How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM

In today's episode, we talk to Jake Packham, who is the dungeon master behind our live-play show "The Pact & Boon." Listen as we ask Jake how he goes about applying his inspiration to create compelling campaigns, and grow his home-brew world of Calignos. Mentioned in this episode:Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.Do You Want to Earn some Money?🎲 Want to Earn Some Extra Gold? We’re offering a referral incentive for our professional Dungeon Mastering services! Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ Refer someone to session0studios.com/prodm 2️⃣ They sign up for a free consultation. 3️⃣ They mention they were referred by a podcast listener. 4️⃣ We DM an unforgettable session for them. 5️⃣ They get 10% off their booking. 6️⃣ You get 10% of what they paid—straight into your coin purse. 7️⃣ We celebrate with a virtual high-five. 🙌 We run games for private groups and corporate teams—whether it’s a one-shot or a long-term campaign. 💰 Want to earn some gold and help someone level up their game night? Send them to session0studios.com/prodm and start earning today!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 StudiosBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

Here's a bonus episode for you about how to World Build with Your players and Characters in mind.Here are some helpful tips:When you world build for players, you leave open spaces that players can help fillIt gives your worldbuilding direction, which makes the story that much better.It saves time and effort because you only build about 20% more than what the players will interact with. Think about rendering in Minecraft.Your players get to help build the world You can add cool things as you progress through the storyHope you enjoyed this Instagram Live episode.Happy DMingMentioned in this episode:Start Leveling Up As a DMWouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities? In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters? We’re happy to tell you that now, you can. We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide. It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering. It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount. In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try. You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide. Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character. Level Up GuideGive Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.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 StudiosBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

In today's episode of How to Be a Better DM, we are continuing our exploration of downtime activities, and we are focusing on the mother of all "timewasters," carousing! But, is it a waste of time? Or is carousing in D&D one of the best opportunities to enrich your story, introduce characters, and build memories through the craziest experiences!Mentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.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 StudiosStart Leveling Up As a DMWouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities? In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters? We’re happy to tell you that now, you can. We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide. It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering. It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount. In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try. You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide. Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character. Level Up Guide

Abridged Show NotesFeeling overwhelmed by D&D campaign planning? Struggle to connect your grand ideas into a single, captivating story? This episode unveils the CASE Framework, a simple yet powerful system that will transform your planning sessions. Learn how to craft unforgettable campaigns, memorable story arcs, and engaging encounters that will leave your players begging for more. Listen in and unleash the true potential of your D&D world!Planning Your D&D Campaign with the CASE FrameworkThis episode dives into the CASE Framework, a system for planning D&D campaigns of any size.The CASE Framework stands for:Campaign: The overall plot of your entire campaign.Arc: Story Arcs within the campaign, like modules you might run from a book.Session: Individual sessions that make up your story arcs.Encounter: Specific challenges or interactions within a session (combat, puzzles, social encounters, etc.)The framework helps you brainstorm and organize your ideas, ensuring everything ties together into a cohesive story.FULL SHOW NOTESWhy is planning sometimes the hardest part of being a dungeon master? Wouldn’t it be nice to have some sort of guide to help you through your planning, no matter what you are planning for? On today’s episode, I’m going to introduce you to the CASE framework. Through it, you can take any aspect of the entire campaign and work on it without having to worry about writer’s block. This framework will help new Dungeon Masters the most, though old DMs will likely benefit from using it as well.The CASE Framework is incredibly simple, but often, it’s the simple things in life that save us time, energy and money. This is How to Be a Better DM, brought to you by Session 0 Studios, and I’m your host Justin Lewis. Our show has been helping dungeon masters new and old for over 150 episodes now and today we are going to help you