Thank you for watching! What things do you wish you knew before being a GM? Let us know in the comments below. Check out The Black Void here: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/285707/Black-Void-Core-Book?affiliate_id=934343

10 things I'd wished I'd known as a new player, in order of importance: 1) You are not married to your GM, and even if you are, you don't HAVE to play with them. Better to not play then to be divorced... 2) Likewise for your group. If you're not having fun and don't see it ever improving, just leave; it'll help prevent burnout and losing friends 3) It's alright to take breaks from a *good* group if life gets in the way; if they're really your friends, they should understand how it is 4) Take time to learn the rules when you can. You'll be helping your GM and the group by doing so, usually by saving time that can be spent actually playing 5) Keep your character idea *as simple as possible* at the beginning, just a sentence or two at first. This gives them ample room to grow as you play 6) You don't have to play the character that's "needed" by the party; it's not a videogame, good GMs can and should compensate for weaknesses in a group's composition. Play what you want 7) Practice minor inter-party conflicts (bickering over treasures, having a rivalry, etc); when you get good at these, they tend to create the most fun and interesting moments at the table 8) Don't feel pressured to do voices and such if you don't want to. This isn't a broadway production, your group shouldn't *need* that kind of excess to RP with you 9) Even if you *hate* GMing, it'll be good to create at least one one-shot adventure to fill the night with in case your GM is sick last minute and nobody else will step up. It WILL happen, promise. 10) Be prepared for people to eventually leave your group, or for your group to dissolve altogether. As discussed earlier, life happens; there will be other groups to join, especially nowadays.

“What is a shrubbery thinking about?” Nobody: My brain: THE KNIGHTS OF NI

“There is no system. It’s make believe.” This needs to be on a shirt or coffee mug.

The only thing I wish I knew was 'you don't have to play with just about everyone. Pick and choose'

I love how this channel could be renamed "How to be a decent human being".

Gygax himself said "If the rules come in conflict with having fun, throw out the rules for a minute and have fun instead." Words to live by. [That's a paraphrase, I don't remember Gary's exact words] Also, some of my favorite antagonist critters aren't even in the rules. The False Hydra is phenomenally fun to throw at PCs.

A few random things I wish I knew when I started GMing 1. Don't script. If you try and plan out every part of a given sequence you'll find that what happens is players will do something that you didn't plan for as they will inevitability do 2. Don't give them the answers but don't deny their ideas. To tie into my last point. If the players come up with a good idea that circumvents your puzzle or trap don't just tell them no "because". Give them the W and move on. 3. Don't be afraid to pull someone aside. Whether their having an issue with another player or undermining you make sure you respectfully approach them about the issue. Don't let one person screw your game up for you or others. 4. Pay attention. You may have the most brilliant cathedral in your head and you want to describe every inch of it, but if everyone is looking around not really caring wrap it up and move on. This works in the opposite to if you introduce a character that they all love that you had no intention of bringing back have him make another appearance or two. 5. Help your players. If your players are stuck and stopping the plot don't be afraid to give them the pros and cons and inch them in a direction.

What I learned is: It is OKAY to kill a player in game. If you've established the world as dangerous and they act foolishly where death could be/is a consequence they may suffer, then let it happen. Coddling players and always making things go their positively is a sure fire way for them to quickly come to disrespect the world they're all playing in.

I'm playing in my first campaign with my brother and some D&D veterans, and I'm DMing for my first time with a game for my wife and kids. It's fun learning and teaching them how to be creative!

My wife is about to GM for the first time, so great timing on this video.

