Running a D&D game isn't easy. Sometimes you have to pull things out of nowhere, sometimes you have to DM for a tough crowd, and some days you may just not have the mental power to keep things going. You're human, not God. There's no way to mentally keep track of a completely detailed and realistic world that always makes sense while at the same time keeping in mind every creature's motivation and goals. DMing is a daunting task. Think of how few DMs you've met. How many of those few were even worth gaming with?
I've been DMing for six years now. I would say, however, that I've only been a "good" DM for three of those years. There's a certain amount of dedication and concentration necessary for becoming an excellent DM. Over the years I've tried many different methods of DMing and used several different resources aimed at making DMing easier. Not all of the resources are handy though, and some require you to pay money for what, frankly, can be easily done by even the most computer-illiterate person.
There are things you need to do to set up the campaign as a whole (find group, agree on campaign setting, give players campaign setting info they'll need and obtain PC numbers) things you'll need to do before each session (write and/or learn adventure, write session notes, mapping, player hand outs and a trial run) and things you'll always need to work on (mastering effective description, group-handling skills, improving the flow of the game, writing up NPCs, (re) learning the rules, and improving the atmosphere of your sessions.) There is no set order to achieving these things since everyone is in a different place with regards to their own gaming groups (or lack thereof.)
The first thing any DM absolutely MUST do before starting a game is to know what he/she wants from running the game. If you will not get any enjoyment or satisfaction out of running a D&D game, spare the world and stick to being a player. I've seen many DMs over the years run games just because no one else would. These DMs would not take the game seriously enough to run it coherently, often running off on tangents or just indiscriminately throwing whatever he feels like into the game. A DM who does not like to run the game is pointed in the direction of failure and prone to frustration. DMs can run into all sorts of aggravating things. Uncaring players, new/leaving PCs, complicated plots, complex battles, cheating players, and argumentative people are just some of the things that can steal a DMs joy.
Take heart though. DMing isn't all that bad if you know what you want and stick to making it happen. A DM whose players praise him for a fun time, talk about the game on non-game days, or thank him consistently for running a cool session for them carries a feeling that cannot be duplicated by anything other than pride in a well crafted piece of art.
Decide if you want to run a standard game set in Greyhawk, Eberron, one of the other pre-made settings, or a homebrew world of your own design. Take the time to browse through the pre-made campaign settings at a local shop or at your library to determine if one of these worlds would work for you. If you can find a pre-made setting that fits what you want to run, obtain that book by all means! Nothing will save you more time than having a setting all ready to go. Many DMs lust after creating that perfect setting that is just how they want it without realizing how much work and thought must go in to making a coherent and fun setting. A pre-made campaign book can be a DMs lifesaver amidst a sea of troubles. Even if you plan to make your own setting, you owe it to yourself and your players to still read the other pre-made settings. Once you do, you can avoid accidentally copying them, get ideas or inspiration that you wouldn't have received otherwise, or tailor your world to have a more professional feel to it. I won't rate separate campaign books here because every DM should know exactly what kind of game setting they want to run.
Picking a world to play in isn't enough though. A session of D&D, like a movie or a book, can have any number of different emotions, plots, characters or surprises. You'll run a better game if you run the kind of game that you like. Determine what kind of feel you want your games to have overall. Take time to examine how you see things shaping out in your games. Try to mentally put yourself in a cameraman's view of the kind of game you want to be typical at your table. What does it look like? How does the situation you imagine make you feel? Do you like what you picture? Simply taking the time to picture what kind of game you envision running and grasping the details that lend it its unique feel can make a world of difference to you and your players. Take a half page of notes on what things you 'see' in your camera view and explain why they make you feel or think the things you do. Try to be as detailed as possible without being redundant. Once you're done, this page of notes will serve as your rule of thumb whenever you design an adventure, plot or NPC for your game. Refer to the notes on your sheet to remind yourself of exactly what kinds of feelings and sights you want to evoke in your player's minds.
By now you should have a good picture of how you want your games to run and what setting you'll be using. The next thing for you to do is to find the right players. I know from personal experience how hard it can be to find ANY players, let alone good players. You might think that running a game while not having the best players for the kind of experience you want is good practice or at least better than not playing at all. It's true that you can get practice out of running a game for people who don't exactly fit into your "perfect" game. The only experience that will be worth retaining, however, will be nothing you could not have achieved on your own. In the end you might be better at adding numbers, executing tactical moves on a grid, or memorizing spell effects, but you will have done nothing to get yourself closer to a game that you will enjoy. You can just as easily learn to master these things while preparing for your ideal game instead of mastering them while trying to muck your way through a lousily-formed group. If you can't get the kind of players you want right now concentrate on generating material for your games still to come, reading new books, or taking a closer look at what game materials you plan to utilize.
