How do i dm properly

how do i dm properly

DM badly for a while until you figure it out.

For basic tips I say the best way to 'plan' a session is to create a rough framework and improvise the rest. Don't make grand plans because players are naturally good at subverting them, the more attached you are to your plans the more you'll try and drag them kicking and screaming back to it.

This. Personally I've had great results from creating a few locations they will have to visit and a cast of NPCs

Try different strategies until you find out what you or your players like. It's okay to workshop your game and style with the players.

If you haven't been a player, be a player first.

I DM'd for a long time before I ever played, and after playing for a while I realized all the shit I didn't think twice about as a DM that really grinded my gears as a player. Especially in regards to being 'tough but fair' and shit, you really need to read the room and know when to put your foot down, and experience as a player will give you a very different perspective on what 'fair' means.

Also the fact that a lot of things I enjoyed putting into detail as a DM bored me as a player. Remember that your priority is to make the players feel like they're deeply involved and have agency. They won't care about the super cool city you planned out to a T or your really interesting NPC if it's thrust upon them without them having an ability to interact with it in a way that feels like they have agency. Giving players agency doesn't necessarily mean giving them a blank cheque, it just means giving them the capacity to act as they choose and the consequences that come with it.

You don't

Same here. I feel like half the things I find fun to do as a DM are bad and wrong.

I like rolling behind the screen because it lets me be more flexible but rolling in the open fosters trust and it's more exciting for players.
I like to have dramatic things happen but players must have a chance to act.
I like to relax and just play for giggles but I'm a shit GM and I need improvement.

I mean so long as your players are having fun then you're doing a good job. But I never feel like I'm good enough.

how do i dnd if i have no friends

It's an experience of trial and error, and probably mostly error. There is no "correct" way to DM as it varies by group preference, but there are some skills you'd probably want to pick up. Improvisation, description, reading a room, etc. That sort of thing.

would also like to know this, f-for a friend I don't have

Play online and join pugs

Simple. You go on roll20 or something and find a group that's available. There's basically always somebody looking for a fifth. It'll be fucking awful, but it's also a learning experience. Eventually you'll be okay at rpgs, and can try to find a group you actually like. Perhaps check forums if you'd like to play online, or your FLGS if you'd like to game in meatspace. If you attend university, it's stupid easy to get a game. Most larger ones have one or two rpg clubs, and probably a lot of people interested in playing. I made some flyers and posted them on campus, and within a week and a half I had over twenty potential players.

like roll20?

Act like everything is going according to plan no matter how tits up things go, and roll with the punches.

It's quite simple.

Kill.

Them.

All.

Fuck man, why do you think we'll be able to help?

I've never had the opportunity to be a player. Im only GMing out of desperation

Yep, thats where I had my start. It will suck for the first few months but you'll eventually get a good bunch of groups/erp partners after a while.

I dunno, some players like it when they "out smart" you. So I think it's okay to behave flabbergasted when they actually mange to do so.

Just... pretend that you planned for everything. EVERYTHING.

In reality just do whatever's fun, but pretend there's a bigger story, buying time while your players flounder about in their whole new world while you come up with something based on their characters.

...

thanks reddit