Several key decisions define the kind of game that you and your players have. Many D&D games are single-DM, ongoing campaigns, in which the DM orchestrates a series of adventures that link together to form an epic story arc. But successful D&D games can have multiple DMs, be episodic rather than having a campaign arc, and can even be one-shot games or convention events. These game models have different strengths and weaknesses. Single DM: One player serves as DM for every session. That person is the mastermind behind every adventure. The DM plans the campaign’s overarching plots and maintains continuity.
A SINGLE DM IS GREAT BECAUSE . . . Everyone arrives at the game knowing who’s doing what.
THE WEAKNESSES OF A SINGLE DM ARE . . . One person does a lot of work. If the DM can’t play, no one can.
Multiple DMs: Different players take the DM role for different sessions. Two or three players might pass the job around, everyone in the group might take a turn, or two people might collaborate to DM. In a campaign, the DMs work together to maintain some continuity from session to session and make sure that adventures advance the larger story. Every player has a character, but when it’s your turn to DM, your character sits out for that adventure. Your character still gains levels along with the other characters, though.
MULTIPLE DMS ARE GREAT BECAUSE . . . Adventure preparation gets spread around. You all feel like part of a group together. Other DMs can cover absences or burnout. The DMs also get to play characters of their own.
THE WEAKNESSES OF MULTIPLE DMS ARE . . . Continuity sometimes gets shaky. Characters move in and out of the group, and sometimes their absence is hard to explain in the story. Adventures might feel disconnected.
Campaign: A campaign is a connected series of adventures. These connected adventures share a sense of a larger purpose or a recurring theme (or themes). The adventures might feature returning villains, grand conspiracies, or a single mastermind who’s ultimately behind every adventure of the campaign.
A CAMPAIGN GAME IS GREAT BECAUSE . . . The campaign feels like a great fantasy epic. The things you do in one adventure matter in the next.
THE WEAKNESS OF A CAMPAIGN GAME IS . . .
Episodic: An episodic game is like a television show where each week’s episode is its own self-contained story. The game might be built on a premise that explains its nature: the player characters are adventurers-for-hire, perhaps, or explorers venturing into the unknown and facing a string of unrelated dangers. They might even be archeologists, venturing into one ancient ruin after another in search of ancient artifacts. An episodic game can still have story, even if it has no overarching plot.
AN EPISODIC GAME IS GREAT BECAUSE . . .
T H E D U N G EO N M A S T E R
Kinds of Games
Adventures don’t need to fit in to a larger story. It can be easier to use published adventures.
THE WEAKNESS OF AN EPISODIC GAME IS . . . Disconnected adventures can start to feel purposeless.
Ongoing Games: An ongoing game is simply one where you get together with the same group of people at a recurring time period. Whether you play weekly, monthly, or once a year when your old gaming buddies converge from across the country, an ongoing group has a sense of continuity about it, even if it’s an episodic game.
AN ONGOING GAME IS GREAT BECAUSE . . . You know the people you’re gaming with. Familiarity breeds cooperation. You find a play style you like and can stick with it.
THE WEAKNESS OF AN ONGOING GAME IS . . . You’re not exposed to new ideas or different play styles.
One-Shot Games and Convention Events: Any situation where you sit down to play with people you don’t normally game with falls in this category, whether it is an event at your local gaming store, or a local or nationwide gaming convention. Usually, the DM provides characters or tells the players to bring characters of a specific level. The group plays for a single session, or all the way through an adventure, and then the game’s over. Established groups can do one-shots as well. A short adventure, perhaps one with a different tone than the usual style of the group, can clear the palate between two longer campaigns or provide a fun game when the regular DM can’t play.
A ONE-SHOT GAME IS GREAT BECAUSE . . . You get to try something different. You might meet new players. You’ll get new ideas for your regular game.
THE WEAKNESSES OF A ONE-SHOT GAME ARE . . . You might not know the people you’re gaming with. The game or the people in it might not be to your taste.
If the DM burns out, the story doesn’t have a conclusion. CH A P T ER 1 | How to Be a DM
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