PDA

View Full Version : advice for a first time DM



flare X2
2011-02-03, 12:09 PM
Hi, im going to be doing my first session of DnD soon and would like any advice i can get. also i already know about the stickeyd thread on dming.

LansXero
2011-02-03, 12:17 PM
Be early, be polite, be prepared. Arrange having sheets on hand, pencils and sharpeners / erasers. Dont count on players bringing anything, anyone can forget / be rushed to the place and having to share can slow things down. If you are doing char-gen try to get them to make a character more than a set of numbers. A short background (just 3 - 4 quick one-sentence questions should help) to get you an idea of who they want to be is a good idea. Explain the setting / plot while they are doing their characters as to help them narrow down their options (example: there will be lots of undeads / no undeads; it will be a urban / wilderness / planar campaign; etc.) In that line, try to agree on the tone of the game your players want: political intrigue / rp drama / hack and slash / etc.

Being more specific when asking would get you better focused answers. Main thing though: Relax, try to have fun, admit when you screw up, and leave rules arguments for in-between sessions. Good luck!

WarKitty
2011-02-03, 12:18 PM
Don't be afraid to say "Hey I messed up and didn't prepare for that, can we work something out?"

Corronchilejano
2011-02-03, 12:23 PM
1. Everyone is there to have fun. Never follow a rule down a cliff. PS: Dying is also part of this fun.
2. Don't fudge too many rolls. Players notice.
3. Players don't need to get everything they want, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't get anything at all.

grimbold
2011-02-03, 12:46 PM
dont break character
if your rping an npc dont stop and clarify something
be prepared and serious and calm
also have fun

Kol Korran
2011-02-03, 12:49 PM
i assume you know your players. in that case i'd advise the following, it has served me in good stead:

when preparing a session (whether of your own making, or tweaking existing material) try to think of the players, whether they'll like/ be challenged by/ find humerus/ get other emotional response specific element you're bringing or not. try to tweak/shape things so that each player has 1-2 moments of specific interest to him/ her. (this doesn't mean a focus entirely up on him/her). this could be a roleplay interaction, a battle, a puzzle, a skill challenge or a lot of other things. i try to write these down for myself, so i can emphasize them in the meeting.

oh, and the all important rule- be ready to improvise, but try and be prepared enough so improvisation is easier and more believable.

good luck, and have fun! :smallbiggrin:

Delwugor
2011-02-03, 12:55 PM
My biggest advice for good GMing is to spend 75% of your time paying attention to the players and their characters, 20% of the time looking at the adventure and notes and 5% of the time looking at rules and books.

Until you are comfortable with GMing stick with RAW as much as you can (keeping the 5% above in mind), if you don't know a rule ask someone there, if no one knows or is unsure then make a quick judgement call. Nothing kills a game's pace more than the GM stopping for 10 minutes to get a rule exactly correct.
All rule disputes should be handled after play. But no matter what you are the GM and have the final say.
Every GM makes mistakes, you will too. The real point is how you handle them.
It's better to make an error in the character's favor.
The less talking you do the more your players will.
Try to avoid any situation where the characters are forced to do something.
The PCs are much more important than your NPCs.

Most importantly don't do a TPK the first night. :smallwink:

Comet
2011-02-03, 01:05 PM
Know your players as much as you possibly can. Some people like intensive roleplaying, talking in-character and being all around dramatic throughout the game. Some people just want to sit down with a bunch of friends, eat bad food and tell a good story or kill some monsters.

Most ruined games result from the Game Master and the players having different expectations for the game. If you don't know what the players like, chat about the game for a while before starting to play, so that everyone knows what they're getting into. Continue this communication after the session is done, with everyone chipping in to declare what they thought was the coolest part of the evening.

Continuous communication between the people around the table is essential to any fun roleplaying experience. Don't feel restrained by the fictional world, out-of-character talk is not always a bad thing.

flare X2
2011-02-03, 01:35 PM
i have a bit of a dilema because one of my players is considering being a second spell caster after i said that i don't like "SUPRISE!YOUR DEAD!" traps. should i allow this or convince him to pick a role inbetween (e.g ranger)

Corronchilejano
2011-02-03, 01:37 PM
i have a bit of a dilema because one of my players is considering being a second spell caster after i said that i don't like "SUPRISE!YOUR DEAD!" traps. should i allow this or convince him to pick a role inbetween (e.g ranger)

Don't be afraid of spellcasters. They're generally chewy and weak.

flare X2
2011-02-03, 01:39 PM
Early on mabey but i've heard that in the end the almost become GODS!

LansXero
2011-02-03, 01:42 PM
i have a bit of a dilema because one of my players is considering being a second spell caster after i said that i don't like "SUPRISE!YOUR DEAD!" traps. should i allow this or convince him to pick a role inbetween (e.g ranger)

On the subject of traps: choose traps that make them think. Skill checks are fine and dandy, and characters who invest in them should feel useful, but if you can, make them interactive hazards instead of success/failure rolls.

Also, dont try to invalidate spellcasters by fiat. If they wanna fly over your trap, perhaps there are bats/ spiders / stuff in the ceiling that it could disturb? perhaps the wind currents are too strong? perhaps the ceiling is low and spiky? try to be clever, I always support the 'DM vs Player' aproach in traps not like. "i r killz u guyz" but like a contest of wits. You come up with a test, to which they have to come up with an aswer. Coming up with unexpected tricks is cool and fun, and if they manage to bypass your stuff with a clever solution dont be hurt, just try to get better at it. But if they lazily roll a dice or try to solve it all with a spell, then you get to be creative and force them to think.

