So, You Want to Be a Dungeon Master: 7 Ways to Learn to DM
Welcome, travelers, to our list of the best resources for Dungeon Masters of all kinds!
Hail and well met, future Dungeon Masters! You’re ready to dive into the world of facilitating your own Dungeons & Dragons games. Welcome to a realm where your imagination runs wild, and you can bring your wildest dreams (or nightmares) alive for your friends and family. But wait: before you start crafting epic quests and summoning mythical creatures, you might be wondering, "Where do I even begin?" Fear not, my fellow adventurer, because we've got your back.
We’ve scoured the vast and sometimes treacherous landscape of the internet to bring you six resources we feel confident will help you transform from a wide-eyed novice into a confident, well-prepared DM. No matter who you plan to gather around your gaming table, we have the guide for you. Below, you’ll find an array of books, websites, online courses, and video content that we’ve found to be a cut above the rest. Scroll down to find the category that interests you:
Best Resource for Young DMs
Best DM Resource for Libraries and Schools
Best DM Resource for Inclusive Gaming
Best DM Resource for Parents
Best DM Resource for Adults
Best DM Resource for Busy People
Best DM Resource for Therapists
Best of luck on your quest for Dungeon Mastery!
What Do New DMs Need?
Becoming a Dungeon Master is a quest of its own. Like any good adventure, you’ll need to bring the right tools with you. Being a good DM is about more than memorizing the Player’s Handbook or gathering a hoard of shiny dice. You’ll definitely need to have a strong understanding of the game’s core rules, and a handful of fun props never hurt anyone, either. But there’s more to DM-ing than simply reciting rules and assembling gear.
The best DMs are great storytellers, confident leaders, and good listeners who support the players they bring to the table. They create safe spaces where players feel comfortable taking risks and trying out their goofiest character voices. While these skills take time to master, the following resources can get you well on your way to learning them.
Best Resource for Young DMs: Dragon Leaders
We’re kicking off this resource list with our own online program, Dragon Leaders. This online course is geared toward tweens and teens who already love D&D and are ready to take their hobby to the next level. Our curriculum focuses not just on the technical skills it takes to run a successful game, but the leadership skills that take a DM from good to great.
Plenty of people have an enyclopedic knowledge of D&D. However, knowledge alone isn’t enough to make someone a successful Dungeon Master. You have to be a confident speaker and storyteller to set the stage for your adventure. You need to be mindful of your players to make sure everyone’s engaged and having a good time. And, you’ve got to manage your own frustration when a player does something unexpected and foils your whole plan.
Dragon Leaders teaches the process our professional DMs use to create their campaigns, and sprinkles in a healthy portion of leadership skills from a licensed therapist. By the end of the camp, you’ll have created your own original one-shot campaign that you can run with your friends—and you’ll have practiced SEL skills like public speaking, group management, and conflict resolution along the way.
Best DM Resource for Libraries and Schools: Let’s Roll
Let’s Roll by Lucas Maxwell is our top pick for librarians, teachers, and folks in similar professions who are interested in starting a D&D group in their place of work. And we don’t just love it because they shout out Young Dragonslayers™ in the chapter on mental health (although we’re happy they did). This is an easy-to-read, comprehensive, and very reassuring guide for any beginner DM who may be a little nervous about getting behind the screen.
Lucas Maxwell is a London-based librarian and author who has 15 years of experience working with kids and teens. He’s also autistic, and can speak firsthand to the benefits that D&D can offer neurodiverse people.
Let’s Roll is written with first-time DMs in mind, and covers many issues specific to working in libraries and schools. You’ll get practical tips on how to pitch a D&D program to your institution, discover the many benefits of D&D for kids and teens, and learn what you need to do to prepare for your first sessions. The book also includes an extensive resource list of recommended online tools, games, and fiction books for all ages which is frankly worth the cost of the book all on its own.
Best DM Resource for Inclusive Gaming: Rolling with the Youth
If you’re hoping to start a D&D group at your local youth nonprofit or community center, Rolling with the Youth is for you. This tiny but mighty zine by Jaclyn Lewis is packed with valuable information on how you can can set young people up for success at the table.
If you’re a diehard D&D fan who’s never worked with kids, Rolling with the Youth is a helpful primer on how kids at different developmental stages tend to approach the game. If you’re a seasoned youth worker who’s new to tabletop gaming, you’ll find lots of foundational information on how RPGs work, why they’re helpful, and how to set up your own game.
Rolling with the Youth is also packed with practical, actionable tips you can use to make sure your games are inclusive and welcoming to kids of all races, genders, backgrounds, and abilities. You’ll learn how to portray diverse characters respectfully, challenge harmful stereotypes, and even work some restorative justice themes into your next campaign.
When we found out Jaclyn was writing this zine focused on inclusive youth games, we knew we had a lot in common. We’re happy to report that they have since joined our team, so that Young Dragonslayers™ players can enjoy their wisdom firsthand.
Best DM Resource for Parents: TTRPGkids
Founded by an RPG-loving parent, TTRPGkids is a website full of resources for parents and other adults looking to introduce their kids to high quality, age-appropriate roleplaying games. Inspired by their experiences playing with their toddler, founder Steph wanted to empower other families to give tabletop games a try, too. The result is a vast, easily searchable collection of content geared toward parents, teachers, and anyone interested in creating games for kids.
