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View Full Version : Desiring to Run a Game: What are the Basics?



Secret Agent Man
2010-07-31, 10:31 PM
I've been playing D&D for a few years now, and the desire to run a game has grown considerably. Having never run a game before, I'm not sure what I need to know in order to run one. I know general things about running a game, such as being able to improvise (since the PCs can and will do just about anything that's not according to plan), keeping the game running smoothly, very careful usage of DM fiat and so forth. I'm more interested in the basics of running a game mechanically: Keeping track of tons of NPC/monster stats, how to handle more spontaneous actions from PCs mechanics-wise without being unfair to players, etc. Any advice?

Masaioh
2010-07-31, 10:51 PM
Stick to PHB/MM/DMG only for the first session, maybe even the second one.

Venerable
2010-07-31, 11:17 PM
Have your players give you copies of their characters sheets in advance, so you can familiarize yourself with their builds. Avoid being caught by surprise in the middle of an encounter.

Keep some pre-statted NPCs & monsters on index cards. You never know when you'll need one.

After everyone's rolled initiative, reseat everyone so that the turn order proceeds in one direction around the table. Everyone knows who will be next.

And remember: if you're feeling overwhelmed, it's okay to ask your players to take five while you collect your wits.

Good luck!

W3bDragon
2010-07-31, 11:40 PM
If you understand the system stuff, then that's half the battle. I think the first and most important lesson for starting DMs is to understand what their NPCs are doing. Clarifying NPC motivations, at least to yourself, can help you a lot in dealing with unexpected player actions.

For example, let's say you decide to put your PCs through a dungeon crawl, so you send them into an abandoned mine that's filled with kobolds and needs clearing. That alone might be enough for a couple of sessions of hack/slash. However, let's say that one of the PCs is a bard, another is a greedy rogue, and a third is a sorcerer pyromaniac. What if the bard tries to parlay with the kobolds? Will they negotiate? Will the stall for time and betray the party? What if the greedy rogue wants to steal all the pre-extracted ore that was left behind when the mines were first taken by the kobolds? Will the people that sent them mind? What if the sorcerer's great idea for dealing with the kobolds involves enough explosions to cause several cave ins that would take months to clear, is that a viable solution?

All of that can be answered by deciding what the NPC motivations are. So we can quickly assign some believable motivations that'll answer all our questions.

We can say that the kobolds aren't using the place as a hideout and are actually mining the ore to sell to a nearby orcish tribe. In which case, the higher up kobolds might be willing to parlay, perhaps asking to keep a section of the mine to themselves and allowing humans to use the rest. On the other hand, the "guarding" kobolds might not listen to any talk and just carry out their assignment.

We can also say that the people that sent the PCs are actually the owners of the mine, and the mine hasn't been used in decades. So that tells us that they probably expect to deal with some cave ins when they get the mines back, but they probably know that a great deal of ore was left behind and they want to use that ore to jump-start their mining endeavor while they clear the cave-ins.

With that thought process in mind, you'll be able to handle almost anything the players throw at you simply and smoothly.

As for actual your questions, I suggest that you start your party off at low level, ideally 5th or below. That'll make the abilities they have more manageable for you. It'll also make the monsters they'll have to fight simpler. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably pick one type of monster, copy down stat blocks for 3 variations of it (standard, standard+2nd lvl sorc, standard+2nd lvl cleric) and simply use these for all of your encounters for the first adventure. So they're clearing a mine filled with kobolds, all you have to decide on any given encounter is how many of each type is there, and then you have the stat blocks in front of you. I also like to take 10 for NPCs on initiative as well as skills like spot/listen. That way you don't have to roll spot for 12 kobolds if the rogue is trying to sneak by.

As for mechanics of actions that you aren't sure of, boil them down to the best of your ability and adjudicate accordingly. Look for feats or spells that do similar things to give you a guideline of what someone without that feat or spell could do.

Example: A player has just broken an oil flask on a kobold. He then says on his next turn that he wants to walk over to him and light him up using his flint and steel. You could rule that, assuming he takes the time to fetch the required items, he could indeed light the kobold on fire if he's adjacent to him, but it would trigger an attack of opportunity. Or you could rule that he'd have to make a melee touch attack, taking a big negative on the attack for the clumsiness of the "improvised weapon". The boring option would be to spend the next 20 minutes digging through the books for an answer. Even more boring would be to say: "No, you can't do that"

As long as your players are comfortable with you DMing, you won't have a problem.

