How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM

By Justin LewisLeisure Hobbies

How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM episodes

September 10, 2024RAW: How to Move DND Along
Welcome back to this RAW episode of How to Be a Better DM.
This is from an Instagram Live I did about how to move DnD along when it gets slow and boring.
Here are 8 tips to help you move things along in your DnD games:
When the party has been planning too long introduce a complication.
Describe something trivial in suspiciously extreme detail.
Make the bad guys make a move
Jump Cut
Talk honestly with your players
Skip the Boring Bits
Bring the Energy
End things Early

Mentioned in this episode:
Do You Want to Earn some Money?
🎲 Want to Earn Some Extra Gold?
We’re offering a referral incentive for our professional Dungeon Mastering services! Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ Refer someone to session0studios.com/prodm
2️⃣ They sign up for a free consultation.
3️⃣ They mention they were referred by a podcast listener.
4️⃣ We DM an unforgettable session for them.
5️⃣ They get 10% off their booking.
6️⃣ You get 10% of what they paid—straight into your coin purse.
7️⃣ We celebrate with a virtual high-five. 🙌
We run games for private groups and corporate teams—whether it’s a one-shot or a long-term campaign.
💰 Want to earn some gold and help someone level up their game night?
Send them to session0studios.com/prodm and start earning today!
Save time with Roll and Play Press
Save yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press.
Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
18 min
September 05, 2024Dan Wells: What are You Good at As a GM?
Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM!
Today is a special episode with our guest, author, and professional Dungeon Master Dan Wells!
Check out information about Dan Wells here: https://www.thedanwells.com/
Dan is partnered with Dungeon Master Direct which has some great events coming up: https://dungeonmasterdirect.com/
On today's show, we talk about:
Professional Dungeon Mastering
How it's ok to use pre-written modules for professional dungeon master campaigns
As a dungeon master, you need to figure out your strengths and your weaknesses and lean heavily into those.
You also need to lean into the collaborative nature of RPGs

This episode was facilitated and recorded in the space at We Geek Together in Provo. You can shop at their store in Provo or online at https://www.wegeektogether.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Start Leveling Up As a DM
Wouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities?
In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters?
We’re happy to tell you that now, you can.
We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide.
It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering.
It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount.
In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try.
You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide.
Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character.
Level Up Guide
Save time with Roll and Play Press
Save yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press.
Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
52 min
September 03, 2024How to Give Just a Little More to Your Roleplaying as a Dungeon Master
You’ve probably wondered if you could do or give more. Specifically with your roleplaying, you may have finished a session and thought that you could do better. I’ve been there too. I’ve had many sessions where I’ve wished that I was a much better roleplayer.
Luckily today, we’re going to share 7 tips to help you give more to your roleplaying.
Welcome to How to Be a Better DM.
This is the show that helps you speed up the learning curve of being a DM without spending extra time, and extra hassle.
I’m Justin Lewis, and I’ve been helping dungeon masters now for over 150 episodes. I’ve spoken with Voice Actors, writers and even real life experts, all to help you be a Better DM.
Why Give more to your Roleplaying:
We’ve all had those experiences after a really good roleplay where there’s almost this stunned silence
Part of why we got into D&D was to reach that full immersion
Your players want you to give everything you have

How to Give more to your Roleplaying:
Be vulnerable
Try things that may not work out
Think about your players altruistically
Forget yourself
Try some real life Improv Classes
Practice your Acting/Public Speaking
Use the White Space of DMing

Mentioned in this episode:
Start Leveling Up As a DM
Wouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities?
In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters?
We’re happy to tell you that now, you can.
We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide.
It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering.
It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount.
In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try.
You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide.
Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character.
Level Up Guide
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Save time with Roll and Play Press
Save yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press.
Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
21 min
August 29, 2024 How do Bounce Back after a Bad Session | Dungeon Master Coaching with Al
Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM.
Today we talk about how to bounce back after a bad session. Today is also a very special episode as it is our first published Dungeon Master Coaching episode.
If you want to sign up for some dungeon master coaching, go to https://session0studios.com/coaching/
If you let us record the first session, the first session is free.
Mentioned in this episode:
Start Leveling Up As a DM
Wouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities?
In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters?
We’re happy to tell you that now, you can.
We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide.
It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering.
It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount.
In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try.
You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide.
Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character.
Level Up Guide
Save time with Roll and Play Press
Save yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press.
Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
51 min
August 22, 2024Linguistic Tactics for More Realistic Characters with Ethan Myers from Lyres for Hire
Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM.
Today, we talk with Ethan Myers from Lyres for Hire. you can check him out at https://www.instagram.com/lyresforhire/?hl=en
We talk about some linguistic tactics to use to make characters sound more real.
The 3 recommended in today's show are:
Phonotactics: keeping the general rules for sounds and sound pairs consistent within a region
Idioms: Creating sayings or turns-of-phrase to communicate complicated ideas
Jargon: Specific vocabulary related to niche areas

Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.
Mentioned in this episode:
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
Start Leveling Up As a DM
Wouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities?
In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters?
We’re happy to tell you that now, you can.
We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide.
It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering.
It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount.
In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try.
You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide.
Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character.
Level Up Guide
Save time with Roll and Play Press
Save yourself some precious time with Roll and Play Press.
Go to https://session0studios.com/rollandplay and use code BETTERDM10 at checkout.
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
34 min
August 15, 2024 How to upgrade your games with Monument Studios
On today's episode, we have Tyler & Noah, the musical masterminds behind Monument Studios.
As some of you know, Monument Studios has been a sponsor of How To Be a Better DM, and our Live-play D&D show The Pact & Boon for the better part of the past year. Their app Fantasy + is a must have for any dungeon master! Tune in to hear about their upcoming Kickstarter launching on August 20th, and how you can get some of the most amazing rewards ever offered on the platform!
Check out Monument Studios here:
https://www.monumentstudios.net/
Check out their music app Fantasy + here:
https://www.fantasy-plus.com/
Enjoy 10% off your first month with the code BETTERDM. Support us and support these amazing artists, while also giving your players the best experience possible.
Don't forget to check out their Kickstarter as well:
Join the Campaign
Mentioned in this episode:
Why Listen to Ads?
Ugh, another ad break.
Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad.
So why suffer? Just skip them.
Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month.
Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience.
So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!
Patreon
Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free
Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree.
We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine.
We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May.
Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it.
Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
54 min
August 13, 2024 In the Footsteps of Giants: Part 1
Welcome to How to Be a Better DM.
Today is a special episode.
In it, you'll hear the first 30 minutes of one of our professional dungeon mastering sessions.
Some of the players are new to D&D and have very little experience.
If you're interested in this episode, and want to hear the rest of the session, reach out to us on our Discord. If enough people reach out, we'll put all of the rest of the session up on the podcast.
If you're interested in having us be your professional dungeon master, go to session0studios.com/dm4hire
Mentioned in this episode:
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
I Made a CR 100 Monster
I made a Monster with a Challenge Rating of 100
Why?
Because I could—and it only took me 5 minutes using Worldsmith.
And the best part?
You can do this and much more.
Get a free 7-day trial at session0studios.com/worldsmith and unlock their full suite of TTRPG generators from monsters to mythic magic items and everything in between.
Yep, that’s a full 7-day trial—completely free.
That’s a whole week of monsters, magic items, and more—whatever you need, zero burnout.
Try it now at session0studios.com/worldsmith.
Save time and make unlimited creations with Worldsmith.
Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free
Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree.
We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine.
We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May.
Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it.
Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
34 min
August 08, 20243 Questions To Determine a Combat Encounter’s Length
When you are planning a combat encounter, do you know how to get it into the "Goldilocks" zone in terms of length? You don't want it so short that no one got anything out of it, but you also don't want it so long that all the players are secretly praying that it will be over after the next turn.
To help you plan the length of your encounter, whether beforehand or on the fly, here are 3 questions:
Question #1: Has each player had a chance to feel either useful, powerful, or seriously threatened?
Question #2: Has this combat encounter had at least one “story-worthy” moment?
Question #3: Does the length of this combat match its importance?

