DM's, how many sessions were you a 'player' until you tried your hand at DMing

[BenShums]

I want to jump in the DM pool and lose my DM virginity! I can't wait! But I've only played ~2 sessions in my life.

[Eldonauran]

:smallconfused: ... Interesting choice in vocabulary.

Aside from that, I had maybe a dozen seesions under my belt before I tried DM-ing. I had been reading the core books for years before I actually found an actual group to play in, so I did have a solid grasp on the rules and ample time to plan out my first adventure.

I play in two groups. In one, I am the DM of a group of 6-7 people and thoroughly enjoy it. The other is a small 4 person group (including the DM) and we all alternate DMing between adventures (8-12 sessions each adventure).

[killem2]

I played ZERO sessions of 3.5 before dming and had not played d&d since 2nd edition in 1997.

:smallsmile:

[Madara]

0. I found the books at Half-Price books, and tried playing with the neighbors. Looking back, we didn't understand pretty much any of it, but we sure had fun.

Now I'm at 8 years of GMing and finally got to try my hand at playing :smallcool:

[gurgleflep]

I don't know how many sessions I was in, but I was in about 6 campaigns. Honestly, I don't think I'm that good of a DM - I'm rather lazy and ignorant to many of the rules.

[Arc_knight25]

I had played at least 3-4 campaigns till i tried my hand at Dming. Was only one session, wasn't all that great. Since then I've tried it a few other times. But so far my last attempt felt like my best. The players enjoyed themselves and looked forward to the next session.

I would have to say it takes time and experience. It's one thing to be a player and a completely different Dming.

[supermonkeyjoe]

Something like two or three sessions, we were all new and handily the DM decided they'd rather play and I decided I'd rather DM, I ran a pre-published module since I had no idea how to design games and it all went swimmingly from there.

[Uncle Pine]

I want to jump in the DM pool and lose my DM virginity! I can't wait!

Faith in humanity restored :smallbiggrin: That's the spirit!

Anyway, I played only ~3 session before I DMed for the first time. The previous DM run the Sunless Citadel module, then he fleed with our PHB copy and no one have seen him since that. He was a friend's "friend", bad story.
After that, I've read the core a couple of time (1-2 weeks). Remember: you don't have to remember every single rule! Lots of rules (like grappling) are really complicated and rarely come up.
Also, if you don't know how to answer to a player, have a look at the index in the PHB or in the DMG: you'll probably find the right answer in no time.

And don't overdo it. Start with a group of 1st level characters. Lot's of new DMs start with 5th, 10th, even epic characters and fail miserably. Take your time to learn :smallwink:

[gurgleflep]

*snip*
And don't overdo it. Start with a group of 1st level characters. Lot's of new DMs start with 5th, 10th, even epic characters and fail miserably. Take your time to learn :smallwink:

I gotta agree with him on this. I tried starting at 10th and yowzers was it bad!

Also, don't be afraid to let the party play as creatures with no LA/RHD. Goblins, orcs, and other such races, these and variants of the regular races can make for an interesting party. Also, Savage Species has monster progressions for those in the party who absolutely have to play as a mind flayer, ogre, or succubus.

[dupersudi]

I tried my hand at DMing with an old AD&D module years ago. Everyone was almost completely new to D&D and we were all kids without access to anything AD&D other than the module(can't for the life of me remember how I got that to work). Despite that I still think it went alright, it helps a LOT if you're doing it in person with friends and you have a premade module. I kind of want to try DMing again with pathfinder but I'll probably wait until I can either find a good premade adventure path, or until I have enough down time to make one of my own. And even then, I'm not entirely sure I would DM in PBP games.

[RFLS]

I had never played an TTRPG before my first run at DMing. It was....a train wreck. I knew the rules better than a lot of the players, but didn't have a grasp on pacing. The result was anarchy.

Now, things are going much better. I DM most of my group's games, and get my playing in by PBP.

[AuraTwilight]

My first game was as a DM with a premade module. Went pretty damn well.

Honestly, if you think you've got an alright handling of the rules (it's okay to make mistakes), and you're not a D-bag, it should go alright.

I highly recommend, if possible, that your first DMing game is with friends, and not people you only know via D&D.

