRaven]

27. (As an extrapolation of 16.) Do not use your power of being the DM (rule 0) to force players to do something, or to deny them them the ability to something.

28. Do not abuse power of rule 0 to bend or create rules on the fly, especially if you're doing so for the reasons presented in tip 27.

29. Have the plots to your adventures be flexible. Players have a tendency to not go in the direction you thought hey would, for the simple reason that they are human.
29a) Note the premise of your adventure need not change; but the story can be malleable.

30. Have a good (relative to your group) understanding of the rules of the System you are running. The better your knowledge, they less rulings you end up having to make on the fly, and the game world becomes more consistent.

[sengmeng]

31. Make sure EVERYONE has fun.

[The Cats]

32. If you use homemade paper minis (Printing pictures of beasties on cardstock and cutting them out) small bulldog clips make a good, cheap base. Just clip then on then squeeze the leg to remove them. For large and bigger creatures you can cut out a circle of cardstock (with the terrain of your choice printed on it if you want to be fancy) to the right size (covering a 10'x10' area on the battle map for large) and affix it to the bottom of the base with some sort of stickiness.

[Noje]

I've never had any luck with that on (semi-porous) vinyl mats with either Sharpie or dry-erase stains (even with multiple attempts and elbow-grease, they never seem to pick it up), but it works wonders on (non-porous) whiteboards or plastic-laminated paper maps. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great to take dry-erase marks off vinyl mats, but for some reason will damage/fade the grid-lines a little bit when removing Sharpie.

Why not just use wet erase? you can find them at any office supplies store, they work great on vinyl (they're easy on the grids), and come off real easy. just have a wet rag and a dry rag handy.

[CaptainSarathai]

33. Never make a world larger than the party will reasonably travel to in a campaign.

Noob DMs fall into this "world building" trap all the time. They pop open a setting book like Forgotten Realms, and see a whole world, but even published, 15-level modules don't see the whole thing. Don't waste your time with stuff you won't use!

33.5. If you Map it, they will go
This is really the problem with 33. I am playing a setting in a fictional analog of medieval Europe. The whole of the campaign happens in Britain, Scotland and Wales. The map I gave them is just that: Britain, Scotland, and Wales. France is "somewhere over there, east" and Ireland is "off the coast, northwest." NPCs know damn well where France is, but it's not mapped. Players have no interest in going to France - they know that if I meant for them to go, I'd give them a map.
My setting is tiny. You could hike it from North to South in about 5 weeks. East to West in about 2 weeks. It forces my players to revisit areas, getting them invested in the setting and it's NPCs.

[JAL_1138]

Why not just use wet erase? you can find them at any office supplies store, they work great on vinyl (they're easy on the grids), and come off real easy. just have a wet rag and a dry rag handy.

Yes. I'm aware. Did my earlier posts read like I'm too much of a derp to know which markers to use? I can edit for clarity. I was talking about what happens when you accidentally use the wrong type and it leaves a mark than won't come off. Somebody always ends up mistakenly using a Sharpie or a dry-erase on a Chessex mat and staining it; if you own one long enough, it will happen. You always end up with somebody using a Sharpie by mistake on a whiteboard, too.

All three types of marker are visually very similar, so it's really easy to grab the wrong one by mistake. Same diameter, same type of cap, similar-color barrel. Sooner or later, someone will use the wrong one on accident. It's a question of when, not if. If you get into a habit of double-checking the marker you grab, you're much less likely to end up with a mark that won't come off.

[Velaryon]

34. Small details make the game world feel more real. What's the weather like on the party's journey to the dungeon? What color blouse is the barmaid wearing? Is one of the goblins missing an ear?

35. As a caveat to #34, there definitely is such a thing as too much detail. Don't spend more than a couple sentences on describing any one thing that's not particularly important to the game.

[sengmeng]

36. As a caveat to 35: if you only give details that are important to the plot, or only give detailed descriptions to important people/items/locations, the players pick up on it. This can be good or bad, but is more likely bad because it breaks immersion.

