Welcome to Dungeon Mastering 101, my Dungeon Mastering course based on over 30 years of experience. In this series I will share my failures and successes and the lessons learned along the way. In this episode, I will cover Running the Game. How to Run a Smooth, Engaging D&D Session.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga, Dungeon Mastering 101 episode! It is Palast, Frostkolt the 1st, my name is Adam, and today I am continuing my Dragonlance Gaming series all about Dungeon Mastering. Every Dungeon Master has experienced it: You’ve prepped the session, laid out the notes, imagined the scenes… and then the players zig when you expected a zag, stall in a simple room, or latch onto something you invented on the spot. Running a game isn’t about controlling the world — it’s about guiding the energy inside it. Today, we’re focusing on the real-world techniques that make a session flow smoothly, keep players engaged, and let you adapt without panic.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance media, using my affiliate links. All links are in the description below.

Before you master encounters or improv, you must accept this truth: A D&D session is not a scripted performance — it is a living, reactive ecosystem made up of:

Your job is not to dominate this ecosystem, but to regulate it. Everything you do — pacing, framing, narration, rulings — is a method of steering the table toward cohesion. Running a game begins with understanding that the table is alive.

When the session begins, your theoretical knowledge stops mattering. What matters are the three practical, in-the-moment responsibilities:

Running the game is about flow.

Every moment behind the screen is one of these four decisions:

Recognizing these categories simplifies your thinking. You no longer panic — you choose the type and act.

Great encounters don’t require micromanagement. They follow a simple structure:

If you define these four points in your prep, the encounter will naturally organize itself during play. This works for combat, social scenes, investigations — everything.

Improv is not about being clever — it’s about being responsive. Use these tools:

No matter how much you prep, players will surprise you. Good. That means they’re engaged.

When this happens:

The most underrated skill for running a session is energy management.

Watch for:

When you notice energy dropping, intervene by:

A DM isn’t just running a game — you’re running a room.

Running a session is part art, part psychology, and part technical skill. But the heart of it is simple:

And that’s it for this episode of Dungeon Mastering 101, Running the Game! Do you have any tips or tricks based on your experience as a player or Dungeon Master? Was I off base on any of my suggestions? Feel free to email me at [email protected] or leave a comment below. 

Thank you for tuning in. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate links in the description below. Thank you Creator Patron Aaron Hardy and Developer Patron Chris Androu!

This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).