1: When DMing, speak and say everything with absolute confidence and command presence. Players will be confident in the game you are running if you are confident in the game you are running. 2: When in doubt, side with your players. If you are struggling to compute values in your head and it's not game breaking, a little bit of extra leeway in the player's favor doesn't break the suspension of disbelief. 3: Have a general plan of a start and end goal for the session but don't be afraid to change course if the players players do. You are the master of what is going on and you can always tie in where the main campaign is going in a different way. Flexibility and compromise will make everyone feel included at the table. 4: If you have players who are all about the shiny and the loot, make yourself a generic list that you can quickly reference from by your screen, likewise don't be afraid to tell them they find nothing even on a very high search role or skill check. 5: If you are not very creative or quick at making stuff up on the fly yet, don't worry you'll get better at it. Practice makes perfect. Initially you may want to spend extra time preparing sessions until you get a feel for the party and the world that you're in. Once you're comfortable, the world and party will progress and grow organically and it'll be much easier to let creative play happen outside of the path that you initially thought of. 6: Don't be afraid to make a ruling, and don't derail an entire game and start breaking out books. 7: Having silent timers behind your screen is a great tool and will help you keep track of events that you wish to have and keep the party on pace so as you don't spend 45 minutes talking in one room about doing nothing. The group will be silently looking to you to help make things happen. 8: Take advantage of apps and free digital tools as it's never been easier to be a DM. 9: Don't be afraid to try something new and push the boundaries of traditional storytelling and gameplay. Likewise, if a campaign is falling flat don't be afraid to suggest a restart or starting a different type of campaign. Perhaps the party initially agrees to a steampunk pirate setting but then after a while your game starts losing steam and the players are not very enthusiastic with it for a variety of reasons, don't take it personally and don't be afraid of having the discussion of changing games. 10: Keep it light, keep the jokes rolling, and let even random NPCs have personalities. For my group, referencing other Pop culture by in-jokes, or even making subtle stabs at breaking the fourth wall will keep it light and players will be laughing That's what they'll be talking about at the end of your campaigns. Best of luck to anyone starting out.

The most important rule I learned was this: become comfortable with being uncomfortable. In other words, you csnt prep for everything. Players are too unpredictable. So become comfortable with improvisation. Improvisation is one of the greatest joys as DM, as it means you too are going to be challenged by the unknown. You too will have puzzles. You too will be tested... but by the players.

The only thing I wish I knew when I started is how to read the table. As an example, if we are doing a huge dungeon slog, and the party is getting saddle-sore of the dungeon, I wish I knew enough to inject a little tangent adventure in so that the party could come back refreshed and invigorated to continue on their path.

This is actually great advice. Back in March I started my own campaign set in a homebrew world and we're still going. Everyone helps each other, and encourages the other players. I worked with the players beforehand and asked them what they'd like to see in the game, giving each of them the chance to develop their own story-arc within the world. Since then, we've been playing weekly, and I've never GM'd before, I played D&D a few times back in high school, like 15 years ago, but like Guy said, as long as you have fun, respect the players and don't railroad them into your story, you can have an amazing time! Plus, it's really rewarding to watch people interact with the world you've created for them, even if it's not how you imagined it when building it.

Your note to cancel if you're not in the right frame of mind is so true. I've wondered if I was losing interest for the game so many times and then I would come back excited to dm. Need to spend some time finding the right frame of mind - triggers and telltale signs.

The recent longer video format I really enjoy, it's helpful to explore broader/longer subjects in depth for me at least

The golden rule of RPGing: If the rules/numbers/books are getting in the way of having fun, ignore them and do something else instead. Everyone having fun is the most important thing in running a game. Rule consistent is important but the the rule of fun is more important.... don't let the rules bog the game down and let things get borring..... HAVE FUN! Generaly a GM vs Player mindset is also a bad idea as unless thats what the players want, it's not fun. Most people would rather have a story than have there chars killed and death kinda puts an end to any story ideas you have.

as a DM since circa 1980 who is about to start my first campaign in about 6 years I appreciated the reminders.

I'm always hesitant on videos like these considering that they are usually skewed to the person's style of play (especially with the case of Taking20's channel). But this is probably THE best video about this topic, as it covers the unspoken rules and the lessons any GM will learn as they go along. it's really important that we teach people that they shouldn't be looking for the "right" way to play, but instead steer them away from harmful traits that could damage or break up a group in their future and leave them with that bad experience.

