New DM assistance please...

[DarkKensai]

Ok, so here is my situation.
I have been interested in the idea of roleplaying for a long time, but I've seldom been able to find a group to get in with. I recently came into contact with a similar group of people, and we want to start a game. I have been chosen as DM, due to my having the most experience. (and by "most experience", read that as "practically no experience" as opposed to everyone else's "literally no experience".)

We have looked around for someone else to DM our game, but we haven't been able to find anyone who can work around our schedules.

My issue is, I have several 3.5 sourcebooks, including the core 3(but no campaign or setting books), but I work 45+ hours a week, plus go to school. I just don't have time to read and learn everything that I need to in order to run a proper game.

So my question, I guess: do we not play, and put the game on hold indefinitely, or continue as is.

And if we continue(which seems to be the opinion of most of my players) what stuff do I ABSOLUTELY need to know, and what can I put off to learn as we go?

I should probably mention that my only real roleplaying experience was a campaign based very loosely on GURPS rules, but we had almost no dice or books. Everything was basically done in the GM's head, i.e. if he thought our character could do it, etc.

[lytokk]

Since you and the rest of your group is new, I'd recommend keeping everything simple and not overplanning. Since you don't have a lot of time to plan, find a module. I'm sure someone on this board can recommend a good one to start with. This'll cut down on a lot of the planning you need to do to really simplify things for you.

I would recommend you make adequate time for your gaming sessions, since things are going to take time, looking rules up and such. Also for everyone getting in the swing of things.

Don't be afraid to make temporary house rules. If you can't quickly find a rule on something, write down the situation, make a best guess which is subject to change, and look it up later. If your guess was wrong, inform the group at the next session tell them the correct ruling, and use the correct rule from that point.

If I think of any other pieces of advice I'll put them up here.

[Harlot]

Newbie-ish DM here as well ...

Just a few random thoughts:

DO play. You all want to do it, so ofcourse you should. But:
DO find the time to learn the basic rules. I know you are very busy, but I can't state this firmly enough. Knowing the basics is a must and that goes for the whole group.

The thing is, the rules are relatively simple, and surprisingly (or maybe not so much) playing by RAW (Rules as written) keeps things simple and the game easier to control for the DM. Also, when people know the basic rules, combat is fun and fast, instead of confusing an tediuos.

I personally messed up quite a lot in the beginning because I made some houserule or other that made it harder for the players and harder for me as a DM. Specifically making a low magic world, which I thought would make it easier to control the game, but actually screwed it up. I have a long thread on that in this forum.

Point being that you can actually mess up the whole gaming project, thus missing the opportunity, by not preparing right. As it goes with any other project one may initiate in life.

Anyway, the 3 core books will get you going, no need for extras initially.
As stated, base modules should be Googleable - or others may post links below. I build my own world, and can't help there, sorry.
Good luck - and welcome

(Edit: Also, as a newbie, this blog has helped me a LOT http://www.roleplayingtips.com/blog/ Has a tips & tricks category and loads of useful links, + the newsletter is free and useful.)

[Callin]

Start small start simple and start at the begining. Have your first session be character creation. That way everyone can ask questions and they can look stuff up and not leave it to you to arbitrate. Let em know what kind of module you are thinking of running that way they can build around the story with backgrounds and thinking about progression. Help out and ask questions yourself. Everyone is learning. If you see a class feature you dont understand or player for that matter. You both sit and read the rules on it together that way you are both on the same page.

One thing i like to do with new players is design a quick 3 room dungeon. With very basic monsters and a trap or two. Start it off with some roleplay so you can get a feel for social skills the. Delve into the "Cave of the Cave Dweller" or what not. That way EVERYONE can learn the Rollplay aspect. Just to get a feel of combat and movement and all of that. Short. Simple and to the point. Award arbitrary xp and gold for the quest and tie it in to the module or evenet it set the bqckground for how the group got together. Should only take an hour of prep to make. Say first room has a trap on the floor leadin into the first sorta like The crusaders temple in The Indiana Jones movie. First room can have a few goblins in it. With ranged and melee. Second room more goblins. Last room goblins with a goblin shaman caster type and the chief. Let em rest between each room so as not to overwhelm em. Also maybe 3 goblins in each room.

Above all have fun and dont let DMing become a chore. Use your common sense on any midgame ruling and be fair. What is good for you is good for the PCs and vice versa.

