8 Habits of Proactive Dungeon Masters

The alternative is a hot mess

Proactive people anticipate problems and plan ahead, while reactive people wait for things to happen and then scramble to respond. The results of reactivity is bad in every way but reactive (not being prepared, etc.) dungeon mastering has a special kind of misery.

Proactive DM’ing offers many benefits: it reduces stress by avoiding last-minute crises, allows you to make well-considered decisions, and ultimately puts you squarely behind the DM Screen full of confidence and courage to lead characters into your homebrew world or pre-written adventure.

To help you become the proactive DM every DM should strive to be, allow me to share 8 of my personal habits that keep me out of the Underdark.

Knowing your adventure

You have one job, ok you have 10 jobs, as a DM but the most important one is knowing the adventure you are going to run. If you’ve run this adventure before, that’s one thing; but if it’s a brand new pre-written adventure, have you read it through? Made notes?

Even if you’re running a homebrew setting, you should still have a grasp of the environment, how rules work, etc. so your players can play their characters accordingly.

I am running a new adventure for a system (Castles and Crusades) for a con in a few weeks and I have read the adventure though, highlighted certain area, jotted down notes about how we’ll start and will likely read it through again.

I think that whenever you feel reactive or are being reactive as opposed to proactive, that inherently - consciously or subconsciously - creates a lot of stress.

- Tim Ferriss

Knowing your players

Are you running a game for the same group? A different group? Every session is different and knowing your players, well, will keep you from feeling like the players are not invested in the game.

Hankerin Fernail of Runehammer says player investment is a meta game. It’s what happens before the game, after the game and between games.

Show your players that you’re invested in them as contributors to what happens at the table and you want to see their characters, should the dice fall their way, succeed.

This kind of proactive effort will reap you rewards in and out of the game.

Knowing your player’s characters

Do you know your players characters? And I don’t just mean their stats or their level, but what makes them tick?

I do my best, during a game, to take notes on characters phrases, goals, dreams, likes, dislikes and relationships and do my best to work them into the campaign or game.

The worse thing I can do is ignore someone who has put a fair amount of time into a backstory only for me to ignore it. I have two players who sent me their character backstories, just a few paragraphs, and I am going to mine them for ways to ground them into the world.

I don’t try to bring everything I learned into the next session, but maybe skip a session and do a call back from a previous session. This lets the player know I am actively listening and understand the game they want to play based on how they’ve built their character.

Get a grip on your calendar

We’re all busy people but being a proactive DM means we know our schedule and when we can run and when we can’t. I keep a paper calendar that is always in front of me, this way I am reminded when something or someone tries to hijack my time.

I just booked two days next week to run the pre-cursor adventure to Vecna Eve of Ruin. That means, unless its an emergency or something unavoidable, those events will happen. Players have options, DM’s don’t.

Three quick words of wisdom

• Unreliable DM’s don’t get asked to run games let alone be paid for them

• I live by the adage, “Either you fill your calendar or someone else will”.

• Pro-active Dungeon Masters must show that the schedule is important or no one else will.

Handle difficult game play at the table

Maybe a character has died or may the adventure has slowed to a grind. If it’s the former, have a plan to get that player back involved after saying goodbye to their character.

If it’s the latter, talk with your players, ask them, after a session, “Where do you think we are with this campaign? Is it still fun? Should we change things up?”

These are just a few things, among others, that can happen to a group. A pro-active DM has a plan for that and that plan is flexible, tweakable and, above all, collaboratively.

Handle difficult players away from the table

Praise in public, correct in private is what I live by.

Praise in public

If you want players to behave in a certain way (roleplay, teamwork, etc.) at the table, reward them with kind words and affirmations. In doing this, you’ve reinforced good game behavior and they will most likely repeat is. I give my players a bottle cap (a point of inspiration for a reroll) if they do something heroic, have a great kill or pop off a great pun.

Correct in private

Yes, you may have to correct a player for hogging too much of the spotlight by saying, “Ok, we’re going to move on from your character to Bindell, Bindell, what would you like to do?” but if a players behavior is egregious and breaks the social contract you’ve set up at the table, then a conversation, away from the table it proper.

These habits may not come naturally to you, but they are exactly what a proactive DM needs to do keep their players active (and safe) and their game table healthy.

Touch base with your players

Assume nothing. In fact, assume that your players are not going to make it to the game if you do not connect with them.

Closed questions like, “Everyone going to make it this week?” makes the game they are about to participate in feel like another job or a task. I want people to feel like the game is joy and a relief to their hectic week.

Instead, try sending out text reminders like these

• who’s ready to sling some spells?

• you’re gonna need a bigger boat (something cryptic)

• what’s everyone most excited for this week?

These are open ended questions that allow players to share their excitement and, if they need to, reschedule.

Have your tools together

I have a pre-game checklist of common things I know I need for that particular session as well as something that are unique to that session like terrain, minis, etc.

The night before my game I go through my checklist to make sure my game bag is packed and I have not forgotten anything.

You can check out some of how I prep here.

Rest

Physical, mental and emotional rest are all, in my opinion, critical for game prep. Now, I’ve run plenty of games on a half a tank of all of these and it’s not fun for me and probably not much fun for my players.

I try to make sure I take nap, shut off my mind for while and take few deep breaths before taking my place at the table.

Conclusion

I don’t want to make it sound like I get all this perfect every time, I certainly do not, but proactive is my default mode.

My hope is it will become yours as well for a happier, stress free gaming experience for you and your players.

“If you're proactive, you focus on preparing. If you're reactive, you end up focusing on repairing.” ― John C. Maxwell

If you’d like to get a group together and book a game with me, I’d love to have you at the table.

What is a proactive habit that has netted you great results?