How to Be a Better DM

Weekly Tips and Tricks on Thursdays

Listen as we talk about how to craft amazing stories for yourselves and your players. Join hosts Justin Lewis, Tanner Weyland, and Cayden Ottley every Thursday morning.

All Episodes

June 11, 2026

Roll for Chaos: A Live, Unscripted D&D Adventure (Live from FanX 2025)

What happens when you hand a live audience the keys to a D&D session and tell them to cause as much chaos

June 4, 2026

About One-Shots #1: 4 Methods for Simple Character Creation

In this short run of episodes, Tanner discusses various aspects about one-shots and how to plan them—and today, the topic is one-shot

June 2, 2026

Dr. Ben Teaches Us About Authority – C.C. S2E1

In our first-ever interview episode, we sit down with Dr. Ben, whose work and studies span storytelling, game design, philosophy, and many

May 28, 2026

Burned Out Behind the Screen: How to Reignite Your Spark as a DM (Live from FanX 2025)

Every Dungeon Master hits a wall eventually. The prep feels like a chore. The session you used to look forward to is

May 27, 2026

Creative Contraband is back! – Season 2 Trailer

Now with guests you might know from Youtube, we bring you more and better thoughts regarding Dungeon Mastering and other aspects of

May 21, 2026

The Confidence Panel: How to Believe in Yourself Behind the Screen

Every Dungeon Master has sat down at the table and thought, "Am I actually good enough to do this?" Whether you're brand

May 14, 2026

Help! My Players Are Chaos Gremlins! | FanX 2025 Panel

Episode DescriptionLive from FanX Salt Lake 2025, this is one of six panels we recorded at the convention — and it might

May 7, 2026

Scheduling Your D&D Session Doesn’t Have to Be a Nightmare

The back and forth. The planned and cancelled sessions. The frustration when you finally schedule a time to meet and one player

April 30, 2026

The 5 Senses of DMing (Part 2): Sight and Sound

In Part 2 of this series, we finish breaking down the Performance Pillar of Dungeon Mastering—this time focusing on the two senses

April 23, 2026

Causing Chaos: 4 Tips to Add Chaos, Surprise, and Excitement to Your D&D Game

Are your players falling into a bit of a complacent rut? Are they playing the game almost on autopilot because it's playing

April 16, 2026

From Opera to Encounters: Turning Big Ideas into Playable Reality (ft. Esteban Senzig)

In this episode of How to Be a Better DM, we sit down with special guest Esteban Senzig to explore creativity, collaboration,

April 9, 2026

The Prop Pipeline: Journey Before Destination

Are you a perfectionist when it comes to D&D props, and you spend all your time wishing that your DM table looked