QuestionsWhat causes DM boredom?Doing the Same thing Over and Over AgainNot Trying Anything NewPlayers stop tryingDM’s “know everything”D&D just isn't a priority in their life right now.Why Do DM’s Stop Trying New Things?Afraid of FailureNot Sure of the RulesFeel stuck in a campaignThey Get ComfortableWhy Would Your Players Stop Trying?How Do You Get Your Players to Give More Effort?What does Dungeon Master Boredom Look like?Mentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Signup for Our Email NewsletterDo you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.Level Up GuideListen to Our New PodcastAs a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some inspiration? Or maybe just a moment of immersion and escape? Then come join us in our new Actual Play D&D 5e show, Pact and Boon. Enter the World of Calignos where our characters, Jolly, Wolfgang and Alon will meet each other in Hell. Enjoy our troublemaking and near-death experiences wherever great podcasts are heard. Just go to session0studios.com/pactnboon and start listening today.

Hello, and Welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. Today's topic: Borrowing story ideas for your D&D campaigns.Mentioned in this episode:Hire Us as Your Dungeon MasterDid you know that you can have one of our hosts here at How to Be a Better DM be your dungeon master? That’s right. All of our podcast hosts are professional dungeon masters that you can hire for your private or corporate dungeons and dragons game. We can do one-shots or long-term campaigns. If you want to schedule your first session with us, go to https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ and get started. Dungeon Master for HireSignup for Our Email NewsletterDo you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.Level Up GuideBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

IntroWelcome back to How to Be a Better DM, I’m Justin Lewis, here with my compatriot Tanner Weyland, and together we’re here to help you learn how to craft better stories while you DM sessions of Dungeons and Dragons.Burnout: Main TopicsBrief description of cause: the causes of DM burnout (doing too much, to frequently, with not change)Get help:Ask others to DMStop writing your own content, or doing huge campaigns. Just look for content online. DMs guild and other sources exist to make your time easier!Have online communities to ask advice from. An outside viewpoint can do a lot (Reddit examples of people in sticky situations)Simplify:Look at what you enjoy in DMing, and JUST do that for a bit (i.e. role playing with light combat, or just combat with light role playing)Shorten sessions.Consider switching up how you meet (if online, do in person; if in person, consider doing online)Ask the players what they like and want, and just do that. Their enjoyment will fuel you.Take a break:As a subset of the other two tips, it is always okay to quit. Genuinely. Take a break. And then come back. If the other tips don’t work for you, playing longer will only create negative feelings between you and your players. The sooner you listen to yourself, the sooner you can begin a well deserved break without creating unnecessary ill will.ConclusionMentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Always Have Your Sessions Prepared!You work 8 hours a day. You spend time with your family when you come home. You do work around the house and it seems you never have as much time as you would like to prepare your D&D sessions. Does this sound like you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have endless material prepared for your D&D sessions anyways? That’s where Roll and Play Press comes in. Roll and Play Press provides D&D 5e Compatible materials for any type of session. Running a one-shot? Check out their One Shot Wonders book with over 100 one-shot ideas. Getting started with your new sci-fi campaign? Get their Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit to have your games much more prepared. Why reinvent the wheel? Check out Roll and Play Press at rollandplaypress.com and get 10% off when you buy something by using the code BETTERDM10. Roll and Play PressFollow us on InstagramThanks again for listening to our show. If you like our content and would like to engage with more of our content, head over to our Instagram account, @howtobeabetterdm, and give us a follow. Make sure to watch some of our helpful Dungeon Master Rules videos to give yourself some structure and procedure as a Dungeon Master. Don’t forget to reach out with a DM and we can talk shop. https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/

