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View Full Version : DM Help an ending in a ufo



SirKibblesnbits
2014-06-13, 01:22 PM
so here is the deal.
i have been given the privilege of being the gm for just one adventure in my dnd group. and i want to make this one adventure a good one. this wil also be my first real time as dm so this is kind of a time to prove my self
i need help with expansion on my idea for this adventure. traps, monsters, trials. that kind of stuff. any idea is welcome even silly ones( especially silly ones). and know that this will be the last adventure for these characters, so difficult and dangerous ideas are no problem and are infact encouraged, becouse no one is going to care about thier characters if they are just going to start new ones next session.

so here is my idea.
a man asks the group to investigate the disappearance of his cows. one by one they are being stolen but he cant find out how. he will sujest they wait till cover of darkness and to look out for it. when they do they will find that the cows are being abucted by aliens. and in the process the aliens abduct them!*gasp*
what do you do you think?
is this a bad idea? good idea?
is there anything you'd think would be fun to add? challanges? monsters? traps?

SethoMarkus
2014-06-13, 02:39 PM
The premise is decent, but I think you need to figure a few things out, first.


Once adbucted, what is the PC's goal? Escape? Defeat the aliens? Survive as long as possible?
What is the mood of the game? Is it going to be horror? Campy fun and humor? Hack-and-slash? Heavy role-play?
What resources will the PCs have? Will they have gear with them, putting them on a more-or-less even playing field as the aliens, or will they be helpless and at the mercy of the aliens?
Will there be any chance for the PCs to come out victorious (whatever they decide that may mean), or are they set up to fail from the beginning?



Unless everyone is on board with the same type of game in mind, I can see this going over poorly- someone might complain about railroading or lack of player agency, or something akin to that. Of course, there is always the possibility that everyone will have a blast no matter what, you know your group better than I do.

Again, this doesn't sound bad. It can be an interesting premise. It just sounds like it is only in the "idea" stage still, though. Is there anything else you have thought of with this so far?

JeenLeen
2014-06-13, 02:39 PM
What system are you and your group using or, if that is up to you, what ones is your group familiar with? Of those, which are you most familiar with and feel like you have system mastery enough to make rulings as needed?

Also, from your post, I gather this is a one-shot game, i.e., not one adventure using characters in an active campaign. If that's incorrect, let us know some stuff about the campaign you are running one game in, as that could have a huge impact.

General advice from some DMing I've done:
1. Pick things based on what your players have liked in the past. If they like cool battles with monsters, give them that; if they like social intrigue, give them that.
2. Unless your group is keen on them, avoid 'awesome cinematic scenes'. I tend to err towards trying to make these when I GM, and I love it when they happen and I'm a player, but it seems tough to pull off and too rail-roady. As a new DM, I recommend avoiding it. That's not to say you can't have an important NPC give a cool entrance or plot info, but don't count on having an awesome scene and the players not screwing it up by interrupting it or interacting as you don't anticipate.
3. Feel free to tell your players to avoid more annoying/rules-intensive things. If playing D&D, I could see saying 'no summons' as those slow down play. Or no grappling, as almost nobody understands those rules well and it gets cumbersome to use them.
4. Don't run a DMPC. I think sometimes they are appropriate (although there are plenty of horror stories on the forum) and can be useful, as a new DM you should let yourself focus on controlling the NPCs and environment. No need to give yourself the extra work.
5. Jot down notes of relevant rules, NPC stats, plot points, etc. ahead-of-time. If maps are used, draw them ahead of time unless they are pretty simple. Players can get bored and/or annoyed if you slow down play, which makes them more likely to slow it down later now that they are distracted.

EDIT: I don't mean to derail this into talking about DMing advice. I just can't give specific plot advice without knowing the system. Well, that's not true. But I could give better plot advice if I knew the system.

SirKibblesnbits
2014-06-13, 04:12 PM
The premise is decent, but I think you need to figure a few things out, first.