[gondrizzle]

Zero! I read the books I had and we all ran through a couple of premade with the supplied characters and everything to learn by doing. It went really well, so I went away for a couple of weeks and came back with a setting, a handful of plot hooks, and away we went!

[qwertyu63]

Uh... Zero. My first game of D&D was a game I am DMing on these forums.

[MrNobody]

I'd say 2-4 sessions: i started as a player in october and before chrismas I was running my own game!

So... go on and don't be afraid!! it doesn't even hurt :smalltongue:

[killem2]

It's really not that hard to dm really.

I suppose if I could go back and do it again, I would not have set it up for 3 weeks after I suggested it, and the only books I had were core because my friends stash of books was in lockdown at a storage unit.

Just make sure you have all the materials you need to run it, pdfs, books whatever, I am a big stickler to the rules if possible and giving people the sources for said rules.

[CaladanMoonblad]

There are different needs separating a Game Master (managing people) and a Player (making choices), because both are fundamentally different experiences. Each requires its own set of skills. So in my opinion, the only benefit of being a player first is having a tighter grasp of rules, but really, any GM worth his/her salt will spend a good week learning a new system's rules since they are the arbiter.

My first RPG experience was in 1992 or 1993, when one of my cousins GMed a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game (based on the comic, not the cartoon). After a single session, I had to go home, and I wanted to play the game again, but ended up GMing because no one in my community (as far as I could tell) did RPG. So began a long history of suckering my friends to try out RPG and hooking them like some kind of inner city drug dealer. I've GMed for maybe a dozen different systems before coming to d20 via Star Wars.

It was years after I started GMing for my friends that I had a chance to play; and it was an entirely different experience. I was super critical of my GM, the other players, and furious at the slow progression of the story. What should have taken 2 sessions took 10, because I was used to managing people and not being managed. I've chilled since then, but I still mostly GM.

I've played with maybe 30 different people over the course of 20 years as friends come and go to real life's whims, and as I've moved across several states for jobs and higher education. The one thing that has remained constant is the lure of a good story hooking people on RPG; I guess I'm an RPG proselytizer.

Just remember- no matter how much time you've been a player, it isn't like a master-apprentice set up. You will fail, but the most important thing is to learn from failure.

[Silva Stormrage]

For me it only took 3 session before I became my groups DM. Mainly because the at the time DM didn't really know what he was doing (No offense :smalltongue:) and I wanted to try out a lot of builds. Frankly some more player experience might of been better for me but I think it worked out pretty well.

[Hyde]

I think my switch is firmly rusted to the "DM" setting. A single PC in some lame dungeon crawl just doesn't have enough going on to keep me interested.

We were playing... Dungeon Crawl Classics... 36? Cage of Delirium. I think what made it really drag was that the ending of the story was apparent from the beginning- even if we didn't know the middlepart, the ending was definitely "and then everyone died".

That out of the way, I was our first DM going into 3.5 (In fact, I think I've been responsible for all our system changeovers. Before that, I had been a player for something like... six years? Our Dad was big into Old School DnD, and ran a long-running game for us.

I don't really believe it's something you really need player experience for- having an experienced DM you can talk to helps, but I'm a firm believer that the best way to learn something is to just do it.

The most important thing to remember is that it's not the players vs. the DM- the DM just facilitates the fun. If things don't go according to plan, just roll with it.

[Harlot]

Brilliant!

Ahem - I've been playing for years on a fairly regular basis - so maybe like 60 sessions or so, in the 3.5 system before trying out as a DM myself. (and then some GURPS, and Warhammer and Shadowrun on the side, as a player as well.)

Just started up as a DM this spring, we're currently at our 12th session with me as DM.

I've made SO many mistakes. I've always played at tank (see - me smiling, with an axe!) and have had a hard time coping with wizards and magic overall. I simply haven't payed it much attention.
I think you could learn quite a lot from my mistakes if you read my frustrated thread here:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286736

(the thread slightly veers off of the original topic and contains a lot of good advice from players smarter than me, on a lot of stuff, not just wizards.)


Enjoy DM'ing. With your enthusiasm, you'll be fine.
/Harlot

[gondrizzle]

The most important thing to remember is that it's not the players vs. the DM- the DM just facilitates the fun. If things don't go according to plan, just roll with it.