“Who goes there?” Ulv yells into the darkness. He’d found his way into this larger cave and had ultimately gotten lost. This cave was enormous. It honestly reminded of him when he and his old friends had delved into the Underdark looking for a lost library. To think that he had risked his life so Rowan could find a silly children’s book. He chuckled to himself. He’d do it again though. He loved his friends and would die for them.“Even me?” asked a familiar voice.Ulv Spun around, thrusting his torch into the enveloping darkness. “Racooni? Is that you?” The cave responded with silence and stillness. Truly this cave was enormous. How had he not found a wall yet?“What are memories, but illusions.” The drifting voice of Judir echoed around from no direction in particular.“Judir, my friend, I’m so sorry.” Ulv bellowed as he turned around. He’d briefly seen the visage of Judir right before it faded into the darkness of the cave.“And apologies are just smoke from a dying fire.” This time the voice was that of Ulv’s adopted father. Ulv turned and saw the broken body of a dying man just before it faded into the black of shadow.“You left us.” This time it was Rue’s voice and Ulv saw her, taller and thinner than usual with deep shadows ringing her eyes and a darkness behind. Then that too faded into darkness.Ulv, kept spinning and spinning from voice to shadow to voice to shadow, until he stopped.There standing in front of Ulv was a woman.“Ulv, who are you?” It was Ulv’s birth mother.What would you like to do?Introduction Hello there. It’s me, Justin and today we'll be discussing one of the most important elements of any D&D campaign - the villain. Why is it so important to have a good villain?A great villain can be the driving force behind your campaign. It can provide motivation for your players to continue the quest, and give them a tangible enemy to fight. A poorly-written villain, on the other hand, can make the campaign feel lackluster. You know that feeling you get when Thanos kills Loki, or when Saruman sends the horde of Urukhai to destroy Rohan, or when the Joker blows up a hospital? That is all only possible because of a well-written villain. So, let's dive in and discuss how to create a villain that your players will love to hate!Part 1: What Makes a Good Villain?Let's first explore what makes a good villain. A great villain is one that is complex, has clear motivations, and is relatable in some way. Players should be able to understand the villain's perspective, even if they don't completely agree with it.Another key aspect of a good villain is that they pose a real threat to the players, either directly or indirectly. They should be challenging to defeat, and their actions should have consequences that impact the world around them. A villain that is too easy to defeat or doesn't pose a significant threat can leave players feeling unsatisfied.So, when creating your villain, keep these factors in mind. Ask yourself questions like:What motivates this character to act this way?How can I make this villain a real threat to my players?Would a normal person at least consider their arguments in a reasonable conversation?Part 2: Different Types of VillainsAs you create your villain, consider the different types of villains that you can use to add variety and depth to your campaign. One type of villain is the classic "big bad" - this is the ultimate enemy that the players will face at the end of the campaign. They're often powerful, dangerous, and have a grand plan that the players must stop.Another type of villain is the mastermind. This villain operates by pulling strings and manipulating events to achieve their goals. They may not be directly involved in combat, but players feel their influence throughout the campaign.A third type of villain is the antihero - this is a character who is not necessarily evil, but whose goals conflict with those of the players. They may be motivated by a desire to protect their own interests or seek revenge against someone who wronged them.Finally, consider the tragic villain. This is a character who is sympathetic in some way, perhaps because of a past trauma or a belief that their actions are justified. These villains can add a lot of depth to your campaign and make players question their own beliefs and motivations.To be sure, your Villain might end up being each of these types at one point in their life. Anakin Skywalker moved from being an Antihero to a tragic villain and finally becoming Darth Vader and taking his role as Big Bad. Maybe your villain has a similar trajectory.Part 3: How to Create a Good VillainNow that we've discussed what makes a good villain, let's dive into how to create one. The first step is to determine your villain's backstory. What events led them to become the person they are today? What traumas or life experiences shaped their worldview? A fleshed-out backstory can add depth and complexity to your villain.Next, consider your villain's motivations. What do they hope to achieve? Are they seeking power, revenge, or something else ? Your villain's motivations should be clear and understandable to the players. When designing your villain's personality, think about how they interact with the world around them. Are they charismatic and manipulative, or ruthless and brutal? How do they view their enemies and allies?Finally, give your villain some unique traits or abilities that set them apart from other villains in your campaign. Maybe they have a special magical ability or are particularly skilled at combat. Whatever it is, make sure it adds to their characterization and