5 Duties of a Dungeon Master
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1:20 1. Prepare for game sessions (or, create situations not plots)
4:40 2. Hosting the game
6:03 3. Playing the world (referee and inform)
9:50 4. keep strict time records
11:30 5. Hack the rules
Thanks
Thank you
Thanks for this!
Thank you !!
Less a rule but I also think its important to have a backbone and say "no" sometimes. I had players try to be a munchkin to be outright malicious and hijack games for themselves all because nobody said no to them.
Yeah, playing with young people I'll often get an edgelord in there. Fun for them is pushing the envelope. I run a COOPERATIVE ADVENTURE GAME though, so no big things happen unless the party wants it to. You don't get to ruin the spirit of the game. It helps that I'm an adult playing with kids and their parents. I have zero problem telling a kid no. And no adult has been a problem yet.
EDIT: that said, there are times when the little edgelord wants to slaughter the Inn Keeper. I explain to everyone that the Innkeeper and his staff are retired adventurers, and the local lord will surely respond to violence in his domain. If they all want to do it, then cool beans, we're running an outlaw campaign! If they survive the battle with the Innkeeper and make off with his stuff, survive the chase scene fleeing from the local lord, and wanna hide out in the woods to avoid patrols seeking to hang them...hey, that's fun too I guess! No group has ever wanted to do that, and I explain it just that way, but I can't wait for it to happen. :-)
I totally agree about saying "no", boundaries let your players know that you're in control and have a clear idea about your world.
In my first game I said yes until I didn't like the game I was running, because I just thought that the players were right and I should say yes to make them happy. I was wrong.
Prepare loosely enough for player movement.
Be fair, but be firm.
Play the opponents to their strengths and weaknesses. Think outside their stat block.
Know your villains so you can improvise their reactions.
Develop treasures and moments that your players will engage with
Above all, arbitrate. You're not the ally nor the enemy of the players. You're the world.
Great advice. One more tip I've found useful: set clear expectations for the players about what kind of game you're playing. Most RPGs can be played in several different ways using the same rulebook. Is it hack and slash, intrigue, dungeon crawling, highly lethal, murderhobo or superheroic in tone? This doesn't need to be unilateral; it's best to negotiate this with the players. But it can help avoid situations where some players have differing expectations and play the game accordingly, or get bored or frustrated when it doesn't meet their expectations.
As a DM since 1980, I will say you are right on the money. Well done. Avoid the Linear Path trap. I have always run a Sand Box-centric game. The Players write the story not me. My job is to create the environment, moderate the tempo, and keep track of the rewards.
Preparing a session in the OSR is so fun! I love going on forums to look for ideas for the next campaign each time.
I am starting to get upset at myself and how “obvious“ these good advice lists are, and yet I am unable to articulate them myself.
Thank you, for putting this one together. This is I think the best set of dungeon master duties I have yet seen
The whole "telegraphing danger" and "keep strict time" have really transformed my GM'ing. I now have a calendar/clock for my games and make sure that I telegraph based on danger.
Also, with hacking, just make sure you understand the rules as they're written first. Without that you can make changes that have really unexpected ramifications. I hack a good bit, but I make sure I have done my homework first.
This video could easily be the curriculum checklist for a DM's apprentice. I've been running games for 25 years and I found these a great refocus lesson. Kudos on the traps video too, I now own Maze Rats, and look forward to your next video.
This is honestly all really solid advice regarding "Duties". Thanks Ben! I don't think you explicitly mentioned it, except maybe "Hosting the Game", but something to add is truly listening to your players. I believe this is an extremely important aspect of being a solid GM, cheers!
The second duty he mentioned was communicating with the players, which is a two-way street! But it's definitely worth calling out that a crucial part of that is listening.
For GM advice looking at the design philosophies of Apocalypse World, Mouse Guard, Burning Wheel, and WWN/SWN is something I recommend. It's permanently changed what I want in my games.
Commenting to save and to ask what the heck is WWN/SWN?
@@papamojo2904 Worlds Without Numbers & Stars Without Numbers
@@papamojo2904 worlds without number/stars without number are fantasy and scifi rpgs respectively. Some of the best toolkits for world and adventure generation
@@papamojo2904
He's reviewed them before. Worlds Without Number and Stars Without Number are two Sandbox Style RPGs by Kevin Crawford that provide great tools to make world building easy for the GM.
