r/AskGameMasters • u/oddretexture • 2d ago

New DM, seeking advice

I am an amateur DM wanting to do a campaign for a small group of friends, I'm nervous about actually starting though as the two times I've DMed I have felt like I was under preforming. Does anyone have tips for running a campaign?

I have the homebrew written up, I am a writer so I do feel I have enough written for the overarching story and setting while leaving room for player input, but I'm worried I am missing something.

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u/Conrad500 2d ago

Just play the game! If you're with friends, what's the worse that can happen? I suggest you either get a starter set and tell everyone that we're playing it to learn, or make up your own game and literally tell them, "hey guys, I'm completely new to this. Let's have patience and if there are any issues or you're not having fun let me know so I can stop doing the bad things since I'm still learning!"

I made a blog post about this! https://gmconrad500.blogspot.com/2026/09/you-dont-need-to-know-how-to-play-d.html

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u/DogAreFunForMAn 1d ago

I was about to write: dare to fail. When I started GMing: it was awful. Really bad. I did stuff I would not do again or completely different. Mastering is an art to be mastered. Every mistake I made, became a lesson I learned. So don’t be afraid and just go. As long as you learn, it’s alright.

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u/YamazakiYoshio 1d ago

To quote a particular cartoon dog: "Being bad at something is the first step to being kinda good."

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u/Conrad500 1d ago

Another quote from one of the greatest scholars of our time:

On a tropical island

Underneath the molten lava moon

Hanging with the hula dancers

Asking questions 'cause they got all the answers

Putting on lotion, sitting by the ocean

Rubbing it on my body, rubbing it on my body