makes them a more compelling foe.Often villains have good motives but take the wrong approach. Other times, the villains are self-interested and purely want to watch the world burn. Make sure to flesh out these intersections of motivations and backstory to really make your villain stand out.Part 4: Examples of Compelling D&D VillainsI also wanted to give some examples of great D&D villains that you can draw inspiration from. One example of a compelling D&D villain is Strahd von Zarovich, the main antagonist of the "Curse of Strahd" campaign setting. Strahd is a vampire lord with a tragic backstory. He was once a nobleman who fell in love with a woman he couldn't have, and in his despair, he made a pact with dark powers that turned him into a vampire. He now rules over the land of Barovia with an iron fist, seeking to reclaim his lost love and exact revenge on those who wronged him.Another example is Xanathar, the beholder crime lord who appears in the "Waterdeep" campaign setting. Xanathar is a ruthless and cunning villain. He commands a vast criminal empire, using his intelligence and magical powers to stay one step ahead of players. Despite his monstrous appearance, Xanathar is a complex character with a rich backstory.A third example is the archdevil Asmodeus, who appears in various D&D settings as the ruler of the Nine Hells. Asmodeus is a powerful and cunning villain who seeks to expand his influence over the multiverse. He uses his mastery of magic and deception to achieve his goals. His status as a godlike figure and the ruler of a demonic realm makes him a formidable enemy for any party of adventurers.Part 5: Live Example of Writing a VillainTo illustrate this point, let’s briefly discuss a villain I have in the campaign I am currently running. Before I go on, let just say if anyone is listening that plays at my table, turn this episode off. There are serious spoilers here. For everyone else, let’s talk about Dreamtaker. Dreamtaker is an ancient Fey Being who looked upon the material plane with pity. He saw the immense suffering there and wanted to do something about it. He set out to turn the material plane into the Realm of Dreams. He was, of course, thwarted in his attempt and banished to the realm of nightmares he had accidentally created. While there, he found a convergence with the Shadowfell and was able to escape. He has now returned to the material plane to seek revenge and fulfill his plans of stopping reality and turning it into a dream. Even as I wrote this episode and thought about Dreamtaker, I thought of ways to improve him as a villain. For one, I know he is a threat to my players and they know it too. He has a lot of power so that one was easy. His motivations are clear, he wants to gain followers and, through their belief in him, transfer the material plane to the dream world. As far as I can tell he is not as dynamic as he could be be. That’s where I need to work on him next. So there you have it, a live example of a Villain in progress and a framework you can follow. I would say when you work on your own villains, write out everything you know first. Then summarize into those points mentioned above and then from there just edit. I’d love to see what kinds of villains you come up with. Make sure to post them on Instagram and tag @howtobeabetterdm to let us know what you made!Thanks for listening to another episode. We’ll be back next week for another amazing episode. Until then, let’s go ahead and roll initiative.Mentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Add the Magic of Sound to Your GameplayWhen you set the scene you need to tap into the five senses. When it comes to sound one of the best ways to do that is with music, sound effects, and ambience. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Monument Studios. Monument Studios provides an easy-to-use Soundboard perfect for Dungeon Mastering. If you want to see this in action, go to fantasy-plus.com and get 10% off of your first month of their Fantasy+ App by using the code BETTERDM at check out. Again that is fantasy-plus.com and BETTERDM at checkout. Monument StudiosFollow us on InstagramThanks again for listening to our show. If you like our content and would like to engage with more of our content, head over to our Instagram account, @howtobeabetterdm, and give us a follow. Make sure to watch some of our helpful Dungeon Master Rules videos to give yourself some structure and procedure as a Dungeon Master. Don’t forget to reach out with a DM and we can talk shop. https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/

Learn how to spice up your Dungeons and Dragons combat encounters by adding descriptive details, speeding up player turns, and using the environment to create depth. Discover the importance of teaching players how to create captivating characters for combat and explore tips for making encounters more exciting, such as turning failure into opportunity. Plus, find out how to make combat encounters more interesting by incorporating central environmental mechanics, unique enemy elements, and considering player composition.