Let's move on to finding the right players. While it can be hard to find players, you'd be surprised at the variety of people who play D&D. I've known many people over the years and have found players working in laboratories, kitchens, classrooms (students and teachers), offices, home improvement stores, drugstores, and even government jobs. Although there are internet sites and boards to find players, you'll often have better luck putting up flyers describing what game you want to run at your local game stores, bookstores and possibly even your workplace. If you are uncomfortable giving out your home number or e-mail for arranging a time to meet these people, set up a time at a local coffee shop or fast-food restaurant to meet. Public places are the safest.
Once you've found potential players, tell them about what kind of game you want to run. Don't be shy about giving out the specific emotions or feelings you want the game to generate. Emphasize how you envision your game sessions going and let them know up front what expectations, if any, you have of your players. If you won't be able to tolerate people being late, let them know now, rather than after 3 sessions of showing up late. Also try to make sure they are going to be willing to commit to playing at certain days or times. In most D&D groups, if you as the DM don't schedule a game session, it won't happen. A game that meets regularly has a better chance of thriving than a campaign that just plays "whenever".
If the people you've gathered are still interested, schedule a preliminary game. You still need to determine the commitment and maturity levels of the people involved before you start bringing your "A game" to the table. Let them know you'll be playing a preliminary game for one session so that they don't feel betrayed when they get to your game. It's a good idea to create an adventuring party and a 2-3 hour adventure for your preliminary game. Make sure the party you create fills all of the basic roles a group needs. This way your players will notice what skills, feats and spells are useful in your game. While many players may balk at playing a character someone else created, let them know you're doing this so that they can get a feel for how you run your games and what sorts of things you include, so that they can have the advantage of making a character that will work with your DMing style. Not only does it bestow insight into how you run a game for your players, you also get a chance at seeing how your players will perform during a game. This will make it easier for you to create plots, traps and encounters that stand a better chance of being played out rather than avoided.
Normally I try to shy away from telling other DMs how to design their adventures. Every DM will have a different group with different likes and dislikes. Your introductory adventure, however, should be slightly different than what you would normally prepare if you have been creating your own adventures. What you'll want to do is design a series of encounters that use each of the skills and make use of all of the class abilities covered in the party you create. If you find yourself straining over how to include a particular skill, like appraise or use rope, you may want to consider leaving those out. The chances are that if you cannot think of how to incorporate a skill into a basic introductory adventure then you are less likely to include situations that would call for the skill in your normal adventures. Also, you will want to take the opportunity to tailor the adventure to bring out those emotions and feelings you are looking to generate in the group. As you write the descriptions and design the encounters, try to keep visualizing exactly what you're creating and be sure it contributes towards what you're aiming for.
If you plan on running published adventures, you may want to consider downloading a few of the free small adventures available on the D&D web site rather than designing something yourself. I've noticed a distinctive difference between the adventures individual DMs create and published adventures when it comes to skill use opportunities, plots, and what sorts of encounters are provided.
Once you've run your group through the introductory adventure it's time to get as much feedback from them as you can. Unless you've died and gone to heaven your game will not have been perfect. Even if everyone involved wants to create the same kind of atmosphere in game, sometimes things still don't come out quite right. Make sure you take notes on all the feedback you get, taking everything they say into account and clarifying anything you aren't sure you got right. Here are some good questions to ask:
"What did you like about the session?"
"What didn't you like?"
"What emotions did the session bring out to you, if any?"
"Were you satisfied with the amount of challenge presented? If not, how would you change it?"
"Were the descriptions clear and concise?"
"Did I overlook anything while I ran the game?"
"Did the game move fast enough for you or too fast?"
"Did you enjoy playing through the adventure? Why or why not?"
"Did I pay enough attention to your questions and comments?"
Be sure to be considerate and understand that some may feel reluctant to answer you honestly. Those who do share feedback, particularly with regard to emotion, are bearing a little bit of what's going on inside them. How you feel is a personal thing and can be embarrassing to share, especially in a group situation full of newly acquainted people.