Can I just say, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! I only just started my first campaign back in March and I was terrified! I thought I had to know every rule, every monster, every sourcebook, every map, etc. or else I would look like an idiot. But here I am, 8 months down the road with a weekly campaign that my players just LOVE. I’m still learning, I’m still adjusting, and I’m still seeking my players’ opinions. And after finding you on KZfaq, your videos have helped me silence my inner critic and just GO FOR IT. You’re amazing. Thank you for the content and the care.

Point 6 is absolutely preposterous! No way this sort of wild nonsense would fly in the GM Academia!

Dude. I think number 1 should have been "Its a game" Seriously. Its a game. If u want it to be work, go to work 😂

I had a poignant mistake moment once when I was GM’ing and even just after it occurred, I had the feeling that I mishandled the situation. I left the table feeling like I had absolutely let one of my players down, specifically, and at the time I knew I could have done better. I went home and pondered on what I did wrong, and I actually managed to come to a solid answer, and ever since then I look back on that moment as a *great* learning moment. The player was one of my best friends so I was especially down that I had flubbed it, but I feel like I learned a very valuable lesson in interpreting mechanics as narrative.

The thing I love the most about being a GM, now that I'm talking to my table friends about a campaign I'm preparing, is that I suggest a world and they add things to it with their character ideas. Like, it's not just MY world, it's OUR world as a group of friends having fun, and I truly like being a GM and having a wonderful laugh with them. It really already feels like sharing something beautiful

The thing I wish I knew was: they might be your friend, but doesn't mean they are a good player, or at least a good fit for the kind of game you are trying to run.

What does a shrubbery think about? The sun, growing, etc. What does crab grass think about? "Consent please!"

On monsters and such: I can't recommend basing stats off your party enough. Not sure how strong a monster should be? Compare it to your party! Compare its AC to the parties average "to hit" chance to figure out how often they'll be hitting it. Compare its health total to the average damage per round of the entire party (and "nova" round). Compare its "to hit" chance with the party's AC to figure out how often the creature should hit. If you want it to be capable of one shot-ing someone, compare it's average damage per round to the party's average health etc. It makes balancing encounters so much more intuitive. The DM Coach put out a video about this awhile back and I've heavily utilized the concept for my homebrew monsters, especially "re-imaginings" of existing creatures.

“You don’t need a monsters manual” Looks over at a monster manual I spent $30 on Amazon for...

The 3 dislikes at this point are all debating points 4 and 6. But what boggles my mind is how people are stuck in the books. This game is all about problem solving and creativity. Thanks for the Videos you are a great help!

oh man not knowing the rules was huge for me. I thought I was gonna have to know the DM guide/PHB/MM front to back and inside out before I could GM. I finally just started and realized I didn't need half of the rules I was worried about.

Great video as always. I never reflected on what I wish I knew bevor GM-ing for the first time. Thank you for the insight.

You are so inspiring! Your videos make me believe I can do it and make fun with my friends as a GM, not only as a player. Thank you!

This channel helped me grasp the basic and advanced concepts of dming, I've added all you videos to my gm core knowledge list on youtube, always great advice and I really enjoy your videos, thank you for all the amazing advice. 😊

Thanks Guy! Just about to close my first year DM’ing & at least 5 of these points resonated with me at some point (they still are...). Good for me to see quality bits and pieces of wisdom on the internet consolidated into a personal talk like this.

Great video I recently started GMing my first D&D campaign. That I home brewed and I had bought my GM guide a full year and a half before agreeing to DM because I was so intimidated by the process and then realized in the first session that it was funner to allow the story to develop and that you can't accurately predict the motives or what is going to intrigue the party and wish I had watched this video a year ago.

On numbers and monsters, this is why I LOVE Fantasy Flight Games narrative dice. You can add boost and setback dice to alter rolls based on the GMs gut instinct of how difficult an opponent should be and then narratively explain it. Makes for a dynamic story centered approach that discourages accounting.

Heh, I thrusted myself onto the GM seat when I first started DnD. A bunch of my friends wanted to get into it, but we didn't have anyone who was into DnD before us, so we all learned along the way.

I'll be DMing for my first time this christmas with my family, and feel so overwhelmed and nervous with not knowing the rules. So these videos have been so helpful. I love improvisation and just making things up so hopefully things will go well.