IntroWelcome back to How to Be a Better DM, I’m Justin Lewis, here with my compatriot Tanner Weyland, and together we’re here to help you learn how to craft better stories while you DM sessions of Dungeons and Dragons.Suffice it to say, as hobbies go, this one requires a lot of dedication and stick-to-it-I've-ness. Sometimes you just don’t feel like prepping or running a session. Sometimes you just aren’t excited to be a DM. So, in that regard, Tanner and I are going to talk about how to stay excited and avoid DM burnout.Main TopicsWhat Causes You To Lose ExcitementWhat is the Hardest Part of DMingWhat Are You Excited About Right NowWhat Resources Should I use?How to Schedule CorrectlyOne-ShotsSwitch back and forth between prewritten and self-written content.Play Other GamesHave Players DM once in a WhileConclusionIntroWelcome back to How to Be a Better DM, I’m Justin Lewis, here with my compatriot Tanner Weyland, and together we’re here to help you learn how to craft better stories while you DM sessions of Dungeons and Dragons.Suffice it to say, as hobbies go, this one requires a lot of dedication and stick-to-it-I've-ness. Sometimes you just don’t feel like prepping or running a session. Sometimes you just aren’t excited to be a DM. So, in that regard, Tanner and I are going to talk about how to stay excited and avoid DM burnout.Main TopicsWhat Causes You To Lose ExcitementWhat is the Hardest Part of DMingWhat Are You Excited About Right NowWhat Resources Should I use?How to Schedule CorrectlyOne-ShotsSwitch back and forth between prewritten and self-written content.Play Other GamesHave Players DM once in a WhileMentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Hire Us as Your Dungeon MasterDid you know that you can have one of our hosts here at How to Be a Better DM be your dungeon master? That’s right. All of our podcast hosts are professional dungeon masters that you can hire for your private or corporate dungeons and dragons game. We can do one-shots or long-term campaigns. If you want to schedule your first session with us, go to https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ and get started. Dungeon Master for HireFollow us on InstagramThanks again for listening to our show. If you like our content and would like to engage with more of our content, head over to our Instagram account, @howtobeabetterdm, and give us a follow. Make sure to watch some of our helpful Dungeon Master Rules videos to give yourself some structure and procedure as a Dungeon Master. Don’t forget to reach out with a DM and we can talk shop. https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/

Ulv had been living in the cave for 2 weeks. He’d managed to down an elk he had tracked. The elk seemed to have been separated from its herd because it was all alone. He’d fashioned a spear out of rock that he’d found in the cave. So far he felt pretty good about himself. He’d been at this trial for a couple weeks and hadn’t died. “Of course, you still haven’t made any progress towards the actual trial,” Ulv said to himself out loud. Ulv had always been comfortable being alone, but for some reason he found himself missing people. He missed Herlia and Hipam. He missed Cojari and he missed Judir. Ulv had always had a strange relationship with family. Being adopted meant that got to choose your family. Despite his gruff and stoic exterior, Ulv had always been quick to welcome people into his family. That’s probably why he felt to mourn the death of Judir so deeply. “Nope. Not going to think about that,” Ulv said to himself as he stood up and started pacing around the cave. No reason to start blubbering about the dead all over again.“What about your parents?”Ulv froze.  That voice had come from deeper in the cave. He looked into the darkness past the flickering light of his meager campfire. “Who goes there?” Ulv cried.Drums began playing and briefly Ulv’s vision blurred. When he could see clearly again, he stared into the darkness, hearing the constant beat of distant drums.What would you like to do?IntroWelcome back to How to Be a Better DM. I’m your host, Justin Lewis, and I’m here to help you learn how to tell amazing stories as you DM sessions of D&D. Sometimes getting a handful of people with different schedules, wants, hopes, interests and experiences together to play a seamless session can seem just about as easy as herding a bunch of cats. Truly, managing players is one of the hardest parts of being a dungeon master. Luckily, it is a skill that you can master. To that point, here are some of my tips on exactly how to manage your players as you dungeon master.Honest CommunicationIn order to corral 3-7 people together to create a shared positive roleplaying experience, direct and honest communication is 100% necessary. You can’t hope to be able to manage your players if you can’t pull any single individual aside to talk about ways the gameplay can improve. Foster the ability to tell people about issues to their face. This is one part strength of the relationship, one part strength of your character and one part social acumen. You need to learn how to do it in an adroit way. What I find works best is only have as many people there as need to be there when you are delivering direct communication that may not be fun to hear. If you are making an announcement for the whole table, let everyone hear it. If you are giving correction to a player who is constantly distracting the other players at the table, only they need to be present.RoutineYou have to treat your players is if they were children. Children need routine, and so do players. Naturally, schedules are ever changing. That’s why having your game at the same time every week, or on the same day every week, helps a lot. Not everyone can do this. My own group doesn’t even do this. So instead, we’ve routinized other