[Noje]

Yes. I'm aware. Did my earlier posts read like I'm too much of a derp to know which markers to use? I can edit for clarity. I was talking about what happens when you accidentally use the wrong type and it leaves a mark than won't come off. Somebody always ends up mistakenly using a Sharpie or a dry-erase on a Chessex mat and staining it; if you own one long enough, it will happen. You always end up with somebody using a Sharpie by mistake on a whiteboard, too.

All three types of marker are visually very similar, so it's really easy to grab the wrong one by mistake. Same diameter, same type of cap, similar-color barrel. Sooner or later, someone will use the wrong one on accident. It's a question of when, not if. If you get into a habit of double-checking the marker you grab, you're much less likely to end up with a mark that won't come off.

Ah, That makes sense. I've never used white boards in my games so I didn't consider that situation. the only writing utensils on my table are pencils and wet erase markers.

[JAL_1138]

Ah, That makes sense. I've never used white boards in my games so I didn't consider that situation. the only writing utensils on my table are pencils and wet erase markers.

I apologize for the tone in the first bit of my earlier post; my reply to you was really snappish and out of line. Sorry about that. I don't even know what got a bee in my proverbial bonnet there, and I shouldn't have spoken that way.

[The Cats]

31. Make sure EVERYONE has fun.

37. Make sure the players know this is the goal and that YOU are included in everyone.

[Amphetryon]

38. Know that following virtually* any of the advice here has gotten a DM labelled 'bad' at some point, somewhere - even on these forums. Be prepared for it with a better answer than booting the malcontent or "but the forum guys said...."

*'ensure everyone has fun' is the notable exception... probably.

[The Cats]

39. You'll probably need a good chunk of space as the DM. Depending on the size of your group, the size of your table and if you use battle maps real estate might be limited. Remember: you can put the rulebooks and monster manuals etc. on the floor when you're not using them! (Don't laugh. It took me way to long to realize this. Ok, laugh.)

[rs2excelsior]

40. Give your players multiple clues pointing to things you want them to figure out, even if you think it's obvious. What's obvious to you won't be to players who don't have the whole picture and they'll probably light two of the clues on fire before examining them.

41. Give your players multiple ways to approach the problem you set for them, and be willing to work with them if they pick an approach you hadn't expected.

42. Related to 41: It takes practice to get to the point where you can improvise confidently and well. Don't be afraid to jump in and see what happens; even if you don't do a great job, you'll have a bit more experience with it for the next time the situation comes up.

43. Think about what the campaign's antagonist does without the PCs interfering... how their plan proceeds if everything goes exactly as they expect. Then advance that plan as time passes. Especially if this has visible effects in the world as the campaign progresses, it gives the sense that the action doesn't "pause" when the PCs are not present, and if there are multiple plot lines, it can give your players tough choices to make about which problems to follow up on.

44. NEVER take away player agency. Even if they walk straight into a trap, give them some way to break out of it. Maybe they stumbled in there due to their own stupidity, maybe they have an incredibly slim chance of actually succeeding, but let them try. Nothing makes a player disengage faster than being told "nope, you can't do anything." That said, don't be afraid to hold them to the consequences of their actions.

[Vknight]

45 : Never be afraid to admit you don't know a rule.
-Follow up, say you'll look up the rule later or after the session and players be patient

46 : Put your rules-lawyer to use as they can probably quickly grab the right rule for you if you must have it during a session. Otherwise plan around these things

47 : Notecards/Artists Tiles are a great way to have players contribute. Throw them to the more artistically inclined players to let them draw a npc or write notes or details about a scene(or well Aspects if your playing any version of fate)

48 : Be prepared with basic notes about the world map, and other nations because players will be players. A quick blurb can make a lot of difference. if you need to suddenly setup a plot hook

49 : If your online for a game session and the players do something super unexpected 2 or more hours into a session it is ok to end the session soon after that; and then use the time between it and the next session to figure out the hell your going to do.

50 : These are all pieces of advice take with a grain of salt and make the most of them what you will, each is valuable in and of itself.