Games are fun. If its not fun, its probably not a game, its probably work.
Sometimes the two coincide a bit.
For instance, I get to have fun while working. That’s really the role of the DM (or GM). We put in a fair bit of work so that we can have fun playing a game with other people.
That’s probably the most unique thing about tabletop RPGs. Traditional board games, as well as video games, have all the work done when you take them out. There may be some assembly required for a board game, or updates for a video game, but someone else has done the work of building the game for you.
Tabletop is a bit different. The GM has a couple options: (a) run a pre-built module or campaign, or (b) build everything from the ground up.
Choosing (a) is certainly easier: the basic storyline, maps, dungeons, creatures and treasure are already worked out for you; but the fact remains that few, if any, pre-built modules include everything that you’ll ever want.
I remember running Lost Mine of Phandelver some time ago. I was feeling pretty secure in my ability to run this “entry level” campaign. I had read through the manual several times, memorized the names and occupations of all the NPCs, and had all my maps copied out well in advance. Then it happened:
The party was traveling on the road and one of the players asked if he saw anyone else on the road. I had set the campaign to start in mid to late spring, so of course there would be other people traveling, so I described how the party would cross paths with other travelers: pilgrims, armed patrols, merchants…
“Perfect!” He exclaimed. “What kind of merchants do I see?”
“Ummmm….” was my reply. “What kind of merchant would you like to find?” He told me (I don’t actually remember anymore), and I rolled some dice behind my DM screen (mostly just to keep up the air of mystery), and then told him, “Yes! About 5 hours into your journey on the first day, you find a merchant who sells what you’re looking for.”
Of course I had no idea of what this merchant looked like, sounded like, what he sold, where he was going or where he was from, so everything was improvised, and probably not very well.
In the end, of course, it worked out. The player managed to buy what he wanted and I’m sure no one was actually put out. So why do I bring it up?
Because when the DM is scrabbling for inspiration like that, the illusion fades. The curtain of imagination that shrouds the game drops for a moment and the stark reality of the DM’s reliance on “the book” is revealed.
Frankly, it’s kind of a cheap way to DM.
I’m not mentioning this to try and shame anyone, especially new DMs. When you first start out, it’s pretty natural to rely on published materials; after all, you have enough going on just learning the rules and trying to keep track of everything.
I mention this to inspire my fellow DMs to put a bit of time into constructing the world around your game just a little bit more.
Players will want to interact with the game world in ways that you can’t always be expecting, but you can prepare for a lot in advance.
A few examples:
Players will want to:
Chat with the bartender
Chat/pick up the barmaid
Ask the local farmers for information
Ask anyone who isn’t a human how they came to live here
Ask random merchants about their origin story
Talk not only to the blacksmith, and his senior apprentice, but also the junior apprentice, his wife, dog and the tree out back
A few character details can go a long way. If a campaign says there’s a halfling priest in the human village, spend a few minutes and determine why they’re there, how long they’ve been there, where they’re from and maybe a couple details about their family. The players may never ask, but if they do, you’ll have at least the basis for a backstory.
Oh, and you should always have a reason why an NPC would NOT travel with the group. Some parties will end up as traveling villages if you let them.
Anyway, that’s all for now.