tell better stories for yourself and your friends as you play D&D. Want to start out the show today with a few words of gratitude. Over the last couple of months, the show has grown, we’ve launched our new Actual Play show, we’ve done a panel at our first live event, and we’ve just been blown away by the support you’ve given us.Now enough sappiness. Let’s talk about the CASE Framework.Why the CASE FrameworkThe CASE Framework will help you break down each individual part into smaller constituent parts. It will also help you make sense of the smaller parts by fitting them into the larger framework.One of the most important parts of the story is the throughline. It’s not a story unless all of the events are connected. If they weren’t, they’re just random events, not necessarily one story. Having the same character throughout each event isn’t enough. They need to tie together somehow. You can have “side quests” but the campaign should feel like a campaign.The nice thing about the CASE Framework is that you can really start your planning with any part of the framework. It helps to remember the framework as a whole so that as you do plan the S for example, you keep in mind the A and the E and to a lesser extent the C.Let me also explain that this framework doesn’t touch improv during your game. This is all about the prep so any improv you do will have to use some of our other tips.One last thing that is nice about this framework is that it can help you plan the timing of your game. Despite how much we may not want them to, all things come to an end. That’s a good thing, because the longer something goes on, the higher the chance there is that it spoils. Every story has a climax then a wrap-up and a close. D&D is no different. Knowing the climax and the end from the beginning can help make sure the campaign doesn’t get stale. If it’s boring, it’s time to move on.Now let’s get into the framework.The framework goes as followsCampaignArc (as in Story Arc)SessionEncounterCampaignC stands for Campaign. As I mentioned at the start of today’s episode, each part of the framework is tied to the parts before and after. The C and E are a little bit different because obviously they are only tied to one other part. In this step, you think about the main plot line of the campaign. The CASE framework works so well because you can start with any part of it, whatever is easiest for you to get going. You also need to think about the scope of what you are planning. If you want to run a full campaign then you need to do the C. If you only want to run a small Campaign, or a Story Arc then you just need the ASE. Lastly, if you want to do a one-shot, then you just need the SE.A campaign is generally made up of at least a few story arcs. For the purpose of the CASE Framework, when you work on the C you’re going to work on it in 3 parts.The General Idea (You’ll get used to doing this)Break the Idea into Steps (Story Arcs)Develop the Important PlayersLet’s go through each of these.When planning a campaign and you decide to start on the C of CASE, the easiest way to start is with the general idea of the campaign. In my case, this is where I toy with multiple ideas to settle on the one that I actually want to pursue. For example, I’m starting to plan the next homebrew campaign for my friends.If any of you are listening, stop listening right now. Also for the rest of you, this will likely give away some spoilers for any one-shots that I put on for you in the future, so keep that in mind. I’m planning on putting the next campaign I run in my homebrew world of Integrity. I’ve talked a lot about this world, but it’s constantly changing. So as of right now, I’ve got a few main plot lines bouncing around in my head, for exampleHumans are dying off because their connection to an Elder Diety is gone, so now there is an organization called the Unseen that is trying to reverse that but they are going about it in the very worst waysThe world itself is in chaos and every nation is poised for all out war. Basically the world is on the brink of world war. There is also a secret organization called The Breach that is led by a man who wants to bring peace to the world. To do this, he is trying to conquer the world. He believes that either he will succeed and conquer everything, uniting the world under himself, or the rest of the world will unite against him. Either way, he believes the world will be united.Originally, on this world, the Elder Diety was threatened by the falling of a corrupted seed from the Worlds Tree (Yggrdasil). That seed fell into the world and started corrupting the lesser gods, turning many of them to be evil. That seed is still in the world, and whatever protection the elder god used to keep the corruption at bay is no longer working, and now the corruption is not just moral but it’s also physical.I have more ideas but you get the idea. I’ve been working on these major plotlines for a while. They all seem very interesting to me, but I don’t want to create a campaign that lasts forever. So what will likely happen is that I will pick maybe one or two of these major plot points and set them into motion, meanwhile, I might pick one or two of the plot lines I didn’t choose and use them as minor story arcs. Either way, putting the ideas on paper like this helps me to realize what I want to do with my campaign. I know a lot of people love to wing it, and that’s totally fine, but you don’t get the amazing callbacks or foreshadowing that you may find in well-thought-out