@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, here, or here, or an older one here
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
