DM 101 - Episode 3: How to write your notes (D&D Help/Advice) 

Please note this video is best watched in 1080p - So you can read the whiteboard notes! Apologies if this video appears a bit odd/washed out. On my editing machine at Yogtowers it looked pretty good and had a good contrast for the whiteboard sections, but on my home PC it seems a little weird. Hopefully it's just my home PC having a weird contrast and doesn't influence the video in a negative way?

Thanks so much, my 10 yr old son recently bought a d&D set and asked me to be DM... no idea how, really useful

Here's a cool vignette: the party is in a dungeon or other dark area, and they find a skeleton wandering around with an ever-burning torch or lantern in its hand. It's non-hostile, and if unmolested will promptly fall into line behind the party, lighting their way. At the end of the dungeon, if it survived throughout the session, it will say, "Thank you for allowing me to fulfill my blood oath". Then it explodes. The party can take the torch/lantern for themselves (they could also kill the skeleton and take it; the skeleton will never aggro against the party or other characters). Why any of that happened will never be revealed. Unless you have a diviner or cleric or whatever look for the answer, in which case you can say literally anything.

This single video, out of the dozens I had watched, convinced me that I could be a DM. It is concise, easy to understand, and easy to emulate. Thank you, Mark, for introducing me to dm-ing.

If you can find a copy of it, there's a super-useful book called _Ultimate NPCs_ from Mongoose Publishing from back in the 3.5 Edition days. The first one-quarter of the book contains lists and charts of occupations, appearances, personality traits, quirky mannerisms, and everything else you need to create an NPC completely at random on the fly (there are a full 20 pages containing nothing but lists of hundreds of random names that puts the lists in _Xanathar's Guide_ to absolute shame). The rest of this 256 page book is stat blocks of pre-made NPCs by occupation, race, class, level, etc., from farmhands and shopkeepers to 20th-level Knights and Loremasters. Aside from the core books, it's one of the most well-used D&D books I own; I simply _cannot_ overstate how useful this book has been for me over the years.

I love videos like this. But there is one thing that doesn't seem to get brought up. At the end of every session just simply ask your players what they plan to do next time you play. "We really want to explore the market of flies" Great now you know they are going to the market. You should generally know what they are going to do next time if your a good dungeon master and trying to listen to them. If your content is engaging and takes into account their personal characters stories. You know Bill is looking for the three fingered man. Use the man as a hook to get Bill where you want him to go. This stuff is not mind breaking or new. But Even doing your best to use these tools. They will go south 100 miles when you thought they were headed north. Flat out ask them just to make sure you can plan for them going where you know they will go. But heh great video. Always looking to learn and make my games flow smoother. Can't agree more on how much the ability to improve is important.

10/10 THE WHITEBOARDS BACK

Already doing my "home work" for dnd

Before watching this, I was literally a scrambling mess trying to get my game ready.. and After watching this (twice) I had a structured, logical system that made sense to me and was easy to start taking steps to flesh out the game. You have no idea how much this calmed my nerves and help me feel like I could actually pull of DM'ing for the first time. Thank you so so much for this video 🍄

Recently, my group lost their DM and there's been talk of who's going to step up. This video series has helped me grasp the fact that I can do this. It's a lot of work, but it's something that I'm finding that the process of building a world, excites me to my core. Thank you for helping me realize this!

The idea of giving homework is great, its such a nice way to get audience involvement. Keep up the wonderful work Mark, cant wait to watch the next episode :D !

God Bless you. I'm new to DND (played just 4 months), but I've always been in roleplay-ing (and I've been admin of other rp based games). But neither the manuale, neither ANY VIDEO on YT helpe me understanding how to REALLY plan a session. How to write down ideas. They're all vagues and jump from different examples never sticking to one that can be followed to understand. Your whole part on the Clerics and the son of the Baron was such a breath of fresh air. You're clear, straightforward, pratcitcal and not rambling. Now I finally grasp how i could write down my ideas.

That whiteboard and jacket... I feel like I'm taking my A-levels again..

I have years of experience as a writer, primarily in role-playing settings, and have crafted numerous worlds, religions, pantheons, and myths. Despite my experience in world creation, I am a novice Dungeon Master (DM) and am currently leading a group for the first time. Your videos have proven invaluable, providing a wealth of ideas to enhance my DM skills and preparation.