Coming from an ADnD background which was full of no-you-cants ..the best thing I learned these last few years as a GM is to tell "Yes, why not"...to allow of things I hadnt thougt of. Yes is a pleasant setting (to paraphrase the poet)
About hacking rules, I worry that if I change rules too many times or too frequently I may frustrate my players. They are making characters and decisions according to rules after all
Yes, that is a widespread problem: People claim they play D&D when in reality they are playing something else.
Here I agree (Based on that that most modifications are for converting D&D into an RPG) with those who say: Why modify D&D to become something else, when you can drop D&D entirely and go play that RPG instead?
@@larsdahl5528 I think we're talking about seperate things. My issue is if I keep playing around with rules I may give a beta test constant patching feel to the game. But the only way to see changes is to put them into the game.
I think if you and the party are having fun with the majority of a system (d&d or otherwise) it may be less costly to modify the system instead of hunting for a system that will fit the game you want to play. Or you and your players enjoy the game design side of things. There does come a point when you're better off playing something else than to force d&d into a non-d&d hole.
@@emirefli To be honest, there will be those who will still use dnd or their current system for a type of play that many will say its worth playing for another system to achieve mentioned typr of play.
For me if a consise conversion system exists that helps transitioning character details from one system to another then there'd be more weight to the 'use a different system' argument but as it stands human persistance, rules snatching from other systems and homebrewing would be used instead.
In my experience players are down to go along with rules changes as long as they are not losing resources they invested, because of your changes.
@@larsdahl5528 because it's easy and fun?
This is a good gem of advice. I am an improv-heavy GM. 1. I follow a lot of advice from Apocalypse World / Dungeon World, "Be a fan of the players." 2. I follow the advice from Runehammer and limit my notes of a session to one page on a notebook. 3. Everything else evolves from player input. "Is there an alchemist?" Of course there's an alchemist, let's see who this alchemist is... "Is there a trap?" Of course there's a trap. Let's find out what it is...
Really helpful Ben ty. I’ve gone on a journey in the last year, unlearning 5e and relearning Basic. Can’t wait to start new adventure this weekend
The Alexandrian has been foundational to me. So glad you referenced him.
I’ve reached the point where I just like the video as soon as it starts because I know it’s gonna be great
Top notch advice here. Knave 2e is gonna be great!
My additions (which, to be fair, can be extrapolated from what you said anyway):
Don't get too attached to your ideas. If the players screw them in unexpected ways, so be it.
Be fair, but when in doubt, reward the players' creativity and proactivity rather than shut down their ideas.
This is great advice!
Some of my own advice would be to ask the players questions when building the world. For example when I enter a town I may describe a few key details but asks the players what they/characters would like to fine there or what the inn looks like. I would say it’s like I create the outlines and they fill it in with color.
I don’t over do it and don’t let is replace prep but I do try to ask more questions then “what do you want to do?”
You're like 60% of the way there, but this is serviceable advice for anyone who's just starting out. Random Encounters and using tables has caused riots at some tables I've been at. I don't find them very useful myself, as my players are encouraged to do the unexpected stuff themselves without my prompt.
I'll leave you with the 3 Ps:
1. Pacing- DM/Game are entirely responsible for the pace that the game goes. Sometimes you want them to feel like they are being hunted, other times you want them to lose track of a couple of days. Whatever happens is because you or the narrative determine how fast, often, and intensely things happen.
2. Preparation- you need to prepare tension, conflict, and consequences. That's it. If you properly lay those out then it won't matter how "on rails" the party stays or how open the sandbox is, the outcome will be inevitable if you prep for the player and the character. Do things they like and that their characters are good at (also stuff they struggle with) to achieve maximum returns.
3. Promise- You have to fulfill the promises of your game. If you tout your game as a "dark gritty" game then don't have the mildly offensive gay stereotype as a vendor. If you're going for High Fantasy then make sure you deliver on that wonder and epic scope at least once per level (about every three or so sessions). Whatever you are doing tone, theme, or genre-wise then your game needs to be oozing with that kind of goodness.
Only addendum I would put to this is that you should try the rules as is at least once before changing them. Sometimes a rule seems bad until you try it in practice and realize the system doesn't work without it. Only an issue when trying a new ruleset.
This is a great list. I am new to your channel. The flow of information from DM to players can be challenging. Long lore dumps, too subtle clues, hinting and not simply telling, and player dissociation from in-game world events (not paying close attention - DM and/or Players) are examples of things that have caused problems for me as a DM. Question: have you covered "information flow" and what works, what does not work so well in one or more of your videos? Thank you very much for the content!
