Role-playing games. I love role-playing games. And I especially love playing with new players. I often get asked how a beginner can run a game, and if it can be done at all!

The answer is yes. You can Dungeon Master an RPG even if you're a beginner. If you're new to RPGs or to a specific RPG game-system, you can still run a game. For new and experienced DMs, when trying a new game-system, you should focus on keeping things simple.

Actually, as an experienced Game Master, one of my biggest GMing priorities is to keep my games simple. Let me elaborate on that, because there area varying degrees of simplifying your game.

Run a one-shot or a short series

When running an RPG for the first time, plan on running a one-shot or running 3-6 sessions. Don't overcommit yourself to something that will burn you out as a DM. Running a year-long campaign with weekly sessions is more challenging than running a little story arc for only a couple of sessions.

I'm partial to running one-shots. There's a lot you can learn from running a game that's constrained to a single session. To run a one-shot, you have to deliver an exciting story from start to finish in a single session. I think that running one-shots can be better practice at running RPGs than running a long-term campaign.

Committing to a short series of only a few sessions is also a good alternative. This is great because it allows you to practice the most common moments of a game - the beginning, middle, and end. If you try running a campaign, you might never get practice bringing things to a close. More importantly, you'll want to review your games to see how you can improve them. I wouldn't place too much importance in the quality of your first session, but a few sessions is a good place to assess your progress. That's a perfect time to finish the game, assess your strengths and weaknesses, and use that knowledge in your next game.

Keep in mind that if you try running a one-shot for your first time DMing, it might end up spilling over into another session or two. It is challenging, and you won't be able to gauge how long your encounters will take.

Strip the rules to a manageable level

You're a new DM. There's a lot to juggle during a game, so do yourself a favor, and simplify the game itself. Consider cutting rules that add too much complexity for little return.

Remember that this is just a game, and we're just rolling dice, after all. Choose how complicated you want your game to be. Your game can have all the rules and complexities if you want, or it can be as simple as flipping a coin to resolve things. Don't dismiss simple rules as not being fun. Lasers & Feelings has a simple task resolution system, and it's plenty of fun!

Things like tracking how many arrows you have left - many DMs choose to not track arrows. It's one less thing for the players and the DM to track, and you have to ask yourself: "is this really making my game better?"

For me, I don't always know what will be better for my game. As a new DM, you won't know either. When I last ran the D&D Starter Set's 'The Lost Mines of Phandelver' for one of my groups, I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to keep the battle-maps and dungeon-crawl style, or if I wanted to get rid of them in hopes of speeding the game up. Whatever you choose to do, try your best to make it work. I chose to get rid of the battle-maps, and stuck to it. My players now have an unforgettable experience out of that.

If you insist on playing with the rules as-written, then do a reasonable amount of studying to make sure you know them. I personally prefer to commit the least amount possible of my DMing resources.

Focus on what you know and like

If you're planning on running a game, you probably have an idea of what you like about the game. Focus on delivering that at the table.

If you like the idea of badass cinematic combat ala Conan the Barbarian, make sure to keep combat concise. Run combat scenes quick and gruesomely. Make your players feel like heroes plowing through hordes of enemies with ease!

If you like the idea of tactical combat, make sure you have maps for each battle with interesting set-pieces and monsters. Focus on explaining rules only as they come up, and explain exactly which actions/moves your enemies are making as you play them. This shows your players the tactical intricacies of the game, and hopefully will promote an appreciation for it. Don't slow the game down for this, though - no one likes slow, boring combat.

If you like the idea of role-playing, make sure you have plenty of interesting NPCs for the characters to interact with. Get into character when the NPCs act to promote role-playing among the players! Also come-up with interesting rooms or locations that the players can interact with. Sit back and enjoy the show.

If you like the idea of exploring places, make sure you have plenty of cool locations ready for your players to explore. Describe each location in detail as they come across them. Show each location by describing them with different senses to evoke feeling in your players. Send shivers down their spines!

Whatever it is that you like about the game, focus on delivering it. Your players will have a memorable experience as a result.

The pitfalls to avoid

I suggest you start by running a published adventure. Or even better - run a published adventure that you've played in. You will significantly reduce your game prep for a first-time DM, and you'll ensure that the story is conducive. Running published adventures still require prep, even for experienced Game Masters, but when starting out, they can show you how to run certain scenes properly.

As a beginner, you might not be able to put together a story/adventure that works well at the table. I've certainly had my share of failures trying to come up with my own adventures. However, when I run published adventures, the success of my games is much more consistent. Cut one more variable out of the equation - the writing. If you've never ran a game before, prioritise learning how to run the game before you learn how to design a game.

Let go of your worries/doubts

Dispel any doubt that you have about running a game. It takes a lot of effort to run a catastrophic failure. The odds that you run a game so bad that you become hated for it is remote. If you run a game for your friends, that's your first barrier keeping you from running a catastrophic failure. Half-decent friends will love your game no matter what and get into it just as much as you do.

What makes a terrible game doesn't usually involve how you call the rules, or any of the game mechanics. To run a terrible game, you would need to treat your players disrespectfully. Things like being selfish, manipulative, and condescending are what will ruin your game. Don't hoard all the fun - make sure everyone is having fun. Listen to your players, and validate their concerns. If you're ignoring rules when the other players don't want to, they'll get upset. If you listen to them and consider playing with the rules the way they want to, you'll validate their feelings and they'll have more fun than before. I run my games with almost no defined rules, and my players love it. Just start by doing what everyone at the table would think is fun.

Just try it out! You can't become a good Dungeon Master if you never do it! Schedule a session with you friends, and with that time-constraint, work towards delivering a simple session - that's it. They key points for you to remember:

• Only commit to a one-shot or a few sessions. Run a game or two, and learn from it before you commit to something longer.
• Simplify the game. Playing with every single rule of a game-system might be overwhelming. Consider cutting as much as is necessary to keep you from referring to the rulebook during play.
• Focus on delivering what you do best. You can't be a master at running RPGs on the first try, so focus on performing especially well in one area.
• Run a published adventure. Learn to run a game before you learn to write one; learn to walk before you run.
• Stop worrying. Your game can't fail as badly as you think.