# Becoming a Dm **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [August 18, 2025, 10:10am UTC](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/becoming-a-dm/9112 "2025-08-18T10:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 17
**Author:** ![Darthbinks](https://www.rpgvienna.com/user_avatar/www.rpgvienna.com/darthbinks/32/9_2.png) [@Darthbinks](https://www.rpgvienna.com/u/Darthbinks)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/becoming-a-dm/9112/17 "2025-08-25T16:52:17Z")
@xaosseed I use (mostly) this … hope that helps 🙂 # Darthbinks DM Advice _just focus on everyone having fun, and you should be fine_ 🙂 _if you want more details … see below_ 👇 ## Advice for running a game > **Give the players Information** > > if a player character should know something, because of their background … just give them the information > **only let them make a Check if it would be interesting should they actually fail** > if you want/need the players have certain information to understand a situation / plot … just give it to them > > > - since you have the History skill, you know … > > - as a fellow Soldier, you recognise … > > - as a Cleric, you feel … > **Failing Forward** > > if a player fails a roll, you could also make them succeed at cost … or offer them to succeed at cost if you are feeling nice^^ > > > - you managed to translate it, but the text brings dire news > > - your attack is a Critical Hit, but your weapon breaks > > - you succeed but suffer a complication (e.g. a wound, go slightly insane, …) > **Prepare Situations not a Railroad** > > Think about a situation and let the players come up with something how to solve it > and when they had an idea that could work, **just let them go with it** … it really helps if you think about 3 things they might do what would work … but don’t restrict your players plan to the 3 things you came up with before \ (_that is just a thought-excercise that can help you from prevent creating an unsolvable situation_) > > > - infiltrate a noble ball (disguise as performers, forge invitations, convince a invited noble who seeks revenge) > > - get an ancient pass-phrase (ask a sphinx, make a deal with a devil, find a secret side tunnel that bypasses the magic wards) > > - convince the Prince (convince his secret lover, bribe his treasurer, extort the Prince with his hidden past) > **Prepare Scenes as if they would be Playing Cards** > > think about what scenes would be cinematic/cool and prepare (~8-10) them > … then think about these scenes like playing cards … and when a situation would come up, when one of them would fit, “play” one of these scenes > > > - the npc reveals herself to be an ancient dragon > > - ninjas crashing through the windows > > - hordes of ghouls burrow through the earth, attacking everything from below > **Clocks / Trackers** > > give a certain task, that would take a bit of time, a “Health Bar” > and every time the players or a npcs work towards that goal → fill it up > (or add to the “Health Bar” if someone/-thing makes it harder) > > > - repair a village > > - research a cure > > - mediate peace negotiations > **NPC Pictures** > > almost no one who joins a game after a workday can remember tons of npcs > just show the players nice pictures from your phone, tablet, or a book > … if they are really a lot, you can also print them out with name tags > > this is esp. useful if your game involves lots of npcs (e.g. in an intrigue scenario, or a crime investigation) > **Combat Riddle Encounters** > > design a boss fight like a riddle the players have to overcome > … **just don’t overuse this** … use it for meaningful boss fights > … also keep in mind that the **players should get the information** what might/-not work > > > - press switching consoles to make the boss vulnerable for a turn > > - they know that there are 2 things in the dungeon that would help against the boss > > - a boss with limitless Hit Points, but one that is clumsy and can be easily tricked > **Pacing** > > **look at the time and 1h before the end steer it to a finale** > this is esp. useful in oneshots or sandbox adventures … or games that rely more on freeform and improvisation > > Should you ever have too much plot for a oneshot … always cut things from the middle not the end > > > e.g. skip a level in the dungeon, and don’t rush the fight with the endboss > **Focus on having Fun** > > when everyone has fun, everyone wins > **you as a DM are also allowed to have fun** > … if you don’t, then talk with your group about it and change something > rpgs are a communication game > > this does not mean that you can’t games about ‘heavy topics’ (e.g. an Anti-War Drama), but everyone (incl. you) should enjoy exploring those ## Advice for planning a campaign / setting > **Pick a Theme and stick with it** > > choose a theme for your game … you also can choose sub-themes for chapters of your campaign > > > - breaking the cycle of violence > > - blood is a drug > > - ancient forbidden knowledge > **World-Building: Start Small then Expand** > > you do not have to plan every continent and your whole mythology from the start > just start small and when needed expand … and add things when needed > > > - start with a city block > > - start with a village > > - start with a small island > **NPC Trove** > > if your campaign has a lot of (recurring) NPCs, set up a trove (e.g. at your groups Discord channel) and post them there … ideally with some pictures > **Let PCs make up NPCs** > > sometimes … on character creation … I let players make up npcs to fill a setting > > optional … you could draw them deeper into