Learn how these questions can help you execute an appropriately-lengthy combat in today's episode!
Mentioned in this episode:
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
Play D&D with Us
Did you know that you can have one of our hosts here at How to Be a Better DM be your dungeon master?
That’s right.
All of our podcast hosts are professional dungeon masters that you can hire for your private or corporate dungeons and dragons game.
We can do one-shots or long-term campaigns.
If you want to schedule your first session with us, go to https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ and get started.
Dungeon Master for Hire
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free
Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree.
We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine.
We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May.
Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it.
Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
26 min
August 02, 2024 11 More Things Every Dungeon Master Should Remember Part 2
Things Every Dungeon Master Should Remember
As a Dungeon Master you have so much to remember, it’s a wonder you can even remember your own name. Yet, what if, by remembering a few more things, you were able to not only make your game better, but feel better yourself, and make everything you do as a Dungeon Master better?
I know what it’s like to deal with all the disappointment of a dungeon master. You deal with so much and rarely get thanked for it. Yet that’s ok, because you didn’t get into this game to be thanked. You got into the game to be the best Dungeon Mater you could ever be.
To become the best, here are 11 things that you need to remember.
Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. This is the show for the Dungeon Master who has other things going on in their life and doesn’t have any extra time to work on their craft. We’ve been crafting episodes just for you for the last 3 years or so, and today are bringing you another personally crafted episode to help you amplify your dungeon master skills.
This will be part 2 of this episode with part 1 having come out yesterday.
Today I'm going to continue on a topic that hearkens back to episode 2!
Here are 11 things every dungeon master should remember.
It’s Not Your Sole Responsibility to Make the Game AmazingYou Get What You GiveIt’s All a SkillYou Are Not Matt Mercer or Brenden Lee MulliganYou Don’t Have to Be Completely OriginalShow Don’t TellMake It Corny Until It’s NotIt’s Just a GameBe In the MomentYour Best Is Yet to ComeIt’s Not the Accent but the Actor
Mentioned in this episode:
I Made a CR 100 Monster
I made a Monster with a Challenge Rating of 100
Why?
Because I could—and it only took me 5 minutes using Worldsmith.
And the best part?
You can do this and much more.
Get a free 7-day trial at session0studios.com/worldsmith and unlock their full suite of TTRPG generators from monsters to mythic magic items and everything in between.
Yep, that’s a full 7-day trial—completely free.
That’s a whole week of monsters, magic items, and more—whatever you need, zero burnout.
Try it now at session0studios.com/worldsmith.
Save time and make unlimited creations with Worldsmith.
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free
Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree.
We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine.
We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May.
Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it.
Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
20 min
August 01, 2024 11 More Things Every Dungeon Master Should Remember Part 1
Things Every Dungeon Master Should Remember
As a Dungeon Master you have so much to remember, it’s a wonder you can even remember your own name. Yet, what if, by remembering a few more things, you were able to not only make your game better, but feel better yourself, and make everything you do as a Dungeon Master better?
I know what it’s like to deal with all the disappointment of a dungeon master. You deal with so much and rarely get thanked for it. Yet that’s ok, because you didn’t get into this game to be thanked. You got into the game to be the best Dungeon Mater you could ever be.
To become the best, here are 11 things that you need to remember.
Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. This is the show for the Dungeon Master who has other things going on in their life and doesn’t have any extra time to work on their craft. We’ve been crafting episodes just for you for the last 3 years or so, and today are bringing you another personally crafted episode to help you amplify your dungeon master skills.
This will be part 1 of this episode with part 2 coming out tomorrow.
Today I'm going to continue on a topic that hearkens back to episode 2!
Here are 11 things every dungeon master should remember.
It’s Not Your Sole Responsibility to Make the Game AmazingYou Get What You GiveIt’s All a SkillYou Are Not Matt Mercer or Brenden Lee MulliganYou Don’t Have to Be Completely OriginalShow Don’t TellMake It Corny Until It’s NotIt’s Just a GameBe In the MomentYour Best Is Yet to ComeIt’s Not the Accent but the Actor
Mentioned in this episode:
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Play D&D with Us
Did you know that you can have one of our hosts here at How to Be a Better DM be your dungeon master?
That’s right.
All of our podcast hosts are professional dungeon masters that you can hire for your private or corporate dungeons and dragons game.
We can do one-shots or long-term campaigns.
If you want to schedule your first session with us, go to https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ and get started.
Dungeon Master for Hire
Join Our Discord
So a little bit of a spoiler alert. We’re building an army.
That’s right, we’re building an army of amazing dungeon masters who want to make the world of D&D a better place.
If you want to join our army and fight by our side against the evil forces of boredom and bad dming, join our Discord and lend your voice to the cause.
Go to Session0studios.com/discord and join for free today.
Discord
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
32 min