Very good video....I have been dming D&D since the late 70's and haved played the game for decades....I left the game after advanced editions and didn't play 3.5 and have recently come back to the game and you have provided a lot of useful tips that will enhance my dming skills and gameplay greatly....thank you

This has been one of the most helpful videos I've watched so far in preparation to my first campaign session this weekend!

I had very little direction on taking notes before watching this. A lot of the information that I found on the internet was "they're not THAT important, don't over plan" etc. That may help many, but not me. I need structure, even if just a little. So thank you. This video is going to help me improve tremendously!

As someone starting my own Campaign and starting to want to DM, i found the initial "Recap, Location: NPC, ENCOUNTER, REWARD" very useful. i didn't know how to format it, but seeing this made it 10x easier to me! Thank you!

man...your tutorial are 100% vital for the dnd community. You are helping me a lot on understanding so much things, and to prepare so much better for campaign. There are lot of campaign out there that are lot more funnier thanks to you! thanks you vary much!

Such high value content. Thank you for these videos. Dming my first session this weekend and you have helped quell my anxiety and stoke excitement in a big way.

must... resist.. English Nursery school urge.... can't hold it! AAARrrrgh GOOD MORNING MR HULMES!

5 mins in and I can tell you're not just trying to put out a video but actually help DMs. I find a lot of DM youtubers put out videos that really just repeate the same info in 10 videos. Thank you for putting time and effort into the video.

Amazing that the word you don’t have problems spelling is “vignettes”! 😂

I've DM'd for 9 years and this is the first time I've really think I've grasped notes for d&d

On naming NPCs, I definitely have some room for improvement. My players once faught a fledgling groups of cultists who met in the basement beneath some construction. The leader was named Jason. The one upstairs they met first was named Not Jason. The one in the basement was named Bason...for basement Jason.

I hope you know, I legit write down each of these points as we go along, pausing the video when I need to. I'm up at 4:30-5:00 AM every night trying to learn this stuff, I really wish to be a good DM for my friends, and if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. Right now, it's 3:30 AM on the dot, and I'm going to bed 'early'. Have a wonderful night.

LOVED this! So useful, thank you! Played my first game of D&D last week spurred on by your content. Turns out I love to DM! We had so much fun we played again 2 days later and can't wait for the next session!

You are teaching managerial skills and office administration skills in the guess of teaching people how to DM. I love it, you rock!

Oh god, thank you so much Mark!!! I was trying to prep Curse of Strahd today and just had no clue how to even start converting that book into notes! Thank you so much for this!!

My book for my creative writing class suggests pretty much the same things you just did! My homework last week had me write a list of random names in a notebook XD honestly loving this series

Thank you so much! Your DM 101 videos helped me a lot to prepare a game for my family.

this video saved my entire ass. i was really concerned about how to organize all the notes i would be preparing for my campaign and WOW you use such a good method for organizing everything. it must have undoubtly been created after years and years of trial and error. thanks, i'll definitely be using your method of notekeeping for my campaign

This video series has been so helpful! It has helped me have cofidence in myself as a DM

The reskinning idea is actually ingenious. I was planning on making unique mini adventures for every small location on my world map, but this is a great example of work smarter not harder. I only need to come up with unique adventures for the major locations and the smaller areas can have a handful of interesting encounters that get copy pasted to wherever the players decide to go.

Firstly, drama teacher cardigan FTW. Secondly, this video was great: I've tried running a thing on some forums for a group of players but my notes were all over the place, I didn't really know where to put them, or even what notes I should even have. This seems really helpful, I'll have to go over certain parts a few times just to have a better idea of what I'm doing. Again, thanks mark!

Thank you so much for this series Mark. I have been DMing for just over 2 years now and yet this video has sparked so much in me. I am very much an improvisation DM but never thought about notes in this way before (kinda thought they would be restricting for me). This is going to make sessions so much easier on my brain! You're the best!

I am about to move into my grandmothers home with my sister. We have both had crappy relationships. And i found D&D helps with getting out of my head. I asked her to play this really helps me learn how to DM. Shes never played but its fun. Thank you for breaking it down.

Ive been looking for a video on this topic for 2 weeks now. Thanks so much, this is exactly what I've been needing.

This is the single most useful DM video I've ever seen!! I'm prepping for my first ever DM experience and feeling overwhelmed even with a campaign module, but this just organized everything and made me feel so much more confident. I can do this!!

