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

Justin Lewis
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Hobbies
  • Updated Daily

Learn how to be a better DM (Dungeon Master) so you can tell better stories for yourself and your friends. Learn things like how to start a campaign, how to create realistic NPCs, how to move the plot along, and how and why to use session 0's for your party. Join hosts Justin Lewis, Cayden Ottley and Tanner Weyland as they distill all the DM tips, tools and resources for the beginner DM, for the DM with a few years of experience and for the Forever DM who's been playing for 20 years. If you're sick of searching for things like, "How to create a homebrew DND campaign?", click the play button and listen to become the best dungeon master you ever could be! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster Discord Server: https://discord.gg/g77qt8quM2 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@session0studios YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@session0studios Professional Dungeon Master Services: https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ DM Coaching: https://session0studios.com/coaching/

  1. [FIXED] Reach New Heights Through Stealing and Sampling! - C.C. S2E3

    2d ago

    [FIXED] Reach New Heights Through Stealing and Sampling! - C.C. S2E3

    (Thanks to Zach for letting me know about the audio issues!) Welcome once again, dear Dungeon Masters and Game Masters! Today we steal from rappers and producers: How do they take good ideas and make them theirs? In this episode you will learn how to get the best of your favourite Dungeon Masters while staying authentic! Creative Contraband is a segment designed and hosted with love by Danny Barrett for How to Be a Better DM. Find Danny at: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gamemaster.hof⁠⁠ If you want more content for Dungeon Masters and Game Masters alike, you can find related projects and sponsored links here: Worldsmith: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/worldsmith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Roll and Play Press: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/rollandplay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Phantasm Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/fantasms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Monument Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠session0studios.com/monumentstudios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dungeon Master Level Up Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/newsletter

    19 min

  2. 6d ago

    About One Shots #2: 5 Guidelines and Expectations

    Ever feel like one shots get off the rails, out of control, and become a wild beast for you to wrangle back into some semblance of a story in the limited time you have? These 5 guidelines will help you avoid overstretching, overthinking, and overstaying a one shot's welcome!

    16 min
  3. Life Updates and Inspiration - C.C. S2E2

    Jun 16

    Life Updates and Inspiration - C.C. S2E2

    Welcome once again, dear Dungeon Masters and Game Masters! Here is a little bit about what is going in my life and an apology for missing a week of content, plus some reflexions about getting inspired. Creative Contraband is a segment designed and hosted with love by Danny Barrett for How to Be a Better DM. Find Danny at: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/gamemaster.hof⁠ Find Dr. Ben on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@rpgphd⁠ If you want more content for Dungeon Masters and Game Masters alike, you can find related projects and sponsored links here: Worldsmith: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/worldsmith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Roll and Play Press: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/rollandplay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Phantasm Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/fantasms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Monument Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠session0studios.com/monumentstudios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dungeon Master Level Up Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/newsletter

    15 min

  4. Jun 11

    Roll for Chaos: A Live, Unscripted D&D Adventure (Live from FanX 2025)

    What happens when you hand a live audience the keys to a D&D session and tell them to cause as much chaos as possible? You get this episode. Recorded live at FanX 2025, this one is unlike anything we've done before. No script. No safety net. Just four people at a table, a room full of audience members armed with prompts, and a whole lot of trust in the dice gods. Here's how it worked: Ian ran a one-shot for players Justin, Tanner, and Matthew — all showing up with level 10 characters ready for anything. The audience? They got to create the monsters, magic items, spells, and NPCs that showed up at the table in real time, powered by Worldsmith. The players had no idea what was coming. Neither, honestly, did anyone else. What unfolded was a live, audience-driven adventure featuring: A big bad built by the crowd — designed (or sabotaged) by the audience before the session even started. An investigation gone sideways — a midnight carriage ride, a mysterious shopkeeper, and a paranormal threat that only got weirder from there. A rescue mission with actual stakes — ambushes, improvised plans, and a magic item that nobody saw coming. A dungeon full of traps, riddles, and chaos — including a rolling boulder, a stone statue that really didn't want to be touched, and a door that rewarded the bold. A boss fight to end it all — with loot, laughs, and the kind of ending only a live audience can create. This is actual play the way it was meant to be: messy, surprising, and completely alive. Cast:Ian Hawkes — Dungeon MasterJustin Lewis — PlayerTanner Weyland — PlayerMatthew Thompson — Player Thanks for listening to today's show. If you like our stuff and want to support us, here are some sponsor links and links to our other stuff: Worldsmith: http://session0studios.com/worldsmithHire a Professional Dungeon Master: https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/Discord: http://session0studios.com/discordPatreon: https://session0studios.com/patreonDungeon Master Level Up Guide: https://session0studios.com/newsletter

    51 min

  5. Jun 4

    About One-Shots #1: 4 Methods for Simple Character Creation

    In this short run of episodes, Tanner discusses various aspects about one-shots and how to plan them—and today, the topic is one-shot character creation! Sure, you could just have your players create them, but maybe they take too long, or the players are new to making characters and you don't want to add more work onto your plate. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to make character creation simple to keep your one-shot a manageable experience!

