TTRPG’s (Table Top Roleplaying Games) are something any friend group with some free time can pick up, which consists of improv (the act of talking without knowing what comes next), which can lead to a lot of funny moments. And having a DM (Dungeon Master) building a world for all their friends to have fun in is essential.
10. It’s okay to be bad: Everyone has to learn to be good at being a player and at being a Dungeon Master (DM). If your players are not roleplaying, encourage it; if you’re not doing well, ask them how you could improve. Remember, it’s a team game.
9. Make your players a part of the world: Don’t just build a world and say okay make a character. Build an idea and tell them the theme and build the world around them… For example if a player says he was a gladiator, don’t say those don’t exist in my world, make a kingdom that has fights to the death.
8. Learn from mistakes: If you find out a player is bored that all the encounters are too hard or easy… adjust! If your players don’t like the happy-go-lucky mood the city is having, make them all mind-controlled to feel that way.
7. Communicate! This rule is one a lot of DM’s overlook. If your players don’t like the idea of their character being flirted with, avoid that like the plague. The game is for fun, not to make them uncomfortable.
6. Build Atmosphere: Maybe play music, light a candle, dim the lights. If you wanna go all out buy a fog machine. Make your intense moments intense and your fun moments goofy.
5. Sometimes it’s better to shut up: If your players are roleplaying without you talking– for example, telling campfire stories– then who cares about the wolf attack you had planned? Let them enjoy themselves.
4. Be a storyteller, not a rule lawyer! Having a player ask if they can do something, then taking a 20 minute break to say “let me check,” is boring for everyone involved. Keep in mind the most important rule: the rules don’t matter. If you think it’s fine if a player jumps 50 feet over a cliff when normally they can only do 40, who cares? You make the rules now.
3. Start small: Everything may seem daunting having to read book after book, or make an entire world, plan encounters, and plan for everything a player may do. But keep in mind you can just run a one-shot, something simple and easy. See if you like it. If not then its not for you.
2. The game isn’t improv: Although, yes, you should learn to be on your toes on what players say and you should be quick with a response, don’t solely rely on improvisation. Don’t stick with the “yes and” rule if the character you’re roleplaying as doesn’t know improv, don’t pretend they do. For example, if you’re acting as an old man by the river, he probably won’t respond fast with a clever line.
1. Just have fun! Remember this game is something you do with friends. Don’t argue over rules, and who cares if it’s played wrong as long as everyone’s having fun?
