Summary

• A disinterested DM can kill player interest in a campaign, while a ionate DM sets the bar for player investment.
• Good party dynamics and roleplay among players cannot replace a DM's energy and enthusiasm for the game world.
• New DMs may need guidance and patience, but a genuine ion for the role is crucial for a successful campaign.

Some people are like me, and they love being a Dungeon Master for Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, but others feel like being a DM is a burden, and this attitude unfortunately sabotages a game before it even starts. I enjoy being a player, and sitting on both sides of the DM’s screen ensures you never lose perspective, but if I had to pick one, DMing is absolutely my preferred way to engage with DnD. For reluctant DMs taking on the role out a sense of obligation, rather than a genuine ion for collaborative storytelling, this lack of enthusiasm is infectious.

Those who are "forever DMs" should always make it a point to also play in D&D games regularly, as this can let them learn new DMing approaches that they might integrate into their own games, or experience DMing mistakes that they need to avoid.

With a rule revision on the horizon, One D&D aims for new players, but many of these newcomers to the tabletop RPG hobby will need Dungeon Masters. Some prospective players have a natural inclination towards storytelling and might be eager to portray a whole world of NPCs instead of a single character. Other groups may find that no one is particularly eager to act as DM and behave as if accepting the role is akin to jumping on a hand grenade for the benefit of their friends. No one can be more excited than the DM in a lengthy campaign.

A Disinterested D&D DM Spells Doom For Campaigns

Player Interest In Their Characters Alone Cannot A Longer Game

Player energy certainly matters, and being excited for a low-level D&D character’s class and concept can ensure a campaign gets off to a good start. As characters meet and interact with one another, inter-party dynamics can help the early stages of an adventure. Over the course of many campaigns, I’ve confirmed that with enough time, the DM’s level of energy for a game will always set a “ceiling” for player investment in a campaign. A Dungeon Master cannot force players to be invested in a game, but a disinterested DM can absolutely kill player interest as a campaign goes on.

Whether they pick from any of the popular fan-favorite premade D&D campaigns or craft their own custom adventures, the DM’s level of sustained investment and energy in their own game will inevitably set the bar for how much the players can continue to care. A party that enjoys roleplay among themselves can give the beginning of a game a strong start, but if the world they live in and the people who populate it reflect a DM’s lack of enthusiasm, that energy cannot be sustained. It could cause an originally well-intentioned group to wreak havoc, inadvertently creating Murder Hobos.

If a player group is into intense roleplay, but the DM does not match that energy with the D&D campaign's world and NPCs, this "dehumanizes" NPCs, harming immersion and sometimes leading to destructive roleplay as a result of boredom.

There are numerous memes about bad D&D DMs, but most of these focus on DMs who are bloodthirsty tyrants. The more common problem is Dungeon Masters who have simply ceased to care or never really did. A DM needs to be excited, not just for the adventure at hand or the plot twist about to be revealed, but also for the campaign’s next arc and the one after that. If the current content of the story feels like “filler episodes” before a more climactic event to the DM, it likely feels even worse for the players, who lack DM information.

Good D&D Party Dynamics Do Not Replace DM Energy

Even The Best Party Needs A Vibrant World And NPCs To Truly Shine

As a longtime DM, I know players will not always engage in every facet of a campaign the way you might hope. I can give my D&D players downtime and hope they will interact with NPCs or integrate themselves into the campaign world. Instead, they might elect to sequester themselves and read a Tome of Understanding or engage in item creation without ing the outside world. I still make it a point to come to every session with enthusiasm for whatever is at hand, whether it’s an epic battle, exploring a hostile plane of existence, or complex social intrigue.

I’ve felt the disappointment that can come from being a player in a game where the DM is just going through the motions. I always hold out hope that the DM will run a D&D campaign with unexpected twists and a compelling story, but some games are more straightforward, particularly if they are pre-written adventure modules. These games with listless DMs typically follow a similar pattern, wherein the players are enthusiastic about the campaign, coasting by for a few sessions on the simple joy of role-play among the party . Eventually, the DM’s indifference becomes widespread, crushing player investment.

A DM who solely took on the role out of a sense of obligation or necessity is unlikely to bring a positive energy to the game and probably should not run a campaign at all.

Whether it’s a new D&D player portraying cliché archetypes, or a veteran with a complex and nuanced character, a player can engage with a game so long as the DM gives them something to engage with. A combat-focused Fighter build might have less to contribute to a game of high society intrigue in most sessions, but if the DM is invested in their own story, the player is likely to find ways to be a part of it. A DM who seems bored with running their campaign, and annoyed at the burden of session preparation, makes everyone increasingly indifferent.

D&D DMs Need ion, Not Perfection

Players Are More Likely To Forgive DM Growing Pains If The DM Cares

It's true that new D&D Dungeon Masters may need guidance to succeed, as well as patience from their players. DMing does require more work than the role of a player, and it invites judgment and critique to a higher degree. This can make some DMs nervous, but if they are excited about their campaign, good players are more willing to look past any growing pains. A DM who solely took on the role out of a sense of obligation or necessity is unlikely to bring a positive energy to the game, and probably should not run a campaign at all.

There are cases where a group has highly motivated D&D players but no one with a genuine ion for the role of DM. These groups should seek out a DM who is interested in the role rather than forcing someone to go through the motions.

Some DMs may be tempted to blame their players for their lack of interest in the game they are running, but the players cannot make a game any better than the DM’s own investment allows it to be. If the Dungeon Master is bored with the current story arc, the players probably are as well, so the DM should skip to the content they are truly excited about. Bad sessions will still happen, even for the best groups, but an off-week should not set the tone for the entire campaign. DMs can ensure the next session is a course correction.

A DM ultimately controls the success or failure of their campaign more than anyone at the table. Many players look to DMing as a dreaded responsibility, indicating that they should simply avoid the role. A DM who loses their zeal for a campaign may be able to salvage it through a reinvention, a time-skip, or some other approach to galvanizing the game. The players cannot fix a campaign for you. The DM has to bring the energy to the campaign, and then hope the players respond in kind if a Dungeons & Dragons game is going to engage everyone involved.