novels if you do that. Having a strategy is never a bad thing.It’s also the opportune moment to think of the theme for your campaign. Some people don’t care to put themes in the campaign, but I think it can leave a nice little easter egg for your players if they are paying attention (and if you do it right).The theme should help flavor and govern everything you do to a very small extent. For most part, about 20% of what you do should be overtly theme related and the other 80% should be subtly theme related.Let’s talk about an example just to hammer down this point.One theme that I’ve been thinking about that may or may not connect with any of the previous plot lines I mentioned is the idea of change.I might not be able to articulate it well, but what is mean is the involuntary change that happens throughout the course of life. It’s that feeling you get when you look back over a year, two or three and realize that without even trying to, you have changed and become something different, for better or for worse.I’ve thought that it might be cool to create some enemies, or big bosses that can literally corrupt, even from the viewpoint of turning humans into monstrous creatures. Perhaps, summed up, the theme would be metamorphosis. I think it might be cool to play with that.For most of the campaign I would probably try to make it so NPCs react to the PCs differently after some time to highlight the changes. For the overt 20% that is highly tied to the theme, I would probably have some sort of traumatic event happen to one of the PCs that could possibly force them to multiclass or physically change them somehow.But that’s enough about the campaign at large. Let’s dive into story arcs.ArcThe Story Arcs could be considered a campaign within a campaign. Often the modules you can run from books could be considered either Campaigns or Story Arcs, depending on how long the module is or how long the DM strings it out to be.Just like most stories, the story arc has a beginning a middle and end. One of the major differences between the story arc and the Campaign is that the Campaign plot line might be interrupted by a non-salient story arc while the story arc might be interrupted by a non-salient session or two.Let explain what I mean.In a campaign, let’s the say the main plot line is to have the party fight the Dragon Queen.As a DM you are well within your rights to introduce a story arc that follows the desire of one of the PCs to acquire an ancient Ancestor Blade. In this story arc, the party fights not dragons, but giants and the entire feel is off. The party would understand that this isn’t the main plot line and when they are done they will get back to what is more pressing.Now in the Story Arc where the party decides to look for the ancestor blade, there might be a few sessions where they decide to just go shopping, which doesn’t necessarily move them towards their goals. They might want extra gold for the shopping, so they could theoretically take a job in the local town of clearing out a nearby band of gnolls. That would take a couple sessions and would not be connected to the giants or the dragons in any way.Does that make sense?When it comes to story arcs, the theme and purpose can be much more specific than the campaign. In my previous examples, my campaign plot lines were focused on the world as a whole. The themes had to do with personal change, unwanted or otherwise.Within this campaign, I’ve been thinking of toying around with some story arcs that would fit within it, for example:A story arc that involves the party getting shipwrecked.A story arc to introduce the Breach, the worldwide domination organizationA story arc to walk my party through Spark, a very unstable and powerful magical drug that one of the countries actually uses for technologyAnd these aren’t even touching any of the story arcs my players will introduce just by having compelling backstories.Just like campaigns, story arcs need adventure hooks. The best part about a story arc is that the adventure hook and how your players react to it determines whether the story arc will pan out and become part of the campaign. If you drop the hook, but your party doesn’t grab onto it then you don’t really need to worry about that particular story arc.If the hook is related to an important plot point for the campaign, then tough luck. I hate to tell you this, but unless you want to railroad your party then they can choose what to pursue or what not to pursue.That said, there is nothing wrong with making consequences happen from choices the party makes or doesn’t make.Let’s say you drop the hook that there is a kingdom nearby where the king has been curse and is suddenly an undead lich. Let’s also say they don’t investigate that hook.They can’t get mad at you when the Lich’s kingdom suddenly attacks one of the neighboring kingdoms, a kingdom the party is in, with an undead horde. You as the DM introduced a problem and they let the problem simmer and grow. The problem still exists despite the party’s lack of interest in the problem.Some story arcs will go the way of the dinosaurs though and won’t even exist if the party doesn’t investigate them. That’s ok. Let it happen. You have so many other fun and interesting ideas anyways.SessionAfter the Story Arc comes the Session. These are the daily building blocks of your story arc and campaign. Without the session, nothing happens.Just like with the Arc and the Campaign, you want to think about the purpose and goal of your session.I think