Acting as the Dungeon Master for a game of Dungeons & Dragons can be a fun and rewarding experience. The DM creates a story for the table to experience (aided by the players) and makes the final call on difficult rules questions. They even create and act out an entire roster of NPCs and monsters.

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However, being a DM can come with its stresses. Preparing for a D&D session can be a nerve-wracking experience of trying to pre-empt what the players will do. At the same time, the DM has to build entertaining and engaging content for players to interact with. DMs may worry they're wasting time, not preparing well, or missing the mark. On the bright side, there are simple things they can do to avoid that.

Updated 3rd of January by Isaac Williams: Running a game of Dungeons & Dragons is never stress-free. However, there are always more ways a DM can make things easier on themselves during their preparations. This list has been updated with even more tips for DMs in planning sessions. It focuses on trying to make sessions better, as well as easing a DM's workload.

15 Use Simple But Effective NPCs

A bar fight breaking out in DnD

NPCs are the bread and butter of a Dungeons & Dragons world. They provide supporting characters and antagonists to the players' protagonists. Whether it's through combat, intrigue, or simple conversation, the players are likely to spend most of their time interacting with NPCs in one way. This sometimes creates pressure on DMs to make each NPC fully realized and memorable.

Something that can save time and create effective NPCs is to lean into simple archetypes and traits. One or two real-life character traits, such as fussiness, laziness, or boisterousness, can create a perfectly memorable and likable NPC. While more significant characters should be three-dimensional, the vast majority can be more simple.

14 Keep A List Of Appropriate Random Encounters

A DnD party attacked by monsters in a random encounter

Even when players don't try to derail the plans, the wide availability of choice in D&D may see them do it by accident. PCs may miss the beaten path, interpret a DM's hints in the wrong way, or simply decide to do something the Dungeon Master never anticipated. Improvising an entirely new direction for a quest can be a challenge, and one not all DMs enjoy.

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As such, keeping a list of random encounters, appropriate for both the area and the player characters' level, can be a lifesaver. A DM can throw one of those at the players when they do something the DM doesn't expect. This can keep them engaged while the DM comes up with a new plan. It can also preserve the illusion that the DM has everything planned out ahead of time.

13 Remember That Planning Can Be Casual

the book of exalted deeds in dnd held by an angelic figure

Many think that DMs plan by hunching over a desk of books and writing notes. In a more modern-day image, a DM might sit with a half-dozen tabs open for hours at a time. However, this form of planning can be time-consuming and stressful. Planning a D&D session can fit in well with other activities.

Planning doesn't have to be a drawn-out, formal affair. A DM can plan by thinking through possible storylines while walking or working out at the gym. They can plan in the shower, during a break, or while watching TV. Some DMs get more planning done in the back of their mind than they do on paper.

12 Know What The Overall Objective Is

A pirate holding a scroll in DnD

Letting the players guide a D&D story is considered an important part of being a DM. So-called "railroading" is increasingly criticized. However, the total opposite — having a completely aimless session — isn't much better. There's nothing wrong with the DM having a clear and obvious goal for a session or adventure, and making it known to the player characters.

Asking the players what they plan to do next at the end of a session and being able to prepare for the next session with a direction in mind is even better. However the DM goes about it, their session planning should include one or more objectives and several ways to communicate those to the PCs.

11 Understand What Are The Players And Their Characters Looking For

A cartoon of a group of people playing DnD

It can be difficult to strike the right balance between letting the players guide the story, and the DM nudging them along the journey they've planned. An easy way to split the difference is to build things while keeping in mind what the players, and their characters, want to do.

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A more heroic character and party might be easily swayed by an obvious opportunity to help the downtrodden and the innocent. A party less fond of combat might be more likely to seize an opportunity to investigate a mystery or go to a social event like a ball. By playing to the party's tastes, a DM can offer them choices while having a reasonable idea of what they'll choose.

10 Have A List Of Generic NPC Names

NPCs at a social event in DnD

Even the most dedicated Dungeon Masters won't be able to create names and personalities for every NPC in the game. With the fleshed-out NPCs signposted and made clear to the players, there's still a chance that players will try to engage with somebody the DM never expects. For instance, PCs may try to ask a random passing guard for help, or capture and interrogate a generic henchman.

Inevitably, the subject of names can come up. It can be easy for a DM to be thrown off and draw a blank. Having a list of random names — appropriate for the campaign and the region it takes place in — can let the DM regain their stride and sell the illusion that they've planned for everything.

9 Think Logically About The Geography

A wide shot image of a crowded town in DnD

Nothing can dash players' immersion and throw the DM off their game like a confusing element. It doesn't make sense for PCs to come across a forested hut in a desert. Neither does it fit for them to discover a thriving city-state in a land that's been ravaged by a terrible death curse that's left no survivors for a century.