Once you've taken down all the comments given to you ask the group if they still want to keep playing in a game run by you. Remind them that they would be able to make their own character and things would start over with the intent of creating a campaign that's more tailored towards the exact things they want, provided that they mesh with what you have in mind.
If people aren't interested, be sure to thank them for coming and for their feedback. Even if they won't be playing in your game, they know about it and are likely to know other D&D players that might be interested in the kind of game you run. You also don't want to dismiss them in an offensive way to avoid developing a local reputation for being a hard-hearted DM (even if you ARE a hard-hearted DM.)
If people still want to be in your game make sure they are people you want in your game. Be honest but considerate with these people about how you feel about them as players. More often than not, if they are willing to join your game they are also willing to take your feedback with regard to them as players.
If someone you're not sure about still wants to be in your game, talk it over with him or her and try to determine why you got the bad impression and see if you were wrong. Sometimes a misunderstanding can prevent compatible gamers from getting a group going. If someone wants to be in your game that you don't want at all, be kind but let him or her know that you don't think they will work well with the group dynamic. If they don't understand or seem upset (and can listen to you) let them know that it's not personal. Explain to them what traits aren't compatible and that it isn't fair for either of you to put so much work into making something fun and not get what you both want. If they are still upset be kind but make sure you do not include this person in your group. Someone who cannot handle a simple rejection from a gaming group is likely to cause problems if a character should get a stat drained or die. Someone with self-esteem or maturity this low needs to work things out in themselves before they can focus on gaming as a group. A person like that will be more likely to be gaming for them rather than contribute and work with the group as a whole.
If you've got enough people to commit to your game, now is the time to trade phone numbers and/or emails so that you can send them the materials and information needed for character creation. E-mail can work better for setting up characters and games since you don't need to organize a time for everyone to meet or talk with each person individually about the same stuff over and over. Make sure that before everyone leaves you have agreed on a way to keep in contact about setting up the game, as well as set up a time for your first session. Setting it up now can help get things rolling, though now that you have contact with your players dates can be more easily moved if needed.
If you've done everything described so far, CONGRATULATIONS! You've just finished doing everything you need to do for getting a group going! Good job!
Now it's time to start preparing for a full-fledged D&D session. As your campaign will be more than a basic open the door and kill the monster video game, you've got your work cut out for you. You need to organize your notes, package and deliver the campaign information to the players (before they make their characters,) notate the PC's stats and modifiers, write and/or learn the first adventure or two, roll your pre-rolls, design your maps, write up player hand-outs, and do a test run-through of what you've got planned for your session. But before any of that, make sure you don't panic. Yes, it sounds like a lot to do. DMing for a group does carry a lot of tasks with it, but keep in mind that many of the tasks are small and easy to do. The only real trick is to not let the number of jobs to overwhelm you.
Take all those notes from your trial game and organize them, if necessary. Look over these notes and make sure you understand the feedback and notations you wrote down. Make sure you comprehend exactly how these things will affect your game. If you neglect to utilize this information, the quality of your sessions will suffer! These notes are now just as important as the notes you made for yourself when you pictured what kind of game you wanted to run. Put these notes with your previous notes and put them in a safe place, preferably a binder you can use for your games.
Before you get cranking on getting your things ready for the first real gaming session, you have to give the players the information they will need for the campaign. Take the setting you intend to use and take out the pertinent setting information that all the players should know. Don't throw too much at them all at once. Try to break things down so that they can get a general impression of things. Also be sure to include all the house rules, dice conventions, and character generation guidelines so that there are no rude surprises when you next meet at the table. You may also want to consider figuring out what you'll be doing for snacks or meals if necessary.
It will most likely be a few days before you get everyone's character information. During this time, it might be a good idea to start brainstorming for your first adventure. Don't get too bogged down into details just yet. You'll want to know what kind of PCs your players have made before you set things in stone. Just try to get a feel for what things you'll want to include in the first session. If someone takes more than 1/3 of the time until your next session, you will want to start asking him or her to finish soon if they can. Be respectful, but remind them that the sooner they get their information to you, the more time you have to make a game that's just right for the group.
Once you have their character information, you'll want to make sure you save of copy of this information so you don't lose it. You'll want to refer to their characters' skills and abilities when designing encounters in order to make sure you don't unintentionally make things too tough or too easy. You'll also want to fill out the PC reference sheet included here for use during the game.
