How to D/GM Something With No Experience of the Game

[HolyCouncilMagi]

Basically, since almost nobody has ever even heard of a d20 game I'd like to give a try, I know that I'll most likely to have to volunteer as tribute... I mean DM. (I guess the proper term is GM but... I'm so used to the term DM that I'll probably end up typing it on accident later anyway so whatever) So basically, since the game is so danged obscure, I don't think I'll be able to find anyone on the internet able to DM a game for me, and thus, I've got to DM a game I have no player experience with and have no way of acquiring said experience for. (The game is Bleach d20 Classless, if that means anything at all to anyone)

I haven't DMed anything before in the first place anyway, but that's kind of irrelevant to the question as I can look up guides to being a good general G/DM almost anywhere. My question is, how should I go about trying to be the guy calling the shots when I don't have any experience with the system aside from what I can glean by reading? I can't even look it up elsewhere, since said obscure game doesn't have any guides released about how to do so... Gawd, even the balance-free super-casual minds of the 3.5 creators released a pretty informative and not-terrible guide on DMing something that you most likely have experience being a player for... OH WAIT.

So yeah. What kind of methodology would you Playgrounders use for trying to DM a game that you have no real way of acquiring direct rules experience with? How can I work to avoid basic system pitfalls and give my first-time players an enjoyable experience with a game that I'm also a first-timer for (and can't even find any guides on :smalleek: )?

In what are most likely the words of the first few DMs when Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition was released...

OhgawshwhatdoIdogais?

[CRtwenty]

Remember the first rule of DMing.

"When in doubt, wing it".

[Kelb_Panthera]

How familiar are you with the manga/anime the game is based on?

First thing though; if you think something that a player wants to do is too over the top, you're wrong. Just google Zaraki Kenpachi and watch a few video clips of that psycho (who is my favorite character in the show, BTW).

[HolyCouncilMagi]

Oh, extremely familiar. I'm up to date on both the anime and manga showings, and I'm that kind of person with anime who remembers the specific first/last names of and powers/abilities of characters that most people don't even remember having seen before. In fact, I think there are very few details I can't recall. Knowledge of the source material isn't an issue, though I have no experience with the numerics and similar stuff of the system itself.

And actually, I kinda disagree, he does some crazy stuff, but Kenpachi isn't actually impossible to beat by any standards (in games terms, I'd say he's balanced in that while he has insane amounts of power, he has no access to really anything except direct sword-slashing ability and the ability to choke people with reiatsu or be immune to being cut if he outclasses them by too much (which actually doesn't happen at all after his first fight, as I recall)).

And regardless of anything the anime shows, I obviously want to avoid one player completely outclassing the others without my even realizing it until it's too late... Though I suppose new things must be learned with any system as you're DMing, even Dungeons and Dragons.

Thanks for the great answers! Keep them coming, if anybody else has helpful things to add!

[Gamereaper]

Remember the first rule of DMing.

"When in doubt, wing it".

Best... Rule... Ever.

I am currently running one now.

Only downside is that it's part 2.0 and 3.5, so yeah, I'll send you all my months of work for free if you message me.

I have formulas and stuff INCLUDING a whole complete kido system 1-100 for both Hado and Bakudo. I added another for healing kido called Ihou (translates to healing method), but that only goes to 1-9.

PM me if interested.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I don't know. Kenny only ever really got beat when he condescended to give his opponent every opportunity to rev himself up in the hopes of a good fight. If he -ever- decided to just up and murder somebody other than old man Yamato there's not a lot in this world or the other that could do much more than slow him down.

But I suppose that's really a discussion for the media subforum.

Anywho, it's still a d20 system. If you have any experience DM in other d20 systems you'll be fine. It's just a matter of making the genre shift from classical high fantasy to anime high fantasy. That and the numbers look more than a little bigger across the board (googled it).