the story as a cost every time a players requires their help > if you do this, it should be an informed cost though > > > - your BFF > > - your mum/dad > > - your noisy neighbor > **Meaningful Choices** > > force your players to make hard, meaningful choices > > > - what do they do when they encounter knowledge that could challenge the believe system of the entire region? > > - do they rescue the trapped princess, even if this could start a war? > > - do they make a pact with the Archdevil, if the reward could make a lasting peace possible? > **Decisions with Consequences** > > let the decisions of the player characters matter > when they did something what could have an impact … make a note and let it come up again and again and again … > > > - did they let the princess escape, who wanted to start a new life? > > - did they read the forbidden tome of knowledge? > > - did they inform the Sheriff about the Anarch-hideout? > **Bottled Settings** > > give the player characters the information that leaving the area is super deadly > this helps that they have to deal with the consequences of their actions in that setting > e.g. if they piss someone off, they just can’t wander o a different place > … you can introduce means to cross these barriers later in the campaign, if you want > > > - everyone who goes to the swamps vanishes > > - with these treacherous currents there is no way to leave the island > > - the landscape outside the city walls is overrun by zombies > **Create a Faction Triangle** > > this works best for sandbox campaigns: > create 3+ bigger _ **neutral** _ factions and make them > a) philosophical opposed to each other, and > b) make those 3 chase them same thing **for different reasons** > do that in a way that it is … almost … impossible to find a common ground > … still … if they players find a way … just go with it then add at least one enemy faction, throw your player in there and let them go wild^^ > > > - religious-cult, crime guild, foreign diplomats (“a mysterious substance”) > > - foreign pirates, undead conquistadores, native dinosaur riders (“a hidden city”) > > - anarchist hackers, reborn ancestors, Cthulhu cultists (“the divine code”) > **Weaving published adventures together** > > this works best for episodic campaigns: > just pick several adventures (e.g. from anthologies etc.) and modify them in a way that they work together > you can do this by make a npc of 2+ different adventures the same person etc. > this works like a charm and saves a lot of time^^ > > > - episodes of the Star Ship U.S.S. Vienna > > - misadventures of the students of Strixhaven > > - missions of the frontier guards of the northern stronghold of the kingdom > **Make your Setting Dynamic** > > between the game sessions let something happen in the background > this is also a good way to think about how the various npcs react to the developments kicked of by the players or even other npcs > > > - the military starting to draft more and more soldiers > > - the revolutionaries are preparing for their big strike > > - the agents of Cthulhu continue to create sleeper agents ## Advice for setting up a campaign > **The players should be comfortable** > > make sure all players feel comfortable enough to be able to notice, when something makes one or more of them uncomfortable > > this is not something bad > we are all here to have a good time 🙂 > > some tables use an **Xcard** > this is especially useful in freeform/improv games > **On the same Page** > > clear up with everyone, that they and you are on the same page > > > - … could be also simple stuff as some folks not enjoying episodic campaigns > > - … could also be that someone suffers from sever arachnophia and you planned that spiders would play an important in your campaign > > - … could be that when you let the player characters rule a city, to make sure that everyone has kinda the same ideas … or how make those ideas work together > > **so check that first** > **Lines & Veils** > > before the game or at session 0, the players could talk about about their **Lines & Veils:** > > > **A Line** is something which will should never come up as part of a campaign or session, while **a Veil** ensures that whilst an action or event might take place, this will happen ‘off-screen. > > these **Lines & Veils** are not set in stone > if something would makes someone uncomfortable, I strongly encourage to stop the game ( **Xcard** etc.) and talk about it … before resuming to game > **Campaign Pitch: Expectations** > > when telling your (potential) players about your campaign idea about the tone & feel the campaign should have > again pictures really help, because they can set the mood > > subverting expectations can be interesting sometimes (if not overused), but then you should make sure that your players would also be fine with the surprise’s themes … and that you do not cross any **Lines** your players might have > > > some examples from the RPGVienna forum you can find > > [here](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/the-v-a-l-u-e-of-megafauna-riding/7114/1), [here](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/the-v-a-l-u-e-of-skullport/5656/1), or [here](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/v-a-l-u-e-the-age-of-worms/4815/1), or an older one [here](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/the-v-a-l-u-e-of-ravnica/4393/1) _this ☝ is just some stuff I use from time to time … you don’t have to use everything_ _just use what works for you, your ideas, and your group_ 🙂 --- _[View the full topic](https://www.rpgvienna.com/t/becoming-a-dm/9112)._