On Cabochon: DM Tips

While I don't claim to be any form of a good DM, I figured it would be wise to post some tips on DMing in general. These tips, like any posted online, aren't some secret panacea to struggling campaigns. Instead, these are broad guidelines that may help improve play or enjoyment for your players.

Session 0

To say that Session 0's have helped me is an absolute understatement. By taking a few minutes to have your players introduce their characters and discuss their backgrounds, both you as the DM and the players attune their expectations. Ideas that obviously will not gel with your world or what you're going for in the campaign can be compromised on. Hopes and motivations that may have lie dormant for sessions are openly stated so that you can seed callbacks to it within your world.
This doesn't necessarily need to be accomplished with a session at the table; a short pitch of your campaign or a small survey of what the players would like can be just as effective. This also gives you a way to record details of the PCs such as their stats and special abilities.

Be Excruciatingly Specific

This can be difficult if you're not writing descriptions. The game world may seem very lived in and concrete to the DM but often players can be left in the dark without some form of set dressing. Invoke the 5 senses or even the senses not often described (balance, spacial ability). One rule of thumb I have used is if you've made something explicit, announce it bluntly. If you are trying to make something implicit, make it explicit. If you're trying to fully hide an idea, at least subtly allude to it. Players enjoy figuring things out. Granted, the occasional blindside can be effective, make sure they are rare enough to not just be expected.

The Rule of Cool

Each DM has their own distinct style and some see the Rule of Cool (aka It would be cool if this happened so it should) as a terrible expectation to set with your players. I disagree. Many encounters that would have been fairly boring have been revived by player ingenuity. Empowering players to think outside of the rules makes more memorable encounters and can really elevate an otherwise slogging game session. The rules should be upheld but not stymie fun interpretation.
On the flip side, this can easily be abused. Which leads to the next one...

Don't Say 'NO' (or How to say NO)

No one enjoys being told no. Especially in a creative game they've elected to play. While there may be a dire time when you actually need to say 'NO' (a player is actively bullying or abusing another player or is generally being a dick), there are easier ways to dissuade bad behaviors. If a player tires of dialogue and attacks an otherwise innocuous NPC, narrate what is about to happen to the other players and empower them to stop the acting player. If a character wants to attempt something that they obviously can't do, let them try. "You can certainly try" is often DM shorthand for "The DC is so high that even a critical may not succeed". The player will at least be somewhat satisfied with failing than not being able to attempt their silly schemes at all. Ultimately, try and compromise with your players.

They Have Agency in Your World

Your players are going to change your world. Regardless of how precious you think your lore is or how perfectly you've balanced world politics, you owe your players the ability to change it. They may hurt, maim, kill, or genocide your world. Let them. Obviously, it can be disenchanting to let your elaborate adventure fall apart due to player stupidity, but that doesn't give you the right to tear agency from your group. I would argue instead to embrace it. If your players want to set up an evil empire, show them just how hard it is to maintain and have valiant, powerful NPCs attempt to stop them. Are they killing your Big Bad Evil Guy too early? Have him resurrected by his henchmen or let the power void in the area start a conflict. Freeing all the slaves in a city spoiled by free labor may cause riots or see an even more morally bankrupt practice rise in its stead. Setting up a home base in a hostile environment? That could be a campaign within itself. Fighting back the wrath of nature while balancing morale and provisioning of the base. Embrace your player characters. Empower them to live and change your world. Also, demonstrate that your world persists even if your characters aren't actively interacting with it. If the players don't care about a time sensitive mission, let it fail and show them the consequences of their dawdling.

Encourage Creativity/Emergent Play

A sister point to Rule of Cool and Agency; let them buy into your world. Call the players by their PC's names and foster roleplaying through examples. Pepper your NPCs with silly accents or weird quirks. It may inspire your players to do the same and decorate their static characters into fleshed out, flawed protagonists. Let the players narrate some of their successes and failures. In my experience, players often buy into adventures they cause themselves. An otherwise nameless NPC becomes a figurehead of a campaign. If they want to go do something else in your world that they find interesting, recycle that abandoned temple of a lost god to a warehouse ran by cultists of that same lost god. Also, let them decorate the battlefield with obstacles if you are busy setting up an encounter. NPCs that are a mainstay should be controlled by the players during combat encounters. This dissuades you from treating your NPCs differently than you would your PCs.

Let the Dice Fall as They May

It can be really tempting to fudge dice to let your PCs win or have your NPCs survive longer. Let the PCs lose or let them steamroll some of your encounters. Dice rolling is a powerful tool that should be used wisely. If you want a certain outcome to happen, don't lock it behind a PC dice roll. They will fail it and you will have to figure out another way to give them what you already planned to.