DM'ing: It's Your World Now

Today I would like to write about originality. I am a DM that takes great pride in the worlds and stories that I create, and I was slightly taken aback by something I read in the newest Dungeon Master's Guide. They sentence I read specifically said that as a DM you are not expected to be original. Now I know my post about Recycling is frighteningly similar to that idea, but I do not condone the message that is being sent.

Being a DM means more than just being the moderator and planner of an adventure. Your players look to you to make the story interesting to them. While recycling other material, you may see different reactions from your players, and they may become more or less interested depending on how exciting you have made it. Completely reusing published material in a D&D campaign can really set you back in the eyes of the players. In fact, I've been called on it multiple times, "Isn't this the plot to ?" or, "Hey, this NPC is acting a lot like that guy from Monty Python." Etc.

While originality is not required to be a DM, it offers you something that you can't get from modules and premade settings.

Credibility: When it all comes down to it, players would rather see a fun and enthusiastic DM tell his or her own story, before they play through a story they already know. This gives the DM some credibility with the players. The players really believe that the storytellers words are the actual chronicle of this world. When you take an already known story and run your players through, they have every right to carry predictions with them, as opposed to happily living in mystery.

But you may ask, "Lance! You seem to have all the answers, how do I do this originality thing?"

And I may respond, "Simply my friend! Just create!"

Just Create: Start with an idea, something simple at first, and run with it. Keep in mind, the idea doesn't have to be amazing or epic or extraordinary. The idea can be the most mundane thought, and you can turn it into an epic quest. You could make a campaign out of making breakfast even! The egg you crack into the frying pan on your stove might be the same egg that a storm giant cracked onto his own hearth, a wyvern or a Roc's egg no doubt. And the orange juice you poured into the cup is obviously an elixir of nourishment that one of the party members finds that very same morning.

Take it from there: my version of the story is that the party investigates the mysterious elixir to find a sage who knows very well that the substance is only found in the high peaks where the Roc's make their nests. The elixir is worth a small fortune, so the party goes up to investigate to try to make a buck. When they finally scale the cliff face, the Roc's turn out to be friendly, and peaceloving. The offer all the elixir the party wants if they'll help them battle the storm giant that has been trapping their kind. And it can go on from there.

Don't be afraid to let your mind wander when making your campaigns.

-Lance of the Hill People