things. We always have it at my house. That lowers the work anyone needs to do to figure out where we are playing. They already know. It’s happening at my house. There are other things that you can routinize. Like when we play, I always start off by giving away tokens of advantage if someone in the group did something cool during the week that correlates with a D&D skill. This is a homebrew rule I made up, but I like doing it because it also starts to get us into the mood of playing D&D.ResponsivenessOne huge part of managing players is finding players who are responsive. At some point, it needs to be understood that everyone in the group needs to communicate and respond to communications. This rings especially true for communications about when the gameplay is actually going to happen. If a certain player or two only respond the night of the session to say, “Hey, I can’t make it,” then something needs to change. In those instances, sit down with that player and explain to them that in order to make the game happen, you need everyone’s cooperation. We live in a day and age now where communication really does not take that much effort. All it takes is a little response to an instant text and you’re done. In some cases, the players will have to talk with their significant others to make sure there aren’t any conflicting plans. That might be where you can coach the player a little more about how to bring up the topic and how to talk with the significant other to make sure everything is kosher. Give Players JobsThe whole idea behind player management is to make it so you and the players are vibing on the same frequency. It’s to reduce distractions that are unwanted and increase player participation and cooperation. To do that, giving individual players duties and responsibilities is a very great way to make sure everyone is invested. You could have one player be in charge of keeping and tracking initiative during combat. You could give one player the duty of managing the battle map during combat. You could also give one player the duty to write down just the names of all the NPCs that are mentioned during the session. Whatever job you give any individual player, make sure that it is somewhat small and it doesn’t detract from that player enjoying the game and having fun. Giving players jobs also has the added benefit of making your life as a DM easier. A win win.Understanding of ExpectationsSimply put, your players need to understand and be willing to abide by your rules. You also need to understand and be willing to abide by their rules. Obviously, I use the term “rules” a little loosely here, but that’s essentially what they are. If you have a player that is uncomfortable with certain themes or experiences they might find in D&D, well you need to be aware of that and make sure to help them stay comfortable. Obviously, you can push the envelope with simple fears and such. I’m talking about true discomfort. On the flip side, your players should be well aware of what they can and can’t do. In my book, watching videos on your phone while we are playing is a big no-no. I’m a little bit of a pushover when it comes to this type of thing, but it’s something I’m actively working on. The problem I see is that half the table is interested in what I’m saying and the other half of the table wants to see the video. I want all my players to know what I expect and I want to know what they expect of me. This goes for expectations around responsiveness in communication as well as no-shows, and everything else that could come up. Manage Them IndividuallyJust as I am an individual, my players are too. I have a married couple that plays in my group and I should still treat each of them as individuals. Honestly, neither of them causes me any trouble, but when it comes to making sure they get info about the next session, reaching out about backstories, and more, I need to do it individually. Sometimes, we think of managing players as managing a group. Really it’s managing 4 to 7 individuals who all have their own ideas, wants, wishes, fears, boredom, etc. This doesn’t mean that you won’t make table-wide announcements or have a group text message thread that reaches all of them. You will and should definitely do those things. When it comes to managing difficulties or making things even better, I find it works better on an individual level.Firing PlayersSometimes, you gotta be tough. When everything else you’ve tried has failed, it may be time to “fire” one of your players. Pull them aside one day. Ask them if they’ve been enjoying playing. Look at their demeanor. If they say no, then simply explain that they don’t have to keep playing if they don’t enjoy it. If they do enjoy it, make it clear to them that they are making things much more difficult for you as a dungeon master. Explain that you need them to change their behavior. If they persist without little change, then pull them aside again and kindly let them know that they will need to find another gaming table. In my experience, after trying everything else, the player will likely respond and either quit coming on their own or change their behavior. Very few people want to be an annoyance on purpose.Feedback ProtocolIn my opinion, one of the most important aspects of player management is setting up some sort of system to get feedback. Whether you go so far as to create a formal survey you hand out after every session, or you casually ask your players what they like and didn’t like, it doesn’t matter. You gotta know what makes your players happy and engaged in the game. If you are having problem players, it might be because they aren’t being stimulated enough by the experience. In this day and age, ADD and other challenges have become much more prevalent. If you can figure out that Player A is having a hard time focusing, but Player A also really loves the mythology of ancient China, well, it’s time to introduce a few Oni into the story.  