Dungeons and Dragons suffers from a unique problem in comparison to many other games. Namely, there is a large number of people that would like to play the game, but have never been able to. Why? Because they can't find a willing dungeon master, and they are too scared to try and dungeon master themselves. But let us assure you, dungeon mastering isn't nearly as hard as it looks.
Anyone can do it, really. All you need is an imagination tempered with the confidence that you can craft a serviceable story. Not every dungeon master needs to live up to the theatrics of Matt Mercer and the Critical Role crew. In fact, part of what makes Dungeons and Dragons so great are the differences between how each dungeon master runs their game, not the similarities. If you've been wanting to play DnD for a while, don't expect a dungeon master to suddenly pop into your life and make gameplay possible. There's no reason to wait when you can become the dungeon master you need.
10 TO DM: You Create A World Of Your Own
While every player at the table is given a good amount of agency with their own character and the story at large, a player's say pales in comparison to that of the dungeon master. The DM chooses the setting, places, and people the players encounter. The DM comes up with quests, dangers, and puzzles for the players to solve. The DM builds the sandbox and decides what toys it will feature.
In comparison, the players only choose how to use the toys. Anyone can remember a time where they read a story or watched a movie and would have preferred if the plot had turned out differently. This is your chance to share the amazing ideas inside your head with the world. Take it!
9 NOT TO DM: Less Work, More Play!
On the other hand, building your own world can be a lot of work. Thankfully, DnD is full of useful tools like the Monster Manual and published adventures that can condense any dungeon master's workload.
Even with these resources, some people can find planning a game every week to be a daunting task. If you're only interested in playing the game, and not at all interested in thinking about it otherwise, the role of player might be better suited for you.
8 TO DM: You Roleplay Tons of Characters
Anyone who has played a single character in a lengthy campaign may have felt the dreaded character fatigue of roleplaying the same person over and over. One of the benefits of being the dungeon master is having an entire cast of characters to play as opposed to just one.
Roleplaying is another part of what makes DnD so enjoyable, so why pigeonhole yourself into roleplaying just one character? Try out dungeon mastering, and you might just find that playing a cast of characters has always been your cup of tea.
7 NOT TO DM: You Roleplay Singular Character Development
DMs may enjoy the benefits of playing many different characters, but they don't get to spend as much time inside any one skin. Players receive the opportunity to leave and breathe in the headspace of their created character, allowing them the ability to truly be someone else for a handful of hours weekly.
The most interesting thing about people is that they're dynamic: they grow and change. In the same way, a character you play over a number of sessions will also grow and change, and that's always something magnificent to behold.
6 TO DM: You Give Back to Players
One of the nobler reasons to pick up DMing is to give back to the DnD community. There are tons of DnD enthusiasts out there who wish they could play the game but don't because they can't find a dungeon master and refuse to do it themselves.
Becoming a dungeon master is a boon to the community as a whole, and there's truly no better way to give back to DnD.
5 NOT TO DM: You Share the Privilege
Dungeon mastering isn't just a responsibility. It's a privilege, and any privilege ought to be shared, especially among friends. If your table is lucky enough to have multiple players that would rather dungeon master, let them!
Share the privilege of dungeon mastering and you will find that each person's skill as a player and a dungeon master will grow. Watching other people dungeon master and play is the best way to learn new tricks and techniques to try out later.
4 TO DM: You Can Be The Bad Guy
Players with a mean streak or who prefer to play evil characters may find that dungeon mastering is where they truly belong. The dungeon master is the ultimate adversary as he or she sets all of the traps, controls all of the enemies, and even narrates what's happening in the world.
There's no better way to present the rest of the players with a challenge than to simply take up the mantle of the dungeon master.
3 NOT TO DM: You Get To Be The Hero
Most player character parties are heroic in nature. Players and dungeon masters who prefer to be on the side of good will probably enjoy experiencing the game as a player character instead of as the dungeon master. That being said, there is such a thing as evil player character campaigns.
By creating a party full of evil player characters, the DM can play heroes as adversaries! However, evil campaigns can be a bit trickier to handle, so it's not necessarily recommended for starter DMs.
2 TO DM: You Tell Your Story
More than just creating a world, the dungeon master sets out to tell a story. Whether it be a story of revenge, political intrigue, love and friendship, or something as simple as treasure hungry adventuring, the dungeon master gets the freedom to set the stage.
Dungeon masters should beware of becoming too attached to any particular story outcome, though. Otherwise, a dungeon master might accidentally begin removing player agency.
1 NOT TO DM: Players Influence A Story
Speaking of player agency, this is one of the main reasons to enjoy the game as a player! Players might not get to set the stage, but they do decide how to interact with the pieces.
As a player, it's your choice whether an NPC becomes a primary or secondary character. It's your choice what areas of the map to explore and have fleshed out versus which ones to leave veiled in rumor and legend. As a player, the dungeon master's world is your oyster! So set out to filling it with the pearls that most interest you.