On hacking the rules: I agree, however I would also caveat it by saying that *anyone* can heck the rules, not just the GM, but that whenever someone *does* hack the rules, you need to be in collective agreement about those changes. Whether that means keeping a shared google doc of alternate rules, or just verbal agreements, it's important to not be changing the rules on the fly and without warning. I've had a GM do that in the past, and it basically destroyed our group, because they made changes to the rules without telling us until those rules came up in play. It was infuriating!
I love that you use open dice rolls and rgns good stuff
1. Prepare for sessions.
Avoid plots. Instead, present mooks, powerful villains, treasure, wonders.
As a DM, let the world react to player choices.
Create NPC bio-lines and relate the NPCs.
Include recovered items which may be used to solve problems.
2. Host the game.
Present activities within the game for the players to choose from.
Assess player engagement. Adjust game play as necessary. Kick out knuckleheads.
3. Play the world.
Be an impartial, consistent referee. Don't compete with the players.
Roll dice in the open. Use random generation tables.
When players make unexpected decisions, emphasize their impact.
Generously provide information - factional conflict, villainous motivation, the nature of magic,
city layout, signposts for risk.
4. Log game time.
As time passes, demonstrate increased threats, villainous progress.
Schedule events in the game. Mention how much time remains.
5. "Hack" the rules.
Try out changes to rules - even fundamental ones - your players may enjoy. Revert as necessary.
These are refreshingly based duties. Amen to no fudging dice. I commend rolling dice in the open. I love that you point out that you should lean towards giving too much information (so true).
Love it. I've been running TTRPGs for approx. 20 years (with tons of trial and error in the process) - and this video hits the nail on the head. Very insightful. Hopefully it saves some new DMs some time and frustration learning the ropes. :)
Oh, you've allready heared of him, and I absolutely agree to create places.
Great comment about creating scenarios vs plots... A great reminder that the players are the ones that create the story.
Just came here to say I got Murk Borg for Christmas and it did not disappoint!
Wow. This is basically a pretty complete guide to how to DM in 14 minutes - very impressive!
I already had players that didn't even log their xp and magic items found at the end of a session...
I had to keep track of those things, not the players.
Great vid, Ben. Solid advice. Looking forward to Knave 2E. Cheers
Duty number 1... Sbam, professor dungeon master!
Solid advice Ben loking foward for more about Knave 2nd, I also agree with showing up the level of treat with clear description so PC's can deal with it in their own way.
One of the best advice videos for DM's I've seen in a while, and so succinct.
Lots of really solid advice here! I think the second half of the video is what will stick out as the newest to some people, I know those points were the ones I wish I had learned long before I did!
I definitely see the benefits of DMs rolling out in the open, but for new DMs, like me, rolling in secret can be a life saver. I once underestimated a monster's damage output and nearly tpk'd my entire party in one shot. I have, luckily, learned from my mistake, but had I rolled out in the open, I feel like it would have been hard for me to change the damage outcome.
Ben I really encourage you to try posting some of this information on TikTok, there's a huge D&D community there that I think could use a lot of this info
Hight value content! Thank you!
Great video as always, do you have any recommendations for great 'rules' for running with calendars? Would love to see a video exploring different rulesets and settings that incorporate time well, and how you recommend running it as it's something I've only seen in a handful of examples
I’ve been looking for advice like this for years: ‘ I build places not plots’.
Thanks for the video Ben! All important points covered!
Poncho Goblin is such a great name!
hey Ben, i'd like to make a recommendation for a review. Fantasy Flight Games put back into print the old West End Games Star Wars Roleplaying Game from 1987 a few years ago. It has some serious OSR vibes even though it doesn't use the traditional d20 system. (it uses a D6 dice pooling system) I think it would be a good read. They come in a two-book pack, one of them being the rulebook, the other being a generalized sourcebook. The thing i like about it is it doesn't use a leveling system. you improve individual skills through practice. I think it's definitely worth a look at, as this was around the same time as AD&D, and was it's own thing.
Great Game. I have the original bought in 1989.
gr8 tips. thanks for sharing.
For me the one piece of advise id say for the gm is to be consistent in the player's limits and what the table is willing to go with. I believe that said limits and agreements are as much important to be consistent with as the rules are importany to being consistent with.
To be honest i tend to have a hard time following your content since the comments and even context on some of said content can rub me on the wrong shoulder but ive appreciate some of the practical stuff you brought out over the years and the things you showcased were interesting. Would it bring me to the osr community away from modern rpgs? No, since some of the stuff the osr has or emphasises doesnt appeal and even deters me from but its something i dont regret putting a finger on alongside modern and indie rpgs.
Some players will dominate the game more than others. Always try to get the quiet ones involved in the game as well. Keep the party engaged as a whole.
