For a Dungeon Master running Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, or another tabletop roleplaying game, there are few greater delights than hearing your players fondly reminisce about past sessions. If your players recount particular moments of comedy, story, or derring-do, it’s a good sign that they’ve enjoyed themselves and that they remember your game.

As such, creating a truly memorable moment is something that many D&D 5e GMs strive for. There are a few things one can do to create such moments.

Now, obviously, everybody’s DMing style is different, and no tip will be a good fit for every single DM out there. Nonetheless, trying them out and integrating them with your own style could well help with creating those moments that stay with your players for a long time.

Make Good Use Of Contrast

One of the easiest ways to make something memorable is to have it sharply contrast with what is normal in your game of D&D 5e. Whatever the general tone of your sessions, flipping the switch and giving your players something different is sure to stick in the mind.

Consider the normal tone of your games. A dot of black ink is easier to see on a white cushion, and white paint stands out best on a blank canvas.

Much in the same way, a sudden dark moment in an otherwise light-hearted D&D 5e campaign stands out, as does something light and comedic in a dark or gritty campaign.

This is something many official designers know as well. Anyone who has played the notoriously-dark Curse of Strahd premade D&D 5e campaign and met the motley-wearing, Russian-accented, incompetent toymaker Gadof Blinsky (and his pet monkey) can attest to this.

Likewise, in the D&D 5e campign The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, the typically-light atmosphere of the fairy tale adventure is sometimes split by the darker side of folk stories, creating instantly memorable moments.

It doesn’t simply have to be between dark and light, either. In a low magic D&D 5e campaign setting, a single location steeped in magic will stand out. In a high magic or particularly fantastical environment, a mundane problem or villain might seem strange by comparison.

Keeping a consistent tone is important for most D&D 5e DMs. However,, sudden breaks in that tone will be memorable by their very nature.

Music Elevates Any Scene

The power of music is well-known by most creatives – hence why film composers such as John Williams or Danny Elfman become so legendary within the world of cinema.

Music can affect the tone of a scene, cause your audience to shrink back in fear or lean forwards in anticipation, or give things a slightly more epic feel than they probably deserve. This applies to a D&D 5e campaign as much as it does to films, TV series, and video games.

Tragically, very few D&D 5e DMs are also legendary composers, because that much talent would be a little unfair to everyone else. As a result, a GM may need to rely on pre-existing music.

Similarly, given that most D&D 5e sessions are longer than most movies, and a GM has enough on their plate already, nobody is expecting you to have perfectly curated music playing throughout every scene.

Used sparingly, however, music can add that little bit extra to a setpiece and take it from great to something truly memorable.

One of my players fondly remembers a moment in his first-ever campaign when the DM put on the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack to accompany the party commandeering a ship. Similarly, in one of my favourite sessions I’ve ever run, I had a playlist of string quartet covers of pop songs to set the scene for a ball the party were at.

Using it too often could take up time and dull the overall effect. Use it as sparingly as any other D&D 5e DM tool. Nonetheless, tactical use of music can really help moments stick out in the minds of your players.

The Power of Twists Can’t Be Overstated

Not to get too scientific (I really can’t), but part of the evolutionary capabilities of humans is the ability to retain information, particularly information about events that cause a significant emotional state.

What relevance does this have to running a game of D&D 5e? In short, you can exploit four billion years of evolution to get praise from your players simply with a shocking plot twist.

If a twist shocks players, upsets them, angers them, or even makes them laugh, the mind is more likely to retain it as information vital for survival. It probably isn’t, but you never know.

Of course, twists are a delicate thing. The tools that go into creating a successful twist in D&D 5e could probably fill a post in their own right (hint hint), but there are a few guidelines.

One: don’t overdo it. A twist every session results in your players getting bored and refusing to follow your plot. Keep it rare and special.

Two: foreshadowing your twists is good. It makes players more likely to accept them when they happen, and if someone figures it out ahead of time, that’s, if anything, better. That D&D 5e player will always remember that moment. Plus, if they’re incredibly smug, you can feel better when an overturned encounter accidentally kills their character.

Three: Keep the twists relatively reasonable. Be shocking, but make sense, and don’t be cruel. The last thing you want is for your D&D 5e players to remember the moment because it’s also the moment they decided to start throwing things at you.

Rehearsal Can Keep Things Memorable For The Right Reasons

Obviously, TTRPGs like D&D 5e are a hobby for most – and for a lot of people they are simply one of many to devote time to.

Few people are fortunate enough to have absolutely hours and hours to spend planning their RPGs every week. God we wish.

Secondly, before I expound on the virtues of rehearsal, remember that not all of a game of D&D 5e can or even should be prepared for. Your players get to influence the story every bit as much as you, and sometimes you might not get to use your rehearsal. Trying to twist things to use it at all costs will just anger your players.

Now that the disclaimers are out of the way: rehearsal is great. Most TTRPGs are games of improvisation. Nonetheless, if there is something you want to do or say, go over it ahead of time.

You don’t have to spend hours writing the perfect speech, but at least knowing the gist of what you want to say is incredibly helpful. Whether it’s a villainous monologue (until your players decide to throw an axe at them mid-sentence), a description of a particularly beautiful or horrific location (that your players will set fire to), or a carefully-planted bit of foreshadowing (that one player might notice), just try it out a few times.

Even if you don’t have it off by heart, having a bit of practise can make sure you deliver it without getting tongue-tied, saying something you don’t mean to, or blanking. Those can all be memorable too – but usually not for the reasons you want.

Even just five minutes in the shower, or on a walk (I talk to myself a lot while walking my dog, sometimes even in a normal accent), can mean the difference between a great scene and an excellent one. Plus, your family will be grateful you’ve stopped singing in the shower.

Let The Players Create Their Own Moments

It is very easy when running a D&D 5e game to let your vision of the story take precedence over everyone else’s, and there are very few GMs who can truthfully deny committing that particular sin.

Obviously, as a Dungeon Master, you love the story you have in your head. You’ve got so many cool things to show your players, maybe you’ve even rehearsed a shocking contrasting twist and set it to music, that you want them to just do what they did in your head.

But they won’t, and that’s a great thing. Your D&D 5e players are probably awesome, and they can be just as capable of creating memorable moments as you.

Whether it’s from unconventional plans, unexpected decisions, powerful character moments, mistakes, or even self-inflicted problems, the actions of players can really stand out in everyone’s head.

My entire table remembers – and lambasts – the time the party Blood Hunter decided the ideal cover to a heist was to have another party member shoot them out of a window. Yeah, really. I don’t know either.

Or in my current D&D 5e campaign, a player spent several sessions jokingly hinting at mutiny, only to wake up the ship’s captain sinisterly in the middle of the night, telling him that he’d been waiting for this day for a long time – only to give him a birthday present. A well-timed comedic moment that the whole table enjoyed.

If your players start to go down a road, help them along it as far as is reasonable. Let them take the reins. They might just make magic.

These have been some tips for creating moments in your D&D 5e campaign that your players will remember forever, treasure their entire lives, and maybe include in a wedding toast someday. If you think this article is memorable, liking, following the blog, commenting, and sharing it with your friends would all be awesome.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, please check out some other GMing advice in ‘Four D&D 5e Villain Motivations That Aren’t Conquering the World ‘Just Because’‘, or really oil up your creative muscles with ‘Five Essential Tips for Homebrewing in D&D 5e‘.