See, I learned to run a tabletop game while playing Paranoia, so part of my "Fun Facilitation" (what a wonderful phrase, Friend Computer!) is definitely in messing around with my PCs. My players roll with it as long as it's amusing, and I never just kill them from fiat, because it isn't sporting. But we are definitely not on the same side. Not entirely.

[Musco]

The choice of words freaks me out, but I digress...

I - You don't have to have sessions under your belt to become a DM.

II - Groups play differently, so you'll only learn what your group likes with experience (personal experience, by playing with them) and feedback.

III - Being a DM is easy. Being a GOOD DM is not, it requires a lot of work and preparation.

IV - Surprisingly, RPG groups are sometimes so scarce that most groups WILL be happy with a lazy DM, because it's better than NO DM. With time, this may change, as people rise up to the challenge and tackle DM'ing themselves.

V - As a vain DM (and do not be fooled, DM's are all vain, it's part of what motivates us to do what we do), I take pride in having my characters eager to play, and watching they comment sessions and the story through e-mail afterwards, discuss future plans, try to unravel plots, etc. This means I don't mind having the extra work to put on a good show (customized dungeon tiles; props; music; notes; catering to everyone's tastes; custom/special items; breaking down their defenses in small numbers so I don't have to tell then an attack misses, but WHY it missed, if they dodged it, deflected it, it hit their shield, armor, etc - this makes them feel good about their items and investments). This also means, though, that they take their work seriously, will never come to a session unprepared, will always update sheets in-between sessions and will keep in constant touch to ask questions if they have any doubts, so it makes it worthwhile to "work" for them to have great sessions.

Make sure you figure out what type of group you have.

[RFLS]

Huh. There are a LOT of people here whose first brush with the system or with RPGs was as a DM. So uh...what the heck, gitp? XD

[rexreg]

i have to cast my mind back a long, long time for this one...
i will say i probably played in 3-ish sessions before DM'ing...my friend/he-who-introduced-me-to-D&D & i were quite happy to shift DM'ing responsibilities from session to session...
that being said, it was a couple of years before we figured out Basic D&D & Advanced D&D were different beasts & we played a pretty horrid mish-mash of rules...

[CaladanMoonblad]

Huh. There are a LOT of people here whose first brush with the system or with RPGs was as a DM. So uh...what the heck, gitp? XD

In social science, this is called "self selection bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_selection_bias)." Those who are really into RPG, are the ones who seek out online message boards. Chances are pretty good that GMs/DMs/Storytellers are over represented not only at GitP but also at Wizards, etc.

[Eldonauran]

V - As a vain DM (and do not be fooled, DM's are all vain, it's part of what motivates us to do what we do), I take pride in having my characters eager to play, and watching they comment sessions and the story through e-mail afterwards, discuss future plans, try to unravel plots, etc.

Vain ... is not an inaccurate term. I totally thrive on the atmosphere we generate when I set up this perfect scenario that drives the players to their knees as the lives of their characters hang on a single thread made of nothing but their immediate choices.

Its the ride that I enjoy. Whether or not the characters survive it or not, I usually leave every session fulfilled.

[TuggyNE]

In social science, this is called "self selection bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_selection_bias)." Those who are really into RPG, are the ones who seek out online message boards. Chances are pretty good that GMs/DMs/Storytellers are over represented not only at GitP but also at Wizards, etc.

Yes, but where is the selection bias for GMs that had never played before GMing? That's really the question.

[Oko and Qailee]

Played only 3 sessions before I started DMing

I played from lvl 2 to lvl 3.

I then started DMing two campaigns. (one with 100% new players too!) Luckily all my feedback has been positive (except this one Barbarian who died to a sorrwosorn demon by failing his Will save vs Weird and then his Fort save)

[Rhynn]

I want to jump in the DM pool and lose my DM virginity! I can't wait! But I've only played ~2 sessions in my life.

Zero. I got the books (at age 10 or so), so I was the GM.

This repeated for other games: after Basic (red-box/Mentzer) D&D, it was RuneQuest (3rd ed.), AD&D 2E, probably two dozen other games, and in 2000, D&D 3E. I've not always been the GM, but there's very few games that I did GM where I first played under another GM.

The important thing is to realize it takes years to get good. You're going to screw things up in some ways. And you don't become a good GM by playing as a player (although that can help with learning some of the rules, but really only the basics), you have to play as a GM.