How to Be a Better DM

Weekly Tips and Tricks on Thursdays

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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 5, 2025

Why Your Sessions Fall Flat—and the DM Energy Fix That Changes Everything

TL;DR:If your sessions start strong but crash halfway through, it’s not your story, your prep, or even your players—it’s your energy management.

May 29, 2025

Writing a Homebrew One-Shot: Part 6

Welcome back to the 6th installment of our short series on writing a Homebrew one-shot. In this episode, we're joined by our

May 22, 2025

No More Boring NPCS – Design a Better NPC with London Carlisle

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

May 15, 2025

The 4 Core Skills of Dungeon Mastery (Plus the Secret 5th One)

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

May 8, 2025

Should You Handhold New Players Into Loving D&D?

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

May 1, 2025

Build Cities That Breathe: Mastering “Show, Don’t Tell” in Worldbuilding

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

April 24, 2025

Why Doesn’t Your D&D Combat Feel Fun? Plus How To Fix It!

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

April 17, 2025

The Hidden Costs of Using AI in Your D&D Prep – Is it Helping You or Holding You Back

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

April 10, 2025

How to make Lifelike NPCs with DMs Shea and Kyle from Dungeon Master Talk

Here are today's sponsors:Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcastRoll and Play Press - Easier D&D:

April 3, 2025

Why Your Villain Falls Flat (And How to Fix It with Show, Don’t Tell) | Part 1 of the Show Don’t Tell Mini Series

Most villains fail not because they're weak—but because your players aren’t emotionally invested. In this episode, we kick off a powerful new

March 28, 2025

Diving Deep into Theme, Fate, and Storytelling with Jay Foster from Swole Initiative

What does it really mean to be a strong Dungeon Master? Is it about rules mastery, epic voices, or maybe... sonic attacks

March 20, 2025

GMing 101: Top DM Tips from Dragon Steel Nexus

In this special episode of How to Be a Better DM, Justin Lewis shares key takeaways from the GMing 101 panel at