I totally agree with the statement about monsters. Mine are always what I want, and rarely what is found in any book. It has always worked out very well and players like not really knowing what a monster can do, unless they learn over time.

Guy, this is one of your best videos. I am a very experienced GM and player, and this advice is GOLD. ESPECIALLY the "It Is Supposed To Be FUN!" I would add one more: read GMing blogs and watch GMing vlogs. They are fun, inspiring, informative, and helpful. At least, they have been for me.

Heck yeah keep the vids coming guy been watching all em up.

Love these videos. I've really just started playing this year, but I think I'd really enjoy GMing so I'm trying to learn to be a good one

I just had a player tell me last night that he wants to learn how to GM; a very well timed video indeed!

Everything has a goal - best advice! Thank you. This was my biggest hang up for like three sessions. I started to lose my players because the world was getting flat and boring (despite many tens of hours of world building and planning).

Your hints and tips have helped me immensely. My game continues to grow and I'm seriously considering turning my sessions into short stories/novellas. Thanks again and keep up the good work.

I’m learning so much listening and watching your videos, thank you!

Thank you! Thank you so much for this video! It's fresh air, I'm so glad to hear a GM says this things!

Absolute encouraging energy ! Thanks mate !

here's a tip for you! don't apologise for making long videos, you're very helpful. sometimes more is more.

I cant find it just skimming around now to quote it exactly, but the part where you talk about finding a new group if your friends arent into your GM style is something i needed to hear. I have friends who prefer a lighter theme and less roleplay than what i usually like to bring, and even some friends who have outright said "you're a bad GM." (Though that was mostly my very first few games) And all of that is fine, because i can find a new group and try and learn while they have fun with another GM who likes that way of doing things. Thank you ❤

Love The video! Just starting GMing and its nice to have some refreshers to remind me that its okay to mess up.

I could listen to Guy say 'Shrubbery' all day haha Great video thank you. I second the not needing to know all the rules point. I would have started years earlier if I had believed that! Still working on the Have Fun though. I want so badly for everyone to have a good time and an engaging session I sometimes forget to have fun myself. ~Dan

Thank you for the great tips.

Woah I’m early for once, love your videos dude! I’m beginning to write my first proper campaign for over the holidays, and your channel has been such a huge help. Thank you!

A couple of my players told me about this saying "he stole your list!" Obviously, he didn't. We've just had VERY similar experiences in gaming. I would add: read every game you can find. Never stop reading games. Learn everything you can. You will come across a situation in your game where you do not like the rule/resolution method for your chosen game system, and another game system might have one you like better. There is no "winner" in an RPG, but, if you're not having fun, you can lose one.

I appreciated the section about "sometimes just not feeling it". Matt Colville had some good advice: figure out the part(s) of the game we love/get energy from and be sure to lean into that aspect. I realised I enjoy "doing voices"/portraying NPC's as well as crafting engaging battle maps on Roll20. For the particular session I didn't feel like running, I invested energy in those aspects, found myself then looking forward to playing. All the other aspects still need to be done but the characterization and maps gave a way into enthusiasm. (My players said the session was exceptional). In addition, scheduled breaks are important. To recharge, engage in other aspects of life, give time to write and prepare, etc. We return fresh with new ideas!

Loved this! As someone who is going to soon be a first-time GM, very valuable!

Great 10 things list, Guy. All great things I like to be reminded of, again and again. I've even saved this video to rewatch it later. Thanks!!

When I wrote my first own campaign as a GM, I never looked into the monster manual at all until after I was done writing everything else. I literally just put in the monsters and enemies that I wanted to have at that point in the story and how many hp they had and what their attack is and after that I really just searched through the monsters list to find stat blocks for them in case someone made them do a saving throw. I pretty much changed up everything about them from what they originally where. I also sometimes spontaneously increased or decreased their hp depending on how the players were holding up during the game so they would always be a challenge but never overkill. And after my campaign was over and we're playing with other gms now, I realise that it's sometimes really obvious when the GM just took some monster from the manual and didn't change it up to fit the parties level. some fights can get really stupid when your opponent has an AC of 19 and you all have only +1 on your hit...

