I did not think that being a DM was going to happen before my birthday. It had too many variables that were out of my control, on top of gathering a lot of information about how to DM a D&D campaign. I started my first D&D campaign as a player last year, but I retreat within myself around most people. That makes it difficult to fully get into the roleplaying aspect, which is part of what I was looking forward to participating in during a campaign. Not being able to fully embrace my character has been exceedingly discouraging and while I am enjoying the storytelling, and being a part of helping the story unfold, I’ve felt like my contribution is negligible. As a player I am still trying to find my footing, so I hoped that maybe learning to DM with the three people I am the most comfortable with would help me loosen up, learn the rules better, and find some confidence, which I can then apply to playing with other people.
I’d purchased introductory D&D books and sets for my husband, Raymond, as gifts. They’ve been sitting on his shelf collecting dust, because we didn’t have a group to play with until last year. So, I’ve been reading through his beginner books, and watching a lot of tutorials from people on YouTube. Some of those videos did a lot to encourage me that it needn’t be perfect right out of the gate, and to stop dragging my heels.
~I ordered this mini fig for my husband one year and he was excited to finally get a chance to be a wizard. (July 11, 2026)~
We attempted our Session 0 a few weeks ago or so, but it didn’t go well. The lack of enthusiasm from my son, the reluctant participant, was discouraging. My limited knowledge was frustrating to my daughter, who is used to working with a more seasoned DM, so I felt woefully inadequate. With the mood so low, my husband’s spark went out and he decided to just back-burner finishing his character building. It was not a particularly encouraging start to things and I was disheartened. My motivation slowed. Then I looked at the calendar. I looked at my list of forty goals, with only a handful remaining, and decided not to throw in the towel just yet.
~Sitting behind my little trifold screen during our more successful Session 0. (July 11, 2026)~
~I was laughing after my silly face I made in the previous photo. (July 19, 2026)~
I watched even more videos about how to get started, how to character build, what rules to make sure you know first and approached our next attempt at Session 0 with renewed excitement. I still had to look things up, and am learning a lot along with my players, but we managed to fill out the rest of the character sheet information. I introduced my three players to the town they’d be beginning in, and we practiced a little roleplaying to establish how they knew each other in-world, and why their characters would want to go on a quest together.
~It was fun to watch them getting into roleplaying their characters. (July 11, 2026)~
If that was all I got to do, I would have counted it because we did start and I did dip my toes. However, Raymond insisted on getting the adventure truly started. Our kids got home from a week of camp yesterday, and we celebrated our son’s birthday together. My birthday is tomorrow. Soooo, we had one shot at getting our first quest done with the kids before my birthday. The kids were burned out from camp and a morning of church services, so they weren’t super thrilled to have to sit down and use their brains. Once we got set up, though, my daughter warmed up to it.
~We’re going on an adventure! (July 19, 2026)~
~Smiles were a good sign that fun was being had! (July 19, 2026)~
There were hiccups, which was to be expected. One of my blunders was actually in my players’ favor because I wasn’t adding a number I needed to in my attack rolls as the monster. Two of them ended up unconscious with 0HP, and the third was hanging on by a thread, at the end of the battle. Raymond looked up information afterward, since the quest was over, and learned that it seems to be agreed that this quest is not balanced properly for level one adventurers. That made me feel better, because I felt like I’d failed them right out of the gate. Knowing it was not entirely my fault was comforting. It will take me some time to get used to the basic mechanics. You’d think I’d know the rules from participating as a player, but there are months between sessions, so my brain doesn’t hold onto them. If I can play with my family more often, then hopefully the repetition will help it all stick better.
~My faithful helper. (July 19, 2026)~
Doing the voices and making the NPCs come to life was my favourite part, and once I get a better feel of how much creative license I have, I think the storytelling will come easier too and be enjoyable. For now, I can say that my party successfully completed their first quest together, and leveled up. I have more homework to do for the next quests, because I don’t know which one they’ll pick, but I am going into it with a smidge more confidence than I did this time. I’m not sure if this will be something I pursue longterm, or not, but so far I like being the DM. It would be really cool to get to the point where I can write my own story. I have a bit to go before then, though, so until then I’ll just keep taking notes, watching videos, and learning all that I can to make each session better.
Goal Accomplished: July 19, 2026
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