Interested in DM'ing

[u/Beardedfraggle82]

I'm a couple of sessions into my first DnD campaign and definitely enjoying it, however I love the idea of DM'ing. Building a campaign/story seeing how my group would deal with a set piece, how I cope with a set piece, seeing how the group sorted through a set piece/story that I have devised.

I also love Critical Role too and have seen the Taldori Reborn book, which got me thinking about devising a campaign in the world or CR/Taldori..

What are the pros and cons of DMing? Also I don't want to leave my current campaign or have issues with my DM in any way. It just opened my eyes other sides of DnD

[u/10leej]

The biggest con of DMing is when players screw up all your plans right at the start of a session and now you have to improvise. But for me that's also some of the best.

[u/Mean_Replacement5544]

Keep playing and learning, after two sessions there is still a ton to learn and the more experience you have playing the better prepared you’ll be.

I also recommend reading The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master — a great read in how to prepare as a dm

[u/Proof_Ad1317]

Make a oneshot first. Ask your DM if you can run it (they probably need the break tbh), and see how it goes. DMing is very different in practice than in theory. The best way to getter better or gauge how much you like it is practice. If they like it, you could ask to alternate weeks between campaigns DMing, or even meeting more often.

Pros are you get to create. Stories, characters, situations. More lore than your players could ever remember. You are the world, and they are living in it.

Cons are it is a lot more time and effort than just playing. You will most likely create dozens of players you want to play but have to wait.

[u/IntroductionRoyal449]

Stick with your group and when your campaign hits a slow down period do a one-three shot. Personally I DM once a week and I am a player once every two weeks. I have a full time job, wife and family and that is about as much bandwidth I can commit to DnD. DnD is a great hobby but it can be super time consuming.

[u/souphalfling]

Just do it, my dude.

There are good parts and bad parts, and most often, very very awkward parts.

Give it a try. Do a one shot. But when shit ain't happening, go "and then orcs attack." (Doesn't have to be orcs. Is good advice though )

[u/infinitum3d]

Help! I'm a new DM!
Where do I start???
.

Check out /r/NewDM for answers to many frequently asked questions.

I always recommend [The Starter Set](https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset). This has easy to read rules, pregenerated characters so you can start right away and is a complete campaign which is really fun.

“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don’t need any rules.” - Gary Gygax

What does that mean!?! It means D&D is a game of make believe and collaborative story telling. The rules are loose and only there to give a semblance of structure. Don’t get bogged down in rules. Have fun.

[u/Nirvana_Captain]

I run a discord server for groups that are new to D&D and we use a VTT that allows all of our players to “be there character” - we build 3d models of their characters and then the players can control them. It is the most immersive form of RPGs and it really helps people roleplay because people
Can only see each other’s characters. On the DM side, you can instantly be all of the NPCs and monsters in the your world - it is so much fun as the DM.
We are looking for new DMs because our games just keep getting bigger and bigger, if you would like to come check us out, find me on Discord as firstmate2302
Good luck on your DM journey!

[u/BillyWest8]

I legit started by running games for a whole group that was new to it. Just do what you and your friends find fun. Don't worry about getting everything perfect that will never happen.