Adding more of what your players love is, in my opinion, the best way to make sure that the players are attentive and cooperative.ConclusionNot every table will be filled with players who are completely engaged and hang on to your every word. In fact, in my experience, the more players sit at the table, the harder it gets to control them all. Your job as a DM isn’t to control them though. You just need to make sure that everyone at the table has a fun time. To do that, you might employ any of these methods of some you make up. Either way, get your players to buy in and give you their attention so they can have fun.Thanks for listening to today’s show.Send any feedback to howtobeabetterdm@gmail.com We’ll be back next week for another amazing episode.Until then, let’s go ahead and roll initiative.Mentioned in this episode:Join Our DiscordSo a little bit of a spoiler alert. We’re building an army. That’s right, we’re building an army of amazing dungeon masters who want to make the world of D&D a better place. If you want to join our army and fight by our side against the evil forces of boredom and bad dming, join our Discord and lend your voice to the cause. Go to Session0studios.com/discord and join for free today. DiscordBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Always Have Your Sessions Prepared!You work 8 hours a day. You spend time with your family when you come home. You do work around the house and it seems you never have as much time as you would like to prepare your D&D sessions. Does this sound like you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have endless material prepared for your D&D sessions anyways? That’s where Roll and Play Press comes in. Roll and Play Press provides D&D 5e Compatible materials for any type of session. Running a one-shot? Check out their One Shot Wonders book with over 100 one-shot ideas. Getting started with your new sci-fi campaign? Get their Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit to have your games much more prepared. Why reinvent the wheel? Check out Roll and Play Press at rollandplaypress.com and get 10% off when you buy something by using the code BETTERDM10. Roll and Play Press

You and your companions make your way down the trail. You’d left the other companions a day or so ago. Now you’ve been traveling with Hipam and Cojari and frankly, these have been some of the calmest days in the previous months. Your other companions had made some very questionable decisions. Assassinations, lycanthropy, starting fights that were unwarranted, yes they were your friends, however, your conscience has never felt so good. “So what can you tell us about your uncle Judir?” Cojari asks in his deep and soulful accent. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know the man very well. My father never mentioned Judir.”“Well how do you suppose we can convince him to join us?” asked Cojari, ever the practical one.“Good question. We’ll have the next few days to figure it out. He’s stubborn. I know that. So we better have a good argument when we get there.”So what would you like to do?Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. You’re here because you want to become a High-Class Dungeon master, crafting unforgettable stories for yourselves and your players as you guide them through games of Dungeons and Dragons 5e. I’m here, to help you do that. Whether you’re a noobie or a veteran, I can help. My name is Justin Lewis and today I’ll be your dungeon master on this journey of story crafting. If you’ve been around the game for a while, you’ve no doubt heard the term one-shot. You’ve also undoubtedly heard some controversy around one-shots, namely, are they worthwhile? Can you create fun one-shots? Are they just a waste of time? Why does gas cost so much? Oh, wait, no that last one was just my inner thoughts escaping. Anyways, today, I’m going to give you 10 reasons why I think you should give one-shots a try. I love doing one-shots and if you’ve been listening to this show for a while, you know that you can actually have an opportunity to play a one-shot with me or my counterpart, Tanner Weyland as your DM. Regardless of whether you sign up for that or not, I highly encourage you to try one-shots yourself. Here’s why:Explore new environmentsOne of my favorite reasons for doing one-shots is the ability to explore new settings. Sometimes I see cool ideas on TV or in movies and it makes me want to try it out. For example, I’m a fan of the Netflix series based on League of Legends called Arcane. The series is in an arcane-punk setting that is similar to steam-punk. This would be an amazing setting to explore and in a one-shot, you can without too much commitment. I’m also a fan of StarCraft and think that would be another cool setting to explore.Explore new rulesDoing one-shots is also a great way to pick specific rule sets you aren’t comfortable with and then put your story in. For example, I am not extremely familiar with the rules associated with being underwater or being on a different plane. A one-shot is a great place to make yourself learn those rules. Or have you ever had someone with lycanthropy? Or vampirism? One-shots are great places to figure out how to do that. It’s a low-commitment way to get it all figured out.Explore new challengesIt’s also a great way to force yourself to do new challenges. Maybe you don’t necessarily do puzzle? Maybe you don’t force your group to split the party? One-shots are perfect opportunities to make yourself learn how to deal with those challenges. Or maybe, you’ve never done a group bigger than 4 or smaller than 4. Try a new experience and force yourself to learn and grow in those challenges.The last few days of travel were uneventful. There was a small troop of goblins that you encountered, but Hipam cast a large spell and was able to scare the troop off. Perhaps you’ve misjudged that little one. When you first met him, he seemed naive and perhaps a little unprepared for the wide world around him. Living all your days in a monastery will do that to you… Well, you suppose he didn’t live his whole life in Summit Hall. There were the days before his parents were murdered by the Fire Cult.  