One of the best videos for new DMs, I am so grateful for this video. I have probably watched tons of How to DM videos, but all just explains "How-to" but without clear examples, like how you've displayed here. It felt like I'm in a class, but I actually enjoyed and understand :D

Thank you sooo much! I found this really useful! I don't play D&D, but at school we play a custom RPG I made myself. These notes REALLY helped run my first RPG game smoothly! Keep up the good work!

I absolutely love the Homework Segments! I love how you allow the audience to get involved, even if its not really something others will see in the videos. I was actually working on my Cheat sheets (because you had mentioned it in the last video,) and have now created NPC names by race done, motivations done, and am about to start work on the NPC Scenes. Keep up the good work, I really, really appreciate all the work you do, and that you're willing to share this kind of stuff. It's helped me a lot, and I know others as well.

This is awesome, exactly what I needed to get me going on my first solo campaign prep (I've used modules and campaign settings for the most part before now) Thanks so much!

Love it. Even after finishing a few campaigns now, i still find i tend to change how i do my notes constantly. Never really the same setup, and i'm sick of it. this helps a ton!

You sir are a gods sent. I’ve been wanting to DM for a while, never had the courage thought I would forget things. This series is giving me the confidence I needed, I’m writing my first campaign now.

I love this series. It is really helpful for making my world fo the first time. For all the help you give Mark, I thank you.

This videos is so incredibly helpful! There should be an entire chapter in the DMG about this stuff!

The epic music and set up at the start made me laugh but get excited at the same. Mark, you're doing a grand job 😊 I really enjoy your content.

Thank you so much for these videos! It has been so hard to find a GM/DM in my social circles that I've decided to become one myself so that my friends can play. Your videos are so helpful! I know that your lessons are going to help me be a better more immersive DM and craft an enjoyable experience for myself and my player.

This is awesome. I have a question for you: how much time do you spend prepping these days vs how much when you started DMing? I’m getting the sense that I’m spending a lot of time doing this, but that I will get better with time.

I cannot begin to describe how helpful this lesson was to me. This was the biggest thing I felt I lacked in my DM:ing, and is a video I will point friends toward that are interested in learning the more practical aspect of running a game. Thank you so much!

Such a helpful video, having notes and how I set it up is something I struggle with. I structure it too much I think and then it's frustrating for me and the players. Will defo start structuring my notes like this so I can be a lot more free with my campaigns and keep the immersion! Also, homework will be done today! (Love this!)

This is great! I DM a game every Sunday, so it's right on time for me!

I have quite a bit of experience DMing and I've been finding these videos helpful for learning new tips. I look forward to more.

Fantastic breakdown. No nonsense. I’m getting my own campaign ready, first time DM, and this has been hugely helpful in organising my mess of creative thoughts. Thanks mate

Thank you, Mark. I finally got an excited and interested group together after the last two and a half years of trying. I will be running LMOP followed by SKT, as this is my first GM experience, although you have hugely inspired me and equipped me with the skills and knowledge to add flexibility to these and give my game a more sandbox feel. I have done a huge amount of research into Neverwinter and the city will be the base of operations for the party, with each of them having roots in the city or around the area. Thank you for everything you do, and I hope you're enjoying Japan.

3 episodes in, 10 pages of notes down and I've gotta say you've really helped me think about things that I probably wouldn't of thought about until it was too late. I'm currently planning world building for my first session as a DM and plan on doing mainly homebrew with some module things reskinned. Really loving these videos.

I'm literally writing notes creating a homebrew world as I watched this. Excellent work, thank you!

Digging the new dm series, nice to see this direction on the channel!

Really got into DnD by watching your Aerois campaign and I've convinced my friends to play with me as the DM. I've watched a lot of the campaign but I've never actually played so this video was really helpful. Wish me luck this week!

This is honestly the most helpful video ever! Currently writing up my own notes on a future campaign, and as a new DM I've struggled a lot to make my notes organized and easy to look up/use. So thanks so much for sharing all your tips, it's very helpful bc I have way too much detail and random info of the world that's probably not gonna be useful..

I love this 101 stuff! Going to start a dnd session soon with some friends, this does help A LOT to be prepared for when I am going to DM! Our plan is to rotate with who is going to dm, we set up small scenario's for about 10 sessions before switching DM Thanks a lot and keep it up!

Thank you SO much, Mark!! I love the idea of the Cheat Sheets, will definitely be incorporating into my DM toolkit!