    10 min
  6. Dr. Ben Teaches Us About Authority - C.C. S2E1

    Jun 2

    Dr. Ben Teaches Us About Authority - C.C. S2E1

    In our first-ever interview episode, we sit down with Dr. Ben, whose work and studies span storytelling, game design, philosophy, and many other disciplines. Together, we distill practical insights on authority at the table, both within the fiction and beyond it. Creative Contraband is a segment designed and hosted with love by Danny Barrett for How to Be a Better DM. Find Danny at: https://www.instagram.com/gamemaster.hof Find Dr. Ben on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rpgphd If you want more content for Dungeon Masters and Game Masters alike, you can find related projects and sponsored links here: Worldsmith: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/worldsmith⁠⁠⁠⁠ Roll and Play Press: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/rollandplay⁠⁠⁠⁠ Phantasm Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/fantasms⁠⁠⁠⁠ Monument Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠session0studios.com/monumentstudios⁠⁠⁠⁠ Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/discord⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dungeon Master Level Up Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/newsletter

    40 min

  7. May 28

    Burned Out Behind the Screen: How to Reignite Your Spark as a DM (Live from FanX 2025)

    Every Dungeon Master hits a wall eventually. The prep feels like a chore. The session you used to look forward to is now the thing you're dreading. The spark that made you fall in love with running games has gone quiet. In this special live panel recorded at FanX 2025, Justin, Tanner, and Cayden sit down in front of a live audience to tackle one of the most real and rarely talked-about challenges behind the screen: DM burnout. This isn't just a conversation about surviving — it's about understanding what burnout actually looks like, why it happens to even the most passionate Game Masters, and how to find your way back to the table with energy and excitement. Here's what the panel digs into: What burnout really looks like — and why it's not always obvious when it's happening to you. The different flavors of burnout — creative, emotional, social, and scheduling exhaustion each hit differently and need different solutions. What causes it — from over-prepping to under-appreciated effort, the panel gets honest about the real culprits. Prevention vs. recovery — because keeping the spark alive looks different than reigniting it after it's gone out. Practical tools and techniques — including leaning on your players, co-DMing, running one-shots, and reconnecting with what first made you love TTRPGs. What NOT to do — the traps that make burnout worse when you're already running on empty. How players can help — and how GMs can ask for support in ways that feel natural rather than vulnerable. Whether you're deep in the weeds right now or just want to make sure you never get there, this episode is for you. This episode is for the DMs who know the real end boss isn't the dragon — it's burnout. And it's for every storyteller who's ever wondered, "Am I doing this right?" — and showed up anyway. Thanks for listening to today's show. If you like our stuff and want to support us, here are some sponsor links and links to our other stuff: Worldsmith: http://session0studios.com/worldsmithHire a Professional Dungeon Master: https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/Discord: http://session0studios.com/discordPatreon: https://session0studios.com/patreonDungeon Master Level Up Guide: https://session0studios.com/newsletter

    51 min
  8. Creative Contraband is back! - Season 2 Trailer

    Trailer

    Creative Contraband is back! - Season 2 Trailer

    Now with guests you might know from Youtube, we bring you more and better thoughts regarding Dungeon Mastering and other aspects of our beloved hobby. Danny Barrett gives us a glimpse of what is to come for the next 3 months! Creative Contraband is a segment designed and hosted with love by Danny Barrett for How to Be a Better DM. If you want more content for Dungeon Masters and Game Masters alike, you can find related projects and sponsored links here: Worldsmith: ⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/worldsmith⁠⁠⁠ Roll and Play Press: ⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/rollandplay⁠⁠⁠ Phantasm Studios: ⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/fantasms⁠⁠⁠ Monument Studios: ⁠⁠⁠session0studios.com/monumentstudios⁠⁠⁠ Discord: ⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/discord⁠⁠⁠ Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/patreon⁠⁠⁠ Dungeon Master Level Up Guide: ⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/newsletter

    1 min
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Learn how to be a better DM (Dungeon Master) so you can tell better stories for yourself and your friends. Learn things like how to start a campaign, how to create realistic NPCs, how to move the plot along, and how and why to use session 0's for your party. Join hosts Justin Lewis, Cayden Ottley and Tanner Weyland as they distill all the DM tips, tools and resources for the beginner DM, for the DM with a few years of experience and for the Forever DM who's been playing for 20 years. If you're sick of searching for things like, "How to create a homebrew DND campaign?", click the play button and listen to become the best dungeon master you ever could be! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster Discord Server: https://discord.gg/g77qt8quM2 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@session0studios YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@session0studios Professional Dungeon Master Services: https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ DM Coaching: https://session0studios.com/coaching/

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