Now that you've got all the information on your PCs, it's time to put together and/or learn the first adventure. While making/learning the adventure you're going to run, keep in mind exactly how you want the situations to be presented, not how you want them to turn out. Let the players and the dice determine the outcome. Instead, concentrate on verbally communicating the rooms and encounters so that they deliver the effect you want. Take out those notes from your own brainstorming and from the group's first meeting. Make sure you go over those old notes to keep what you and your players want in mind. If an action/adventure feel is wanted, make sure you brush up on the verbs and adjectives that will make the players feel the action! Don't have “a skeleton swing a sword,” have “a dwarf-shaped skeleton violently swing a polished steel scimitar at a player's exposed arm.” Combat is best approached as if the fight is like a detailed movie. Don't type out a script beforehand. Rather, try to keep in mind what everyone is going for so that you don’t wind up glossing details over that would otherwise help establish mood and atmosphere. Make sure while you create/learn that you take notes on things that you know you might forget later, like if an object is covered in sovereign glue for example.
After you've created and/or learned the adventure you're going to run, take a few of the battle sheets found here. Fill out the relevant PC information and fill out the sections for the opponents for each separate encounter. Roll initiative for the PCs and opponents now, filling out the initiative column as you get results. Make sure you also use the battle sheet to remind yourself of any unusual additions to the encounter, such as uneven flooring, a tactical plan for the opposition, or spell effect durations you know will come in to play. The goal here is to get as much of the nitty-gritty done up front, so that it doesn't slow down the pace of the game as you play. If paper is a concern, use a pencil to fill out the sheets and erase them in between sessions.
The next item to take care of is making or copying the maps you intend to reference during your session. If you will be using a pre-made adventure, make copies of the maps included. Even if the hard-copy that came with the adventure comes out and can be referenced without the rest of the adventure material, you'll still want a copy so that you can make notes, check off rooms PCs have visited, or make modifications from the aftermath of any encounters. If you are making you own adventure, you'll still want to have a map for you to reference. Use graph paper to make a quick sketch of the area you'll have the PCs explore. Don't waste time filling in detail unless you've got time to spare or are just plain bored. This map is for your reference only, so it doesn't have to be any neater or prettier than you need it to be. Make sure you key the map or otherwise mark it so that you can quickly reference the map with any of the adventure material you've generated.
Player handouts can do a wonderful job of drawing players into your game, especially if they arrive to the game in a non-gaming mood. Try to come up with some recent personal history for each PC, either reminding them of past events or giving them a few personal plot hooks or goals. If done right, doing this for all of your players encourages interaction and teamwork and can achieve great results. Don't overstep your bounds and create history that a player won't appreciate. Take care to avoid forcing the PC to take actions for the history you generate. It's easy to see how showing up to a new game to find that the DM has made the "Big Bad Evil Guy" your PC's ex-lover can be somewhat of a put-out. Try to use the information your players give you and try to incorporate that into the handouts you make, especially if they've put effort into creating a character background or history. Also be sure to avoid unevenly handing out important information or plot hooks. You might inadvertently make someone feel left out if they keep getting simple handouts like, "last week a little boy asked you to sign his wooden shield," while the other players get something more detailed like, "you hear legends of a powerful magical whip beneath the sewers of Thurscyte." A healthy dose of handouts can help catch and maintain your players’ interest.
By now, if you've followed the steps so far, you should have a bunch of material ready for your first game. What you want to do now is to do a practice run through of the adventure. Get out your notes, handouts, maps and other things and go over everything you've made. If you get to something that isn't clear, or you aren't sure of what to do with it, you need to hammer out the specifics of how you're going to run it and adjust your notes accordingly. Keep going through all of the material and check to make sure there won't be any slowdowns that you could prevent by having things pre-rolled, notated, or thought out ahead of time.
Building off the first session is only slightly different than working up an adventure from scratch with notes from a pre-game. You've got details you can build off of and count on. Things are more consistent. You might want to start planning some long-term plots or stories to work into most sessions. Keep accumulating feedback and pay attention to what your players like and what they don't like. Don't devote all your efforts to making the players happy all the time. Just make sure that you take into account their play style and their expectations.