Yess
Be ready to tell a loud player to quiet down when 2 people are speaking
Sometimes i settle conflicts where two players want to do different things to the same thing with an initiative roll
5:30 what do you do when a player can't handle the threat level in your campaign?
Speaking personally... I roleplay to immerse myself in the shoes of someone else, I can't handle a lot of high stress low odds do or die.
The legitimate threat of death is good, but if that threat is too high it gets to me in a negative way.
If death without revival is too common I grow numb and lose my connection with my character and my investment in the game.
Only thing I don’t do is random tables on the fly, I’ll use them for prep before hand
I would love to play a tabletop roleplaying game or war game with an actual referee type player. One that keeps an eye on what the dm and the players are doing then let's them know when they interact with each other. It'd be like taking the npcs and exploration away from the dm so the dm is only responsible for the enemies and the good guys and bad guys can progress separately until they collide with or effect each other.
I'd be very interested in seeing a more in-depth time management video. As a long time DM, I find it's one of the hardest things for me to integrate into games - I have difficulty tracking time in real life, and my players frequently seem to feel like time is irrelevant in the game unless I specify some reason that it's super critical. Then I think newer players get frustrated because they just 'don't know what to do' even without time pressure.
Might be a bit of a late response but check out ICRPG and it's use of timers. There are also several videos on this topic by professor DM and Brendam Gilham (the creator of icrpg) :)
Any strategies for keeping strict time records? I see the benefits of it, but at the table I just always... Forget about it... I think it would make a great video
Great video!
I think this is a good list.
I just had this thought for a dungeon: The forward dungeon. The idea I that it consists of a corridor followed with an all branch open labyrinth ending with a single room containing rewards. Inside the dungeon there is no enemies on their path, no skeleton and no object, only walls.
The idea is that as long as they stay on the path and never look behind, they never meet the face of an ogre on a giant worm. If someone look behind, the worm will attack them.
The worm is the size of of the corridors blocking any escape.
I haven't decided on the health pool or as but I thought I'd share this idea.
what about a one shot? where you have a time limit or story to "complete"?
This is pretty good. Thanks.
awesome vid!
Very nice, well said!
Do the dooties! 💩 Great content as usual good sir!
Thank you, someone can only say “duty” so many times before my mind takes a turn towards the gutter.
Have a plan, memorize the plan, know the plan, prepare the plan for any situation, have a backup plan. get to the game-Toss the plan out the window
Hey!
@@Tony-lc5kc hey
Great vid.
No, only roll the dice in the open to create tension,
roll behind a screen when you can, so when you need to roll in the open they know its bad (you are showing that the fate of what happens to them is on the dice, not the gm etc,)
do it right and it can be a useful tool,
Also, not every roll should be seen, nor dictated, sometimes you roll just for inspiration, if your idea is better do it,
As the gm its your responsibility to make judgement calls, and sometimes you need to veto a dice roll,
Agreed, I often roll for random inspiration, pure chance, to determine disposition, or to determine who is affected by something. I’ll override these rolls if they don’t meet my needs or my gut says otherwise. I don’t need to distract my players with these rolls.
Sometimes a 20 on my rolls means something great for the players, something terrible, or something I’ll ignore.
When it’s really bad, I’ll do a public roll. If all my rolls were player facing, this technique would lose its impact.
Yes, sometimes certain dice rolls, like when a character searches/tries something it may be more relevant that the GM makes the roll such that the player does not know if a failure was because the character's skill was not good enough or because it was not possible at all.
- or -
if success was because the character was skilled or because the failure was so grave that the character believe to have gotten things right.
All quite sound advice, although i handle rolling dice differently. As a DM of over 20 years i never roll in the open. I have a couple of reasons. First of all it gives information away players should not be able to have like levels of NPC for example, which in turn influences their decisions and can even arbitrarily dampen their suspense if they conclude the threat is smaller then they expected.
Second reason is, i roll the dice from time to time for no reason whatsoever. It is a nice little trick to keep the energy high and catch their atttention again. You can do this only so often during a game but once or twice it works fine.
Third reason is that i actually tweak the dice sometimes actually, in opposition to your view i see the game also as an act of storytelling. Yes, players should suffer from dumb decisions, but they should not suffer from a stupid Random number. Of course this also has to be used wisely and scarcely.
In conclusion i just use the numbers i roll 95-99% of the time, but in order to be able to pull off some little tricks to improve on the experience i never roll dice in the open.
I think both ways, rolling concealed and rolling open, have their advantages and for a group i barely know i would probably also roll in the open. So i can understand doing it.
