New/First-time GMs: Stuff you don’t need

If you're a new GM, for the love of god give yourself some grace. You're not supposed to be perfect - you’re supposed to be learning, experimenting, and forgetting rules while having fun.This is your indie debut era.

Ok that’s the whole video. Peace. 

No just kidding.. Sort of.. 

If one of the two of you are still here, let’s get into the real stuff - talking through shit I wish someone had said to me. Specifically what being a “Good GM” means.

First of all - There is no perfect system. There’s only whatever system you’re all playing and some nights it stutters, some nights it soars, and most nights it’s fine. So don’t worry about ‘picking wrong’ because they’ll all behave pretty much the same way so the “best” system isn’t the one with the most balanced mechanics or the fanciest hardcover, it’s the one that gets people talking, laughing, making weird choices, and coming back next week. You can run a masterpiece in a janky duct-taped homebrew and flop in the shiny new hotness.

And yeah, sometimes your players aren’t hyped about the exact thing you want to run. That doesn’t mean you picked wrong or your ideas aren’t good. It just means you’re still figuring out what lights this group up. That’s part of the job. You’re not a mind-reader, you’re a collaborator. You’ll learn what kind of stories feel good to tell together because honestly, it’s not about the perfect system or the coolest plot. It’s about the people at the table.

Second of all - There’s no one right way to prep. There’s only the one that makes YOU feel ready. Personally, I like to front-load the story stuff so when I sit down, I can just react in the moment, knowing the themes are baked into my brain. I play exclusively online and primarily theatre of the mind. I tend to story prep for like 4-5 sessions out but if I have a combat, I do maps, tokens and fog of war setups a few days prior to the game. Generally though I don’t use maps or VTTs or tokens, but if that kind of setup helps you feel grounded, go for it. Prep is a tool - it’s there to help you feel confident running the game your way, to provide the kind of experience that makes you feel good. It’s not a performance. It’s your confidence tool. That’s its main job.

Third of all - There’s no perfect single one-shot or published module. There’s just the one that catches your eye, makes you go “ooh,” and the version of it that works for you and your table. Players respond to enthusiasm way more than to polish. If you’re excited, they’ll feel it. So trust your instincts - they’ll carry you further than you think.

Honestly, the only thing that can make you a real GM is showing up to the table and running the session.What makes you a good GM is doing it more than once, watching for what lights your players up and learning what kinds of choices you enjoy facilitating. That’s it.

You do not need to sound like that actual play - unless it’s one I’m on, then obviously it’s flawless. 

But legit, jokes aside: You don’t need to memorize the rulebook, or need a detailed map, or a ten-thousand-word homebrew setting. None of that is required. 

What you do need is a willingness to try. 

It’s easy to forget, but you’re at a table full of people who are rooting for you - Even if only because they want the night to be fun. It still counts.

And yeah, maybe your first session goes off the rails. Maybe your beautifully colour-coded notes stay tragically unused. Maybe you panicked and asked for an insight check just to buy time. 

Congrats! Navigating any version of that at least once means you’re a GM now. 

Welcome to the secret society of underslept narrators with mild god complexes, where we are all hot and interesting and never tie our entire self-worth into how a session went.

Okay, joke’s over - but the heart of it isn’t and the question is what keeps you coming back to the GM chair? Start there. Start with what’s fun, and figure out what your fun looks like. . For me, it’s watching my players get invested - whether through a messy emotional redemption arc, or some ‘technically feasible’ plan involving drones and bees, or trying to figure out what’s a dream and what’s real. I love the challenge of finding what lights them up and trying to build that into the story.

Your fun might be totally different. It could be crunchy mechanics and rules that define abilities clearly, wild improv, sprawling lore dumps, or just nailing a ridiculous NPC voice that makes your table lose their minds. Find the thing that sparks joy, and chase it. And it’s probably not going to be just one thing. There’ll be various shit that sings to you - maybe evolves over time - or just things you are currently intrigued by. Like right now, I’m obsessed with campaign frames. Two weeks ago, I was obsessed with Delta Green home scenes. The point is - let yourself be inspired and carried away a little. Point is - this is my shit. What’s yours? Find and follow that spark.

Because at the end of the day, none of this is about the system or the rules - it’s about the people at the table. D&D won’t be around forever. Neither will this current wave of TTRPG buzz. So shiny rulebooks and system mastery do not make you a good GM. Being at the table and paying attention does. What will stick is your style. Your joy. Reading all the supplements, memorizing spells, trying to mimic APs is all great, but that’s not what makes you good. What makes you good is clocking when someone’s been quiet for too long and gently drawing them in without putting them on the spot. It’s when a player throws out a wild plan and looks at you like, "Bet you didn’t see that coming." And you just grin and go, "Nope, but let’s see how weird this gets."

You don’t need procedure 7or perfection. You need to show up with curiosity. So, especially if you’re a first-time or new GM, please don’t wait to “know everything.” Just start showing up - Learn by doing. Make messy calls. Watch what lights your players up.  And trust me - if you keep paying attention? You will get good at this.

Figuring it out counts for more than you think. And if you care enough to worry about getting it right, you’re already killing it. And anyway you’re probably already better than that one GM.. you know who I mean...