Any good DM books with tips and advices how to run a game? And to become a better DM?

Creating adventures, creating a good campaign, how to help a character see the world you are creating (I had read about using visual aids), any book you've read that you believe helped you as a DM. Thank you!

I found these books very helpful. They are more directed to the mechanics of running a game than creating adventures or campaigns:

- Angry GM's book

- Verner's How to GM like a Fucking Boss

Most useful I ever read was "What is Dungeons and Dragons?" from 1983.

Greetings!

1E AD&D's Dungeon Master's Guide, by Gary Gygax.

Get it.
Read it. Slowly. Chew on it, and ponder every section. Let your imagination soak up what Gygax discusses in the pages.

As you take notes, and begin to build your campaign, go back to Gygax's Dungeon Master's Guide, and re-read sections, again. I guarantee you will gain new inspiration and pick up new insights that you missed in your previous reading.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Role Playing Mastery By Gary Gygax.

I have had this book for years and I really like it.

Books that have helped me as a game master:

For adventure design:
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rulebook 1981, Gygax, Arneson, edited by Tom Moldvay.  This 32-page book has a really nice section on how to run a game.  And how to design simple adventure scenarios.  Also there is some instruction on how to solve interpersonal issues with the party, take that particular advice with a grain of salt.  Everything else is great mostly.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess Referee Book, James Raggi IV.  Avalable as a free download on Drivethru rpg. Raggi goes into great detail on how to be a  referee (i.e. Dungeon Master) including how to create monster and NPC stats, design scenarios, where to get inspiration, and how to describe things.  This books is vectored toward a horror oriented game, but still highly useful for fantasy.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide, Gygax 1979.  This book has it all!  Unfortunately it is scattered throughout 239 pages, and the font is tiny. Reading just a little bit of this book everyday will teach you something new.  Be patient though, the 1e DMG is the Finnegan's Wake of RPG books, or as I like to call it...The GEEKONOMICON.

Steal this Plot: A Writer's Guide to Story Structure and Plagiarism, 1985, June Noble, William Noble.
This book helps fiction writers idetify plot types and change them so that they appear to be your own original creation.  This book was recommended in the Mega-Traveller Referee's Book as a source for creating adventures. 


For in-game description reading the works of the following writers have helped me immesurably with describing things, and events in my games:

Robert E. Howard: This guy was the master of fast-paced pulp fiction.  He created heroes like Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, and Solomon Kane.  Other writers have tried to emulate his style and tell the stories of his characters, but they pale in comparison to Howard himself. 

Bernard Cornwell: A British historical fiction writer who's adventure novels cover many time periods. Of particular note to fantasy GM's are his Arthurian Trilogy: The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur. 

Howard Phillips Lovecraft.  Creator of the Cthulhu Mythos.  His work endures to this day.

Poul Anderson: check out The Broken Sword, and Three Hearts and Three Lions. You will see many things in these books that became a part of D&D.  Note how the author uses language to describe them.

Steven Pressfield: Gates of Fire.  A hard-bitten retelling of the battle of Thermopyle from the point of view of a Spartan helot. The writing is gritty and decriptive.  The story will suck you in and transport you back to the Ancient World.

And finally:

Webster's Dictionary! Not the online version.  Go to a flea market or used bookstore and buy a pre-2000 copy of the HUGE book.  There's something about searching through a multi-thousand page tome for the definition to a word that will automatically broaden your vocabulary.  When you look for one word, you will see ither words and learn their meanings as well.  Something that a vectored internet search just can't give you.

Good Luck!

Quote from: S'mon on April 11, 2023, 01:21:11 PM
Most useful I ever read was "What is Dungeons and Dragons?" from 1983.

By John Butterfield?

Quote from: SHARK on April 11, 2023, 01:35:37 PM
Greetings!

1E AD&D's Dungeon Master's Guide, by Gary Gygax.

Get it.
Read it. Slowly. Chew on it, and ponder every section. Let your imagination soak up what Gygax discusses in the pages.

As you take notes, and begin to build your campaign, go back to Gygax's Dungeon Master's Guide, and re-read sections, again. I guarantee you will gain new inspiration and pick up new insights that you missed in your previous reading.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Ok I'll do it. Thank you

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on April 11, 2023, 01:50:46 PM
Books that have helped me as a game master:

For adventure design:
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rulebook 1981, Gygax, Arneson, edited by Tom Moldvay.  This 32-page book has a really nice section on how to run a game.  And how to design simple adventure scenarios.  Also there is some instruction on how to solve interpersonal issues with the party, take that particular advice with a grain of salt.  Everything else is great mostly.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess Referee Book, James Raggi IV.  Avalable as a free download on Drivethru rpg. Raggi goes into great detail on how to be a  referee (i.e. Dungeon Master) including how to create monster and NPC stats, design scenarios, where to get inspiration, and how to describe things.  This books is vectored toward a horror oriented game, but still highly useful for fantasy.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide, Gygax 1979.  This book has it all!  Unfortunately it is scattered throughout 239 pages, and the font is tiny. Reading just a little bit of this book everyday will teach you something new.  Be patient though, the 1e DMG is the Finnegan's Wake of RPG books, or as I like to call it...The GEEKONOMICON.

