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A Dungeon Master’s Guide to Good Gaming
How to be a great DM
Dungeons & Dragons has made one heck of a comeback into mainstream popularity. When I was growing up, people were afraid of this game, as the media had linked it to devil worship cults and given it a sinister reputation associated with murder and ritual sacrifice. Playing D&D during that time felt like an act of rebellion, something for outsiders and losers to unite behind and not feel so cast away from the social circles of conformity. Due to the misconceptions plaguing the game, and its complex rule system, it also was a way for people of a certain intellect to feel better about themselves, to build some confidence and self-esteem knowing they were playing a game most people either couldn’t understand, or refused to understand.
Then came the age of nostalgia. Now anything and everything that was culturally relevant to the 80’s is suddenly hip and cool. The explosive popularity of shows like Stranger Things on Netflix, in which Dungeons and Dragons played an integral part of the story, certainly helped to create the wave that pushed D&D back into the forefront of pop culture. Furthering this push, was the increased popularity of podcasts and live streaming shows, some of which smartly chose to ride the wave and began broadcasting D&D campaigns. A few of these gained extraordinary prominence, such as Critical Role…
