Behind the Dungeon Master Screen

Mind Links

Being a Dungeon Master utilizes a unique skill set. While you and your Players are all in an imaginative world together where you act and react to each other's decisions, you, as the DM, take on the role of narrator, loremaster, adjudicator, and impersonater—becoming every person, place, and thing the Players come into contact with. You are the mind that links your players to the world and thereby to each other!

While that sounds like quite a lot—and it certainly can be—the task of Dungeon Master is still very much obtainable for anyone despite their level of experience. You needn't be intimidated!

Here are the main actions the DM utilizes during a gaming session:

Convey what's in your mind to your Players.
Connect with what your Players are trying to accomplish.
Confirm each response with a response of your own.

Convey

There's a great article by the Angry GM that explains how to best Set the Scene when narrating moments to your Players.

Keep it simple. Come up with 5 short sentences:

Where are we? What is the location? How do we enter? How large is the area/room?

(Example: "You enter a dusty, old manor that stands three stories tall, its grand foyer beckons you inward.")

Minor Detail. Conveys mood & flavor. Consider the senses.

(Example: "Your footsteps are silenced by a luxurious red rug that stretches across the length of a candlelit room.")

Ways to Leave & Goal. Identify direction. Where can we go?

(Example: "At the end of the hall, you see a set of stained glass doors that appear to be slightly ajar.")

Point of Interest. Interaction. Perhaps something can be manipulated or analyzed.

(Example: "The candelabras lining the foyer flicker as you pass by as if reacting to your proximity.")

Emergency/Obstacle Monster, Villain, Trap, etc. The Players will focus on this sentence most. Save urgency for the end—otherwise, they'll lose focus while you're describing the rest of the room.

(Example: "A low, melodic hum echoes in the next chamber, increasing in volume before it's suddenly cut short—the stained glass doors slam before bursting into countless shards that fly like daggers into the foyer!")

"You enter a dusty, old manor that stands three stories tall, its grand foyer beckons you inward. Your footsteps are silenced by a luxurious red rug that stretches across the length of a candlelit room. At the end of the hall, you see a set of stained glass doors that appear to be slightly ajar. The candelabras lining the foyer flicker as you pass by as if reacting to your proximity. A low, melodic hum echoes in the next chamber, increasing in volume before it's suddenly cut short—the stained glass doors slam before bursting into countless shards that fly like daggers into the foyer!"

Connect

Players will connect in some way with your presentation. After you convey the scenario or scene, they'll respond according to their character's whim.

kevin hart saying, "It's about to go down!"

When deciding how to respond as a DM, it's best to try and side with the Players and their intent. You'll often hear the phrase, "Yes, and" in improv—this is no different! If what they're attempting to do seems like it should work, let it work! However, if what they're trying to do in your world seems like it may have opposition or a degree of failure, break out those dice and slap on a hidden DC (Difficulty Class)!

In the instance that a Player character will need to roll some dice, you, the DM will select a Difficulty Class for the task at hand. If you're in combat then the reference numbers for HP (Hit Points) and AC (Armor Class) and so on will be supplied for you.

Utilize this table below when judging how difficult a challenge will be:

Confirm

Once the Players have connected to the setting or scenario that you conveyed, it's time to resolve by confirmation. Summarize the Players' chosen actions and convey a new setting or scenario in response to their decision—in other words, provide a smooth transition between Players' action and a new scene.

If they were challenged by a difficult task, decide the degree to which they passed or failed. Give their chosen action that was paired with a dice roll sustenance.

Let's say you presented a challenge that you've given a hard difficulty challenge (20). The Player who attempted the challenge rolled an 11 in an attempt to pass the task at hand. Well, instead of telling the Player they just pass or fail (which is fine when used sparingly) provide a degree of failure.

Examples of Resolution & Consequences from the Dungeon Master Guide:

Degree of Failure: "Perhaps a failed Charisma (Persuasion) check means a queen won’t help, whereas a failure of 5 or more means she throws you in the dungeon for your impudence."
Success at a Cost: "When a character fails a roll by only 1 or 2, you can allow the character to succeed at the cost of a complication or hindrance. A character manages to finish an arduous climb to the top of a cliff despite slipping, only to realize that the rope on which his companions dangle below him is close to breaking."
Critical Success or Failure: "Rolling a 1 on a failed attempt to pick a lock might break the thieves’ tools being used, and rolling a 20 on a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check might reveal an extra clue."

As you can see, Dungeon Mastering provides you with an extra skillset you get to utilize when presenting a game to your Players. Next time we'll check out the tools you can use for your game—whether that's in a world of your creation (homebrew) or one presented from a pre-written adventure module!