Steal this Plot: A Writer's Guide to Story Structure and Plagiarism, 1985, June Noble, William Noble.
This book helps fiction writers idetify plot types and change them so that they appear to be your own original creation.  This book was recommended in the Mega-Traveller Referee's Book as a source for creating adventures. 


For in-game description reading the works of the following writers have helped me immesurably with describing things, and events in my games:

Robert E. Howard: This guy was the master of fast-paced pulp fiction.  He created heroes like Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, and Solomon Kane.  Other writers have tried to emulate his style and tell the stories of his characters, but they pale in comparison to Howard himself. 

Bernard Cornwell: A British historical fiction writer who's adventure novels cover many time periods. Of particular note to fantasy GM's are his Arthurian Trilogy: The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur. 

Howard Phillips Lovecraft.  Creator of the Cthulhu Mythos.  His work endures to this day.

Poul Anderson: check out The Broken Sword, and Three Hearts and Three Lions. You will see many things in these books that became a part of D&D.  Note how the author uses language to describe them.

Steven Pressfield: Gates of Fire.  A hard-bitten retelling of the battle of Thermopyle from the point of view of a Spartan helot. The writing is gritty and decriptive.  The story will suck you in and transport you back to the Ancient World.

And finally:

Webster's Dictionary! Not the online version.  Go to a flea market or used bookstore and buy a pre-2000 copy of the HUGE book.  There's something about searching through a multi-thousand page tome for the definition to a word that will automatically broaden your vocabulary.  When you look for one word, you will see ither words and learn their meanings as well.  Something that a vectored internet search just can't give you.

Good Luck!

Very interesting that you mention Webster's Dictionary Thank you for the other recomendations.

Quote from: Cathal on April 11, 2023, 05:33:17 PM

Quote from: S'mon on April 11, 2023, 01:21:11 PM
Most useful I ever read was "What is Dungeons and Dragons?" from 1983.

By John Butterfield?

Butterfield, Parker & Honigman - "Eton Schoolboys who are masters of the game" per the back cover. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=What_Is_Dungeons_%26_Dragons%3F&oldid=1036526972

In addition to the 1e DMG, I'll shill Arbiter of Worlds by Alexander Macris (author of ACKS).

He recently started a YouTube channel. Check out this episode to learn how WOTC gives you syphilis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iRXoGci1pBE

Quote from: atomic on April 11, 2023, 10:45:31 PM
In addition to the 1e DMG, I'll shill Arbiter of Worlds by Alexander Macris (author of ACKS).

He recently started a YouTube channel. Check out this episode to learn how WOTC gives you syphilis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iRXoGci1pBE

I'll second that - Arbiter is good, better than Gygax's Roleplaying Mastery I think, and I definitely agree with AM's take on fudging.

The most significant gamemastering book for me personally has been the Robin´s Law of Good Gamemastering,
by Robin D. Laws

Granted, if you are allergic to the publishing company itself, this may not suit you well. In any case, the book is
really small and very well condensed in to nothing but the core of the craft, which helped me to structure the
adventure design and play process back in the day. Everything else has been building upon that rock in question.

Might suit you, might not, though it is very cheap and you can read it in half an hour tops so it might be worth considering.

Quote from: atomic on April 11, 2023, 10:45:31 PM
In addition to the 1e DMG, I'll shill Arbiter of Worlds by Alexander Macris (author of ACKS).

He recently started a YouTube channel. Check out this episode to learn how WOTC gives you syphilis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iRXoGci1pBE

Quote from: S'mon on April 12, 2023, 04:45:13 AM

Quote from: atomic on April 11, 2023, 10:45:31 PM
In addition to the 1e DMG, I'll shill Arbiter of Worlds by Alexander Macris (author of ACKS).

He recently started a YouTube channel. Check out this episode to learn how WOTC gives you syphilis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iRXoGci1pBE

I'll second that - Arbiter is good, better than Gygax's Roleplaying Mastery I think, and I definitely agree with AM's take on fudging.

Thanks! Subscribed I was reading his post about "Simulationism". I like it, specially as beginner I found it useful to see the difference. The first time I tried to learn D&D everything was heavy on narrative and I dislike it, I almost quit the entire hobby because of that. I was thinking what is the point to use dice? they never "play a game", they never lose and everything is like a collective story. I quickly realize D&D was not about narrative, after studying the D&D story and RPGs for me was very clear, those games are "story games" more than RPG. Maybe I'm wrong? 

Quote from: Angry Goblin on April 12, 2023, 08:27:10 AM
The most significant gamemastering book for me personally has been the Robin´s Law of Good Gamemastering,
by Robin D. Laws

Granted, if you are allergic to the publishing company itself, this may not suit you well. In any case, the book is
really small and very well condensed in to nothing but the core of the craft, which helped me to structure the
adventure design and play process back in the day. Everything else has been building upon that rock in question.

Might suit you, might not, though it is very cheap and you can read it in half an hour tops so it might be worth considering.

Thank you! not only Robin but Steve Jackson too, he made Fighting Fantasy one of the early gamebooks.

How about the books from Gary Gygax? he made two books  "Master of the Game" and "Roleplaying Mastery".

In other forums I see some people recommend DM books The Lazy Dungeon Master, or books from "James D'Amato"? They are any good? On Amazon the books have 5 star.