DUNGEON MASTER

Meet your instructor, explore the course roadmap, and discover how each class builds toward designing and running your own D&D adventure. Get to know your fellow Dungeon Masters before the journey begins.

• Instructor intro
• Course overview
• Workshop: What brought you to D&D?

Learn to think like a Dungeon Master rather than an author. Discover how to create adventures that empower player choice while keeping the story engaging for everyone at the table. 

• D&D vs. TTRPGs, computer RPGs, adventure books
• Restructuring your imagination to support your new hobby
• Your role as "Engine" vs. "Author”: The four adventure types
• The social contract: Building a game people want to play
• The example table
• Workshop: Adventure ideas 

Assignment #1: Adventure Ideas & Types

Master the essential rules that keep your games flowing without sacrificing creativity. Learn when to follow the rulebook and when a great story deserves something better.

• Mastering the 20% of rules used 80% of the time
• When to bypass the manual to keep the story moving
• The “Rule of Cool” vs. rules as written
• Case Study: Lloyds 22 page question
• Manipulating rules & fudging rolls… Should you?
• Pop Test: D&D Pop Quiz

Build efficient preparation habits that reduce workload while making every session feel effortless. Learn how to create flexible adventures that adapt naturally to unpredictable players.

• Prepping the world vs. prepping the session
• The power of tone & expectation
• Creating "lazy" notes that look like genius planning
• Case Study: Braxia Tourism Department 

Assignment #2: Starting Locations

Craft adventures with meaningful stakes, memorable story arcs, and player-driven momentum. Learn how to keep your table invested through compelling worlds, NPCs, and discoveries.

• Three pillars: Combat, social, exploration
• Drivers of game types: Epic, player, sandbox
• Case Study: Satisfying story arc
• Linking story elements
• Natural discovery: Getting your players invested 
• NPCs & their roles

Design unforgettable NPCs with clear personalities, motivations, and purpose. Discover how memorable characters can shape stories long after the dice stop rolling.

• Creating memorable vs. disposable characters
• Using tone, posture, vocabulary over accents
• NPC side-kicks or party-members
• Workshop: Designing an NPC

Assignment #3: PCs, NPCs & Villains 

Create dynamic encounters that challenge players beyond simple combat. Learn how environment, pacing, and smart encounter design turn every battle into a memorable experience.

• Dynamic battlefields: Using verticality, hazards, timers 
• Balancing for "action economy"
• When to make a fight & when to end a fight
• Golden rule of combat
• Case Study: Raising stakes

Assignment #4: Villain’s Location 

Keep players motivated with meaningful rewards that go beyond treasure. Learn how progression, magic items, and in-game economies shape long-term engagement.

• Psychology of rewards: Magic items, gold, social status, "boons"
• Economies in D&D
• Handling the ‘dreaded’ shopping session
• Magical items & macguffins to avoid

Maintain momentum across an entire adventure without railroading your players. Learn how to manage pacing, overcome campaign slumps, and keep every session exciting.

• The 5 steps: Rooms to an adventure
• Identifying "The Slump" & how to inject energy
• Level-ups & power-creep: Keeping your campaign challenging 
• Keeping players on the story track without railroading
• Getting players to reinvest in the game
• Keeping true to your original promise

Assignment #5: Five-Step Adventure Plan

Design maps that enhance storytelling, exploration, and gameplay. Discover how thoughtful layouts and virtual tabletop tools can elevate every adventure. 

• Purposes of maps
• Basic map principles
• Aesthetics
• Taking your map online: Integrating a VTT

Assignment #6: Epic Battlefield

Enhance immersion with props, puzzles, and practical table tools that support — not slow down — your game. Learn how to create memorable experiences without unnecessary complexity.

• Miniatures, terrain & tactile handouts
• Time implications 
• Organising your physical space for maximum efficiency
• Puzzles for puzzles sake or to frustrate the players?
• Workshop: Creating a puzzle for players to solve

(Optional) Assignment #7: Puzzles & Props

Understand different player personalities and group dynamics to create engaging experiences for every seat at the table. Learn how great Dungeon Masters balance diverse play styles and expectations.

• Identifying player types: The Slayer, The Actor, The Optimiser
• Exploring group dynamics
• Giving every player their "spotlight moment" — or not

Assignment #8: Player Type & Group Dynamics

Bring everything together by presenting your complete adventure and refining it through feedback. Leave the course ready to confidently lead memorable D&D sessions that players will want to return to.

• Putting it all together: Reviewing your DM portfolio
• Graduation: How to find a group & keep them coming back 
• Workshop: Course Adventure presentations

Assignment #9: Course Adventure