Now let's examine some of the more common accessories used for running a Dungeons and Dragons game. Please note though, not all of my opinions will match up with how you run your games. D&D can be run many different ways. I approached all the resources and methods with the goal of creating a D&D experience that is beyond a video game, yet flows smoothly. To put it in the simplest terms, a good resource is one that speeds up the game play, lends a feeling of atmosphere or emotion to the table, or makes the game easier to understand and/or play. Some resources or methods can achieve one of these three things at the expense of one or two of the others. A book full of alternate rules can make the game more fun for an experienced gamer, but if used incorrectly it can really bog down game play.
Laptop
A laptop computer can be an absolutely invaluable resource for you as a DM. The ability to reference all your notes, play music and sounds and run electronic dice rollers can all be of tremendous help. Unfortunately, all these things can take your attention away from the game and the other people at the table. I would recommend that only experienced DMs use a laptop at the table. I would also recommend that the number of programs should be kept rather short, as things can get pretty messy when you have to sort through 5 different programs and your notes to get to what you want for the game. Prepare ahead and try to have all the programs you'll need loaded up and ready to go beforehand. Nothing kills interest in a D&D game like waiting for the DMs computer to load something.
Vinyl 1" dry/wet erase grid
The vinyl grid is known to some as the poor man's battlefield (or dungeon). Gaming tables across the world have long been adorned with these surfaces. The great advantage to having one of these grids is that you can quickly draw out terrain with the appropriate markers and still have a grid to reference. With the use of a handful of minis or tokens, positioning is no longer a matter of confused verbal description ("No, I'm over there, behind the tree, next to the elf and ducking low.") There are only minor disadvantages to the vinyl grid. If you drawing is poor, it can sometimes confuse players when situations are complex. You need to make sure that people understand the way you draw doors, chairs, tables, stairs, and barrels. Also, repeated cleanup of the mat can slow down play, especially if you have to keep clearing the table of books and papers when you clean the mat (if it is a wet-erase.) All in all, a vinyl grid is a handy tool, and I would recommend one to every DM, even if they normally run combat and exploration in a different manner.
Paper terrain
The internet is bursting with small web based businesses selling adobe .pdfs for your gaming table. Some such companies make terrain for you to print out. I've seen them in the 2-D and 3-D variety and have experimented with both at my table. The paper terrain often looks much nicer than anything anyone could draw on a vinyl mat. The three-dimensional variety also adds a nice touch to the table, allowing players to "see" the dungeon in a much more detailed light. The graphics are often very nice and can lend a bit more mood to the table then black, red, green and blue markers. However, this hobby quickly becomes expensive and time consuming to prepare. A simple dungeon could take a week's worth of printing, cutting, gluing and mounting. To top that off, if you're going to be making 3-D terrain, you've got a whole lot of careful cuts and scores to make, along with lots of 'edging' (darkening the sides of the cut out pieces in order to eliminate the constant white borders to all your pieces.) After all is said and done, the paper terrain can look very nice, but you work for it. Hours of work can pay off with a nifty looking and lightweight piece of table-dressing. However, such things can also be bent or torn easily, not to mention what might happen if someone were to spill their beverage on your paper creation. Make sure that if you do use paper terrain that you can afford the ink, have the time to invest, and have a responsible enough group to respect your work.
Heavy terrain
Heavy terrain is a kingdom mostly left to Warhammer players, railroad nuts and WWI & WWII enthusiasts. There are several products available including mountains and cliffs made of foam, miniature trees and shrubs, and even whole towers and buildings. Heavy terrain can be a sight to behold, looking nearly every bit as realistic as you could imagine. The products are often fairly sturdy too. However, the downside to this type of table dressing is the price. Trees and shrubs can cost nearly two to five dollars a piece, a foam cliff can cost nearly $40 and some buildings can cost over $100 and that doesn't include shipping prices! Heavy terrain also ignores the primary haunts of D&D, indoor dungeons and caves. While one could conceivably construct their own terrain from foam, this is a project beyond even the most complex paper models. A single piece of cliff or a hill can take weeks to construct. Not only that, but once constructed, it only has one form; you cannot change it later. Heavy terrain is a hobby best left to the hardcore modelers.
Another option with the heavy terrain would be to invest in a product like the Hirst Arts castlemolds. Casting blocks out of a plaster-like material would allow a DM to construct whatever he needs. Pieces made from high quality molds can wind up looking very professional. However, this can also get expensive and time consuming as well. The molds need to be used properly and stored carefully. Casting the blocks can take 15 to 60 minutes, and even then you need to wait for them to dry in order to glue them. Then they need to be painted. It winds up being a hobby all on its own. Unless you have the spare cash and the time, you're better off with the vinyl grid.