The thing I wish I knew when I started playing, all together, was that a DM is a regular player, like everyone else at the table, just with a slightly different job. A main DM, from my childhood, was selling some special social order. Really made it sound mystical.

Running my first one shot pretty soon and I am sooo fricken grateful that I can KZfaq these videos instead of 100% winging it. I've gotten alot of tips and ideas from this channel. Thank you.

Thank you very much, very helpful and takes off some stress of getting back into GMing.

Great videos I started playing dnd as a dm and your channel has helped me develope so much!

thanks for the video, I just started to write a campaign,so this is great

I read a thing last night talking about how DM/GMing is like doing improv theater. We make offers, and the players can pick them up (or more often, not). For example, in a certain streamed RPG, the GM described a room, finishing with a solitary chair in the middle of the room. There was nothing in his plans about that chair, but the party SEIZED on that chair and it became a trope for them for the next 20 sessions. Or in one of my games. I described a fencing-master, Ginaldo, and one of the players quipped "and he has a brother, Owaldo, but no one can ever find him." And thus Owaldo the spy-master was born. I made an offer, Ginaldo, and the party reciprocated, and we're building together. It's a beautiful thing. And so long as we're having fun together, that's what matters, in my book!

I loved your mention of expanding horizons, for just like moving away from home, sometimes you just have to leave your comfort zone/postal code to get more solutions to the same problems. From the tabletop perspective, I wish I spent less time early on stratifying my gameplay and just accepting that elements outside of classic Tolkien or the elder lais still had so much to give in ways of enjoyment. Thank you for sharing this list, sir!

BRILLIANT tips. Thank you so much.

I’m having a crack at DMing for the first time this weekend, so much support in the community for DMs it’s awesome! Advice like this makes it less of an unreachable goal in peoples’ minds. Fab video!

These are amazing tips. Tomorrow will be my first time DMing and this video came up just in time

Thanks to your videos. I jumped into DMing D&D with a group of 6 of my friends. Before I started this campaign I only played in 2 one shots where I didn't even make my own character! You can start running games whenever you want know nothing go forth and have fun. Every week all 6 players tell me how awesome the story was and how they can't wait for nxt week weave good stories the rest can come later. ALso invite a player or two that knows the rules alot better and have them there for help if you need on callings.

This is the first video I'm seing of this channel and I honestly already love you as a person

"Every tree that's growing has a goal" is the most Aristotelian thing I've heard anyone say about RPGs outside of Ars Magica.

Some things I am happy I know as a newbie GM aside from some storytelling goodness: This is your story! Don't be afraid that people might not like it. People who want to roleplay will probably not object to talking with you. We're not at school, people are here voluntarily. That's it for now.

Thank you. This is the best dm advice I ever heard.

You are absolutely delightful! Thank you, kind sir! 🖤👏🏻

Second video I've watched of yours...noice! Subscribed with bells, good job! Binge time!

Thank you, I’m so excited to GM my first session (Talisman), it is supposed to be today but your point about having fun is really important and one of the players joining me is going through a tough time and is not enthusiastic about things at the moment. So I think I will postpone it until she is in the frame of mind to be able to have fun in our first game.

I love lists, too!!! Keep on keepin' on!! And thank you! And the best "Big Bad" ever was a GM created one: and for every member of that Party, when we hear that Bad's "theme" music we say, "oh, NO!!!"

I've been binge watching all of your videos lately, and I cannot say thank you enough. This video came at the perfect time too! You've inspired me to build my own world and run my own campaign starting early 2021. I've run some test one shots, implementing things I've learned from your channel and my friends have been nothing but supportive and complimentary to me, which is all thanks to you - so, thank you again for giving so much to the RPG community!

I've been gm'ing for a couple of years now and started not long after finding your channel. Turns out I've already implemented a lot of the (amazing) tips in this video into my games and I think they've been all the better because of that. Thanks for the always fun and informative content throughout the years!

