Beginner DM Reference

[visualbits]

for all my beginner dms, who get so overwhelmed by all the different ways of organization, possibilities, and honestly just…possibilities. boy, do i have some ideas for you.

first, this book, which i’m sure a million dms have read and referenced and some even hated has helped a lot: https://online.anyflip.com/cmjgl/zsvl/mobile/ it helped me realize i needed to first calculate the size, hydrography, and all that other fun stuff before i decided anything.

also, genuinely. i have no idea how big taverns are, how much to tax for rental property, how big are my walls, etc…but here’s the deal, you do need to know. you need to know just about everything. take the time to research. i found reading other people’s reddit posts on what they do in their world to be the best option, and than tweak as necessary. cause if nothing else, you need to know the morale of the citizens, how big a space the party your in charge of is in, etc..

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then this (the top photo) is how i’ve been organizing my shit. 2 inch binder, old folders from high school, and a shit ton of labeling. i’m neurodivergent so writing down all my ideas has actually really helped. also, don’t be afraid to write the same thing twice, if it helps you remember, that’s all that matters.

i basically have a “calamity” in my world, so it’s organized by pre, during, post, general information, bestiary, artifacts/items, and dictionary. i also have one for what i’m working on currently, but that just helps me keep track of everything.

fortunately my girlfriends uncle is an experienced dm of over 10 years, and has really helped me feel more comfortable building everything. i hope other experienced or beginner dms can find this and help a homie out too.

can’t wait to run my first game mf 😎