it’s good to remind you about the PUT A CLUE framework that I introduced back around episode 151.P stands for PurposeU stands for Unfinished BusinessT stands for TimelineA stands for Arcs and ActsC stands for charactersL stands for locationU stands for the UnexpectedE stands for encounters.I won’t go into the full framework, but I do want to touch on a few parts.First of all, like I said, you want to think about the purpose and goal of the session. This is so very very important because it sets the tone for everything else you do as far as session prep is concerned. You need to think about the feeling and mindset you want your party members to be in at the end of the session. You can even think about what they were feeling at the end of last session to help bring it all together.Let me also point out that the A and E are relevant to what we are talking about today. The A stands for Arcs and Acts, forcing you to think about how the session fits into the story arc as a whole. The E stands for encounters, making you think about the encounters that will make up your session.The CASE framework works on the idea that each component makes up the larger part that it fits into. Your sessions make up your story arcs and your encounters make up your sessions.You can use this to plan the timing and the continuity of each part.One last note about sessions is to remember to give yourself some breathing room. Plan too much but relax and let what happens happen. No need to worry about every single little detail, though you can spend a lot of time in preparation.EncounterFinally, we get down to the Encounter level. Just like with every other step, you want to think about the purpose of each individual encounter.As a basic rule of thumb, each session could have 3-5 encounters, although you could have more or less depending on the session.When you build out the encounter you want to remember what you want to accomplish with this particular encounter. Sometimes the purpose could be as simple as giving the party a challenge. I think the best encounters are ones where the purpose is not so obvious. For example, one purpose might be to make the party feel endangered, or maybe one encounter’s purpose is to hint at a plot secret.Intrinsically connected to the purpose will be the type of encounter it is. For example, a puzzle encounter might have a difficult job of making the party feel in danger, if there are no combat or trap elements. Similarly, a combat encounter will have a hard time hinting out a major plot point if there is no social element involved or if it is a straightforward combat encounter. So think about what type of encounter you want it to be.For those of you who use random table generators, I would also encourage you to think outside the box in every single encounter. Don’t let an encounter slip by without adding in something cool and memorable. Let’s say that you roll on a random table and now the party is fighting a group of 3 bugbears. It should be a simple encounter, because your party is a much higher level than the bugbears after all. So what if the three bugbears resembled the Three Stooges? This combat encounter would quickly turn into something else that is much more memorable and hopefully enjoyable. You can make every encounter just that much more special if you so choose.How to Use the CASE FrameworkNow let’s come to the most practical part of today’s show.How do you use the CASE Framework?If you remember, the CASE framework is supposed to help you prepare any individual part of your D&D experience.You use this framework quite simply.Step 1: Choose the portion you wish to work on. If you are not in a current campaign, then the most logical step is to work on creating the campaign. If you are in the middle of a campaign, then you need to choose between working on the next Story Arc, Session or Encounter.Step 2: Review the larger portions around the part you want to work on. If you are working on the Story Arc, then you need to review the Campaign work that you’ve already done. Think about the major themes of the campaign and the things that you want to accomplish. Step 3: Split what you are working on into its smaller parts. So if you are working on the Story Arc, you can logically split it into groupings of sessions. Step 4: Fill in the Details. Everything to this point has gotten you the bare bones. What’s left is to just fill them in.The CASE Framework doesn’t help you do all of the work. Instead, it orients you and gets you started in the right direction with the right scope. It’s really more of a compass and a map. It points you towards what you should do and helps remind you of what you have done.EndD&D can be a complicated thing. Sometimes as DMs we overcomplicate. I am 100% at fault there. The real magic happens when you can simplify a great story. If it’s simple, yet gripping, then there’s no way for you to mess it up.The CASE Framework is an attempt to help simplify and demystify the entire Planning process. It doesn’t give you the exact details of every moment, but rather it helps you tie it all together. It helps you create 1 story, rather than a series of random and unconnected episodes. If that’s what you were going for, then that’s totally ok. For those of us who want to create something more integrated, this should help.RememberCampaignArcSessionEncounter.If you ever need to improvise anything, just remember to think about the entire framework when you do.With this framework, I believe you’ll plan your entire...

