DM Creativity and Getting Past DM's Block!
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | One-Shot
About the adventure
Do you want to try your hand at being a DM, but you're unsure how to turn your ideas and vision into an adventure you can run for your players? Or are you already a DM, but you've run into "DM's block", and the ideas won't flow or you are having trouble turning your ideas into playable D&D content? Do you have a great idea for a new adventure but you struggle to bring it to life? Perhaps you're preparing to run an existing adventure module or book and find that you only love part of the story or some of the ideas while other parts don't work for you at all, and you don't want to run those disappointing bits "as written" ... but you're not sure what to do to "fix" the parts that are broken. I offer these "Tapping Your DM Creativity and Getting Past DM's Block!" sessions to help you overcome any of these problems by showing you step-by-step how to tap into your creative energy, get fun ideas flowing, organize your materials, and experience the joy of creating D&D sessions your players will love. In the first half of this three-hour session, I will share with you and explain a list of ideas that have helped me transform creative challenges or moments of DM's Block into fun excursions into creativity, transforming "stuck or broken" scenes or ideas into adventures I couldn't wait to run with my players. In the second half, we'll apply these ideas to one or more stuck or broken adventures or notions (we can use yours or I can provide my own) and work through them until they feel as fun to run as you hoped they would when your inspiration to write or run an adventure first arose. Overcoming DM's block isn't magic and it definitely is something you can learn (if you want to). Pushing through a drought of ideas or righting what's wrong with a scene or a module is a matter of understanding where you want to end up, where you are now, and applying a few tried-and-tested creative exercises that help you engage your own creativity to transform what wasn't working for you into what brings you and your players joy. If you'd like to have someone under 18 attend this session, just have a parent contact me with a direct message confirming that you will be attending the session with your younger participant. All material covered will be age-appropriate. NOTE - if you'd rather see this session offered on a different day or at a different time, just let me know and I'll be happy to schedule a session that works for your schedule!
Whether you're just getting started as a DM or you're an established DM looking for ways to overcome creative blocks, this 2-3 hour session will help you move from "I've got great ideas, but ..." to "I know how to bring my ideas to life!" Join us for a deep dive into what you want, where you are now, where you want to end up, and practical tips and hands-on exercises to unleash the genius of your inner DM!
Less than a year on StartPlaying
46 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 2 hours
Response rate: 100%
Additional details
How to prepare
My sessions normally take place on Zoom (or Discord if Zoom doesn't work for some reason) and require a PC or smartphone, internet access, a microphone and speakers to support audio discussions (though text-only sessions can be arranged in advance if required or preferred), and an account on D&D Beyond (can be a free account). If you live in the Puget Sound area (from about Edmonds down to Olympia), and you'd like to arrange an in-person session with your group, send me a direct message on SPG or Discord. Familiarity with D&D before this session is not required, as I am always delighted to work with people who are entirely new to D&D. The spoken language in these sessions will be English.
What I provide
With over 35 years of experience as a Dungeon Master and 40 years as a D&D player, I have hosted over 600 sessions of D&D and other RPG games. I worked for Wizards of the Coast (makers of D&D) for over 10 years, wrote Adventurer's League module 0901 Hungry Shadows, and was a contributing writer to the D&D book Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. In my sessions (Zoom or Discord, or if you live near Puget Sound we can discuss a face-to-face session), I offer players full access to all required content on D&D Beyond (2014 and 2024 rules welcome), I use the D&D Beyond 2d mapping system with existing and custom player, monster, and item tokens. I have access to all D&D Beyond content, so you can stretch your creativity as a player into all the fun corners D&D has to offer. During gaming sessions, players should feel free to role-play as much or as little as they feel comfortable, though in this "how-to" session, that might not come up. Feel free to ping me on Discord or Start Playing Games if you have any questions! https://discord.gg/3YBfH8PKgz
Gameplay details
Players will be asked at the beginning of the session to share any topics they wish the group to avoid and these preferences will be respected. Players are free at any point during the discussion to stop or pause discussion for questions, clarification, or to ask that a topic not be discussed further if it is upsetting to the player. Players are ALWAYS free to step away from the session for as long as they need for any reason. A short break at the midway point in the session is planned.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
• Breaks
• Luxton Technique Discussion
• Open Door
How will character creation work
Since this is a how-to creative session, no prepared materials are required, but if participants have one or more specific scenes or ideas or modules they are currently struggling with that they would like to discuss with me and others, having those materials fully ready to share before the session will help save time.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
Medium
Roleplay
Low
Puzzles
Low
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• Zoom
• Discord
• D&D Beyond
• D&D Beyond Maps
$20.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Once / Thursday - 3:00 AM UTC
May 1
2-3 Hour Duration
0 / 6 Seats Filled
Schedule
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: 18+