How to create a good atmosphere at your table
There are many ways to improve your game, but if you will not have a good atmosphere at the table a good puzzle or a good combat encounter will not save the game in the long run. Today we will be looking at the things that could make your game better in means of atmosphere for your players and yourself.
Stimulate the senses
I’m a firm believer in the visual presentation on the table, the better it will be with maps, battlemat, etc. the easier it will be to those that get their information through the visuals. There are so many times when the confusion starts to unfold when players are not grasping the environments of your encounter, even if you describe them meticulously(Or maybe that’s the problem). Having a battle mat, maybe some simple cut-outs for a building will work wonders even if they are just blank shapes. Another thing is the miniatures, if you have them, it will be easier for you to take control of the field, knowing who and where is at the field.
Another thing that brings it all together is the soundtrack. It’s easy now to find a Spotify playlist or youtube playlist with your favorite RPG games and it makes all the difference in the atmosphere and focuses on the game. Also, it helps the roleplaying aspect of the game, when characters can emerge themselves into a battle encounter, visiting an elven embassy or visiting a tavern.
Grab some snacks
And the last sensory input for the atmosphere is the snacks. There is a reason that Google offers free food for its employees, its to make more of a family bond between the employees. In DnD sense, having food on the table makes it more of a tabletop game vibes, creates more bonding between the players and creates an atmosphere where people can relax, enjoy their time and also don’t be distracted for having a growling stomach.
A great house rule is to have “The Offerings Rule” at your table. The DM brings entertainment, the players bring the snacks and drinks for everyone to enjoy the time you’re spending together more. And it’s fair when DM is putting that much energy to prepare for the game and the Players are showing appreciation for that.
DM for a group that is the right size for you
I said previously, that I run for about 6-8 group, which has 7 people usually around. That’s a lot of people and I would advise you first running a game to 4-5 people at most. The reason why 7 is manageable for me is that 3 out of 7 people don’t occupy that much of the limelight during the game, even when I try my best to give everyone some attention during the session. If everybody would be social butterflies or the “Faces of the party” I would be screwed big time. The size of the people you can manage depends on how much you know the people around the table and what are they like when playing a tabletop RPG. But if you have 4-5 people that are heavily involved in roleplaying, comfortable with making decisions and executing those decisions, that is plenty enough.
Pace your Self and take brakes
An in-session burnouts happen to a lot for DM’s due to plans falling apart, players doing something that is out of the realms of possibilities that you thought about, so you know what, sometimes just a minute brake from a game to grab a glass of water or go to the toilet is a small break for you to get your thoughts together. Not only that, after some time if things are going well, the group will click and spend some time chatting or joking around the table that is not relevant to the game, but if you see this happening, it’s a good time to have a two-minute break to get your party attention back to the game without brewing hesitation to the group not to vent their stories about their lives.
Surprise your players - Handouts and stuff.
When you are making a murder mystery, a puzzle, give out handouts to make your session more impressive. However do not rely on that, it’s a great hobby to paint miniatures, being a crafty DM, but still what people are staying in Dungeons and Dragons is the ability to tell their character stories and the freedom, not admiring your DIY skills.
Put in the Work before the session
Nothing is worse if you have a group of enthused players and a DM that doesn’t even prepare a bit for a game. If you see something similar at your table it can mean a couple of things, your DMs lack of respect for its players or a potential burnout. In any case, these signs are not great. Lack of respect shows that you probably should change the table you’re playing at or there are some undercurrent waves brewing with some players and the DM. The best way is to have transparent communication after the games and providing feedback to the DM in a constructive manner. In the case of burnout, or if you’re feeling like being burned out, it’s not wrong to take a bit of a break, let others make a one-shot a small campaign or just play some board games instead of DnD until you feel ready to play DnD once again. It’s important that the DM is also having fun at the table, not only the players.
However, just try to put at least some prep beforehand, don’t try to make it perfect just try to make the best you can and enjoy the wild ride that is DnD.
Be Honest with the players and expect the same
Transparency and Honesty is the key in any group dynamics. If you mess up, be the first one to own up to the mistake and say that you’re wrong and show it as an example to others. Even though you’re the DM, that has the final say, it does not say that you will make every decision right. And when you do something that is not right, be the first one that owns up to it and makes it right in the future. Don’t be afraid of providing honest feedback to your players to have some discussions and in the future, that will ensure a better game for everyone.
Be an Example to players if you want something from them
If you want something out of your players you need to be the flagman of the behavior you want at your table. There are not many other options. If you want roleplaying to occur at your table more, roleplay yourself more. Reward the indications of that behavior after or during the session and over time this Tip will make a better game over time in every direction you’re trying to improve.
Don’t be afraid of cutting the s**t quickly and decisively
The Golden phrase of mine when s**t starts to happen on my table is:
“ Come on guys, can we please carry the f*ck on? ” - Said by… Me
As DM, you have responsibility for all of your players to have fun at your table, sometimes the will be behaviors that you will not tolerate that could occur at your table. And in those situations, you are in the position to end those behaviors right away. I’m not talking about a thing that you don’t like as “Killing your BBEG in one hit”, but in the sense where the PC is trying to do something that the whole table is uncomfortable with it. There are many sensitive issues and themes and you need to figure them out beforehand and set them in stone. The best way to do so is during session zero.
There will be moments where the players will be distracted, chatting over each other and that doesn’t make up a great atmosphere where half of the players are doing their own thing and others are trying to play DnD. If that occurs at your table one of the best things to do is to ask people to carry on or ask if they want to make a small break and get that out of their system. Most of the time when players are unfocused, it’s the best time to announce a small brake.
Ask the right questions after the session or during a break and listen
Feedback is one of the things that will make you and your players be better at this hobby. However, in the beginning, not many will say that much about the game you are running, so instead of asking fixed questions all the time like:
Did you enjoy the session?
Try to ask your group open-ended questions like:
What would make this session better? Or if you had a positive response about your session: What specifically you enjoyed about the session/character/ect.?
How about spend time after the session?
Hey, you’re spending at least 3-5 hours a week with the people at your table that are playing Dungeon and Dragons. Sometimes a bit less playtime is better spent getting people to know at your table is next to a cold beer or other activities that your group all enjoy. Having this type of after activity or pre-game is a good way to get the small talk and events of your players out of the way so that it would not affect the game that much, where players would drift of the session.
Conclusion
There are many ways to improve the atmosphere of your game, being prepared for the game, involving most of the senses into your game and having an honest and transparent communication between the DM and the Players couple of tips that I find effective, but, what do you think helped your table to achieve a good atmosphere? What were the things that your party liked/enjoyed? Leave a comment down below.
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