BRC
2011-02-03, 01:54 PM
i have a bit of a dilema because one of my players is considering being a second spell caster after i said that i don't like "SUPRISE!YOUR DEAD!" traps. should i allow this or convince him to pick a role inbetween (e.g ranger)
Alright, unless the choice is extremely ill-advised for the nature of the campaign (Playing an evil rogue without penetrating strike in a campaign based around leading a holy crusade against an army of undead, for example), it's generally a very bad move to dictate terms to your players concerning what characters they play.
If you don't like "Surprise, you're dead" traps, then the answer is not to use them, instead of forcing one of the players to be a trapfinder.

As for balance, yes Spellcasters are very powerful, but oddly enough, I never realized this before I came to the forum and was told about it. Provided the player see themselves as a team and the Casters don't rub it into everybody's face, the game remains fun. Once the casters realize that they are gods walking amongst puny, sword swinging mortals, they start time stopping and filling the area with delayed blast fireballs, or PaOing pebbles into dragons, or just dropping demiplanes onto people, then things stop being fun.

However, if your casters are still throwing fireballs and buff spells, and everybody still believes that "Swing a sword really good" is just as useful as "Rewrite reality with a word", then you'll have lots of fun.
Or maybe that was just my experience.

Corronchilejano
2011-02-03, 01:56 PM
Early on mabey but i've heard that in the end the almost become GODS!

True, in the END.

Most people never get there. Even when they DO get there, fighting types still find a way to survive.

Don't worry about it. Live the moment.

flare X2
2011-02-03, 02:19 PM
Live the moment.

I am sorry but I will have to bring in a scott pilgrim quote:
"I just try to live."

Aidan305
2011-02-03, 02:41 PM
Your players will, invariably, do things you didn't expect. When this happens, don't worry about it. Acknowledge it, accept it, and learn how to adapt it in to your game.

Don't write your game based on some predetermined story.While fun at first, eventually the players will want time to start to do their own thing. If the fighter wants to build a castle and start recruiting an army, help him out. Throw the party plot hooks that'll help further this cause and perhaps interest other members of the party as well. Say the castle is on a haunted gold mine and watch the rogue's eyes light up. Know how your players work and your encounter planning will become that much easier.

flare X2
2011-02-04, 03:39 PM
I have just done my first session and one thing quikly came aparant...
They're not taking it serriously. How can I make them play properly without being to much of a stick in the mud?
So that you know I tryed to stop meta game thinking/being a bit to of topic by counting metagame think time as a round or so.

Tyndmyr
2011-02-04, 03:44 PM
Hi, im going to be doing my first session of DnD soon and would like any advice i can get. also i already know about the stickeyd thread on dming.

Preparation is awesome. Also, so is pizza. Relax, have fun, and find out what interests your players.

As for taking it seriously...some players are naturally sillier than others. If they enjoy the silly...leave some of it in. It's perfectly fine to have silly parts and serious parts. Breaks up the tension and helps things flow along nicely. Plus, if they get the silly out of their systems, they're ready for serious eventually.

What all were they silly about?

Also, do not worry about spellcasters becoming gods. It's pretty unlikely with new players.

Aidan305
2011-02-04, 04:24 PM
They're not taking it serriously. How can I make them play properly without being to much of a stick in the mud?
In general, they won't, so don't try. Let the game do it for you. If you can draw them in, keep their attention and make them want to think about what's going on. Don't simply tell them "Ok guys, let's try and focus a bit on the game".

If they're not interested in one thing, they may well be interested in another. It's a matter of you adjusting to them over time, learning how they play.

Comet's comment above is particularly apt for your situation. Have a look at it and and think about it a bit.

And remember, DMing isn't something you can do straight off the bat. It takes time to pick up all of the little tics and quirks that come with the job so try and stay relaxed as you learn how to do it.

flare X2
2011-02-08, 01:37 PM
[QUOTE=Tyndmyr;10305504]What all were they silly about?[QUOTE]

sorry for taking a long time to reply but they would generaly do thins they wouldn't do in life (like keeping the corpse of a GAURD DOG for no reason whatso ever.)

Comet
2011-02-08, 02:05 PM
sorry for taking a long time to reply but they would generaly do thins they wouldn't do in life (like keeping the corpse of a GAURD DOG for no reason whatso ever.)

That sounds hilariously familiar. You wouldn't even believe the crazy stuff some players I known got up to when we were new to roleplaying (corpse carrying, scavenging and even more surreal stuff). Heck, I myself did some of that stuff, too, just because roleplaying was a new thing full of possibilities. When imagination is your only limit, who's there to stop you from going overboard?

Eventually, some of us grew over that part of our gaming life and started to think about the game more seriously. Some of us did not and, this is important, we were all okay with each other either way.

As already said above by others, just try to gently nudge them in the right direction. Either they will take the bait, or they won't. Just make sure that the world that you present is logical, dramatic and fun for everyone. You provide the framework, the players fill in the details.
Give it time and do your best, I'm sure they'll come around one way or another and eventually settle on a level of roleplay that is comfortable for them.

Delwugor
2011-02-08, 02:13 PM
That could become an undead guard dog which is not silly at all. Or stuffed as a trophy to be placed in their favorite bar as a bragging piece. Or sold to an alchemist for some potion, or a wizard with the blood being used as the ink for an Alarm scroll. Or let it tenderize for a week then throw it into the Orc's water supply so they leave the area. Or ... Or ...
Often the frugal players will be very imaginative with what to do with their gotten goods. This is a good thing for a GM if he keeps on his toes, because player's imaginative actions can be built upon either as something the GM plans or as a spur of the moment side adventure.