Nice rules, and I don't even play D&D-like games.
So I take it you're not a fan of the healing potion mimic, eh?
Players are not used to running away or anything that isn't combat now a days. Like the one time I pleased a red dragon to not kill us only for the moron of the group to cast fireball on it and try and kill it. Almost caused a TPK.
x2 speed so I can comment fast
Hello everyone. Any advice for a newbie to OSR? Looking on running a megadungeon (Forbidden Caverns) for OSE.
Learn the procedures for exploration and encounters well. Implement the mechanics of morale and reaction rolls for monsters and NPCs as they are vital. Ask players to describe their actions clearly eg. In a search scenario what they are looking at rather than what they are looking for. If they are unsure ask what their characters would do as well what they would do in a situation. Most of all have fun and don't be worried about making mistakes everyone learns from them.
Edit: spelling
You mentioned random generators in your video. Do you have any recommendations?
Tome of Adventure Design, Maze Rats
@@QuestingBeast Thanks, I will check them out 👍
What are Wonders? What do you mean about that?
In my own games, wonders are things or events that are very strange, imposing or impressive. Things like a flying castle, a town of madmen throwing a boistrous feast, a golden palace set on the edge of endless golden clouds, etc. Really break out the poetry. Evoke smells, sounds and tastes.
@@benjaminloyd6056 OK... Thank you 😊!!!
a big difference I see in myself I I never roll. I use random tables but I either pre-roll during prep or select the most appropriate thing. I don't like dice, they're random and I feel natural realistic worlds aren't.
Yes Players roll AC and damage resist against flat damage.
Split the party? Ugh.
I'm not fond of random encounters, I feel like they are, more often than not, little more than time wasters - filler content meant to pad out the play time. They rarely add anything to a game unless the GM can come up with some metastory element for them very quickly and, when I was a player, I always loathed seeing the GM roll for them. At best, I might roll from a random table while planning the session and incorporate the result into the other encounters I've prepared for the night - but that'd happen a day or two in advance. I still do plenty of improvisation but I prefer to leave random charts out of that - as I can improv situation/location appropriate encounters better than a chart can.
Also, 'dice fudging' is one of those arguments that the GM community has waged for decades - it's not about altering reality so it comes out the way you want, it's about creating the most engaging and enjoyable encounters for the players, and being fucked over by the dice isn't fun for anyone. The single most common complaint I hear from players, on forums all across the internet, is how the dice often ruin their awesome ideas and shining moments; make no mistake, allowing players to 'fail forward' and have 'partial success' are the same as fudging dice, it's just a different cheat to reach the same end.
So many games say “If a player wishes to do something risky or dramatic, roll dice!” or “If the consequences of failure are interesting, roll dice!”
I wish more would say “If success is both plausible and significantly more interesting than failure, let it happen without a roll”
Random encounters can def be time wasters when not tied to the rest of the world/story. I think part of what QB was assuming is that those encounters are still relevant to the world-story. Personally, I'll always prep my own encounter tables, but like any choice to roll, you roll only when it's not apparent. It's not always wandering monsters either - it can be an adventurer running away from a nearby threat, or a story seed if there's some villagers being attacked by the villain, etc. Totally works not to roll at all too, but I've always thought of a DM rolling as part of their own discovery of the world and an honesty of risk/reward for the players
Unfortunately I see the "hack the rules" advice over and over and I still can't understand why it is any good. Or, better said, it is good advice if you are stubbornly playing a game that you don't really like or if its game design is not really good. Why the DM must be a game designer (on top of all the other tasks)? Game design is a job and requires extensive testing. I payed for a set of rules and I want them to be solid. Moreover, if the GM takes authority over the rules, then the GM is exposed to the direct criticism of the players. One player could know better than the GM, another could try to bend the rules to their like. So the game risks to boil down to a social agreement that is re-negotiated every session. A very unstable social agreement compared to the simple "let's play THIS game rules as written".
The system rules are kinda like the laws of physics. I want them to stay put. You can't invent airplanes or radar if the laws of physics keep shifting under yer feet. The laws of physics never change. Look at the infinite number of stories told in history, and nobody felt the need to tweek physics so they could happen. Maybe there's a way to keep consistent rules and still do the story stuff we want?
@@vincejester7558 I would just play a specific game RAW, expecting it to be good and complete. And I would like if rpg authors design their games bearing this in mind.
Some of those "Duties" sound like "Do not play D&D when you play D&D".
I think a "Duty" should be "At regular basis ask the other players: Are you ready to put D&D aside, and change to play some real Role-Playing Game instead?".
Ditto!