Makings of a Dungeon Master - Session 0

It’s here. Today’s the day. Today, I go from Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast to official Dungeon Master.

This is my record scratch, “now you might be wondering how I got here” post.

It all started when my boyfriend kept telling me “I’m gonna kick your ass at Christmas this year.” (He did clarify this meant in quality of gift, not a threat of violence, don’t worry). That’s how this chapter of the story got started, but the whole thing actually started long, long ago. My entire life I’ve grown up with a (very cool) mom with more books than some small libraries. Sitting atop a shelf, just eye level, in the house I grew up in, were a stack of brightly colored books.

My mother, a child of the 70s and 80s, has a collection of first edition DND books. They are incredible. The art is great, and the detail? I mean it just blows me away. You can calculate the effects of a chronic urinary tract disorder on a character with the tables in those books. Gary Gygax what even were you doing?

The interest in DND exploded when I discovered the McElroys and how they brought their special brand of humor to DND with The Adventure Zone.

That brings us to the ass kicking of Christmas- my significant other got me the entire Dungeon Master starting “kit.” The starter kit, the essentials kit, the Dungeon Master’s Handbook, the Monster Manual, AND a few sets of dice. He was right- he kicked my ass at Christmas.

Session Zero

Well, today isn’t session zero. We did that on New Year’s Eve, and it was a delight. Before we even got to do that, I was reading up. Reading through the first adventure (The Lost Mines of Phandelver), the player’s handbook, everything my SO had gotten for me and the prize gem- my mother’s DND books. She is kindly letting me “borrow” them indefinitely. As I gently flipped through the pages, I felt like I was truly becoming part of something. Does that sound ridiculous? Maybe. But thinking of the many kids and adults who, throughout the years, had read those same pages and let their imaginations run wild? It’s something special.

I also spent the 7 hour drive to and from home listening to Dungeon Master’s Block, a very cool podcast that has been running for over 5 years and is full of fascinating and thought provoking ideas and help for Dungeon Masters.

In Session Zero, we talked easy stuff. We rolled up the stats for the characters (hilarious, especially when our sorcerer ended up with 5 hit points), and talked basics. It also served to get me so hyped up for the session!

It Begins

So that brings me to today. I’m not going to lie, I’m totally freaking out. The main thing you learn when reading up on how to be a good DM is that the players will always do something that takes you off guard. They say not to prepare too much- that’s not really my typical modus operandi.

On my drive home, I practiced my intro speech, and tried to just get myself feeling light and breezy. Yeah, not going to happen. But the important part is I am so excited. This is going to be such a fun adventure for them and for me. I’m looking forward to seeing how my creativity grows with having to really get improv into my skill set.

So I’m going to write about it! Pop in here for my thoughts before or after each session and what I’ve learned.