Common Mistakes Every New DM Makes | Dungeon Master's Blog

Dungeon Master Mistakes to Avoid

I recently listened to a list on YouTube discussing some of the most common mistakes a dungeon master can make. It was phrased as list for new dungeon masters, though I'm very familiar with highly experienced DM's who've been at this for years of campaigning that admit to many of the same oversights. Still, though, if you are trying to DM for the first time, or you have been elected by your gaming group to be the storyteller in chief, consider these points as something you definately should not do, or if you do, don't be surprised if things don't go as you had planned. Before I begin, I would like to thank the DawnForged Cast folks for their outstanding channel. If you are a new DM, you should look into their channel. They cover the basics extremely well, and have hours of entertaining content about a variety of dungeon mastering topics

7) Overplanning & Overpreparing

Do you have some epic quest that you think makes the best d&d story ever? An end-boss or encounter that will just wow your players into having the most fun anyone could ever possibly have ever at a table evar???!!?!?!?!

Yeah. Scrap it.

Start small. Put something together that will get your players excited from the beginning, and never, never plan the end of an adventure first. There's no use in writing out pages and pages of exposition, encounter diagrams, labyrinth-esque dungeon maps etc; your players are going to break it. Well, usually, at least. I have two examples of this. First, my longest-running ever campaign started with me having written out this apocalypse scenario with awesome riddles, poetry of oracles long dead, the stats of the world-breaking demon, you know, the works. I explained the beginning of the adventure to my players, and asked them how they were going to start saving the world. Their answer? We say no to the high priest. Find somebody else. This doesn't sound like the kind of thing we want to get into right now. This group of players was much more into getting into bar fights, chasing down orc bandits and the like instead of saving the world. If I remember correctly I spun on a dime to find them a simpler job, defending a caravan as it traveled north through a mountain range. It was tough for me, to let go, but i was there to have fun, not to tell my own story. Eventually I ended up using many of the elements I had written in a different method (let no dungeon go to waste, right?). And eventually, this group had some of the most epic tales of heroism, world-saving, dragon-slaying debauchery I have ever had at a table before or since. We still talk about the dozen or so characters that weaved in and out of that story to this day. Overplanning my campaign was a great un-doing. Probably a week of plotting and scheming down the drain (for the most part), but the improvisation I resorted to ended up with probably the best game I have ever played.

The second example I used was when one of the players from that big group suggested that he might like to DM for a few sessions. I thought it would be a blast to get to play my NPC as a full character, so of course I agreed. He came in with an awesome dungeon, one he swore could mutilate our over-powered party (agreed I let them get out of control. I'm talking about you, Nick. and You, Matt. Seriously, what 6th level wizard really needs an earth elemental buddy?) Well, he came in with his maze full of demons. We started to play, and went through six or seven instances of "okay, you travel down 20 feet, right or left?" until all of us were like...dude, it just doesn't matter which way we go. We pick a direction. I distinctly remember the dejected look on his face as we explained that even though in your labyrinth, if it matter which path we take because one has a demon and another has a pile of fluffy pillows and scantily-clad serving girls, it wouldn't matter to us, since our characters have absolutely nothing to base our decisions off of. He got grumpy about it, and i think i saw him take an eraser to about 3/4ths of his maps, and yeah, after that it was much more fun. It probably took him 12 hours to make his crazy-elaborate dungeon...but in the end of it, it just wasn't any fun for any of us. Instead, it was soul-crushing to him, and frustrating to us.

In the end, starting small is the way to go. If you want to throw your players into a labyrinth later, great, go for it, but I suggest you steal from a module that has a really well designed one rather than just starting out on your own. It'll help you learn how to keep a labyrinth, or puzzle boards, in my case, interesting enough to keep your players listening.

6) Thinking That It Is Your Game

I have a friend who came to me with a campaign he had created and thought he would run it by me to see what I thought. There was entire amounts of world-building, and long, drawn-out expositions about barons, and the trade of salt and wine in the area, and he had maps, and had drawn up trade routes, it was definitely also an example of overpreparing above. Then I asked him, as he described the plot, "what happens if the players choose not to do that part?" In fact, there were multiple points in the plot that there wasn't really a hook to bring a character to decide to follow what the DM thought should happen next. His response:"Oh, well I'll have an NPC that can help guide them to the right places." ooooookkkkkaaaayyy.....choo choo here comes the railroad train.

He didn't seem to mind the whole railroad thing, and that works for some DM's so cool, whatever. Then things got worse. "Well what if none of your characters role-plays someone noble or innocent enough to be the chosen of the angel-goddess?" "Oh, well it wont be a player anyway, it will be my NPC. He's really cool, listen to his backstory (for three hours.....)"

At this point things need to stop. This is no longer a game, it is a novel that he wants people to act out with him. I'll give it to him, it was a really, really cool story. That NPC? awesome character development, I wished he would play him as a PC in one of my games. But this isn't a game of D&D. This is your fantasy novel.