Welcome back to another episode.Today we walk about railroading, allowing players to do whatever they want, focusing on player perception and making sure the game is fun for the player at all times.If you want more, check out session0studios.comIf you want more specific resources, check out these other episodes:Tips for Improv: Episode 161Mentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.Why Listen to Ads?Ugh, another ad break. Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad. So why suffer? Just skip them. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month. Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience. So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!PatreonStart Leveling Up As a DMWouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities? In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters? We’re happy to tell you that now, you can. We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide. It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering. It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount. In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try. You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide. Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character. Level Up Guide

Ever dreamt of creating the perfect D&D game room, but felt overwhelmed by budget, and space limitations, or clueless about the coolest tech hacks? This episode is your one-stop guide! We'll delve into inspiring ideas, from crafting an immersive atmosphere to incorporating unexpected gadgets to elevate your campaign. Whether you're a seasoned Dungeon Master or a newbie setting up your first session, get ready to transform your game room into a legendary space that will have your players begging for more!Craft Your Dream D&D Game Room: From Budget Hacks to Tech TricksWelcome back to How to Be a Better DM. In this episode, we journey deep into the realm of D&D game room creation with the incredible Daniel Hanzlian, the mastermind behind the inspiring Instagram account @danzlianthedm! If you've ever fantasized about building the ultimate space for epic campaigns but felt restricted by budget, space, or a lack of tech know-how, then buckle up!We'll cast a spell on the following:Budget-Friendly Fantasy: Unleash the power of creative solutions and discover how to craft an immersive atmosphere without breaking the bank.Optimizing Your Space: Maximize your square footage for legendary gameplay, whether you have a grand hall or a cozy corner.Tech Hacks for Tabletop Titans: Learn how to leverage unexpected gadgets and digital tools to elevate your campaign to new heights.From Inspiration to Implementation: Turn your game room dreams into reality with a step-by-step approach that's both practical and awe-inspiring.Ready to transform your game room into a haven for unforgettable adventures? Dive into this episode and discover the secrets to crafting a legendary space that will have your players cheering for more!For more ideas and inspiration, be sure to check out Daniel's work on Instagram: @danzlianthedmFind out more at https://session0studios.com/Mentioned in this episode:Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.Why Listen to Ads?Ugh, another ad break. Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad. So why suffer? Just skip them. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month. Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience. So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!PatreonGet The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For FreeTake a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree. We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine. We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May. Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it. Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.

Welcome back to today's show.Today, Tanner and Justin have the great pleasure of joining the Level Up Your Gaming Podcast (https://levelupyourgaming.buzzsprout.com/) with hosts Josh and Aaron to talk about transplanting rules into your game from different RPG systems.Mentioned in this episode:Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For FreeTake a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree. We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine. We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May. Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it. Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.Why Listen to Ads?Ugh, another ad break. Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad. So why suffer? Just skip them. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month. Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience. So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!PatreonBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

What's up everyone! Thanks for listing to how to be a better DM. Here's a quick synopsis of today's episode hosted by (me) Cayden Ottley. In today's episode I talk about 10 places that you need in any fantasy town that your players are visiting. This obviously varies from place to place depending on setting, political system, and your own rules to name a few, but this comprehensive list will help you get started. Enjoy! Tavern - A place to meet, drink, dance, and potentially hear gossip. The Tavern creates great rollplaying opportunities and is a classic place to receive epic quests. Marketplace - Every town will have some sort of commerce. People need to make a living! A marketplace allows the party to pick up unique items unique to the area, and potentially meet some interesting NPC’s.Government Building - The place where decisions are made and justice is served. This is the place for political intrigue, where players might petition for help, confront corrupt