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If you’re a Dungeon Master or would like to try your hand at being the Dungeon Master, the D&D Adventurers League is a great way to run D&D games without having to spend a lot of time creating your own campaign world or adventures.
As a Dungeon Master, you have the opportunity to weave a fantastic shared story for your players, as well as take the spotlight as the monsters and villains presented in D&D Adventurers League adventure content. You are also responsible for adjudicating the rules, and providing your players with their characters’ advancement and rewards at the end of each session.
A Note for New Dungeon Masters:
The Lost Mine of Phandelver is recommended for new D&D players and Dungeon Masters. It’s a great way to introduce folks to D&D, and you can find it in the D&D Starter Set. Playing through the whole adventure can take characters up to 5th level. You can play this at home or as part of an in-store play event. It takes several play sessions to complete the adventure. Tracking your play for this adventure on a D&D Adventurers League logsheet makes it official—you get to keep all your rewards no matter where you go next!
Private Games
If you plan on running a game in private, all you need to do is purchase the adventure you want to run, prepare the adventure, find some players, and have a good time. Possible adventures include the Lost Mine of Phandelver from the D&D Starter Set; any of our hardcover adventure releases, such as Curse of Strahd or Storm King’s Thunder; or any of the adventures designated as D&D Adventurers League content on the Dungeon Masters Guild online.
Public Games
If you plan on running a game at a store or public event, contact the organizer using our Store and Event Locator to help find one near you, or see the information below regarding organizing an event.
Ask the organizer if you’re responsible for purchasing the adventure online, or if they’re planning on doing so for you. Once purchased from the Dungeon Masters Guild, you can download the adventure, and even print it out if you like.
Prepare your adventure. Make sure you read through the adventure and make notes where appropriate. D&D Adventurers League adventures are easy to prepare and run.
Run a fun game! As the Dungeon Master, you help guide the players through the adventure, and facilitate the story coming alive. Make sure you follow the golden rule: Make decisions and adjudications during the game that enhance the fun when possible.
What You Need to DM
If you’re new to the role of Dungeon Master, you only need a few things to get started.
- A Player’s Handbook or the D&D Basic Rules.
- An official D&D Adventurers League adventure.
- A set of dice, pens/pencils, and paper.
- 3-7 players.
Supporting Resources and Documents
- D&D Adventurers League Logsheet
- D&D Adventurers League Player's Guide v13.0
- D&D Adventurers League Dungeon Masters's Guide v13.0