Once adbucted, what is the PC's goal? Escape? Defeat the aliens? Survive as long as possible?
What is the mood of the game? Is it going to be horror? Campy fun and humor? Hack-and-slash? Heavy role-play?
What resources will the PCs have? Will they have gear with them, putting them on a more-or-less even playing field as the aliens, or will they be helpless and at the mercy of the aliens?
Will there be any chance for the PCs to come out victorious (whatever they decide that may mean), or are they set up to fail from the beginning?



Unless everyone is on board with the same type of game in mind, I can see this going over poorly- someone might complain about railroading or lack of player agency, or something akin to that. Of course, there is always the possibility that everyone will have a blast no matter what, you know your group better than I do.

Again, this doesn't sound bad. It can be an interesting premise. It just sounds like it is only in the "idea" stage still, though. Is there anything else you have thought of with this so far?

i guess my framework is this the players get abducted they are either put into a cage or strapped to tables with out their gear with this they need to try and escape, they have 2 sorcerers so they'll think of somthing im sure. and then fight their way out of the ship.
ive never been good at anything too serious, so humorous fun is probuly what id do, but the players tend to play it out like a hack and slash so maybe both
i dont want to set them up to fail, but i do want to make it difficult.



What system are you and your group using or, if that is up to you, what ones is your group familiar with? Of those, which are you most familiar with and feel like you have system mastery enough to make rulings as needed?

Also, from your post, I gather this is a one-shot game, i.e., not one adventure using characters in an active campaign. If that's incorrect, let us know some stuff about the campaign you are running one game in, as that could have a huge impact.

General advice from some DMing I've done:
1. Pick things based on what your players have liked in the past. If they like cool battles with monsters, give them that; if they like social intrigue, give them that.
2. Unless your group is keen on them, avoid 'awesome cinematic scenes'. I tend to err towards trying to make these when I GM, and I love it when they happen and I'm a player, but it seems tough to pull off and too rail-roady. As a new DM, I recommend avoiding it. That's not to say you can't have an important NPC give a cool entrance or plot info, but don't count on having an awesome scene and the players not screwing it up by interrupting it or interacting as you don't anticipate.
3. Feel free to tell your players to avoid more annoying/rules-intensive things. If playing D&D, I could see saying 'no summons' as those slow down play. Or no grappling, as almost nobody understands those rules well and it gets cumbersome to use them.
4. Don't run a DMPC. I think sometimes they are appropriate (although there are plenty of horror stories on the forum) and can be useful, as a new DM you should let yourself focus on controlling the NPCs and environment. No need to give yourself the extra work.
5. Jot down notes of relevant rules, NPC stats, plot points, etc. ahead-of-time. If maps are used, draw them ahead of time unless they are pretty simple. Players can get bored and/or annoyed if you slow down play, which makes them more likely to slow it down later now that they are distracted.

EDIT: I don't mean to derail this into talking about DMing advice. I just can't give specific plot advice without knowing the system. Well, that's not true. But I could give better plot advice if I knew the system.
no no by all means i welcome any advice you have.
our campaign is a 3.5 campaign.
also this IS a one adventure pony with using characters from the campaign we are running at the moment
those characters consist of 2 rogues, a paladin and her Quetzalcoatl mount, a cleric, an arcane archer, and a druid.
our campaign the players are the lords of haven they have been blackmailed by a mysterious figure that if they dont pay them 1 billon gold that he will attack us, so instead the player decided to raise an army to combat that force. now they have defeated the army and are heading into the enemy nest to end the conflict once and for all. after thats all over it will be turned to me for one quest and then to my uncle to dm.

thank you guys, every bit helps

DM Nate
2014-06-14, 05:34 AM
What sort of party gets hired to investigate missing cows?

mr_odd
2014-06-14, 03:08 PM
What sort of party gets hired to investigate missing cows?

Hey, maybe they want a break from slaughtering countless creatures.

The Grue
2014-06-15, 12:15 AM
What sort of party gets hired to investigate missing cows?

A low-level party, presumably. Like level 1.

DM Nate
2014-06-15, 12:34 AM
Well, when they're done with that then, I want to hire them to find my missing car keys.