officials, or attend important meetings.Blacksmith’s Shop - No town is complete without at least a few blacksmith’s shops. This is where weapons are forged, armor is repaired, and custom gear can be crafted. The blacksmith can be a valuable ally, providing expertise and perhaps even quests.Church or other site of worship - Spirituality plays a crucial role in many fantasy settings, so a church or other site of worship is a must. This place provides solace, guidance, and perhaps divine intervention. Food or wealth source - Every town needs a source of sustenance and income. This could be a farm, a mine, a fishing dock, or any other resource. It’s the lifeblood of the town’s economy and a potential source of conflict or adventure.Jail - The jail is where lawbreakers are kept, and it can be a grim reminder of the town’s darker side. It’s also a potential adventure site—whether your players are breaking someone out, investigating a mysterious prisoner, or serving time themselves.Hospice - A place of healing is vital for any community. The hospice, whether it’s a grand hospital or a healer’s cottage, offers medical care and respite for the sick and injured. It can be a haven for your players to recover, learn about local ailments, or meet knowledgeable healers who may need help with curing a mysterious disease.Criminal Layer or Resistance Base -  Every town has its shadows. A criminal lair or resistance base adds depth and intrigue. This hidden location is where rogues gather, plots are hatched, and rebellions are planned. Whether it's a thieves' guild, a rebel hideout, or a smuggler’s den, this place can provide players with under-the-table jobs, secret information, and morally complex decisions.Inn - Last but certainly not least is the inn. Similar to the tavern, the inn offers a place for travelers to rest, but it’s also a hub of activity where stories are shared and alliances are formed. The innkeeper can be a font of local lore, and the inn itself can be the starting point for many adventures.Mentioned in this episode:Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For FreeTake a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree. We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine. We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May. Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it. Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.Why Listen to Ads?Ugh, another ad break. Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad. So why suffer? Just skip them. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month. Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience. So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!PatreonBrought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

Want to step up your crafting game in D&D? Think of implementing 3 aspects into your crafting: Skills/Proficiencies, Materials, and Place. These will help you make crafting attainable, story driven, and worth it for your players.Mentioned in this episode:Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For FreeTake a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree. We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine. We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May. Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it. Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.Save time with Roll and Play PressSave yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press. Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.

Why are prepping sessions so hard? Why can’t it be as easy as remembering a simple phrase, maybe something strange like PUT A CLUE? Why can’t I save time by learning this phrase PUT A CLUE and then using it to prepare my sessions so much faster?Friend, you’re in luck. Today’s episode is for you.Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM, the show to help dungeon masters new and old learn how to take their DMing skills to the next level. I’m Justin Lewis and I’ve been helping Dungeon Masters solve simple and complex problems with my cohosts for over 150 episodes now. We’ve talked with professional voice actors, writers, podcasters, and even real life blacksmiths, all to help you fix your DMing mistakes, and truly become the World’s Greatest DM.As I mentioned today’s show is about helping you do Session Prep in a way that takes less time, far less mental stress, and helps you structure yourself to get finished faster and in a more complete way.To do that, I give you the PUT A CLUE framework. Simply fulfill each of the aspects of this framework and your Session Prep is done.The PUT A CLUE framework breaks down as follows:Purpose: Understand the general goal and purpose of the sessionUnfinished business: Wrap up and recap what happened in the last sessionTimeline: Write down a general chronological plan of what you want to have happenActs and Arcs: Separate that timeline into a few acts (or scenes)Characters: Prepare characters and their actions that are needed for the sessionLocations: Prepare the setting and maps needed for the sessionUnexpected: Prepare a twist or something unexpected for the sessionEncounters: Flesh out the mechanics and final details of each encounterMaybe it’s simplifying session prep, but in that case, GOOOD!There’s no reason session prep has to drain your soul.Try out the framework and see how it works for you.Thanks for listening to today’s show.This podcast is a part of the Session 0 Studios Network.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. DiscordSave time with Roll and Play PressSave yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press. Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.Give Us a Rating and ReviewYou obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.Brought to you by Session 0 StudiosVisit session0studios.com for more information.