Letting Go: A Moment of Revelation for Dungeon Masters

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The moment of revelation

In any occupation, intellectual pursuit, or hobby, there comes a moment where we think we finally get it. A moment of revelation after which we never view the activity in the same way. We suddenly understand an academic theory, and the world is changed before our eyes. We wrap our head around a core principle of chess strategy which changes the way we play the game. As Dungeon Masters, this revelatory moment often comes in the form of “letting go.” A moment after which preparing and running a D&D game becomes easy, light, and fun.

This moment of revelation, when things fall into place for us as DMs, can be framed as one of several paradigm shifts or a combination of multiple of these shifts at the same time. When that happens, something fundamentally changes in the way we perceive our own role, the elements of a D&D game, and the nature of running a game of D&D.

Letting go of being the author, becoming a facilitator

For many of us, fantasy books are the main inspiration for becoming a DM. We read the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R Martin, N.K. Jemisin, Patrick Rothfuss, and others, and we imagine ourselves in their shoes. D&D allows us to create rich fantasy worlds which we share with our players. As DMs, we can be fantasy creators just like these authors. But this motivation contains a trap.

At some point in our DMing career, we realize that we are not authors. We are facilitators. We’re not even truly storytellers because we don’t know the story before it unfolds at the table. In a game of D&D we cannot go back and change events that occurred during a game. We can’t control the feelings, inner monologues, aims and ambitions of the protagonists. DMs are not authors. We are facilitators.

When this shift happens, a few other core tenets of DMing fall into place. We let go of trying to control the narrative. At first, in the fantasy-author mindset, we might set up outcomes for the story of the game. When we realize that we are facilitators, we are instead content to merely witness the story as it grows at the table.

We also let go of preparing plots, and instead spend our time creating situations. We don’t plan and write sequences of events like Tolkien. Tolkien sends the hobbits here, has them do this, splits them up here, and so on, and so on. As Dungeon Masters, we never write plots. We imagine situations. Jot down some details of the ancient watchtower called Weathertop, bookmark the wraith statblock, and that’s it. We have no idea what the hobbits (the players) will do until they actually make it there.

Letting go of being the adversary, becoming a fan of the characters

A similar paradigm shift happens when we let go of an adversarial stance towards the characters. At first, especially if we’re not used to cooperative gaming, we assume our role as the DM is to challenge the players. We want to make things hard for the characters. Throw wrenches into their plans. We might make the players roll many ability checks as a means to increase the tension by increasing the likelihood of failure. But at some point, DMs can let go of this self-image as an adversary.

When that happens, we instead become fans of the characters, as the Dungeon World game suggests. We root for the characters’ success, and we lament their failures. We relish seeing them overcome challenges we put in front of them. We cheer with them when they deal the killing blow to a powerful foe. When we let go of being an adversary DM, the whole atmosphere of our game can improve. Suddenly, we are all in this together, players and DMs.

Letting go of being the supervisor, becoming a collaborator

While we can let go of being an adversary DM, and become a fan of the characters in game, a similar shift can happen outside of the game. As new DMs, we often see ourselves as supervisors. We are there to make sure everything runs smoothly, and maximum control is necessary to ensure the success of our game. We might tediously check character builds, and tweak character options left and right, because we fear for the balance of the game. During the game, we might even track character resources ourselves. Before a game, we try to control everything from the logistics of game time, to player attendance. When we let go of our role as a supervisor, we instead become a collaborator.

As a collaborator, we are an equal part of the gaming group. Everyone shares in the responsibility to create a smooth gaming experience. By letting go of the supervisor-mentality we not only make our life as the DM easier, we draw the players deeper into the gaming group. There is no longer one supervisor, and the players simply show up. Instead, gaming becomes a collaborative endeavor where every member of the group shares some of the responsibility.

Continuous improvement with moments of revelation

If we take this hobby serious, we strive to continually hone our DMing skills. We watch streams, read blogs, watch videos, and much more to create a better game for us and our players. But on this trajectory of continuous improvement, there are discrete upward jumps. Moments of revelation that change how we view ourselves and the game. The ones outlined here are a few personal examples of paradigm shifts that can change our DMing philosophy forever. All of them involve letting go. Taking ourselves a little less serious. Letting the game go where it may. Letting go of adversarial DMing, and a supervisor-mentality in how we run our games. Try letting go, and you might see your game be changed forever.