Music
Using music is a cheap and easy way to set the mood for your game. Nothing can help set the right mood more than a good piece of music. Many gaming tables use various types of music during their gaming sessions. Some use modern rock & metal, others use festive renaissance style music and some even use music from movies or video games. The key to using music at your table is recognition and volume. Nothing is worse than playing a theme from Star Wars to inspire awe or fear in your players, only to have them fall out of their chairs laughing as imagines of Jar Jar Binks come to their minds. Picking the right music is important and the best way to select music is to avoid things that your players will associate with something else. Music from an old or obscure movie might work, but it's tough to use music from an Indiana Jones movie and not have your players lose all sense of seriousness. Use your knowledge of your players to help you pick music that won't make your players think of something else. Look for instrumental music or foreign music. Some groups even make music specifically for gaming tables such as Midnight Syndicate.
The other trick to making music work at the table is the volume. You want to music to be present, but in the background. You don't want to be shouting at your group as a choir belts out chants in Latin or as a flute hits a high note. Know the music you're going to play beforehand and make the effort to choose a volume that won't distract your players. Sometimes it's best if the players forget that the music is even playing; the music can still have an effect on their mood.
Lighting
Use of mood lighting can be a tremendous help in setting the tone for the gaming session. If you game during light hours, you may have to draw the curtains in order to change the lighting at all. You can use candles or lanterns to give the room a dim glow. I would recommend use of candles and lanterns to mature groups, as having a live fire at a table full of teenagers can be temping for a budding pyromaniac. Also, younger players might be tempted to goof off, steal dice or pencils or just act plain stupid when the lights are dim. Be sure to also have adequate cooling and air flow, as candles and lanterns can heat up a room over time faster than you might think.
Minis
Miniatures can add a deeper sense of character and identity to a PC. Not only that, but they look at lot better than a bunch of pennies and peanuts. Pewter minis will often be of a better quality than plastic ones. However, they often come unpainted and can prove to be quite the project if you want it painted just so. Plastic minis, particularly the ones make by Wizards of the Coast, are cheaper on the whole and come pre-painted. You don't get to choose your colors, sometimes the paint jobs are horrible, and unless you shop for specific minis at a third party store or web-site, you can be hard pressed to find a mini that you want. It may be a good idea to have your regular group pitch in to help with mini acquisition. I wouldn't make any demands, but I would accept small donations to help build up the collection. Using the same hobgoblin mini for every medium sized creature can really get boring.
Costumes
Costume play, aka Cosplay. Dressing up as your PC (or NPC in the DMs case) can be fun, but it can be a little much. Unless the entire group is up for costumes, I wouldn't recommend dressing up very often. It can become tiresome or your costume might become the subject of ridicule. It can be cool to dress up as the vampire BBEG at the appropriate time, but making your players listen to you talk through plastic fangs every week can be ridiculous. Feel free to dress up every now and then, but don't overdo it. A small dress item like an eye patch or a bandana can serve better than a full-fledged costume for most occasions.
Props
So, you've grown tired of swinging an empty arm every time your goblins attack. You think it might be cool to swing an axe at the table or perhaps have a necklace of genuine imitation pearls for your players to behold. It’s a little harder to overdo it with props, simply because it would take hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to furnish a group with enough props for even the most basic of PC equipment. Bringing a sword or spear to the table can be fun, but take care. Once again I need to remind you to watch out for the younger players. I've heard horror stories of people's floors getting pierced from sharpened swords and I can only imagine what might happen when a young teen decides to swing a weapon at another player or the DM. Make sure your props are safe, or at least don’t hand them out to the irresponsible. I'd advise against bringing real jewelry or gold to the table though. It may be temping if someone in your household just happens to have earring that look like something out of the Wondrous Items section of the DMG, but it's not worth it getting lost or stolen.
If you've read this whole guide, I am confident that you will be able to start getting your group moving in the right direction. There are many more advanced topics to learn and it would not be hard to imagine a small book dedicated to bettering your description and oratory skills. But you have your entire gaming career to work on that. If you follow the guidelines I have drawn here, I'm sure your group will remain open to you as you continue to improve. Good luck and happy gaming!
