A DM Ontology

Conceptual frameworks and design philosophies about how RPGs work and should be run

Worldbuilding methodology and concepts such as top-down, verisimilitude; genre constraints; divinity; magic; psionics.

A2.1: Campaign Design Methods: hexcrawl, sandbox, linear, episodic, serialised, fronts (a la Dungeon World), hero story dynamics; multiple campaigns in the same world and on the same timeline.
A2.2: Ending a Campaign: Providing a satisfying narrative closure; the fate of the PCs (e.g. immortilisation, reincarnation, transition to a new campaign).

A3.1: Adventure Design Methods: 5RD; point crawls; node-based design
A3.2: Theory of Pacing: How to build tension, when to release it, how to assess it
A3.3: Progress Indicators: Ladders, Clocks; Used for structuring or signalling threats or progress. Ladder: A Ladder is a visual segmented tracker whose rungs show how close an agent is to a consequential outcome. It is naturally segmented, plainly visual, and stage-based, without implying literal time pressure. One can “climb the corporate ladder” towards a goal, or represent build-up, completion, infiltration, or alarm escalation. But one can also be “descending the ladder toward ruin”: decay, depletion, or collapse.

A4.1: Reading the Room
A4.2: Improvisation Guidelines
A4.3: Acting Guidelines

A5.1: Cutaways: Meaning of, and use of, cutaways (non-POV vignettes; audience sees action outside the PCs POV, including flashbacks, elsewhere-now (“Meanwhile, back at the ranch…”), flashforward, prophecy, dream, omen)
A5.2: In Medias Res and Cold Opens: A Cold Open is a specific structural choice defined by when it happens: right at the very beginning of a session, before any recaps, chatter, or warm-ups. In Medias Res is a narrative technique defined by what it is: starting in the middle of the action. You can use this technique for a campaign, an arc, or any encounter at any time. A cold open is always an application of the in medias res principle, but you can use the in medias res principle at many other times without it being a “cold open.” Related: [A3.2: Theory of Pacing], [D1.1: Signals].

Definition: Accurate portrayal of a fictional character inhabiting a Secondary World.
How to assess roleplaying?
Roleplaying using Archetypes

Selection of a game system, and understanding the RAW system.

B2.1: Custom Rules: e.g. “Everyone gets a brownie point at the start of a session”
B2.2: Custom Subsystems: Operational definitions of, for example, fame, crafting, sanity, domain-level play, and naval combat. Also e.g. progress indicators (e.g. Ladders, Clocks) [for a system that does not have them by default], for which see A3.3.

In some situations, the setting is near-irrelevant (e.g. tournament game, ‘Halloween One-Shot’, play testing a module) and selecting a campaign world is not necessary. In other situations, a setting is essential. The DM can build a world from whole cloth, modify an existing one, or use an existing one as-is.

How to recruit players, interview, and select.
How to remove a player, or discontinue a group.

C3.1: Safety Tools
C3.2: Same-Page Agreement: What kind of game are we playing?
C3.3: Treasure Table (Player Engagement Profile): Captures player/PC preferences via Q-sort across four scales: Game Activities, Combat Role, Party Role, Rewards. Used to guide bespoke adventure design and later evaluation.
C3.4: Party Creation Matrix: A short, round-robin collaboration used before play to create PC backstory, forge party cohesion and actionable hooks. Each PC starts as a node; on their turn, a participant adds one node—limited to Location, NPC, Event, or Faction—and one labeled edge linking it to the growing graph (e.g., “owed by,” “met at,” “caused”). Play continues until simple stopping rules are met (e.g., each PC has ≥3 links and each node type appears). The table keeps a player-safe map; afterward the DM adds a private layer (secret nodes/edges) to seed future complications. Outcomes are a readable relationship graph, shared context, and a shortlist of unresolved prompts to convert into session hooks.

Definition: Preparing the session’s narrative and gameplay elements (C4.1 – C4.7), and creating the table assets to bring it to life (C4.8 – C4.12).

C4.1: PC Arc Integration: Look for hooks into backstories, goals and character arcs
C4.2: Encounter/Adventure Design
C4.3: Agent Design: Agents are entities with goals and plans. These include NPCs, factions, organisation, species as a whole, and the Gods.
C4.4: Hooks
C4.5: Create Cutaways: Select scenes for cutaways and generate scripts and graphics
C4.6: Monster Tactics
C4.7: Custom Magic Items, Spells, and Prayers
C4.8: Minis & Scatter Terrain
C4.9: Session Titlecards: For TV and/or Discord.
C4.10: Maps
C4.11: Props & Handouts
C4.12: Rules Cheat Sheets

Definition: Preparing the session’s logistics and the DM’s personal tools.

C5.1: Scheduling: Establish play frequency, scheduling tools, absence policies, and backup plans.
C5.2: Venue Setup: Parking, seating, lighting, food, beverages.
C5.3: Game Day Index Card: Per-session control sheet listing game date, in-world start date, basic PC information, PC spotlight tracker, story beats to hit, secrets & clues to reveal, and NPCs to introduce & kill.
C5.4: VTT Setup
C5.5: NPC Name List
C5.6: NPC Prompts: Personality improv & portrayal reminders.
C5.7: Audio: Campaign theme song, mood music, playlists, and sound effects.

C6.1: Expansions
C6.2: Corrections

D1.1 Signals: Tradition/customary cue to start the session, and to end the session.
D1.2: Table Presence: Voices and Acting

D2.1: Pacing : Given anticipated session length, consider the pacing. Also, pay attention to the player’s behaviour, which may signal that a change of pace is needed.
D2.2: Tracking: Recording player behaviour/spotlight time
D2.3: Note Taking: Taking session notes
D2.4: Biobreaks: Coffee/meal/bathroom breaks

D3.1: Interpreting Intent: Listening to what players say and clarifying what their characters intend to do.
D3.2: Setting Stakes & Calling for Rolls: Determining the possibility of success/failure and deciding when a mechanical resolution is needed.
D3.3: Narrating Outcomes: Describing the results of player actions and their impact on the game world, feeding back into the next cycle of play.

Group voice note with recap and next-step commit. Record a closing group voice note that captures recap, secrets learnt, hypotheses, and the explicit starting point of the next session.

E1.1: Get Feedback: Collect player feedback
E1.2: Edit DM Notes: Disambiguate DM session notes into future-readable session log
E1.3: Debrief: Analyse debrief voice note for key insights and action items.
E1.4: Timeline: Update canonical world timeline
E1.5: Advance World Dynamics: Advance agentic states and world plots

E2.1: Player Feedback: Study player feedback
E2.2: DM Review: DM perspective performance review: what worked and did not work?
E2.3: Player Review: Review players/PCs: spotlight time and Treasure Table targets
E2.4: Player Check-in: Between session base-touching
E2.5: DM Upskill: DM sharpening (read books & blogs, take part in discussions, read Johnn’s RPT e-mails)

E3.1: Next Index Card: Update Game Day Index Card, and highlight targets that were missed, for special treatment in the full Prep session.
E3.2: Next Encounter: While still fresh, polish the first encounter of next session.

E4.1: Adventure Journal: Prepare & distribute post-game Adventure Journal