Hello! Thank you for joining us for one of our Introduction to DMing for D&D panels. If you have come here for some supplementary information and resources, you’re in luck – that’s exactly what this is. Below are some links to additional information we would have wanted to share if we had had more time. Please check out as much or as little as you like, but each of the links below are something we feel a new(er) DM could benefit from. Please note that these are links to existing materials and were not created solely for the purpose of this page or the panel so some of the podcasts, for example, may also contain information that’s now out dated or not releveant (we talk about our convention in a lot of them – though you SHOULD also check that out 😉 ) but the body of the info is what’s important.
Thank you!
Michael
If you look at nothing else on this page – start here, please – Session 0 (take a drink). if there is only one piece of advice you took away from our panel I hope it was the importance of having a good session 0 – in this episode Caleb and I break down what this could look like – Faculty Meeting # 106 – Session 0
In this episode of Total Party Thrill Shane and I-Hsien give their thoughts on what makes a great session 0
Total Party Thrill # 44 – Session Zero & the Fist of the Forest
Setting DCs in D&D is one of the core functions of a Dungeon Master’s responsibilities. Here is a Faculty Meeting episode where Michael and Caleb discuss this in-depth: Faculty Meeting # 68 DCs in DnD
Hit Points and Armor Class can be a hiccup in D&D when players and DMs are unsure of how to describe them in play – for some people it can be immersion breaking to think that a PC nearly had their limbs chopped off and then after a 5 minute rest be ready to go – this episode of Faculty Meetings explains how the can be interrupted and used. Faculty Meeting # 70 – Hit Points?
Playing a spell caster can be one of the more challenging character classes. In this episode Caleb and I try to break down the basics of playing a Wizard in D&D 5e. Faculty Meeting # 77 – Magic 101
One of my players (Travis) decided he wanted to try his hand at being a DM and he ran a few sessions of his first ever attempts. The game was fun, but as many games do – it burned out well before we got to a conclusion. In this episode Travis and I discuss this first attempt and lessons learned. I think this is a highly valuable episode for brand new DMs. Faculty Meeting # 83 – Elemental Shift
Re-skinning is taking existing game elements like a monster or spell or even a player class ability and describing them differently or repurposing them – it’s a great way to reuse materials and supplements again and again without it feeling old. In this two parter Caleb and I discuss and give examples of how to re-skin.
Faculty Meeting # 84 – Re-skinning pt 1
Faculty Meeting # 85 – Re-skinning pt2
I’ve been running games for 32+ years and maybe the biggest leap in quality for me (other than session 0 – take a drink) has been incorporating player narrative control into the games. It has made my games so much more fun for the players and for me as the DM. Faculty Meeting #89 – Yes, there is a chandelier!
Role playing games should be a safe space for players of all types and experiences. There are some mechanics that can be used to ensure everyone feels comfortable at the game table. In this episode Caleb and I discuss the X-card. Faculty Meeting # 92 – the X(card) Factor.
In this episode Caleb and I discuss our respective methods of planning out a campaign world – Faculty Meeting # 93 – Bringing the (cam)PAIGN!
In this episode Caleb and I discuss a topic brought up from reddit about a PC wanting to use a skill in an unorthodox way – DMs, this is what player’s do. They will try to figure out ways to use the rules to do things they shouldn’t do – regardless of what they are trying to do, this episode talks about how to let them feel good about their creativity without giving them a forever “I WIN” button. Faculty Meeting # 99 – Armor Slippage
In this episode guest co-host Quinn Wilson and I talk about setting entire campaigns in city settings. Faculty Meeting # 103 – City Scapes.
We talked some in the panel about succeeding at a cost – in this episode we discuss that concept in detail. Faculty Meeting # 109 – Sideways Success.
Here is an article I wrote on the importance of naming conventions.
Here is an article I wrote on the benefit of asking for fewer skill checks.
Here is an article on how to introduce players narrative control
Here is an article on how to utilize the background a player has for their PC.