Sure, this is a really extreme example of the DM thinking the game is about him and his ideas, but I think it illustrates the point really well. In no way is it the dungeon master's duty, privilege or even is it his right to express his creativity and have everyone else marvel at it. Instead, it is the DM's job to encourage the remainder of the party to be creative. Sure, he gets some expression too, like he did need to plan the encounter, or improvise what this cliff-face looked like, or whatever the case may be, but "his" story or "his" game do not get to happen. Instead, his creativity is just a setting in which the other players' get to thrive.

5) New DM's Dont State Their Expectations

This one gets me. Different players and different parties may have different ideas of fun, sure. But there is no reason why anyone who really likes this game and is willing to go at a session with an open mind should have any reason to bad-mouth a marginally competent dungeon master after a few sessions. "There wasn't enough combat, there was too much role-playing, I wanted more chances to be evil," what ever complaint could have come up afterwards should have been handled by setting the expectations at the beginning of the game.

"Hey guys, I'm mike, welcome to my table, thanks for the mountain dew and cheetos. just so you know, I like to play games in cities, less in the wilderness, and with less combat but more intrigue and detective-ing. Also, I prefer we keep things above-board, because some people at the table, including me sometimes, don't really like getting into the dirtier parts of the human psyche that includes torture, murder, and some worse things. Also, there'll be no abusing of women, players, characters, NPC's, nothing. I just wont have it in my games. Everybody cool with that?"

There, the new guy who usually likes to bash things with his warhammer all day now knows what you expect, and might pick up a bard with a high intelligence and charisma instead, and chances are (unless he's just a shitty player), he'll have a bunch of fun solving the murders of the rue morgue or whatever. See? Set your expectations. When you don't, your players can get upset for all kinds of silly reasons when a session doesn't go their way. Personally, I just like to set up the sandbox, and tell people that i like heavier role-playing, like developed characters, but if you aren't comfortable with that, that's fine, just don't ever let it happen that your fun is taking someone else's away and we will be fine. So far I've only had a few problem players at my table, and usually they just aren't invited back.

4) Rules Lawyering and Over-Explaining the Rules

Yeah, the combat and tactics book has some cool stuff in it. But sweet holy mother of doug. Stop it with the explanations already! Under no circumstances should you allow rules bickering at your table, and if a rule takes more than one time to explain to an experienced player, then its a shitty rule and you should throw it away. In fact? Screw the rules all together. Just have fun. Never let anything ever get bogged down in discussing the semantics or mechanics of the rules. Its just not important enough. Remember the most important rule of D&D, just have some fun, already.

3) Shut Up and Allow the Players to Play

I'm sure I'll talk about my thoughts on railroading at some point, but the short version is that I don't like it, and avoid it whenever possible, but i know it's necessary sometimes. But railroading as a dungeon master is only one example about what we are talking about here. Instead, I mean, you should just let them have fun where they are. Don't be the DM who whines "buy guys, the princess, she's in the clutchess of the evil viscount Evilviscounterson!" Nobody wants that. If they're having a great time just chilling in the tavern, bantering with the witty halfling merchant, let them! They don't need to move on just yet, they need to have fun right now.

The important thing to note here is that interacting with each other and with the setting. They don't need another plot point, they need what they've got right now, so long as they are enjoying it. That being said, there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of their procrastination to introduce another plot point, or.....if you want to really be a wicked, mean DM, have a local thief steal from them, and have them thrown out of town when they cant pay the bar tab. Good times, now you just made a recurring villain in the thief that stole from them.

2) Stop Trying to be Original

A lot of these seem to link back to overplanning. In this case, it's important to realize that your first couple of sessions need to pass so you can really familiarize yourself with the flow of being a dungeon master. Until then, until that time when you really know how to actually do this, you shouldn't be trying to go all-out with the creativity. Instead, follow an earlier tip I shared: steal from the best.

Use some modules. Go with an adventure you've played in before under a different dungeon master, or at least stick with a setting you already know really well from fantasy literature or a movie or something. Also, don't go inventing your own rules just yet. Stick to the books as much as possible, unless they get in the way of having fun. For instance, you should never try to make your own spells thinking yours are better than those in the players' handbook. Those are carefully crafted to serve specific purposes, and until you really know what is going on an understand the balance that magic can disrupt, you shouldn't be messing with it.

1) The Players' Fun Is Your Fun

This is, truly, the most important thing for a new DM to understand. You don't get to have fun unless your players are having fun first. Also, if your players are enjoying it, then it should be more fun for you. Sort of like the point above, you don't need to rush them along to get to a story. You also don't need to make anything flashy or impressive, so long as they are all having fun. Seriously, don't get upset if people aren't thrilled by your game so far. Instead, start adapting to what you see them respond to. Did they like the scary fight they had to run from? Make another, or let them finally beat the monster they fled from, so they can all high-five afterwards.