Secret Agent Man
2010-07-31, 11:40 PM
Stick to PHB/MM/DMG only for the first session, maybe even the second one.
Forgot to mention: Pathfinder's the name of the game. I was considering sticking purely to core books though. Good tip.


Have your players give you copies of their characters sheets in advance, so you can familiarize yourself with their builds. Avoid being caught by surprise in the middle of an encounter.

Keep some pre-statted NPCs & monsters on index cards. You never know when you'll need one.

After everyone's rolled initiative, reseat everyone so that the turn order proceeds in one direction around the table. Everyone knows who will be next.

And remember: if you're feeling overwhelmed, it's okay to ask your players to take five while you collect your wits.

Good luck!
I like the character sheet idea. Our current DM does that as well.

Index cards are also a good idea.

Don't think that rearranging based on initiative will be too necessary. We actually play in a living room setting, with a whiteboard for initiative tracking.

Good tips, overall. Thanks. Got any more?

Flickerdart
2010-07-31, 11:48 PM
Make sure to pre-roll the 1s out of your dice.
Make sure to have dice.

Don't be afraid to make hard and fast judgments on confusing rules - nothing bogs a game down more than having to look things up from three different sourcebooks. It helps to have the d20 SRD on tab if you need to look something up, since searching it is faster than leafing through your DMG. If it turns out later that you were wrong, no harm done (unless it led to someone dying).

More often than not, a +2-5 circumstance bonus will encompass the mechanical benefits of a zany plan. Don't forget the Aid Another action - when players do something crazy, it usually involves two people helping each other, and this is how the system interprets that.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-08-01, 12:30 AM
So you wann be a DM? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76474)

Check the guide but don't post on it.... would be thread necromancy (which is frowned upon)

Prodan
2010-08-01, 12:33 AM
Smite your players often and well.

Zeta Kai
2010-08-01, 01:06 AM
I've been playing D&D for a few years now, and the desire to run a game has grown considerably. Having never run a game before, I'm not sure what I need to know in order to run one. I know general things about running a game, such as being able to improvise (since the PCs can and will do just about anything that's not according to plan), keeping the game running smoothly, very careful usage of DM fiat and so forth. I'm more interested in the basics of running a game mechanically: Keeping track of tons of NPC/monster stats, how to handle more spontaneous actions from PCs mechanics-wise without being unfair to players, etc. Any advice?

1) Specify the edition that you are talking about.

2) Wait for an informed, reasonable response.

3) ???

4) Profit.

Secret Agent Man
2010-08-01, 07:06 AM
*snip'd for being super long*
Would've responded in my previous reply, but it must've been posted after I was in the Reply window. Lots of good information in there, thanks. It contained a lot of what I was looking for.


Make sure to pre-roll the 1s out of your dice.
Make sure to have dice.

Don't be afraid to make hard and fast judgments on confusing rules - nothing bogs a game down more than having to look things up from three different sourcebooks. It helps to have the d20 SRD on tab if you need to look something up, since searching it is faster than leafing through your DMG. If it turns out later that you were wrong, no harm done (unless it led to someone dying).

More often than not, a +2-5 circumstance bonus will encompass the mechanical benefits of a zany plan. Don't forget the Aid Another action - when players do something crazy, it usually involves two people helping each other, and this is how the system interprets that.
Good tips in here as well. Rule lawyering is definitely something I want to try to keep to a minimum.


So you wann be a DM? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76474)

Check the guide but don't post on it.... would be thread necromancy (which is frowned upon)
Definitely gonna read through this thread, thanks for the link.


Smite your players often and well.
Falling rocks trap primed and ready.


1) Specify the edition that you are talking about.

2) Wait for an informed, reasonable response.

3) ???

4) Profit.
Looks like some good responses have come in already. Probably should have mentioned that it will most likely be Pathfinder, although 3.5 or 4.0 aren't necessarily out of the realm of possibility. More info about the group: Every game I've been in has involved the same core group of players, so I'm very familiar with the playstyles of them.

Again, thanks for all of the great information.

Tyndmyr
2010-08-01, 09:40 AM
After everyone's rolled initiative, reseat everyone so that the turn order proceeds in one direction around the table. Everyone knows who will be next.


This is a lot of shuffling around, and I advise against it. Players invariably have character sheets, books, pencils, drinks, dice, etc that need to be moved with them.

Instead take an index card for each character. Fold it in half. On each side, write character name, player name, and an arrow. Make sure the arrows on both sides point the same way. Then, drop the index cards on the top of your DM screen, in init order. Make a few extra for mobs.

It's instantly visible to everyone when everyone goes, and the init order can be easily changed without trouble.