#2 - Learn the art of painting word pictures

This, I believe, is one of my weakest areas personally, though I understand the concepts well, it is my execution that fails me. Basically, what you, as a DM, are trying to do is make sure you are vividly telling your players (and your audience) enough about the scene, so that people can clearly imagine what is going on. There is a balance because you can tell too much at once or not tell enough. What I found is most important for podcasts or DM’ing for an audience is making sure that you present enough detail of where the scene is set and described. Describe your character’s surroundings. You want to maybe talk about the noises your characters can hear or the smells and what people or creatures look like but keep it succinct. These ideas allow a foundation of audible worldbuilding to happen and from there, your players have a space to explore, interact with and play in. I would highly suggest practicing this away from the table. Some exercises I like to do is imagine an upcoming session and start playing through how an encounter might work out. Try to paint the picture vividly in your mind, the clearer it is to you then the better you will be able to describe it. Then describe the scene to your steering wheel, tell it what you are imagining in detail, being mindful of your descriptions and making sure you are getting your points across.

#3 - Player autonomy is rough to learn, but it is so worth it

In my opinion, the role of Dungeon Master attracts a certain type of person. Usually, it tends to attract creative storytellers that want to world build and like directing the story. The issue is this type of person can also have a hard time letting go of the steering wheel enough to let the players affect where everything goes. Session prep notes are a great way to tell if you are a railroading DM or an open world type of DM. Do you plan a play-by-play, like encounters and dungeons and NPC? Or are your notes sparse? Some groups love open worlds and some find the freedom to be paralyzing so you will need to feel your group out when you are developing your style. What I am learning with Roll with Advantage is that your story needs some structure. Some rough idea, but there is no point in planning the entire session out in full detail if the players have a valid option to say “Nah”. I am learning that the rough details ground me as a control freak, but the ambiguity allows enough freedom for creative thinking and my players to take opportunities they might see. I highly suggest learning both techniques and then striving to find a happy medium for you and your party.

From a podcasting and presentation perspective, remember that there is a story to tell and you as the DM must find that story. If your players stray from the plot that is fine but make sure that you are thinking about how to bring that side venture back and make the story that developed in it count to the overall progress. Make it feel like the side quest was important and was not a waste of your listener’s time. Remember the audience is taking time to pay attention, so make sure that you do them justice and make that story as interesting and worth the time.

#4 - DO NOT be afraid to change your playstyle up

This almost goes hand-in-hand with my previous topic. You have/will develop your own playstyle. Maybe you love battle so Role Play takes a backseat or maybe your game is purely political intrigue. Remember, variety is the spice of life. Make sure to throw in different play styles here and there. As well, don’t forget to research play styles; I personally think the best way to do that is to listen to a bunch of RPG podcasts. You can analyze the DM’s style and how they interact with their players. Break their entire style down and understand what makes their game so fun and why their players and audience want to keep coming back for more. Then try to use those techniques, try them on for size and see what fits for you and your table and what just can’t stay.