4 DM Tips That Are Proven to Improve Immersion
āThe sweeping hills of Faerun unfold before you as your epic adventure begins. Your companions beside you and a sword at your back, you walk.ā Weāve all heard these words before. Theyāre the flowery language that Dungeon masters try to employ when they want to immerse their players in the game. As every player knows, these kinds of descriptions donāt always do the trick. While you canāt force your players to be perfectly immersed, there are some tactics that can help.
Music is used in almost every piece of media it can be to immerse viewers into the story. Having some kind of background music can change the tone of a scene drastically. Although, just playing any kind of background music isnāt going to work.
Doing a bit of deep diving into the themes that you want to explore in your campaign is integral to this step. For example, if youāre doing a typical DnD adventure, you will definitely want a āTravelā or āHappyā playlist. On the other hand, if youāre doing a dark, spooky campaign, you may want to have a āSuspenseā or āEerieā playlist on hand.
Here are a few ideas for playlist vibes to help you get started!
Discovering the tone of the locations in your world is a whole other blog post entirely, but once you have them in mind, you can start making your playlists. Having playlists for a location can help give players an idea of what that area might be like and they will act accordingly. These places can be as broad as āForested Areaā or as specific as āThe Mischief Innā.Ā
When deciding, try to think about how you want your players to behave in these areas. How cautious do you want them to be with their actions? How do you want them to act around NPCs? How should they treat problems that they face? Combine these answers, and then find music that evokes the right mood to prompt those behaviors.Ā
1c. Playlists for Characters/NPCs
Presentation is always key when it comes to introducing a character. Havinig certain songs that go along with NPCs greatly improves presentation! Assigning one song or in particular to a character can once again set the tone, but also make for some fun moments.Ā
Picture this: your players have had a long fight through a dungeon, theyāre on the way to rescue a beloved NPC, but havenāt found them yet, then suddenly there are those familiar beginning notes to the NPCās song! The table erupts in excitement and your playerās gusto is once again restored. These fun moments can be absolutely pivotal for campaigns when your players are beginning to feel a bit worn down.Ā
2. Address the Characters, Not the People
(Peep the Dropout reference)
Players getting to feel like they are their character in the world fighting monsters is the fun of DnD. So, you should address your players as such. If you want them to feel like they are their characters, you should also view them as their characters. Instead of āWhat does Alvera do?ā ask āAlvera, what do you do?āĀ
You can also remind players to have discussions in character. If players are talking about their plans for a heist, but theyāre doing it all out of character, encourage them to have that talk in character instead! Putting your players into the position of their character making decisions on the fly is the perfect immersive tool.
Describing complicated maneuvers and convoluted plans is the heart of DnD. The plan is often far more important than the roll itself, and that is why I always ask my players to describe their action before they roll. This tip is something that I include in my set of ārulesā that Iāve created over my years of being a DM.Ā
This may look something like a player usually saying āCan I roll perception?ā While this is okay, it doesnāt give much context as to what theyāre trying to do or learn from this roll. A better sentence would be āWhile Iām walking into the tavern, I want to look around and see if I spot anyone who matches the description of the person weāre looking for.ā That way, I as the DM know 1) What the player is looking for, and 2) How to give them an answer that will set them properly in the scene.Ā
4. Let Your Players Do Cool Things
āThe Rule of Coolā is the idea that a DM will abide by this rule and allow players to do certain things, even if it doesnāt completely follow the game rules. I do this quite often in my games since I tend to be a roleplay heavy DM and donāt often care as much for sticking to the rules.Ā
Although, you donāt have to throw away the rules to let your players do cool things. Doing things like providing inspiration in a dire moment, having an NPC help a player on a roll, or even helping your players make new mechanics for their characters can make the game so much more fun. Creating a game where your players feel comfortable to ask you to do the ācoolā things is the most important part.
Faerun doesnāt always materialize in your players minds how you think it will when using flowery language. It takes time, effort, and communication on both ends to work. Thankfully, just a few adjustments can go a long way to bringing your players into the world. Stay tuned for next time when I share the house rules I use in DnD and why they work!
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