Hipam seems a little more serious now. You don’t whether that’s due to the mission you’re on or the days spent in the Drow prison. Regardless, you better keep an eye on that one.Your thoughts are interrupted as you finally enter a small clearing with a large log cabin. Gentle smoke rises lazily up from the chimney. The cabin seems to have undergone some major repairs and renovations. “I thought it would be longer before I saw you again little bear.” a deep and rhythmic voice says. You think about how similar Judir’s voice is to Cojari’s, or at least Cojari’s new voice.“We’ve come back Judir, to come get you.”“I told you boy, this isn’t my fight.”What would you like to say?Work on succinct storytellingStories are when something specific happens. Note how I said something and not something or even everything. Storytelling naturally highlights the best and most salient parts of a series of events and presents those events to the consumer in a pleasing way. In order to do that effectively, you do need to work on telling stories succinctly. What better way to Practice that than to force yourself to tell An interesting story within the confines of a single session Of D&D. One-shots help you get a better sense for session planning and short but effective storytelling. In my last one shot, I dialed what I normally plan back and I ended up being a little short of my target length, but it was still fun and better than going over or having to cut it short. One shots force brevity and pithiness.Work on Pithy RoleplayingSpeaking of being Pithy, one-shots force you to get your role-playing right on the first time. Either you get it right or it takes up valuable time from other integral parts of the story. This assumes of course that you have some sort of time constraint. Most DM’s do have that time constraint and to be frank, it’s called the short attention span of players. Because of this, your roleplaying has to convey the important plot information as well as give the players a glimpse of the NPC you are trying to portray. Honestly, One-shot roleplaying can be much easier than other roleplaying opportunities because you don’t have to worry about repeating NPC’s too much. You can go crazy with an NPC with the knowledge that the players won’t see them again. Breaks from your campaignI don’t know about you, but sometimes the campaign I am running can be somewhat stale. Or maybe it’s me that gets stale. Either way, stepping away and doing something else helps me to come back to the campaign with fresh eyes. I get the fact that once the session is done you’re doing something else, but I’ve also noticed that doing other stories helps me come back to my original story and see it in a new light and have fresh energy for it.Play-test HomeBrew contentHome-brew content can be pretty hard to dial in. Sometimes you make items that are way too powerful and other times, the stuff you give your players isn’t where you want it to be. For example, in my campaign I had my players do a side quest where they go into a haunted mansion. I set up the mansion to almost exist in a pocket dimension and in order to ascend or descend the stairs to the next levels, the characters had to drink a potion that “faded” them. After they were “faded” they had to drink “revivification” potions to become normal again. I hadn’t playtested the “revivification” potions so when the players got more than they need to be normal and had a surplus I had to come up with some features of the potion on the fly. Suffice it to say, the potions were way overpowered and I was happy when the last extra potion was drunk.Work on spotting and fixing plot flawsI’m a big fan of the Youtube Channel, Pitch Meetings. I think the concept is brilliant. If you’re unfamiliar with it, here’s the premise. A man pitches movies to an executive who spots flaws in the story of the movies and the writer then just glosses over the flaws without fixing them. It’s hilarious.Well, you and I need to learn how to do something similar. We need practice spotting and not laughing at but fixing plot flaws. In a way, you and i should treat ourselves as both the producer and the writer of our D&D stories. We need to ask the hard questions and poke holes in our stories so we can find the solutions to those problems. In my last one-shot, I was constructing the scenario and for some reason, it wasn’t quite working. I was stumped. Then I asked Tanner for some help and he helped me see a plot flaw and overcome it easily. Whether you use someone else or yourself, you gotta develop this ability to look critically at your stories. Because one-shots are a little more contained than other stories you can do that a little easier. That’s why you should do one-shots.Allow your players to work on character ideasThus far, all of these reasons for why you should play one-shots have all been for you the DM. But what about your players? How do one-shots affect your players? Positively.Most D&D players can create a new character very easily because they have so many creative ideas swimming around in the think-tank of their brain. In a way, they are the DM of their character, trying to write an interesting story and help add to the collective cognitive experience that is Dungeons and Dragons. By engaging in one-shots you’re allowing your players the opportunity to work on writing better characters. Creating a backstory is fun because