I've seen a lot of these kinds of videos leading up to GMing my first homebrew campaign, this is without a doubt the most helpful and reassuring one. Thank you

Thank you since I have come back to D&D just recently (started back in ‘77) I’m back.. I was a DM in early 80’s so thing’s have massively changed and loving it. And thanks good on sir!!!

Hi! I'm so glad I found your channel last year! It allows me to learn English, learn so many interesting things about RPG. I think I would like to know a few years ago that there is such a channel on KZfaq. And this is the first thing to learn - learn from others, look to different DMs. Thanks for your work 👍

Guy, you are the reason I found the courage to GM for my group after we were ghosted by our first GM. We've been playing GoSM for about 6 months now and we're having so much fun!! I wish I had started playing 30 years ago instead of waiting so long.

I've being GM for a while for the past years to be exact, in every session it as been mistakes after mistakes and my anxiety was not helpfull, and in every single point you talked about you made me realise that i should have fun. You made me realize i need to breathe. So thank you i will take everything you said to heart

I always feel like I'm saying something sacrilegious when I disclose that I don't give monsters hp at all, I just count the damage up until I feel like it's enough. If someone gets a really good crit I might even decide 'fuck it, it's dead' in one hit. I don't even know where this perceived pressure comes from, it's a make-belief game!

Thank you! I volunteered to GM my first ever game because the only group I could find only had room for a GM and my plus one; this goes a long way toward easing my nerves. ^_^

every time I watch your vids, they teach me so much. Thanks so much, Guy ^^

Thanks for including the tip on being mindful and respectful to boundaries. Always important to remember, even if gaming is our “escape”.

Thanks! that's good stuff. You really make me wanna be a GM. I started writing couple Idea and found some old friend down for the trip. We'll see where is goes. Sounds like potential good fun eheh!

Probably won't see this since this is an older video, but you are awesome. I was stressing out so much trying to plan my first GM attempt (a one-shot, going down tonight!) and you completely calmed my nerves. It'll be okay - and I can't wait to become a great gm!

Thanks a lot for the video. I love the content of your channel and find it very helpful. I have only recently started playing and really love the game. Funny enough I am now in two absolutely different when it comes to GM style campaigns. First is a more of a "this is my story" ( to a point that you can find no oil in the city to buy or no poisonous creatures in a swamp) and the other answers to all of the points mentioned (except he knows most of the rules 🙃)... i really enjoy the second more :), as it gives me more space to play creatively and think of various ways to overcome challenges. So I will certainly try and stick with that approach once I start GMing.

Point 6 was so important for me to hear! I've ended up in a bit of a D&D slump because I feel like I have to DM as often as possible! Of course it's flattering that my players enjoy the game so much, but I feel drained and uninspired! I need to remember to take breaks!

I'm launching my first campaign tomorrow as the GM, so great timing! x)

Thank you for the videos. It has given me new outlooks on how to GM any system. I am in the process of starting a new D&D campaign after about 15 or 20 years of not being able to TTRPG. The group that I will be running with are all new players to the TTRPG genera. Besides D&D, the other system I like is Palladium. Games like TMNT, RIFTS and Robotech are the ones that I grew up playing the most and was my first system that I was a GM with. I still have some of the books and still look at them for some inspiration in my current D&D game I am running.

thanks dude, i am gonna be Dm'ing the first time soon and this vid made me feel SO much better about stuff :)

Brilliant, funny, useful and inspiring. I'm just about to launch into the realms of DMing... After delaying it for about 35 years... I'm looking forward to making an adventure, making mistakes, learning and hopefully sending some players into a world that inspires them. This video is in MY top 10 D&D related KZfaq vids for sure!

I’m making my first campaign right now waiting for the campaign I’m playing in now to end. This and many of your other videos are great. Full of experience and wisdom. Thank You Sir.✌️

I like this and there are several I have learned in my first gm run and some I found recently. And the you don't need to know all the rules was good cause.......I don't......I actually had one of my player go off on me cause I didn't know a couple rules. Thankfully the others players at my table supported me, but it was still hard to be critted like that though. This gives me encouragement to keep going.