The Tao of Dungeon Mastering

A young dungeon master once found that his players had little interest in his adventures, and often interrupted him in the midst of speech. Therefore, he traveled to seek the advice of the wise dungeon master at the mountain of Sung. The young dungeon master asked the wise old dungeon master, who had mastered the art of creation, the laws of the game, and the power of communication:

"Why do my players not follow the path that I place in front of them?

The wise dungeon master considered the young one's question, and said to him:

"Go forth, and learn the art of playing. He who does not sit upon the dungeon master's throne will see the answer."

The young dungeon master heeded the wise one's request, and set forth for the city of Daishang, where he joined the game of Shi Gan. He created a character, a second-level Cleric of Wan, who then set forth into the kingdoms of Shiar. The young dungeon master then traveled to many bars, and became frustrated when he had to seek that which he did not know of.

His character sheet, filled with numbers and words arranged in harmony and balance, was little seen as the party fought little and acheived less. The young master became frustrated as his character sought combat but found only endless paths to choose.

As the session progressed, the young dungeon master fell into annoyance, and simply attempted to travel along a path contrary to that of the session's master. The young dungeon master then saw that which the wise one had advised him of. After the session, he thanked the Shi Gan, and returned to the mountain of Sung.

The wise one sat and listened to the young dungeon master's story, and asked of him:

"Did you learn the secret of the dungeon master's art?"

The young dungeon master nodded, and said:

"The dungeon master who expects his players to follow a path without guidance will suffer from his folly."

The wise one nodded, and said:

"You have learned much, young one, but there is still much you must learn. Go and seek the dungeon master at the court of Fan, and return when you have played with him."

So the young dungeon master set off for the court of Fan, where he created a fifteenth-level Wizard with a golden staff. He entered into the game of Wang Hai, and at first it went well, as the dungeon master of Fan guided them to the castle of Nainang. There they sought wealth and power, but the young dungeon master was so enamoured with the power of his character that he had little interest in roleplaying.

He far preferred using his powerful character to defeat enemies, as he had little interest in his character's life but more in its power. After the session, he thanked Wang Hai and returned to the mountain of Sung.

The wise one sat and listened to the young dungeon master's story, and asked of him:

"Did you learn a secret of the dungeon master's art?"

The young dungeon master nodded, and said:

"The dungeon master who gives his characters power without responsibility or experience will have many problems."

The wise one nodded, and said:

"You have learned much, young one, but there is still much you must learn. Go and seek the dungeon master at the city of Shanai, and return when you have played with him."

So the young dungeon master set of for the city of Shanai, where he joined the game of the dungeon master Fan Shei. He created a third-level Rogue, and at first gained much enjoyment until the party experienced bad luck. The character were severely wouneded, and his character was then killed by a monster far too difficult for the party to handle in its current state. After the session, he thanked Fan Shei and returned to the mountain of Sung.

The wise one sat and listened to the young dungeon master's story, and asked of him:

"Did you learn a secret of the dungeon master's art?"

The young dungeon master nodded, and said:

"The dungeon master who does not bend in the breeze breaks in the gale."

The wise one nodded, and said:

"You have learned much, young one, but there is still much you must learn. Go and seek the dungeon master at the palace of Ting, and return when you have played with her."

The young dungeon mastered trekked across the western desert to the palace of Ting, where he joined the game of the dungeon master Shai Han. He created a first-level Paladin of the Golden Sun, and set off into the jungles of Kish. There his character experienced many fights, and learnt the limits of his character. But he felt bored by the endless streams of orcs and wished for more excitement.

He resorted to ridiculous tactics and insane stunts to attempt to inject excitement into the game, but brought only time spent looking up rules and time spent arguing over rules. After the session, he thanked Shai Han and returned to the mountain of Sung.

The wise one sat and listened to the young dungeon master's story, and asked of him:

"Did you learn a secret of the dungeon master's art?"

The young dungeon master nodded, and said:

"The dungeon master who creates adventures without change and coolness will bore his players."

The wise one nodded, and said:

"You have learned much, young one, but there is still much you must learn. Yet there is little I can teach you. Return to your players, and show them what you have learnt. You will learn slowly, but one day you may master the art."

The young dungeon master returned to his players, and brought what he had learnt. He created an adventure that guided his players, showed them responsibility, and brought excitement to their characters. When the characters experienced bad luck, he gave them good fortune. They wondered at his new skills, and were fascinated by the adventure and the plot. Yet, they still occasionally argued, fought, or made crazy stunts, but the dungeon master had truly learnt the way and needed only to follow it further.