Dungeon Mastering for Newbies: A Guide For DMing

So, you want to get started on Dungeon Mastering, or DMing for short. Maybe your friends are asking you to play, or your last campaign split up. Or perhaps you have an epic inkling for an idea for an adventure you want to take your friends on! But you have a problem: Where the heck to begin?

Well, the first place to start Dungeon Mastering would be your basic idea for a campaign. Start small. And figure out what sort of  campaign you want , and go from there. Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. If you have a goal of where you want your players to go, your story will be much more focused. Of course, your players may choose to take an entirely different direction than where you’re initially thinking of, and that’s okay!

“But what if my idea isn’t original enough, or cool enough?” You may ask. Fear not, it is totally okay to turn to other stories to guide you in Dungeon Mastering.

There are absolutely tropes in Dungeon Mastering, and in stories in general.

After all, like Joseph Campbell’s “Hero with a Thousand Faces” (amazing book and ideas, by the way ) says, The Hero’s Journey  isn’t new. Neither are the tropes that follow many stories. After all, who says you can’t rescue the princess from the tower?  Super Mario Brothers did it, Disney has done it several times, and if you look closely in other books,  those classic stories aren’t new. Take inspiration from those stories you love, and make them your own. And if your friends haven’t seen that one episode of that anime you like, by all means, steal it!

If you so dare, try diving down the rabbit holes of Pinterest, Instagram, or Reddit for inspiration! There are TONS of amazing and creative ideas out there that you can pinch in Dungeon Mastering with all sorts of genres and ideas to pick and choose from! Of course, you never know what you’ll find, but there’s a lot of great inspiration out there!

If you are truly having problems with ideas, there are many Dungeon Mastering forums and groups just waiting to answer any questions you may have! Personally, I have had lots of luck with finding really good Facebook groups to toss out ideas and answer any questions I have.

Has all this talk of Dungeon Mastering whet your appetite for adventure?

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