I love these videos! So great for a beginning DM, or one returning after last DM'ing with 3.5e. Thanks so much! And also, Obsidian is a great piece of software for making notes.

This is a great video!! So much useful information for new DM's like myself. Thanks so much and keep'em coming!😃

This is brilliant Mark. Organising notes was the one thing stopping me from running a game. This advice has given me the courage to start organising a game with my local group.

I’m currently preparing to DM for the first time. I’ve watched tons of videos on it, including GM Tips by Geek and Sundry. That being said, your videos have been, by far, the most detailed and helpful. Just wanted to thank you and cheer you on to keep up the good work!

You joke about being a drama teacher, but I actually take notes on these videos because there are so many reminders of things to think about when creating or running a campaign. Thank you so much for making these, Mark; they're super useful!

I’ve never dmed before building a one shot for a party that’s never played before. Your videos have been so helpful and it’s making the task less daunting

I would love for Mark to bring this series back so much great information here and love his DM style.

Thank you, I’ve been looking for a video or website with this kind of tutorial for months!!

This was insanely helpful. I’ve been working on an organization system for my session notes and this is perfect. Thank you so much.

Thank you for the great video Mark! Very helpful stuff and good things to think about.

One of the best bits about Google Docs is the Search function. Even if you have a MASSIVE digital document, just use the CTRL+F (Search) function and jump to exactly where you need to. Saves SOOO much time compared to flipping to the relevant page.

Oh Hi Mark! Really great episode and *exactly* what I wanted to hear about. So a big thank you!

Love this so much. Mark is such a great guy. Fast becoming my favourite content creator.

This is gold!! I'm looking forward to more of this!!!!!

I hope you get to do more with Shut Up and Sit Down soon. Loved those episodes.

Almost everything helped in this video helped. I ran a campaign before and I unfortunately over planned everything and it turned out to be railroaded. I know I can use this for another campaign that will make me a better DM. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

Dear Mark Sherlock Humes. I've been a massive fan of high rollers since it's beginning. I am also a personal admirer of both your skills as a gm and the worlds you've built. I have been my peer group's sole gm for about 6 years now, and it has been taxing. I have thoroughly missed getting to play and be a part of that side of the game. When I heard you were beginning this series I was so excited. I knew that this would be both enlightening for me, and informative for my players who have (finally) began showing an interest in running. I apologize for the long backstory and rambling praise, but I would like you to know that you have been an inspiration to myself, and I'm sure to many others to come. Thank you for the work you do. Harrison

Im the nominated DM for a group of all beginners and for now, you are my god, you make things so much more understandable and fun ! I love this serie :)

This is a seriously long vid. Im going to enjoy every second

Super easy to understand, digest, apply! But I died at the spelling of loneliness. 😂😂 "lonleniess"

Well I asked for it and here it is. Thank you so much for actually adressing this and showing your method.

Thank you so much man I'm running my first D&D game this week

great advice thanks! I'm a whiteboard guy and love to teach this way. Anyway the most usesful DM advice I've seen in a long time. THANKS

i started using one note for my stuff recently cause im starting to work on a campaign and my god its so organised its great

This was incredibly helpful, thank you!

Thank you very much for this serie! Like many people here, i'm prepating my first campaign ever and I had trouble organizing all of my ideas. I'll be DMing with Dnd 5e, but i never played it as a PC... so i'm also trying to be familiar the rules, which is exciting, but i also have to be twice as prepared!

Great video! I love Trello myself, it's helped me organize my world, geo-political landscape, factions and economy

this is exactly the guide i was looking for!! ty!!

thank you so much for this! i've been looking for a way to organize my DM notes!

I have loved your content from when you first starting popping up, I am glad you get to do what you love and continue to help other people join the amazing community of D&D. I am hopeful that as the community continues to grow that new people decide to join into games and realize how much fun it can be. Thank you for all that you do and continue to do. Catch you in the next video!

I've spent hours and hours of watching you're video a d they've been really helpful with me and my campaign. I was the only one to know of to DM but this made me a better. DM thank you for posting these Videos they have been really helpful every step

Thank for another awesome episode, Mark!

Great sweater. Great videos.

So just to be clear if it weren’t for the campaign you do on twitch and RU-vid I would have never started DMing you inspired me to the max

Great series

Well done lad... subscribed

THANK YOU FOR THIS MARK YOU BEAUTIFOL MAN