Be An Adaptable DM For an Immersive Game

  Telling your players that they can't do something will suck the fun out of any game.

   Be able to improvise. Let the players try to seduce the dragon. Let them steal the deed to the ranch. The more you can adapt to what the players want, the more fun you'll have and the more interesting stories you'll get to tell.

  If a player can justify how they can jump 20 feet into the air, let them do it. Tell me how exactly your ranger grew up jumping through the trees I'll let you roll for it. Then maybe it will happen.

   Some one wants to charm the dwarf princess? Let them try. Make them tell you precisely what they want to say to her. Not only will they have to roll for it, but the have to say it. Have them turn on the charm for you along with making a roll. If the performance is good and they roll well, the princess just might be charmed, or at least a little more friendly. Let a player try something instead of denying their efforts right away.

  A player wants to try to kill the king? They can certainly try. The 20 guards and the court of wizards might have a say about it. As a DM you have the power to stop and start the action. An action won't happen unless you say it does.

   Let the players try things, but make them work for it. They want to dress as guards and try to sneak into the city? Have them roll charisma or intuition checks. Have them make knowledge checks too.
"Were you the guards who were coming back from hunting wolves? I don't see any pelts on you"

   Be adaptive to the rules too. Don't look something up because it always slows the game down. Come up with a decision on the spot. Have a player look it up when it's not their turn. Make up your own house rules. Look up the rule later and then adapt to it if works with your story.

  Don't be afraid to make things up and add detail and character to your world. Players will always have questions, and it is nearly impossible to prepare everything. So stay flexible with your in-game world building. If a player asks the name of a random NPC on the street, make it up. If it's a random person, the name doesn't have to be special, just call him John Doe. Who cares. You definitely won't need to prepare stats for him. Make sure you write down his name so it maintains continuity if the players ever ask about him again.

 Do the players want to explore a cave or a building that wasn't prepared? Make it up. Do it. Let them explore. Give them something simple to find. Maybe some one stashed a small weapon or a coin purse in the cave. Or there's evidence of an animal sleeping there. Or they find a silver ring under the rocks. You don't have to make up something epic or exciting. Have something there, even if it is simple. Finding something will always be better than a player finding nothing at all. Your world will seem a lot more "lived in" and interesting if there is something there to find. No one wants to play in an empty world. Discovering two gold pieces is always better than finding nothing at all.

 It's also OK to tell the players that you haven't prepared something. They'll understand. It's easier to tell that truth than to try to lie you way out of something. If you start making up crappy excuses as to why players can't do something, they'll feel railroaded and see right through it. Your world suddenly got rigid and and fake. So tell them that something wasn't prepared. Give them something rather than nothing.

  Be patient with players and expect your players to do the same for the group. Every player wants to do something epic and exciting every turn. A lot of players take their time to plan tactics and strategy,  or try to figure out what to do. If your players are having a hard time making a decision, it's OK to help your players and give them hints. Sometimes making a simple attack is the best option.

If the players are stuck on puzzles or riddles, give hints in the guise of the characters knowledge and experience. Say something like, "Your character has fought these creatures before, you know that they are weak to fire." Or, "You've lived in these woods along side the elf tribes for a long time, you remember the elvish word for 'friend'."
   A players knowledge of the world will be a lot less than what their characters know. You as the DM will always know more about your world, so help your players out. The group doesn't gain anything from a secretive DM. No one will want to play with an unhelpful dungeon master, so don't be that guy.

  Players can get frustrated easily when they are stuck on something. Help them out. You and your players will enjoy the game a lot more when you help them out, instead of allowing the party to be stuck for a long time. You have control over how long something takes. Try to get a sense of how your players are feeling. Don't let them get stuck or frustrated.

  If a player wants do a cool move or attack on their turn, go ahead and let them. If their choices don't impede on your story or the players enjoyment, why the hell not!? Let your player do a parkour move off the side of a boulder in order to stab an enemy in the neck. Let them make a dexterity or tumble check along with their attack roll. If they succeed, they'll feel great for pulling off a cool move. If they fail, it will still be a lot more interesting for the player than being denied that option. Don't immediately dismiss their ideas. You can make the situation a lot more interesting if they do fail. Maybe the bad guys catches them in the air, or the player slips off the rocks and falls on their face.         Whatever happens will be more memorable than you saying "No" and sucking the fun out of the game. The whole point of the game is to provide fun for the group as a whole. Let your players try things. Do not be a fun-sucker. No one wants to play with a nitpicking micromanaging DM.

  Let your players leave the table if it isn't their turn. Let them come and go and they'll still find enjoyment out of the game. Battles can last a long time, and people will need breaks. Take a break at least every two hours. Reset and refresh your mind, especially as a Dungeon Master. It doesn't matter how long you play, as long as there are breaks happening. If you have the right players, you can go all night!

  If you have something prepared and the players don't find it, let them find it anyway. There is no point in letting your hidden treasure go to waste. If you don't want to give players a straight answer, at least give them clues or a lead they can follow. Give them the choice to explore, let them ask questions. If they don't, then you at least gave them the option to unravel your thread of clues. If you don't give hints or clues the players won't know what to do. You need to tell them something. It is your job to communicate to your group. If you don't say anything, they won't know about it. You cannot expect players to find something if you haven't told them about it. Don't expect players to know what to do, if you haven't laid the groundwork for them first.

  The goal of the game is to have fun. Every time you dismiss an idea or say no, the less fun players will have. We want more fun, not less.

  Good luck and have fun!