DMing a game of Dungeons and Dragons can be an intimidating affair. You’re playing an almost entirely different game to everyone else at the table, and as official rules adjudicator, you have more responsibility than the average Wizard or Fighter. Despite this, I encourage every D&D fan to try DMing at least once. Personally, I think it’s a far superior way to play.
For the Dungeon-Master-curious D&D fan, here are a few reasons why you should hop over the DM screen and switch sides for a few sessions.
It’s always your turn
Sometimes, combat runs long. Other times, another player has an important but lengthy monologue to conduct. Whatever the reasons, sometimes your focus on D&D can…begin…to drift.
What’s for dinner after tonight’s session anyways? Do you need to do laundry? Maybe there’s time for you to quickly send a text message–
When you’re a Dungeon Master, you don’t have the luxury of taking your eye off the ball. It is always your turn. The things your players say and do have a direct impact on your battle strategies and story points, so you’ll need to pay close attention to them.
At best, you might be able to steal a few moments to yourself during a player monologue – but these are usually spent grabbing a stat block that has suddenly become relevant or making notes about how this dramatic speech will affect the upcoming boss fight.
This may make DMing sound hectic and tiring, but it’s quite the opposite. Being ever-vigilant during a game of D&D is energizing. There’s no room for you to slump and become sluggish, feeling like you have nothing to contribute to the session. It’s always go-time, and the game stays exciting from start to finish.
You’re not limited to one character
It’s common for DnD campaigns to span a year or two, and some run for many more. If you’re anything like me, playing a single class for that long can start to feel same-y.
You could start multiclassing, or you could request that your DM brings that character to a swift end, but this doesn’t always make narrative sense, and it might weaken your current DnD character build. You might be torn between doing what’s best for the campaign and what’s best for your attention span.
This is a problem that a Dungeon Master will never have. They’re in charge of narrating and fighting on behalf of an army of DnD monsters, each with unique personalities and mechanics to play with.
You get to weave a grand narrative
Arguably the greatest reward of DMing is the creative freedom at your fingertips. As the captain of the good ship Narrative, the designs of every enemy are decided by your hand. You can pull prompts from a bare player backstory and turn them into sprawling, personalized quests. You are more powerful than any videogame technology – you can create a living world for your party to engage with.
Some Dungeon Masters relish this opportunity and write novel-length descriptions of their homebrew world. Others delight in recreating epic moments and characters from their favorite pop culture media, only in Dungeons and Dragons form. Some skip the homework entirely and let their brain dream up new ideas in the moment, improving in response to the players.
Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room, though. Some players are intimidated by the thought of being ‘in charge’ of a campaign. For those among you with these worries, we have good news…
Lots of the hard work is done for you
The total control that Dungeon Masters have over their D&D game is actually an illusion. DMing is primarily a reactive activity, where you let players make all the major decisions and simply bounce off of their choices.
Unlike in traditional, linear storytelling, the DM only needs to prepare the beginning. You decide that an ogre is attacking the party’s DnD Bastion, but only they can determine what happens after.
This means that, if it suits your preferred DMing style, session prep can be as simple as a few scribbled bullet points (in fact, that’s how some of the world’s most experienced game designers do it). You can develop the lore of the land as your players go, using their actions as inspiration.
Another myth that’s often spread about DMing is that you’re expected to know the Player’s Handbook back to front. Let me bust that myth for you – no DM needs to be a complete encyclopedia of knowledge.
It doesn’t hurt if you can recall how a particular spell works from memory, but if you can’t, you can easily skim through the rulebook (or search the internet) without disrupting the pace of your game. Plus, there might be an experienced player at your table who is able to recall that rule faster than you.
Remembering how to play Dungeons and Dragons is a cooperative activity where everyone can contribute. You aren’t expected to know and do everything just because you’re the Dungeon Master.
The more you DM D&D, the more likely it will be that you can recite rules by memory. That means that being a DM gets easier the more you do it. So why not start now? Especially given the next reason on my list.
Everyone appreciates you
At times, there seems to be a real shortage of D&D DMs in the world. It’s why there are so many social media groups and platforms dedicated to helping people find games. If you spend enough time in a D&D forum or Facebook group, before long you’ll see a post that goes something like this: “my friends and I want to start playing Dungeons and Dragons, but none of us know how to DM: can anyone help?”
I’ve previously written about how more people should get over themselves and learn to DM D&D. But until they do, people like you – who willingly take up the mantle of Dungeon Master – will be hailed as heroes.
Many players like to show their appreciation for the work a Dungeon Master does. Some do this by offering lengthy backstories and prep work of their own behind the scenes, all of which makes your DMing job easier to do. Others will simply pay the ‘DM tax’, turning up to sessions with drinks and snacks.
These aren’t the main reasons we do the job of DMing, but they’re certainly a perk. Plus, there’s no greater satisfaction than ending a session and having your players turn to you to express their thanks. Knowing your friends had a great time – and that you helped make that happen – is reward enough.
If you’d like to pick up a few DMing tips, our Wargamer Discord is full of friendly faces who love the game. Or, if you’d still prefer to be a player, here’s all you’ll need to know about DnD classes and DnD races.
Source: Wargamer
