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 Core Foundations: What Makes a Session Fun?

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga, Dungeon Mastering 101 episode! It is Palast, Newkolt the 26th. My name is Adam, and today I am continuing my Dragonlance Gaming series all about Dungeon Mastering. You can run a session where everything goes right on paper…and still walk away thinking, Why did that feel flat? Fun isn’t about perfect rules calls. It’s not about clever plot twists. And it’s definitely not about doing voices. Fun is about how players feel in the moment. This is Dungeon Mastering 101, and today we’re breaking down what actually makes a session fun — and how to recognize it while it’s happening.

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New Dungeon Masters often chase content. More encounters. More NPCs. More lore. But fun doesn’t come from quantity — it comes from engagement. Players feel engaged when:

If you understand the psychology behind that, you can make almost any session fun — even when things go off the rails.

Tension is the fuel that drives engagement. Not stress — uncertainty. Players lean forward when they don’t know:

How to create tension:

If nothing is uncertain, nothing is exciting.

Anticipation is tension stretched over time. Players love:

How to use anticipation:

If players are theorizing between turns, you’re doing it right.

Stakes answer the question: “Why should I care?” Stakes don’t have to be lethal. They just have to be meaningful. Examples of stakes:

Tip for new DMs: If players don’t react emotionally, the stakes aren’t clear enough. Say them out loud.

Players have fun when they feel in control. Autonomy means:

How to support autonomy:

When players feel railroaded, fun collapses — even if the story is good.

Fun dies when someone disappears for too long. Spotlight sharing is not equal time — it’s intentional attention. How to manage spotlight:

A simple DM habit: Ask yourself, Who hasn’t mattered in the last 10 minutes?

Every good session has rhythm. Fast moments:

Slow moments:

Problems happen when pacing gets stuck. How to fix pacing mid-session:

You are conducting, not controlling.

This is the skill that separates good DMs from great ones. Signs players are engaged:

Signs energy is dropping:

When you see it:

You don’t need to know why — you just need to respond.

Here’s the mindset that makes this manageable: You are not responsible for being entertaining. You are responsible for facilitating engagement. That means:

A fun session is a conversation — not a performance.

Fun is not accidental. It’s built from:

And above all, attention. If you can read the room and respond honestly,  your sessions will feel alive — even when nothing goes as planned.

And that’s it for this episode of Dungeon Mastering 101, Core Foundations: What Makes a Session Fun? 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 link. All links are in the description below. Thank you Creator Patron Aaron Hardy, Producer Patron Azrael, Developer Patrons Chris Androu & Sam Ruiz, and all of the YouTube Members!

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).