3 Tips for New Game Masters

Make it stand out

Have you ever thought about running your own game? Being the Game Master (GM also read DM Dungeon Master) comes with a few responsibilities, a bit of work and preparation but it’s so worth it. On my YouTube channel I have talked about the types of GMs that exist, at least as I understand them. Some might say I have a simplified view of the world.

               Unfortunately, if you want to play a game and you are having difficulties finding one. The last option you are left with aside from just not playing, is getting a group together and running things yourself. I have heard countless stories of GMs of last resort.

               Many of these GMs have found that running the game rewarded them in ways they never expected and some find out that it simply wasn’t meant to be. In either case I highly encourage you to try it out, you never know what you might learn.

               As a GM there are a lot of things you need to know, like the rules. This can be the most daunting thing a new GM can face. Don’t let it intimidate you. There are many ways to learn things, for myself I have ADHD and the thought of sitting down to read a rules manual is about as enjoyable as thrusting my hand into a running garburator.

               For new GMs I would suggest looking up a few of the rules in the book of what ever system you want to play/run and pick one or two that look interesting and plan a session around them. This saves you from having to learn everything all at once. Using this method you can learn the rules slowly as you play and the whole process seems just a little less daunting, more bite sized.

               If you are an experienced GM who has run games for a long time with other systems, you may want to look at the above as an approach but most likely you will have a good foundation in which to pull from.

               If you are a new GM don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I see many posts from viewers who tell me that they “want to run their first game” and I think this is wonderful. When I hear that my videos or content have inspired someone to run a game that is one of the best compliments I can get. Many of those same viewers will also tell me that they are afraid to make mistakes. Putting my personal views of making mistakes and how our North American culture treats them, the only advice I can give, which comes as a GM to my friends for several years, and a player many more years is this.

1.      don’t be afraid to make mistakes, they will happen. Your players will not blame you for them, if they do, I will go so far to say they are not the ones you want to have at your table anyways.

2.      You don’t have to know it all. If you don’t know something, look it up in the books for your chosen system. If you can’t find the answer within 5 minutes tops, make a call that seems reasonable and fair. As the GM write that item down in your notes that you need to look up later. Once the session is over, spend the time looking over what you didn’t know and present it to your players next time.

3.      Don’t let the rules get in the way of having fun. I have known GMs who throw out entire sections of their rule book (metaphorically) because its not the type of game they wanted to run. Don’t want to keep track o your ammo usage? Don’t.
if you don’t want to have a survival type of game then don’t make your players track food or buy rations.
I find these are some of the most common house rules (special rules for your table) that get tossed.

There is not right or wrong way to have a good time, if everyone at your table is enjoying it. This applies to all aspects of your game. Setting expectations is important, there is a whole other article I will write about setting proper boundaries as a player and a GM but that will be for another time.

               I hope your adventures are long, stories are immersive, and most of all…

Fun.