From Improv to D&D

I started a Dungeons and Dragons campaign a few months back because it's something that I've always wanted to do and I was tired of waiting for somebody else to invite me to their game. I thought that since I love to write and improvise and make up characters on the spot, being a Dungeon Master would be a great fit for me. But when we started playing, I realized that improv instincts weren't carrying over into the game for some reason. I bought a whole damn book on rules for this game and we're going to follow every one of them, dammit! I paid cold hard cash for these encounters and dungeon maps and item listings, and you are gonna experience every single bit of this stuff even if it bores all of us!

My notes took me  hours to compile and my sessions were rote, boring, and devoid of details. I had no space in my brain to make up fun things because I was so focused on the idea that they were in a room that was 40ft by 50ft and the ceilings were 15 ft high and there's an exit to the south and north etc. etc. Even worse, I felt super stressed out every time Sunday rolled around and it was time for us to forge ahead in our adventure. That sucked, and the worst part is that I knew it was my fault that it sucked.

I stepped back from the game for a little while and I realized that I was focusing on the parts of the game that are the least interesting. What makes D&D fun? Creatively solving problems, silly characters, making up a whole world with the help of a couple of friends. What was I doing? Grids, tables, and very precise, rigid character interaction.

My prime directive is that if a player wants to do something cool, I find a way to say yes to them. If they are about to fail or sit in a place for hours upon hours and accomplish nothing, I let them. No more advice and nudging, just tell them what's happening and let them decide how to interact with it. At the moment most of my players are still boxed in by how I ran the first half of our sessions, but I'm hoping they'll have their Matrix "there is no spoon" moment within the next few meetings. 

My notes are: 

• a basic map of the places they're in and could go to
• stats for anybody they may encounter
• a list of character names and quirks that I could throw out if they talk to someone instead of murdering them
• the long-term goal and short term tactics of the main characters in the campaign

This way I can just say, "These things exist" and shut my big mouth. They make the decision to interact with things or leave them alone and I only chip in when they need me to do something. I'm all of a sudden not the only one making things up and it's so much more fun and collaborative! I can do this exactly like an improv scene, except this improv scene tends to move a lot more slowly and I can plan out all of my very dumb jokes as well as make more on the fly. Improv is a great tool in a lot of situations but it only works if you use it!