When prepping, it's helpful for DMs to look back over their other notes and remind themselves of the region's geography and history, just to make sure everything is above board. However, something that doesn't appear to make sense can be an adventure in and of itself. A seeming anomaly can be a great mystery to solve.

8 Think About What The NPCs Want

Infamous vampire Strahd von Zarovich in Curse of Strahd premade DnD campaign.

Although the players are the main characters of the story, they're not the only ones whose actions can shape events. The more fleshed-out NPCs of an area are likely to have their own motives, goals, and plans. These can create adventure and tension when they clash with those of the PCs.

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Tracking the interconnected gambits of multiple NPCs can be a difficult task and can add some time to a DMs preparations. However, it can pay off. Entire adventures or campaigns can be constructed from groups or people with conflicting goals. This can give players plenty of choice concerning who they side with or which plans they want to stop.

7 Give Relevant Rules A Once-Over

An underwater structure in DnD

There are rules that come up in almost any session of Dungeons & Dragons, like combat or spellcasting. However, the game's rulebooks are full of more niche scenarios and mechanics a DM might not look over as often. For instance, underwater combat is a rarity. Similarly, so are the rules for wilderness survival or land vehicles.

If the DM knows a session is likely to involve a more niche aspect of the rules, they'll likely benefit from giving those rules a read-over to remind themselves how they work. No harm comes from checking the rules during a session, but it can help jog a DM's memory if they've already read them.

6 Take Inspiration From Pop Culture

A wizard poring over a spellbook in DnD.

Not all ideas have to come from a DM's own head. There is no better way to ease their workload and inspire their creativity than by lifting things from pop culture and fiction. Almost any piece of media can be used to inspire a D&D session. The overall adventure, the villain, a side character, a location, and more are all fair game.

Some DMs might prefer to just take inspiration from existing fiction and put their own spin on it. Others might prefer to lift things directly. As long as it doesn't take players out of the game, either approach is fine. TV, film, video games, literature, and more are all ripe with elements that can improve a D&D session,

5 Consider The Obvious Plot Hooks Of The Situation

A party of adventurers surrounded by monsters in DnD

It can be hard to plan a session's plot outright. The DM doesn't want to leave their players aimless, but they can also be hard-pressed to think about what circumstances should galvanize the players into action. Just looking at the area, the player characters' status, and more can provide plenty of inspiration.

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If the players are low-level but trusted by the townspeople, they might be tasked with making important deliveries, driving off a local robber-baron, or dealing with a menace hidden in the town itself. If they're high-level heroes of the realm, the PCs may be directly targeted by powerful villains or sent off on a quest across hostile territory.

4 Reuse Old Material

A spellcaster casting protective magic in DnD

It's unlikely that all of a DM's planning gets used. PCs might take a different direction than expected. They might bypass an encounter or a trap. They might ignore an NPC completely. Almost every DM will have notes and plans that have ended up going unused.

There is nothing stopping a DM from reusing these elements. If the PCs have never encountered something, they don't know if a DM came up with it months ago or right before the session. Reusing old material is a good way to cut down on planning time and lets DMs use those ideas that they're passionate about.

3 Time-Constrained Events Are A DM's Friend

A group of heroes leaping into combat in DnD

Players will always enjoy events that happen for a limited time. Perhaps the PCs arrive during a daring night-time raid on a town and must intervene before the attackers get what they're looking for and melt away. Maybe they happen upon a village's harvest festival, with a sinister ritual bubbling beneath the surface.

These events can serve to galvanize players into action and kickstart an adventure in a fun and frantic fashion. If everywhere they arrive at has a dramatic event happening at that moment, players may get suspicious. When used occasionally, it's a good way to get them on track and present some unique roleplaying opportunities.

2 Tweaking Can Be As Good As Inventing

A Dracolich readying its breath weapon in DnD 5e

Part of the fun of running D&D can lie in the DM getting to create their own things. From adventures, to monsters, to magic items, some Dungeon Masters may love having the party interact with their own original creations. Others may be less enamored with this part of the game and find "homebrewing," as it's known, to be rather stressful.

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Using adventures, monsters, and magic items from the books is a valid choice. Tweaking things slightly can make for a good middle ground and fit all of a DM's needs. The statblock for one monster, given some abilities of another, can create as unique a fight as one created from the ground up.

1 Remember To Relax And Have Fun

Xanathar the Beholder in DnD

The Dungeon Master takes on additional responsibilities. However, Dungeons & Dragons is as much a hobby and recreational activity for them as it is for any other player at the table. Preparing for a session should be an enjoyable diversion for the DM, not a chore they dread doing.

As such, it's helpful for many DMs to choose not to worry about every detail. Not every inch of their notes needs to be spot-checked or every part of content perfectly crafted to delight players. With the right rapport, a DM and the players can make anything fun. The DM should be able to treat their preparations like another fun part of the game.

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