We all start somewhere…
This post is aimed at you who are just getting started as DM. It doesn’t matter what game you plan on running, these tips are universally applicable, and they will make your game run smoother, your prep go faster and your overall enjoyment with the hubby increase.
I’ve been a DM for 20 over years, and I don’t want to discourage you, but there is still so much for me to learn. I don’t think you are ever done in your training as a DM, and I’m ok with that, it actually feels fun that it’s possible to constantly develop and grow. In this guide I’ve gathered my 9 best tips for first time DMs, and I hope they will help you feel more confident at the table, and less stressed out when you are prepping your games.
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Roughly how many games have you run?
Loading ...1: It’s ok to pause and think
DMing is like juggling a dozen tasks in real time. You’re expected to understand the world the players are exploring, know all the rules, bring NPCs to life, vividly describe every environment, and — inevitably — improvise when the players veer off the paths you’ve prepared. That’s a lot to handle, and it’s no wonder “DM burnout” is a common topic online.
Here’s the truth: You don’t have to do all of that on the fly. It’s perfectly okay to pause and take a moment to think. Your players won’t mind, and they certainly won’t think less of you. Simply say, “Give me a moment to figure this out,” and use that time to regroup. You’re not a machine, and you don’t have to be.
Even the most powerful computers lag sometimes, so don’t be hard on yourself if you need a breather to work out a tricky scenario or untangle an unexpected player decision. Take a moment to pause, organize your thoughts, and then keep the game moving. Your players will appreciate the care and effort you put into running the game, not the speed at which you respond.
2: Always have a list of random names prepared
It might sound way too simple to deserve a spot on a list like this, but sooner or later your players will ask the question: “What’s their name?“, and if you don’t have a suitable name prepared, you’ll most likely fall back on what’s top of mind, and I guarantee you that it won’t be a great name that deepens the immersion of your players. It will most likely be something like: Bob, Dave, Sara or even worse: Legolas, Frodo, Sam and so on.
Just thinking about the number of blacksmiths name Bob or innkeepers named Hans I’ve blurted out sends shivers down my spine. It pulls the whole table out of the immersion, but it can be easily avoided. Always, always, always have a list of names prepared. It doesn’t have to be long, six male and six female is more than enough for a session. The benefit of having them prepared is that they will be thematic and fit the setting you are playing in.
Out of all these tips for new DMs this is without doubt the easiest one to implement, but ironically, I regularly fail to do this myself, even after running games for 20 years! Save yourself the stress, don’t be like me.
3: Don’t prep solutions
Your job as the GM is to create a scenario filled with interesting problems, not to solve them. In fact, it’s better if you don’t prepare any solutions at all. Why? Because your players will always find one—and it will probably be more creative than anything you could have planned.
Example: The Church of the White Hand tasks the PCs with traveling to the ruined cathedral two days to the north to retrieve the ancient brass bell from the belltower. The bell weighs 2,000 pounds. That’s where your prep ends. You don’t need to hide an ox cart behind the ruins or stash extra-strong magic ropes in the basement. Your players will figure it out.
Prep the problem. Set the stage. Then let your players loose. They’ll think outside the box in ways you never could, and their solutions will feel earned, not handed to them. Plus, watching them work through these challenges is half the fun of running the game.
4: Start with factions
When preparing a campaign, whether it’s short or long, always start with factions. Factions are the lifeblood of a living, breathing world. A handful of groups with clear ambitions and tangled relationships will make your world dynamic and alive, giving players more opportunities for meaningful interaction.
Sure, cool dungeons, fierce dragons, and magnificent loot are exciting. But those elements alone don’t add depth to your world, they’re static. Factions, however, can drive the story forward on their own. Their goals and conflicts create a sense of motion, even when the players aren’t directly involved.
When your world has factions with competing interests, it feels like it’s “playing itself.” The players’ actions will naturally ripple through the world, and the factions will respond, making everything feel interconnected and alive.
4b – Advanced advice: And build in faction progression
To make your world truly dynamic, give factions the ability to progress on their own, even without the players’ involvement. The world should feel alive, with events unfolding whether or not the PCs choose to get involved.
Example: If your campaign features a goblin clan harassing a local village, think about their goals and how they might achieve them over time. Let’s say their ultimate objective is to burn the village to the ground. Build in smaller milestones, or “stretch goals,” like razing the watchtower or poisoning the river upstream. These goals can progress naturally, perhaps using random dice rolls or at set intervals.
If the PCs return to the village after ignoring the goblins, they might find the river poisoned and the town struggling to survive. This not only makes the world feel alive but also generates new rumors, hooks, and consequences for players to discover.
