If you’ve ever played Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) then you know that you owe all your fun to the extensive work and effort of the Dungeon/Game Master (or DM/GM). If you’ve ever been behind that screen or laptop, then you know how easy it is to get overwhelmed with all that planning and info gathering and organization. Some DMs have an easy time of prepping for their campaigns down to the very minute detail. Some panic, yank up a puzzle online and call it a day. Now, having been a DM for two years here’s my easy checklist on how to organize not only a campaign but every session on the fly, with minimum stress, and still guarantee that your players will have a good time.
- Don’t be afraid to ret-con campaigns of old
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Honestly, trying to be completely original all the time can be really time-consuming and stressful, especially if you try to homebrew everything. Instead, I’ve found that maintaining a simple, time-tested enjoyable plotline, but changing around the method, the characters, and the setting can ensure that things still feel fresh but not at the cost of your sanity.
- Collaborate with your players on the minute details
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Not only will this guarantee that your players will feel invested and love you but it also means you can bring their character’s backstories into the game without taking too much time out of the main story. By delegating your players into designing their player’s enemies, hometowns, and little habits, you can fashion Big bads to impact all of them, really bring people into the storyline. For those DM/GMs who are skilled at emotional scenes and/or high-stakes fighting, this is a great trick to get everyone at the table crying or strategizing so that your boss doesn’t get narc’ed out the gate.
- Take a day off to recharge and brainstorm
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This is the most important rule. Your players won’t fault you for taking a Saturday off to gather details, adjust plot lines, sleep, and make for a more interesting and effective session next week, instead of a session that’s rushed and awkward because you’re sleep-deprived and overworked.
- Plan sessions not by intense scenes but by bullet points
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Here’s how I set up sessions: I make a list of no more than three goals, and flesh out light details underneath. For example, in one campaign I’m running, my players need to rendezvous with the leader of the underground black market, then take a trip to a new town to scout out the next regional baddie. They can have a few fights and sneak scenes in the meantime if they cause a fuss, and if they don’t they’ll spend the session exploring and meeting non-important NPCs to gain information. It also leaves room for the DM to do some iconic improv dialogue and drop neat hints for characters who have a personal stake in this session.
- If the players are on a roll, let them roll!
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Few things please me more than watching my players interact with my plot, discuss ideas and figure out solutions I hadn’t even considered. When my players get hot on a lead or are just having fun storytelling with each other, I lean back, watch them go, and make little notes on my campaign doc. This way, you can look like the cool, collected DM who’s got all the strings while also encouraging players to let the session flow organically.
So there you have it! 5 new habits to change your DM’ing, and even your whole life! Heaven knows there are few things that improve organization and intra-personal skills like tabletop games.