I Don't Think D&D DMs Understand The Difference Between Events & Story

screenrant.com:

I enjoy “talking shop” with other Dungeon Masters, but it’s become apparent to me that there is a fundamental misunderstanding in many gaming groups regarding the difference between a story and a series of events. Some groups view tabletop RPGs as a medium for collaborative storytelling, and others are just seeking a dungeon crawling simulator. While there is no wrong way to have fun, for groups that do aspire towards storytelling and roleplay, failing to grasp what a story is can lead to unsatisfying and incoherent experiences at the gaming table. Understanding story structure will improve campaigns.

The roots of had little to do with storytelling, as the game narrowly focused on killing monsters and looting dungeons, with little to no emphasis on context or anything other than a profit motive for such endeavors. Tabletop RPGs have evolved, and now there are journaling RPGs that facilitate world-building, and an array of narrative-focused games with mechanics that propel drama and characterization. Modern can certainly tell epic, heroic fantasy stories, much like 3e and 4e, butif the DM does not realize there is more to a story than a sequence of events, it falls flat.

The 5e differs from other adventures, but has always stood out. In 1984, the pairing of adventure modules and novels brought some of the epic heroics of the series to the RPG. was no longer limited to a series of episodic raids for gold and thrills, buta game that could tell sweeping stories that dealt with the fate of nations. This model is what the majority of modern groups seek, but some expect such stories to simply emerge organically. Stories require structure,careful planning, and collective storytelling effort.

A Dungeons & Dragons Session Zero is a chance to tell players about the central conflict of the upcoming campaign and decide why it matters to them.

Instead of watching actual plays, or DMing advice videos, DMs should begin by understanding what a story is. Taking a few English Lit