Calling all aspiring Dungeon Masters (DMs) and Game Masters (GMs)! Are you ready to weave epic tales and guide your players on unforgettable adventures? Tabletop RPGs (role-playing games) offer a world of creative possibilities, but for new DMs and GMs, the prospect of running a session can feel overwhelming. Fear not, fellow storytellers! This quick and easy guide will equip you with the tools and knowledge to become a tabletop RPG rockstar.

Before the Adventure Begins: Preparing for Your Session

1. Know Your System: Every tabletop RPG has its own rule set. Before diving in, ensure you have a firm grasp of the mechanics, character creation, and combat rules. This allows you to answer player questions smoothly and keeps the game flowing. Don’t feel like you need to be a master of the rules but you should feel comfortable with the ins and outs of how the game is likely to play. If the game or session is going to be combat heavy make sure to brush up on the combat rules, if it is going to be more role play heavy make sure you know the rules around the rolls your players are likely to make.

2. Craft a Captivating Campaign (or One-Shot):

• Campaign: If you have a long story arc in mind, make sure to develop a central conflict, interesting characters (both allies and villains), and a captivating world. Consider building your campaign in one of the first party settings provided by the game makers themselves such as the Sword Coast or Golarion. This can ease the preparation workload and provide interesting ideas about where your players can go and what they can do.
• One-Shot: If you’re only able to do a single play session, design a self-contained adventure with a clear beginning, middle, and end. These can be blast as an entire story can be told and experienced all at once. These are also potentially much easier to prepare for because the scope has to be limited to what can be completed in your one session. The internet is full of ideas and walkthroughs for one shots to play or just for inspiration.

3. Embrace Flexibility: While preparation is key, unexpected player actions are part of the magic of RPGs. Be flexible and adapt your plans to accommodate player choices. Take a lesson from improv and make sure to always “yes and..” your players within reason.  As long as your players are respectful they can want to do whatever they want and as a DM its your job to guide those wants to what’s reasonably possible.  When I DM, I make sure simple tasks are easy and as the wants of the player grow in complexity and outlandishness I make sure the players have to roll the dice to see if they can accomplish their crazy plans with the crazier the plan the harder the roll is to make. By forcing dice rolls you get players invested in the characters they are playing, working with the character strengths and around the weaknesses. It also allows curbing more outlandish play in a fun way by only punishing players if they fail their rolls and then working that failure into the story and the player’s interaction with the world you are crafting.

4. Gather Your Supplies: Dice, character sheets, pencils, snacks, and most importantly, your imagination! Consider using battle maps, miniatures, or background music to enhance the experience. The main way I have played in the past is that when in a battle everyone has their miniature (or a stand in) on a battlemap. This allows all the players and you the DM to easily see positioning of players and enemies to quickly plan turns and actions. Having a dry erase map and markers allows quickly drawing up the battlefield without going through a ton of paper maps or having to buy expensive terrain. 

If you are missing any of these things don’t worry, as I said imagination is the most important aspect and can fill in for any missing equipment (except maybe the dice). By playing within the theater of the mind’s eye you can describe the world to your players and they can tell you how they interact with that world.  Any time an action has a chance to fail, have the player roll the dice and determine if that’s good enough to succeed their action. If you don’t have a die just determine yourself if the action has succeeded

Setting the Stage: Session Day Essentials

1. Session Zero (Optional): This pre-game session allows players to discuss expectations and boundaries, character backstories and how they fit into the world, and the overall campaign tone. It’s a fantastic opportunity to establish ground rules and ensure everyone’s on the same page. Feel free to skip this if you are running a one shot or using prebuilt characters in a ready made campaign. Depending on your group and everyone’s comfort with the rules this is also a good time to help players understand how to play the game and how to build characters.

2. Welcome Your Adventurers: Greet your players with enthusiasm and set the mood with vivid descriptions of the starting scene. Whether its a world of your creation or one imagined by someone else its always a good idea to start with a little bit of exposition to get everyone in the right mindset for the game and story. If this isn’t a first session this is a great time to do a quick recap to remind the players of what has happened so far in the campaign and what the current situation is.

3. Let the Story Unfold: Narrate the game world, describe NPC interactions, and adjudicate player actions based on the game’s rules. Have a plan for the story you want to tell but allow the players to interact with and discover the story as they play. Be prepared to have players wander from the highlighted path and to do their own thing. This can allow for fun improv opportunities or allow you to drop subtle hints about consequences if the players don’t slay that dragon.

4. Embrace the Spotlight: Encourage player participation and improvisation. Let their characters take center stage and shape the narrative. Every player is going to want to interact with the game in a different way. Some are going to want to be the ‘Face’ of the party and do all the talking to the NPCs. Some players are going to want to focus heavily on combat and strategy. One of the keys to being a good DM is allowing each player to shine and experience in their preferred areas.

5. Embrace the Dice (But Don’t Be Ruled by Them): Dice rolls add an element of chance and excitement. However, remember you, as the GM, have the power to adjust outcomes to ensure a fun and engaging story. I don’t strictly endorse dice fudging as a DM and some tables prefer the DM role in the open. I do endorse ensuring everyone is having a good time. If a particular player has gotten bad luck on rolls all session, maybe that goblin didn’t just roll a critical with a crossbow and instead just narrowly missed ending that player’s character.

Pro-Tips for Tabletop RPG GMs

• Be Descriptive: Paint a picture with words. Use vivid details to bring the world, characters, and encounters to life.
• Embrace the Spotlight: Encourage player participation and improvisation. Let their characters take center stage and shape the narrative.
• Keep the Pace Up: Avoid getting bogged down in lengthy rule explanations. If a situation requires complex rules, offer a simplified explanation and handle the details behind the scenes.
• Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes: Even seasoned GMs make occasional stumbles. Acknowledge the mistake, laugh it off, and move on. In the end it’s just a game
• Most Importantly, Have Fun! Your enthusiasm is contagious. Let your love for the game shine through, and your players will have a blast.

Conclusion

By following these tips and embracing your creativity, you’ll be well on your way to running unforgettable tabletop RPG sessions. So grab your dice, gather your friends, and embark on a journey of epic storytelling! Also make you sure you have all the style items you could want.

Ready to take the plunge? Share your tabletop RPG experiences and GM tips in the comments below!