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So you said yes to running the game. Congrats, and also, I’m sorry. Session one is three days away, your brain has forty tabs open, and some little voice keeps whispering that the guy across the table has read the whole rulebook and you haven’t.
Here’s the good news: almost every new dungeon master I’ve ever heard from is carrying the same pile of “rules” that nobody actually wrote down. They float around forums and group chats until they feel official. They’re not. A bunch of them are quietly wrecking your game.
So here are five I think every new dungeon master should break early. I’m not saying the game has no rules. I’m saying these particular habits make you tired and make the table less fun. Want more of the basics afterward? The official D&D Beyond guide to being a Dungeon Master is a solid next read. Consider them dungeon master tips from someone who learned the hard way.
Rule 1: “The DM must know every rule”
This is the big one, and it scares more people away from the screen than anything else. The Player’s Handbook is hundreds of pages. Nobody has it memorized. Not the streamers, not your buddy who’s run games for fifteen years. Every new dungeon master hits this wall in week one.
Think about watching a football game. A play gets close, the refs huddle up, and then they just stand there. And stand there. The crowd goes quiet, the energy drains out of the stadium, and everybody’s checking their phone while a few people in stripes try to decide what to do. Fans hate that wait. Now picture your table. You’re flipping through the book, your players are staring at you, and the whole room is waiting, waiting, waiting. You’re the ref in the huddle, and the fun is leaking out of the room.
Here’s how I’d break it: make a call in thirty seconds and keep the game moving. Pick a number, ask for a roll, say what happens. Jot the question on a sticky note and look it up after the session. A table will forgive a so-so ruling. They will not forgive a twenty-minute rules debate that feels like homework.
A new dungeon master doesn’t have to teach every rule up front, either. Let people learn by playing. One fight with three clear options teaches more than a forty-minute rules lecture ever will.
Rule 2: “Never fudge the dice”
Ask ten DMs about fudging and you’ll get ten angry opinions. Mine: the “never, ever” version is too rigid when you’re just starting out.
Picture it. Session one. A level one character takes two crits in a row from a goblin and drops before anyone’s even learned their name. You did nothing wrong, the dice did it. Now a brand new player is sitting out the rest of the night wondering if this game is for them. That’s a rough start for any new dungeon master and a rough night for the new player.
Early on, your job is to protect the fun while everybody figures out how this works. A quiet nudge on a roll in the first couple of sessions isn’t a crime for a new dungeon master. Just don’t let it become a habit. If the dice never hurt anyone, nothing feels risky, and sharp players will notice and stop caring how things turn out.
Here’s how I’d break it: roll in the open when the stakes are real, and let consequences land. Save your thumb on the scale for the moments where a random bad roll would end the story instead of making it better. Want a middle path? Make death a choice. Give the character a big last stand or a costly rescue instead of a flat “you die.”
Rule 3: “Prep everything”
Every new DM does this. You build a continent, a thousand years of history, and a villain monologue you’re really proud of. Then the party walks right past your entire first act because a stray cat looked interesting.
Over-prep is a trap for any new dungeon master because it feels like being responsible. In reality it makes you protective of your plot, and that’s when you start herding players back onto the path. Their choices stop mattering, and they can feel it.
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide tackles this head-on with what it calls The One-Hour Guideline, a simple way to estimate how much a table can get through in an hour so you know how much to prep for the session you actually scheduled. I love that mindset. Prep for the time you have, not the epic in your head. That’s the lesson every new dungeon master needs.
Here’s how I’d break it: prep situations, not screenplays. For each scene, answer three things. Who wants what right now? What happens if the heroes do nothing? What’s one cool thing they might find? Add a few names, a handful of monsters, and a surprise or two. That’s a session.
Rule 4: “Every encounter must be balanced”
Encounter math is a fine tool for a new dungeon master. It’s a terrible boss. Treat the balance numbers like law and every fight turns into a spreadsheet, and the world stops making sense. Why would every monster in the forest happen to be exactly as tough as four level two heroes?
Real worlds are lumpy. Sometimes the party meets something they can stomp. Sometimes they meet something way out of their league, and the smart move is to run, bargain, or sneak around it. Those are some of my favorite moments in the game, and they only exist if you let go of perfect balance.
Here’s how I’d break it: build the fight around the story first, then adjust on the fly. Start the monsters at their normal numbers. If it’s a cakewalk, wrap it up early and move on. If it’s brutal, give the party an out: a collapsing ceiling, a rival who shows up, a monster that bolts at half health. Nobody has ever complained that a fight ended too quickly.
Rule 5: “The story has to go as planned”
The sacred cow of all sacred cows. You wrote a story, you know how it ends, and your job is to get everyone there. Right?
Nope. A new dungeon master‘s job is to run a game, and a game needs players who can actually change things. If the ending is locked no matter what they do, you’re not running a game. You’re reading them a book and asking them to roll dice at the commas.
Some of the best tabletop moments come from a plan falling apart. Ask any group for their favorite session story and it’s almost never “the night everything went exactly as written.”
Here’s how I’d break it: default to “yes, and” and then negotiate the cost. If the rogue wants to swing from a chandelier, you don’t need a rule that says it works. Say yes, ask for a roll, and add a complication if it fails. If the party ignores your carefully built dungeon, move the dungeon. The villain can show up wherever they end up.
The cheat sheet: dungeon master tips to use instead
If breaking five rules sounds like a lot, here’s the short version for any new dungeon master to tape inside the screen:
Make fast calls and look things up later.
Roll in the open and let the dice matter.
Prep three scenes and a couple of surprises, not a whole world.
Adjust fights while they happen.
Follow the players, even when they wreck your plan.
Do these dungeon master tips work for any edition?
Yep. These dungeon master tips are about how a new dungeon master runs a table, not about one rule set. They work for 2014 and 2024 Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and pretty much any fantasy tabletop game.
Is it ever okay for a new dungeon master to follow these rules?
Totally. Plenty of experienced DMs run tight, fully prepped, never-fudge games and love every minute. My point is that you shouldn’t feel guilty for doing it differently. Figure out what your table enjoys, then make your own rules.
Gear that makes your first game feel real
You don’t need a pile of stuff to be a good new dungeon master. But a few small things make a first session feel special, and they’re just fun to have on the table. A metal polyhedral dice set makes every roll feel like an event. A castle dice tower keeps open rolling honest and looks great doing it. And our Dungeon Master stickers are made for the back of the screen or the front of a campaign binder. You can browse the whole Dungeons and Dragons collection too.
The bottom line: dungeon master tips for every new DM
Being a great DM isn’t about obeying a list. It’s about making the table feel like the story belongs to everybody. Break these five rules early and any new dungeon master will spend less time stressing and more time telling stories with friends.
So which rule did you break first, or which one are you still scared to touch? Tell us on our socials, and keep an eye on Nerd News for more D&D takes. Got dungeon master tips of your own? Send them our way.
Our take: Most advice for a new dungeon master is really a list of rules to keep. I think half of it is backwards. Make fast calls, roll in the open, prep situations instead of screenplays, let fights flex, and follow your players off the map. The rulebook is there to serve the table, not the other way around. Break these five early and you’ll have more fun, and so will everyone sitting across from you.