you get to essentially explain why any given D&D character is insane, cooky, bold, angry, fat, sloppy, scarred, or almost any other adjective. By playing one-shots, you give your players this chance to hone their creative abilities.Allow your players to work on role-playing Similar to number 9, your players need opportunities to practice their role-playing capabilities. Not every one of us is born as thespians or performers. In fact, in my own case, role-playing might be one of my weaker areas. The only way to actually improve is to practice. Players also get into a routine and it’s much easier to reassess and reactivate those roleplaying muscles when you break their state, put them in an unfamiliar situation, and force them to start asking themselves questions like, “What would this character do?”Try one-shots as a way of encouraging players to act out characters that are different than their normal campaign characters. You’ll be surprised at the growth you see in your players.“The blood of our fathers and of our children.”Those were the words you said. Somehow, those were the words that changed a stubborn man’s mind. Judir is a child of the north as much as you are. Perhaps more. His blood runs wild with the strength of generations gone before him. His stubbornness runs almost as strong. Yet, somehow those words overcame that. Those words that you weren’t supposed to know changed him. How did you know those words? It doesn’t matter. He’s with you now and now you need to figure out the next step. As you trudge forward on the path, you ask, “So what is the plan now?”Hipam responds, “Well mate, I suppose we need to assess how strong your brother’s hold is on the Kingdom.”“We also need to create an army from nothing…. Maybe your relatives up north can help.” Cojari adds“Without dying first…” Judir grumbles as he pets his enormous Bear’s head.All good points. Well, it’s time to figure it out. Thank you for listening to today’s episode. We could not do this without you. We are so grateful for you and your support of us. We want to support you too. If you get an opportunity, reach out to us on Instagram and let us know how we can support you and your quest to become the world’s greatest DM!We’ll be back next week but until then, let’s go ahead and roll the initiative.Mentioned in this episode:Join Our DiscordSo a little bit of a spoiler alert. We’re building an army. That’s right, we’re building an army of amazing dungeon masters who want to make the world of D&D a better place. If you want to join our army and fight by our side against the evil forces of boredom and bad dming, join our Discord and lend your voice to the cause. Go to Session0studios.com/discord and join for free today. DiscordAdd the Magic of Sound to Your GameplayWhen you set the scene you need to tap into the five senses. When it comes to sound one of the best ways to do that is with music, sound effects, and ambience. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Monument Studios. Monument Studios provides an easy-to-use Soundboard perfect for Dungeon Mastering. If you want to see this in action, go to fantasy-plus.com and get 10% off of your first month of their Fantasy+ App by using the code BETTERDM at check out. Again that is fantasy-plus.com and BETTERDM at checkout. Monument StudiosBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

Welcome to How To Be A Better DM. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. I hope you are all doing well this new year, making lots of goals, and having a hopeful start to the year. Today, we are talking about creating realistic and rewarding Family Relationships in D&D.Mentioned in this episode:Shhhhhh!! This is a Secret!Hey! Here is a secret that Cayden and Tanner, hosts of the show don't know about. You can go to session0studios.com/video-courses/ and get the first video of our Dungeon Master Course for Free, and then sign up for the next videos if you want. Again, Cayden and Tanner don't know about this so keep it secret.Dungeon Master CourseBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Join Our DiscordSo a little bit of a spoiler alert. We’re building an army. That’s right, we’re building an army of amazing dungeon masters who want to make the world of D&D a better place. If you want to join our army and fight by our side against the evil forces of boredom and bad dming, join our Discord and lend your voice to the cause. Go to Session0studios.com/discord and join for free today. Discord

Today we talk about the OGL 1.1 License and explain some of our thoughts on the matter. Obviously, the OGL 1.1 hasn't been released yet so we are really only speculating based on what has been leaked.Also, Here's the link Justin mentioned about his upcoming business networking event:https://dndmerchantsguild.com/event/dnd-dungeons-networking-and-dragons/Thanks for listening to today's show!Mentioned in this episode:Hire Us as Your Dungeon MasterDid you know that you can have one of our hosts here at How to Be a Better DM be your dungeon master? That’s right. All of our podcast hosts are professional dungeon masters that you can hire for your private or corporate dungeons and dragons game. We can do one-shots or long-term campaigns. If you want to schedule your first session with us, go to https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ and get started. Dungeon Master for HireJoin Our DiscordSo a little bit of a spoiler alert. We’re building an army. That’s right, we’re building an army of amazing dungeon masters who want to make the world of D&D a better place. If you want to join our army and fight by our side against the evil forces of boredom and bad dming, join our Discord and lend your voice to the cause. Go to Session0studios.com/discord and join for free today. DiscordBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.