Truth be told, I’m not much of a Dungeons & Dragons player or Dungeon Master. However, I am an excellent workplace facilitator, and there’s a lot of crossover between the two roles. In this article, I’m going to share some of the tips I’ve picked up over the years, and how you can apply them to your next D&D session.
1. Set expectations
Whether it’s a recurring meeting or a D&D session, everyone needs to know what they’re signing up for. While experienced groups will most likely have a session 0 already planned. I’ve found newer groups will rush into playing, and then struggle when there’s a misalignment of expectations between group members.
For instance, where one player is thinking of the game as a tactical battling game, and another is performing over-the-top roleplay like they’re going for an Emmy. This can create a lot of friction in the group and is easily avoided by setting early expectations.
When setting expectations in D&D there are two parts: in-game, and outside of the game.
In-game, you should include:
- How much roleplaying are people comfortable with?
- What happens when there’s a disagreement in the rules?
- Players’ power levels, and what to do when they’re out of whack?
- What does everyone want to get out of the experience?
It’s equally important to discuss table etiquette:
- Are phones allowed at the table?
- Should everyone be taking notes?
- What happens when someone can’t make it?
By asking and answering these questions as a group, you’re making all implicit assumptions explicit. Thereby getting everyone onto the same page, and eliminating any chance of two people having different ideas.
Depending on how rowdy you expect the group to get. The next step is to write them all down, and bring them to each session – acknowledging them before you begin.
Now I know this is over the top, but what you’re doing is empowering everyone at the table to call out rule-breakers. The piece of paper becomes a symbol, or tool, allowing everyone to tackle tough situations by pointing at the piece of paper and saying: you’re not acting in line with what we decided together.
2. Give everyone a voice
Nothing silences a group meeting more than asking for a volunteer.
No one wants to do extra work.
This applies to D&D as well. It’s every Dungeon Master’s dream to describe a scene and then throw their hands open and ask the question: “What do you do”. Before the players come to life throwing around ideas and roleplaying.
However, most Dungeon Masters who’ve tried this know it doesn’t happen right off the bat.
More often when you do this, you’ll be met with deafening silence as everyone waits for someone else to go first. Cue the most extroverted player at the table.
Now that one person has broken the seal, they’ll most likely go first in every opportunity following and dominate the narrative. While the rest of the table gets relegated to NPC status. Having to follow the extroverted player’s every move, and having a rotten time doing so.
To avoid this situation, feel free to pick on people, and ask what their character is doing during the scene. And make sure to go around the table, letting everyone have their little moments.
By letting even the quietest of players time to talk, everyone has input into what’s happening which gives them an amount of buy-in they wouldn’t have otherwise.
In the work environment, you can also get everyone to write down their thoughts on Post-it notes. Which provides the opportunity for everyone to share, before the dominant voices take over. But without that medium in D&D, it’s also worthwhile to check in with the quieter members of the party, ask them what their character is doing in a scene and make sure they get some air time as well.
3. Keep on task
It’s easy to get off track, both in D&D and a work meeting. To a degree, this is fine, as these off-topic moments of conversation are a great chance to build relationships and camaraderie among the group. However, as a facilitator, you can’t let these moments dominate the meeting. Otherwise, everyone will leave thinking they got nothing done.
Likewise in D&D, there’s often a desire from players to make jokes and wax hypothetical. Which is fun in small doses, but interrupts the flow and narrative of the game. This is where you need to be in control and recognize when the conversation is going off track.
Usually during these moments, a simple reminder of saying: we’re off track, let’s continue, is enough to get the players back to playing the board in front of them. If it’s not, then you probably need to ask some deeper questions about why they’re going off track. And if D&D is right for your group.
If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of using some authority and saying: “Hey guys, let’s get back on track”. Then remember tip number one: set expectations.
This is when having a tool comes in handy.
Additionally, let the table know they have this power as well. That they can call you out if you’re the one being off-topic. Everyone needs to know that they’re all responsible for the good time of the group. It can’t just be up to one person. Eventually, with enough reminding, the group should start to police themselves.
4. Feedback is a gift
This is the most important piece of advice if you want to get better as a Dungeon Master: ask your players for feedback. And I mean really ask for it.
From my experience, a Dungeon Master will get to the end of a session and ask how was that? And after being greeted by glazed eyes and tired nods from the players. They affirm it was a great session.
However, as feedback goes, that’s the first level.
The next step is to get on Discord or Facebook Messenger and ask each player individually how the session went. In a crowd, people, in general, are nervous about sharing their true thoughts and are more likely to conform with the group. However, when asked individually you’re more likely to get an honest answer.
When asking for feedback through this method, be sure to frame it to get the information you want. For instance:
Hi Sam,
Just wanted to know how last night went for you. I’m looking to improve as a Dungeon Master, was there anything I could do better?
This next bit is vitally important.
People are usually willing to provide you with feedback. But they’re terrible at giving it. They will make it personal, add insults (especially on the internet :’) ), and say one thing when they mean another. Even still, remember that the feedback is a gift. It’s a lot better than silence, or passive head nodding, as it could be the one thing you need to up your game.
Now whenever someone comes back to you with a slew of improvements, or insults, it’s very easy to get emotional, and defensive. But don’t do this! Instead, simply reply:
“Thanks for the feedback”.
Then stew on their suggestions. Let your mind run laps around them, and given enough time your brain will dissect the core of what they’ve said, and figure out what changes you can implement next session.
Over to you
It takes a lot of work to be a great Dungeon Master, as well as a workplace facilitator. However, it’s something that comes from experience and reflecting on that experience. So even if the first couple of sessions end in a horrible mess, it’s important to keep going and improving. And although you might never be the next Matt Mercer, you’ll be good enough for your group.
Which in the end, is all that matters.
If you found this article helpful, then you should also read how Wanderhome teaches us to be better dungeon masters.
Shout out to Reflex Save, the D&D Podcast for the pictures. Make it the next Dungeon and Dragons podcast you get into.
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