Learning from the D&D Gurus of the Internet

Learning how to DM from the internet

The first time we sit down behind the DM’s screen can be a daunting experience. To help us learn and improve as a DM, we can turn to the internet. There are several D&D “gurus” out there who have useful advice for becoming a better DM.

All of the following sources have a different focus regarding the kinds of device they give. There are blogs that are recommended reading for becoming a better DM. And there are actual play shows in which you can learn by observing another DM run D&D.

Three D&D blogger gurus

This is a list of the four most informative blogs. We can search on these sites for any specific topic. Or, we can simply subscribe to them and read all the wonderful advice they offer on a regular basis.

First on the list is slyflourish.com. On this site we can find pragmatic advice that is ready-made to try out in our games. The author, Mike Shea, writes weekly articles. Most of the advice on the site is geared for “lazy” Dungeon Masters. In other words, Mike gives tips that take little effort to try out, and often make running and preparing our game easier.

Next is thealexandrian.net. If you’re looking for deep thinking about D&D and other roleplaying games, Justin Alexander has got you covered. Alexander brings a lot of experience, and an analytical view to his articles. His thoughts will challenge the way we think about our games. On thealexandrian.net we will find deep dives into the flow of DM-player interactions, the philosophy of game prep, deep mechanics for hexcrawls, and more.

Monsters are an essential part of D&D. Over at themonstersknow.com, Keith Amman has a write-up of all the monsters in the Monster Manual, as well as many other sources. We can use Amman’s Website as a supplementary database to the Monster Manual. He provides the tactical advice on how to actually run each monster at the table. This kind of advice is great because it is largely missing from the MM. But beyond the tactics, Amman gives us an analysis of the drives and motivations of each monster. And he does so with an almost scientific attention to detail that can inform our roleplaying of these monsters.

Three D&D YouTube gurus

In addition to reading articles, we can learn from videos. Below are two actual-play shows and one series of videos with DM advice. The two shows provide very different styles of running D&D. Most of us can’t watch all of the hundreds of hours of material out there. But we can take bits and pieces from both shows and use them to improve our game.

First up, however, is the series by Matt Colville called, “Running the Game.” Colville is a veteran in the space and provides insight into almost every aspect of running D&D. We can watch the series from start to finish and level up our game that way. Alternatively, we can find a specific video on many recurring topics. Whether it’s action-oriented monsters, running your first game, or character death. Chances are, Colville has a short video on it.

Next is the omnipresent D&D show Critical Role with Matt Mercer as the DM. Obviously, most of us can’t compare our voice acting skills to that of the professionals on the show. It’s tempting but it will raise the pressure meter of our game. But when we’re looking for memorable character archetypes, or an example of an epic campaign built around the backstories of the characters, Critical Role is as good as it gets.

Lastly, Fantasy High by Dimension20 with Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan is another excellent, yet entirely different, actual-play show. Mulligan runs a fast-paced pulpy campaign set in a fusion setting of fantasy and high school drama. By observing Mulligan, we can learn how to keep the game exciting by quickly transitioning from scene to scene. He is a master at cutting out the uninteresting parts of a campaign.

Pick and choose from a menue of great online DM advice

As a DM, we constantly try to improve our game. And the necessary learning requires outside input. When we’re looking on the internet for advice, it is easy to lose ourselves in the jungle of content creators out there. The three blogs, and the three YouTube shows are a starting point for our continuous journey of informing, improving, and inspiring our game.

Links & Resources

Mike Shea: slyflourish.com – Helping Dungeon Masters run great D&D games.
Justin Alexander: thealexandrian.net
Keith Amman: themonstersknow.com – The monsters know what they’re doing. Ready-made tactics for D&D 5e.