Shattered Gates of Slaughterguard is a decent module that runs through the early levels and has a decent map for exploring should the pcs want to. Also organizations for them to work with. The dungeons are also pretty simple and easy.

[DarkKensai]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

The campaign I'm starting is actually just one I made up. I figured that would be easier to salvage if I messed up than if I made a mistake in one that was built around knowing the rules already. I will definitely look for the modules you suggested though and see if I cant have the players start there.

If you think of anything more, please don't hesitate to tell me!

[Chester]

It might be a good idea to stick with the basic monsters for your first encounters....orcs, gnolls, etc. That way you don't have to get familiar with special attacks and magic until you're comfortable with the basics.

[Rocroi]

Take it slow and easy. Familiarize yourself on a basic level with PHB 1, MM 1, and DMG 1. Make sure your players pick base classes from PHB 1, as you all grow in experience they can branch out later. Apart from that, have fun because that what it's all about.

To answer your questions on modules:

Try searching out some info on Scourge of the Howling Horde, it's designed for a Level 1 adventuring party and is very accessible. It will provide you with a setting, maps, NPCs, enemies and quests since you don't have the time required to build your own adventure. Modules are a great time saver sometimes.

Also, do you plan on making this an ongoing campaign with a meta-plot, or is it more like an episodic adventure? Depending on which, I can offer some suggestions for tie in quests.

[Darrin]

Don't be afraid to use printed modules. I'm sure the forum can suggest a few good ones for beginners. The players want to kill things and take their stuff. You can worry about character development and worldbuilding later.

Be careful about looking things up. It slows down the game and frustrates players that aren't directly involved. If you can, forbid the players from looking things up unless the ENTIRE table is stumped. This goes double for the DM, because while you look things up, EVERYBODY else is bored and frustrated. Make a decision with your gut and move on. Looking up rules is for after the game. You can always fix things later for the next session.

Skip the boring parts. Does anyone really care if the merchant charges 3 GP for a dagger, or if the village livery only has 3 horses instead of 4? If the PCs aren't doing something exciting, tell them what happens and then move them on to the exciting stuff.

Your greatest resource is the players, particularly if you're overwhelmed. They can play NPC shopkeepers/monsters, create roadside inns you didn't know you needed, come up with magic swords with epic backstories, etc.

Be a good loser. Even if the game doesn't wind up as challenging as you thought, it's better to give them an easy victory than embarrass them with a no-win TPK (Total Party Kill).

Players kill things when they get frustrated or bored. They also kill things when they are excited, happy, curious, or sometimes for absolutely no reason at all. Never put any NPC or creature into the game withou considering what will happen if the PCs kill it. Don't punish them for murdering things, just be prepared for it.

[Zirconia]

Something I've also seen done, especially if you are busy, is to delegate to players. Have them make themselves knowledgeable on certain sections of the rules, for example spell casting if they are running a spell caster. You can also ask one of them to look things up if play stalls over a rule question, letting you keep working with the rest of the group. This can work well if you don't have an adversarial group.

And don't take it too seriously if you interpret a rule wrong for awhile; when my regular group of quite experienced gamer friends and I first started with 3.0 when it came out, we thought you had to reduce foes to -10 before you could move through their square, sigh. . . :)

There was another thread here discussing newbie spellcasters having troubles because of too many options, by the way, consider having spell casting players start with spontaneous spellcasters like sorcerers so they have a shorter list of spells to work with rather than wizards.

[RegalKain]

Stuff


God, I wish I could like posts on these boards, I really do. This is such good advice seriously listen to this man! (OR lady!) I was thrown into DMing 3 years ago because no one else wanted to (They all saw it as a chore, I was newb enough to say screw it and agree.) I didn'tknow about GITP at the time, so it was a VERY rocky experience for me. But he's absolutely right.

