Q&A for How to Create a Dungeons and Dragons World

Start simple and think big picture. When you're new, it's easy to get stuck on every little detail. My advice? Don't try to plan everything all at once. Focus on the main story you and your players want to tell. Decide the big things first - like will magic be common or rare? What are the main themes? Once you've got that, spend time making the first place the players will go feel real and lived in. You can build up your world bit by bit as you play. Trying to do too much too fast can feel confusing and limit your flexibility as the storyteller.

Towns should be specified, but you don't have to list every NPC that lives there. Make a storage of assorted NPCs that you can throw in whenever you so desire or when you find them necessary.

Take the stats from a similar monster in the book and use them as a base for your new monster. Add or remove whatever qualities you want to make the monster unique.

I have tried both of these methods, and they both work really well. I would suggest using cards because it helps show that YOU made the adventure and characters. What I did was bend them to help them stand. The side facing the adventurers had the picture of the monster and weapon, and the side facing me had its stats, making it easier on me and my players. They were also easier to store, and much cheaper.

Whenever I run an RPG adventure and the players get distracted, I do one of three things: 1. An attack occurs and they find a note on one of the monsters helping them refocus. Sometimes this is a major battle that forces for them to work together again. 2. An NPC comes by and helps give a little push in the right direction. 3. The next time I describe a setting or encounter, I make sure to include many details to help get them feel like a major part of the adventure again. I also award players an inspiration point as reward for overcoming their feud and continuing on the adventure.

Try not to include too many NPCs. You do want to have a few side adventures so they have a little bit of freedom during the campaign, but too many may confuse them and slow down the adventure since they don't know what to do. If you do, however, want to include many NPCs, keep track of their stats and names, along with where the characters meet them. During my adventures, I keep a sheet of NPC names nearby for reference.

Try to make the campaign simple, and have the NPCs drop obvious pointers. Also, if they are young, keep out the heavier stuff, like instead of the orcs burning the village to the ground, make them bully the villagers or steal.

The player's handbook and the monster manual are the most important books. If you had to choose one, choose the player's handbook, as most of the rules and spells are in that one. I recommend getting all of the main books if you have never ran a campaign, though, as the dungeon master's handbook gives good tips and guidelines. If you have no money to spare, there are always PDFs of them around. But get the player's handbook, as you'll flip through it a lot when playing high level campaigns.

You should spend as much time as it takes to create a world players will enjoy.

You can find PDF versions of many of the books online, though most people prefer to have the hardcover versions.

Give it a good backstory, desires, and fears. You should write down everything about the NPC before you start. Think about it as an important character in a book you're writing, and while brainstorming ideas, pretend that they're the main character, not the PCs.

Whew! That's a grand question! But don't worry, with a solid game plan you can put together a well-formed world. If you're making a smaller world, like a town or city, start by creating a map of the area so your players have a sense of location. Give your mayor a name and select a political structure for the city. Whether they hold democratic elections or have been under the thumb of a noble family for centuries, there has to be a guiding structure for the city. Then, name the city and give at least 1-2 NPCs (non-player characters) for your players to interact with, such as a bartender or a town crier. You'll also want a tavern or an inn for your party to visit and potentially spend the night in. You can also add shops for your players to visit and come up with quests that NPCs can give them so they explore the area. The more detail you can give your city, the more realistic it'll feel.

No, the Dungeon Master, or DM, can't be one of the players. Instead, they'll be responsible for guiding the players along and managing the world that they inhabit. But, that doesn't mean that the DM doesn't interact with the players. Quite the opposite! The DM is responsible for all of the NPCs (non-player characters) as well as the monsters and beasts that the party comes across. For instance, if a player in the party talks to a local blacksmith, the DM is the one who responds and decides how the blacksmith reacts to the player. Additionally, whenever the party is fighting an NPC, the DM is the one who decides what attacks or actions they take. DM is basically a full-time job, so there really isn't any time for them to be a member of the party. Besides, it would be a conflict of interest if the person in charge of the game is one of the players!

Apart from a big imagination and great storytelling skills, there are a few things that a Dungeon Master (DM) needs for a full game. For starters, you'll need pencils and paper to help keep track of things that happen and to take notes. They can also be helpful if you need to sketch out a quick map. Speaking of maps, if you have any drawn or printed out, make sure you have those as well. It can also be helpful to have a few items such as figurines, chess pieces, or even stones to represent where players, characters, and creatures are on a map. You'll also want to have all of the necessary dice to play D&D, as well as a large board to hide the dice whenever you're rolling for attacks and possibilities. There are a whole host of different things you can add to a game, such as fully designed monster and creature figurines and customized playing boards. But for a basic game, you really only need the essentials.

It depends on how much detail you want to put in your world. You can write a book if you want to include history, lore, and other things like that. J.R.R Tolkien did so but he dedicated his entire life to middle-earth. So it's up to you.