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Nerdarchy > Game Master Tips  > Is This You? Common Game Master Mistakes
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Is This You? Common Game Master Mistakes

Finding Inspiration for 5E D&D Campaigns
Rewarding an RPG Character's Backstory

I’ve been throwing funny-shaped dice with my friends for more years than I care to admit. Most of those games I’ve run the game as the Dungeon Master. Most of those years I spent making things far more difficult for myself than necessary. In this article I’m going to impart to you what I consider to be the most important of all the Game Master tips I have to give. Let’s face it, we play tabletop roleplaying games like fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons for one reason above all other reasons, and that is to be entertained.game master tips

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I’ve seen game after game of D&D cancelled, because of this one hang up many a Dungeon Master has been afflicted by. I’ve seen campaign after campaign derailed due to this insidious little monster. I’ve seen Dungeon Master after Dungeon Master hit the reset on their game.

 

This problem has been very prevalent throughout our group’s existence. It took me a long time to stop the madness and I’m just finally getting my co-Dungeon Master Nerdarchist Ted to see the light. So what is this unnamed horror, this villain that stalks RPG tables everywhere, the scourge of campaigns you ask?

M.D.M.S — Marco Dungeon Mastering Syndrome

This is when you have really cool idea for a campaign or adventure arc in your RPG game and take it to the extreme. I also believe it leads to Dungeon Master fatigue, which will kill your campaign in no time flat. But never fear, I have some really easy solutions to help you out.

Easy Game Master Tips to Combat M.D.M.S

  • Always work small to large
  • The power of three
  • Let the players decide
  • Think organic

Small to Large. This is where we keep it simple and prevent ourselves from doing unnecessary work. So you have a grand overarching plot, great. Now table it and just figure out the beginning without worrying about the end. For instance, have a Big Bad to terrorize the characters, and focus on how they’re introduced without deciding their stats and goals for now.

Have a place you want your party to arrive at later in their career? There is no need to map it out yet. Instead start foreshadowing and planting the seeds that will encourage the characters want to go there.

Power of Three. Three will be the magic number. We use this whenever there is something we need to know about where our game is going, but won’t get there for a while yet. In this case we want to address whatever the thing is, but there is one rule we must follow. We need to do it in three sentences or less. We can revisit this as the game goes on.

Again, when we come back to this we just add a few sentences at a time and all revisits should be in response to what happens in your game. For example, describe the Big Bad we mentioned earlier describe in three sentences only. This can be their goals, what they look like, and/or how they act. Same goes for that place you are leading your players to down the road. Sum it up it up in three sentences.

Players Decide. Ultimately after you introduce these concepts to your players they will start to come up with their own ideas about what’s going on in the campaign world. My advice here is to listen closely and be open to replacing your own previously conceived ideas with theirs. A couple of reasons for this is it gets them invested in the story and plot lines, and creates that a-ha moment when they get to be right.

Sometimes players just come up with better ideas. Lastly they may not be into where you wanted the campaign to head at all. This one is a real bummer, but it isn’t the end of the world. You may even be able to salvage some of your ideas and reskin them into something else. Do not be afraid to completely change your campaign for the sake of everyone’s fun at the table. Remember, this is why we focus on the micro and not macro. You won’t have wasted a bunch of time and effort on material that isn’t going to be used.

Think Organic. This is where we tie it all together. I like to think every story arc creates new plot threads. We never know what elements our players will latch onto. For instance you may introduce an NPC that isn’t supposed to mean anything at all, but the characters insist on visiting them and making them a part of their life.

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The hand written notes from my players making up their fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons characters.

This is an opportunity to tie those characters deeper to your world. Every time they interact with someone, write down a few notes (see Power of Three). If you’ve been listening to your players and what they want for their characters your job gets even easier. I find the best place for hooks are from the players themselves. I never have had one of these turned down.

When you start your game if you can come up with just three sentences about each of the characters from their backstory or from what they’ve told you, this provide endless amounts of plot devices and hooks for you to use in your game.

From those few notes I came up with two pages of notes. Writing roughly three sentences per player, maybe a little more, but it’s okay because this is based off stuff the players themselves gave me. When I introduce hooks and plots from their backstories they gave me they’ll jump at the bait every time.

If you felt this was helpful or you want me to cover something more in-depth let me know in the comments below.

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david friant

My name is Dave Friant I've been gaming off and on for over 27 years. But here is the thing it's always been a part of my life I've kept secret and hidden away. I've always been ashamed of the stigma that gaming and my other nerdy and geeky pursuits summon forth. Recently I decided screw it! This is who I am the world be damned. From now on I'm gonna be a geek, nerd, or however folks want to judge me and just enjoy life. Currently one of my greatest joys is introducing my 13 yr old son to table top RPG's.

8 Comments

  • Oscar Eduardo
    January 1, 2015 at 7:35 pm

    Thanks for sharing your wisdom sir…

  • Alex Maxwell
    March 6, 2015 at 1:04 am

    Thanks, this was good. Also when you build a place , item or npc asking why three times works well. So you decide you need an NPC. Why? The players need to buy armor…. ok so we make Grum the dwarf smith. Why is he there. He is a dis-credited smith from his clan and had to find work in a human town. Why? because he has plans for ultra-lite armor that when they were tested resulted in the death a prominent patron. So know we have our smith and possibly a new quest to follow if the pc's take interest.

  • Thomas O'Roe Solberg
    May 3, 2015 at 7:11 am

    Good stuff! I also found that going Micro rather than Macro is far easier as it puts less work on the DM and lets you experience the campaign with the players. Macro CAN work depending on the players, but you have to make sure you are fully prepared to tweek the story depending on the players motivations and goals. Also There's a slight typo when defining MDSM (or is it Marco hah)

  • David Friant
    May 4, 2015 at 5:03 am

    Your principle of three is good stuff. Thanks for sharing it.

  • David Friant
    May 4, 2015 at 5:04 am

    Your welcome. Thanks for checking it out.

  • David Friant
    May 4, 2015 at 5:05 am

    Thanks for weighing in and glad you liked it. Typos are my super power.

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