You’re welcome! Getting over the nerves will just take time. I’ve been DMing for about 10 years, and I still feel the impulse to make something amazing immediately. If you’re players ever complain, just tell them they can run it. They’ll change their tune real quick.

I love making combat difficult for myself, so I use theater of the mind… for everything. I don’t use any physical or digital tools either in-person or online.

I’ve run and played in games that use virtual tabletops (roll20, tabletop sim, foundry), and they all seem to work very well. However, I tend to focus mostly on the narrative and roleplay, so it feels good to do everything via imagination. It works out nicely, because I get to pay more attention to my player’s faces and react accordingly. We also made our recent campaign into a podcast, so doing everything verbally helps us create a more cohesive narrative for listeners.

BUT I think theater of the mind works to my strengths as a DM, and it certainly isn’t for everyone. I know I’m in a very minuscule minority, but you’re welcome to join me at the theater table.

I think it’s always best to look at the modules as guidelines, especially anything from Wizards. Like others have said, the writers can never account for your players.

When it comes to making stuff up on the spot, I have two suggests that might help:

1. Give yourself a moment to think. Taking a minute to formulate will never ruin anyone’s immersion. I do a podcast, and we edit out the space I give myself to come up with a satisfying answer. Even the professionals take a beat.
2. Take notes. You’ll never know enough about your NPCs, and you’ll always forget some detail you’ve given them. If you take a note, you can come back to the thing you made up and build on it in the future. That way, the line blurs between what you know (what the module tells you) and what you make up.

Extra advice: Remember that you stepped up to facilitate. That means your players already appreciate the work you’re putting in (or at least they should).

Keep it up!

Was

Thanks for asking! I used Inkarnate for this one. I’ve used Wonderdraft in the past, but I like the feel of this simulated hand-drawn map better.

I really like Tsuro, but when I introduce it to people, they find it boring. I don’t get it! Yes, it’s simple, but you can really use some strategy to influence the board. Maybe my friends just don’t like when I roar at them as our pieces pass.

We release every other week, but I like to post maps, stories, and other homebrewed content instead of just saying, “Episode 538 is out now! Please listen to my stuff!”

I do think it’s important to be a member of a community instead of just using a community. So maybe there’s a criteria of interaction that comes along with self-promotion?

Sorry for jumping into the conversation so late, but what’s the feeling on podcasts? I have a very small one that I’m quite proud of, and I’d love to share it. I don’t think a post for every new episode release should be allowed, but I feel like an occasional post about milestones or information that others could use should be acceptable. In essence, posts intended to engage with everyone instead of just sell to them.