You’ll find content divided into several categories on the site. Steph’s blog covers topics relevant to parents and teachers, like how to incorporate specific learning goals or subjects into your gaming sessions. There are also interviews and featured products sections, both of which highlight RPG creators whose content is tailored specifically for kids.
Perhaps most helpful of all are the comprehensive, well-organized lists of recommended child-friendly RPGs and podcasts. You can search specifically for D&D campaigns that work for kids, or broaden your search to include other game systems that may be simpler to learn. The lists are also searchable by age or theme: if you’re looking for content for a 7-year-old princess lover or an 11-year-old camping enthusiast, you’ll find it here.
Best DM Resource for Adults: Matthew Colville
Admittedly, most of the resources we’ve included here are intended for DMs working with young players. We can’t help it—that’s kind of our thing around here. But this wouldn’t be a complete resource list if we didn’t have anything to offer adult DMs working with adult players. And, friends, that’s where Matthew Colville comes in.
A self-described “white, middle-aged, middle-class nerd,” Matthew says the goal of his YouTube channel is to “turn you from someone who wants to play D&D to someone who wants to run D&D.” Hailed by one Redditor as “The Khan Academy for DMs”, this channel has a wealth of free content covering every aspect of running D&D 5E.
Specifically, you want to take a look at the “Running the Game” series on Matt’s channel. It’s designed for people who already have a strong working knowledge of D&D, so you won’t get any introductory info here. Instead, you’ll dive right into creating your first adventure to run with players. This channel focuses on homebrew (self-created) content, with some sample storylines and pre-rolled characters to get you started.
While watching these videos won’t magically transform you into Matt Mercer, you’ll come away feeling confident that you really don’t need to be. With a little prep work and an understanding of story structure, pretty much anyone can create a memorable experience for their friends.
Best DM Resource for Busy People: Return of The Lazy Dungeon Master
So, what if you want to be a Dungeon Master but you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of prep it requires? Some DMs spend hours a week lovingly crafting their campaigns. Others of us…simply don’t have the time. If you’re a parent, an anxious overplanner, or you just have a lot on your plate, Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master may be for you.
This updated classic by author Sly Flourish is available as either a physical book or a downloadable PDF. Its goal is to help DMs of all experience levels reduce the amount of time they spend preparing for sessions, so they can relax and enjoy the game they’ve created. Flourish has created an 8-step checklist to help you focus your attention on the parts of the game that matter most to your players. The goal is that you really nail the important stuff, and improvise the rest. For those of us who don’t have super-strong executive functioning skills, this can be a helpful mindset.
You’ll learn how to create a strong story hook, create compelling characters and locations, and repurpose existing content so you’re not always starting from scratch. If you tend to over-research and over-prepare when you’re nervous, it’s worth giving this book a try. While you may have to think fast to fill in the occasional gap, you (hopefully) won’t be pulling out your hair as you prepare for sessions on a work or school night.
Best DM Resource for Therapists: The Bodhana Group
If you’ve visited our site before, you know Young Dragonslayers™ was founded by a therapist (me!). We talk a lot about the mental health benefits of D&D, and I truly believe it can be an amazing tool for kids and adults alike. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I get a lot of emails from other mental health providers asking for advice on how to start their own D&D therapy games. I always send them to the same place: The Bodhana Group.
Founded in 2009, The Bodhana Group was around long before this new generation of fans was introduced to the game through Stranger Things. They offer online workshops and trainings geared specifically toward therapists and counselors. Their programming is NBCC-accredited, meaning that counselors can use the courses to count toward their continuing education (CE) requirements. Having taken the courses myself, I feel confident that this is the only way you’ll ever be able to play the Ghostbusters RPG and have it count as continuing ed.
The Bodhana team has a model of gameplay that lends itself to a variety of therapy modalities, but it’s also super specific and practical. You’ll learn real interventions you can try with clients, and not just theoretical info—that’s my personal pet peeve in trainings. And no, we don’t get any kind of kickback when you register. We’re merely fans.
Play D&D With Our Expert DMs!
If you’re interested in DM-ing but don’t have tons of D&D experience, one of the best things you can do is participate in an ongoing campaign. Being a player allows you to gain a mastery of the basic rules, and also helps you appreciate what good leadership looks like. That way, when you take a crack at running your own game, you’ll already have an idea of what does and doesn’t work.
On the other hand, we often hear from young players who lament that they' always get stuck being the DM for their friend group, because they’re the only one who is really passionate about the game. In that case, it can be a nice break to just be a player for once: you can sit back, relax, and be creative in a different way.
Kids and teens of all experience levels are welcome at Young Dragonslayers™. Our games are intended for youth, but run by adults. Our Game Masters are all certified nerds with many years of roleplaying under their belts, plus experience working profesionally with kids and teens. Whether you’re just getting started in the hobby or looking to level up, a weekly game is a great way to meet like-minded peers and sharpen your skills.
If you’d like to get started with us, fill out an application here. And if Dragon Leaders is more your style, you can get started today by downloading the course.