Dungeon Mastery as Generative Learning

In their seminal book on learning, “Make It Stick“, the authors outline the importance of failure in facilitating the process of generative learning. That is to say that, as we screw up in an endeavor, we learn from our mistakes. Difficulties are to be embraced because true mastery is on the path which embraces such challenges.

As a Dungeon Master it’s fair to say that I suck. I’ve written about this before and am prone to forgetting that, far from being a “bad thing”, sucking at my Dungeon Mastery is the only effective path to actual mastery of that skill set. In other words, I’ve been nicely reminded that “getting back in the saddle” is the best way to improve after a fall.

This week I have done just that: I am preparing to run a much-loved classic Dungeons & Dragons module from 1980 with the latest edition of those most-popular rules. To get ready, I’m trying out one new tool and working to learn more about the rules of choice.

Trying Realm Works

I backed Realm Works, the GM tool from Lone Wolf Development, back in 2013. It’s been a long-time coming for a final release, and I’ve fiddled with it in the past, but finally the time to try it properly has arrived.

The blurb reads well:

Brought to you by the creators of Hero Lab®, Realm Works is the tool every Game Master has dreamed about for managing campaigns.

To be honest, I’m not sure that I ever dreamed of THIS tool… because, to my mind, this tool goes way beyond what I ever realised I might want. A few weeks ago, having begun to use MyInfo to organise my notes, I would not have believed that Realm Works was something I actually needed. Yet, using this software has begun to reveal its potential… albeit with a steep learning curve towards mastery.

Here’s a snap-shot from my current adventure prep:

I’ve been taking the text from the module I want to run and importing it into Realm Works. The process of cutting and pasting text has forced me to engage with the adventure in a new way. I started with the map of the village of Orlane, shown above, and worked methodically across it to add the notes I need to run the module.

Along the way, I’ve stopped to re-work encounters and obstacles so that they fit 5th Edition. I’ve also been curating the information to fit my own setting – rather than the default assumptions of Greyhawk for which the module was originally written. As you can see, there’s a lot of information to manage… and the beauty of Realm Works is that the software is doing all of the heavy lifting.

Links are generated automatically, allowing disparate elements of information – be they characters, places, items, or other concepts – to connect in a way that makes moving from one section of notes to another a simple click.

Learning The System

An unexpected side-effect of beginning to use Realm Works has been how it allows me to re-learn and deepen my understanding of Dungeons & Dragons. A simple example will probably help here.

One of the non-player characters in the adventure is an evil Cult Fanatic. Wanting to have their stats to hand, I inputted the stats from the Monster Manual into my notes:

You can see from the screenshot that there is a whole section entitled “Mechanics Reference” which you can populate with whatever you need. Having inputted the Cult Fanatic stats, making them instantly connect to the encounter wherein they turn up, I also decided to input the details of the spells that NPC uses. One of them was Thaumaturgy, a simple cantrip that until now I tended to ignore.

Having inputted the Thaumaturgy spell details into Realm Works, I found my mind beginning to imagine and rehearse ways to utilise that knowledge in the forthcoming sessions. That act of imagination reinforces my memory of the spell – incidentally helping to fix in my long-term memory how it works – and encourages me to use it in my next session. While, on the surface, inputting the data seems like a ball-ache it’s actually quite the opposite.

Slightly difficult learning with Realm Works combined with refreshing my knowledge of the Dungeons & Dragons rules has been surprisingly energising. All in all, I now have a pretty good idea on how I’ll use the Cult Fanatic in my game, have learned which spells and actions they can use, and boosted my confidence as a Dungeon Master.

Generative Learning

As it turns out, utilising the new software tool while I prep a module in a new game of Dungeons & Dragons is a pretty good example of how generative learning works. Fumbling my way through how to use the software has been interspersed with referencing the D&D rules and interpreting them to fit the module I’m converting.

Taken together, these elements have hugely boosted my ability to recall key facts about the software, the game rules, and the module; additionally, I’ve begun to internalise how those elements interact in the unique situation I’m preparing to run as a game.

That’s the strength of generative learning – it generates new links between existing knowledge and helps me to build new understanding (including high-level concepts) that I’ll be needing when I am sitting in front of the players.

What’s my point? Simple: dive in, aspirant Dungeon Master. Yes, you will screw up and piss people off along the way. Yet, by fumbling your way through preparing and running games, you’ll also develop the skills you desire. When you try new tools, some will fail… but all the while you’ll be learning. Deepening your understanding of how you will Dungeon Master.

My path has taken many years and dozens of screw-ups. Fear not. Fumble forward.

Game on!