Hosting Together – How Players Can Help Shape the Game Night Experience

I recently talked about the Four Stages of an in-person D&D session:
Setup, Play, Atmosphere, and Debrief.

When you start to think about a session in those phases, it becomes easier to shape the flow of game night. You’re not just running an adventure—you’re hosting an experience.

But even with that structure in place, one thing can still trip you up:
Trying to do it all yourself.

If you’ve ever been the DM who preps the session, cleans the room, picks up snacks, tracks initiative, runs NPCs, handles rules questions, and then still tries to remember what happened last session—yeah. You know what I mean.

That’s why I started thinking about who helps bring a session to life, not just what happens during it.

And over time, a few helpful patterns started to emerge.

In addition to the Players and the Dungeon Master, I’ve found it useful to name a few optional roles that can help lighten the load and make the experience feel more collaborative.

We call them Real-World Roles:

• The Innkeeper keeps the rhythm of the evening going. Maybe they confirm RSVPs, welcome new players, or lead a quick toast before the session starts.
• The Quartermaster tends to the space. They bring extra pencils, tidy the table, or adjust the music mid-combat to raise the tension just right.
• The Scribe helps the story live beyond the session. They take notes, remember the great one-liners, and share a quick recap in the group chat afterward.

None of these roles are required. They’re flexible, collaborative, and totally optional.

But when a few people take them on—even informally—the session becomes something more than a one-person production. It becomes something you build together.

The players start to feel more like co-hosts. The DM gets to focus more on the story. And everyone has a little more room to breathe.

If you’re looking to bring more ease and energy to your in-person games, I think this idea might help.

Check out the follow-up video for a deeper look at the Real-World Roles—and how they support each stage of your session.

Hope it gives you something to try at your own table.

Cheers,
Brian