I also found that it's a good idea to NEVER let your players see your rolls, ever. I have fudged more rolls in the favor of my party then perhaps any other DM in history ever, I have a lot of luck with my dice and tend to crit a lot in combat, it's a good idea to not obliterate your party when you're first starting, I had one player (He knew about GITP, and optimized like crazy, kinda made it unfun for the rest of us, so don't allow outside sources book-wise, if you don't have a physicial copy infront of you don't allow it until you're all more intimate with the game.) anyway, I had a player who DEMANDED to see my rolls saying I was cheating, this led to the first TPK I've ever had, as a dragon they were fighting proceeded to crit three or four times in a row and killed most of the party, don't be afraid to fudge rolls if you think the situation calls for it, for that matter, if you think players are doing an exceptional job in character. Ignore some rolls (Reflex saves etc) to make it more dramatic and make them feel more heroic, that's been my experience, mileage may vary but. Our first campaign ran for over a year, the second one I ran in BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth) ran for just over a year. I think you'll have a ton of fun, don't let the subtle things in the game weigh the game itself down, learn to read your player's faces, understand when they are getting annoyed because for the tenth time you're looking up grappling rules. You'll do fine. As far as modules go? Couldn't help you never used a module in my life e_e

[DarkKensai]

Cool. Thanks everyone.




Also, do you plan on making this an ongoing campaign with a meta-plot, or is it more like an episodic adventure? Depending on which, I can offer some suggestions for tie in quests.

I like the idea of an ongoing campaign. I have the idea for an overarching plot I want to use to tie everything together, but I don't know if it will work because the few times we have gotten together so far, the players have shown a remarkable aptitude for not doing what I expected.

[Darrin]

I don't know if it will work because the few times we have gotten together so far, the players have shown a remarkable aptitude for not doing what I expected.

Sounds like you're doing everything right so far! That's DMing in a nutshell.

[Amphetryon]

I like the idea of an ongoing campaign. I have the idea for an overarching plot I want to use to tie everything together, but I don't know if it will work because the few times we have gotten together so far, the players have shown a remarkable aptitude for not doing what I expected.
As long as this hasn't led to your Players accusing you of being unprepared, there's nothing wrong with that.

[DarkKensai]

As long as this hasn't led to your Players accusing you of being unprepared, there's nothing wrong with that.

Lol, no, not yet. But everyone is so new that I'm able to "wing-it" without people catching on yet.

[Captnq]

Lets see...

Unless yer in central New York, can't help ya.

Things kinda winding down. Wouldn't mind looking at a little fresh meat... I mean blood! I mean players to sacrifi- Err... I wish to drive you insane, entertain you. Yes. That's it. That's the ticket..

[Amphetryon]

Lol, no, not yet. But everyone is so new that I'm able to "wing-it" without people catching on yet.

The fun part is when your ability to have a ready answer to their choices leads to accusations of railroading, while their ability to catch you off guard leads to accusations of being unprepared.

[DarkKensai]

The fun part is when your ability to have a ready answer to their choices leads to accusations of railroading, while their ability to catch you off guard leads to accusations of being unprepared.

Yay, I can't wait! :smalltongue:

[RegalKain]

The fun part is when your ability to have a ready answer to their choices leads to accusations of railroading, while their ability to catch you off guard leads to accusations of being unprepared.

All my feels. :(

[inexorabletruth]

Have you considered recruiting an experienced player from a gaming site to come and Co-DM with you?

This place is full of DMs, but you can also check Myth-Weavers to see if you can find a local gamer who is LFG.

Heck, I'd be happy to help if you live in Texas, specifically the Dallas/Ft. Worth region of Texas. I always love working with new players.

[DJroboninja]

One of the best pieces of advice I can think of would be to keep things simple.

Don't worry about doing a campaign right from the get-go - I did that and it was a mistake. Instead, just try to do a bunch of fun adventures with no big overarching arc or theme. That way, you can focus on each adventure all by itself without worrying about how it fits with the others, and you can even just wing it if you have to.

DM: "You enter a... Uhh... Dark forest!"
Player: "Cool! What do we see?"
*DM frantically leafs through monster manual*
DM: "...a Minotaur!"

Those sessions can be tons of fun with little to no prep time.

[DarkKensai]

Have you considered recruiting an experienced player from a gaming site to come and Co-DM with you?

This place is full of DMs, but you can also check Myth-Weavers to see if you can find a local gamer who is LFG.

Heck, I'd be happy to help if you live in Texas, specifically the Dallas/Ft. Worth region of Texas. I always love working with new players.
I would love a Co-DM.
Heck, I would love a DM so I could do a proper playthrough first, but I have not been able to find one that can work around my schedule.



DM: "You enter a... Uhh... Dark forest!"
Player: "Cool! What do we see?"
*DM frantically leafs through monster manual*
DM: "...a Minotaur!"


That's pretty much how it's been so far!