Remember, while the players view their characters as the main heroes, the world itself doesn’t revolve around them. Not every faction or NPC should fixate on their actions. This keeps the world from feeling artificial and makes their victories (or failures) feel earned.
By letting factions advance independently, you give the players a living, breathing world where their choices — or lack of action — carry real weight.
5: Just say something
I’ll let you in on a little secret, DMing is hard, and 20+ years of DMing I still think it’s hard. I’m not as drained when the session ends now as I was 20 years ago, and I definitely have more refined tools and techniques to help me run the game, but it’s never going to be a cake walk.
Improvisation is one of the trickiest parts of DMing (check out our in-depth guide on improvisation). You have to make decisions in real time, often without much preparation, and that can feel overwhelming. But here’s the thing: it’s okay if what you say doesn’t make perfect sense in the moment. It’s okay if you say something weird or even contradictory. You can always fix it later, or even change your mind. The key is to keep the game moving.
Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard when it comes to improvisation are these wise words: “You can walk back mistakes, but you can’t walk forward silence.“, remember that, and just say something to move the game forward.
6: Describe with all senses
One of the most common mistakes DMs make is relying solely on sight when describing a scene. Visual details are important, but adding other senses such as sound, smell, touch and even taste, can transform a description into something immersive and memorable.
Let’s say the PCs stumble upon a ruined watchtower in the forest. Here’s a standard description:
“A crumbling watchtower stands on a small hill. Moss covers the stone blocks scattered around.”
It’s fine—it gives players a clear picture of the scene. But now compare it to this:
“A crumbling watchtower stands on a small hill. Moss covers the scattered stone blocks, the smell of wet stone hanging in the air. From a nearby tree, a lone raven caws.”
That second description isn’t much longer, but it’s far more evocative. You can almost feel the dampness in the air, and the distant raven cry adds a sense of foreboding. By weaving in smell and sound, you bring the scene to life in a way that pure visuals never could.
The key is to layer in sensory details sparingly, you don’t need to describe every sense in every scene — just one or two extra details can make all the difference.
7: Steal, borrow and snatch!
Here’s a secret: you don’t have to invent everything yourself. In fact, you shouldn’t. There are thousands of adventure modules, campaigns, and resources out there just waiting for you to borrow from. And it doesn’t stop at TTRPG materials—movies, books, TV shows, and video games are overflowing with ideas you can harvest.
Don’t waste time reinventing the wheel. If you find something interesting, repackage it, tweak it to fit your world, and run with it. Your players won’t notice, and even if they do, they won’t care. What matters is how you present and adapt the ideas to create an exciting game.
If you want a steady stream of ideas and inspiration, our monthly newsletter is a great resource. You’ll get the best resources, ideas and tools from the TTRPG community straight in your inbox.
8: Don’t over-prepare, start small
The quickest path to GM burnout is over-preparing. Spending hours crafting every single detail of a campaign or adventure might feel productive, but it’s often wasted energy. Why? Because, as the classic TTRPG saying goes, “No plan survives first contact with the players.” Your carefully laid plans will inevitably be derailed, and that’s okay—it’s part of the fun.
Instead of trying to map out an entire world from the start, focus on starting small and building from there. Even if your dream is to create a sprawling campaign with intricate faction dynamics and endless adventure opportunities, you don’t need all of that for the first session. A single village, a handful of wilderness locations, and one dungeon is plenty to get started.
9: Don’t play games you don’t enjoy just because they are popular
Just because a game is popular doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you or your group. The biggest TTRPG in the world is Dungeons & Dragons, but that doesn’t make it the best game for every table. If you find its mechanics cumbersome or its prep overwhelming, don’t feel obligated to stick with it just because “everyone else is playing it.”
There are hundreds of well-designed systems out there, each offering unique styles of play. For example, if you’re looking for something easier to run, check out Adventurous — it’s built specifically to make GMing straightforward and fun.
Closing thoughts
Being a Dungeon Master is a lifelong journey of growth and learning. You’ll never feel like you’ve completely mastered the craft, and that’s okay, every DM feels like that, no matter how experienced they are. It’s part of what makes the role so rewarding.
The most important skill you can develop as a DM is keeping the game moving. You don’t need to memorize every rule or create the most intricate worlds. What matters most is ensuring the story keeps flowing, because nothing stalls a great game like unnecessary downtime.
I hope these 9 tips for new DMs have given you more confidence at the table and inspired you to experiment as you discover your own style. DMing is a skill you build with every session, and the more you embrace the process, the better your games will become.
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