First time as DM and in need guidance

[DarcyFinn]

I have just become the elected DM for a newly forming D&D group. I am quite excited but also very daunted. Most of the 'how to' guides online talk more about the elements of good role play, but I am more concerned about how I keep track of where people are in relation to others, when then can do something, how in game combats turns play out... Basically everything other than the role playing!

I am just worried I am going to ruin everyone's first time playing the game because I forget something or get something wrong (even if my story telling is A*).

Any hints/tip/links to where this question has invariably come up before, would be amazing.

Thanks in advance.

[RealCheese]

I know 5e talks about the "theater of the mind" and all, but I would suggest to still have a crude representation of characters and monsters. I use cardboard circles with tape on them that I mark with dry erase markers myself. My group also has a battlegrid, but unlike earlier editions of the game, ballparking distances is alright.

[DanyBallon]

Best advice I can give you: you don't need to know everything before hand. Run a short first session (an hour or two). When you are not sure about a rule, go with what makes more sense for you at that moment keeping in mind that the goal is for everyone (you included) to have fun. Take notes of thoses rules you weren't sure about, and at the end of the session, look into the rule book and let your players know how it should have been. Then in group decide if you need a houserule to keep consistency with previous ruling, or just move forward and next time you'll do as written in the book.

[Zman]

Whiteboard or a Chessex final hex/grid map and some wet erase markers. Makes life so much easier.

I even used hero forge to mock up a couple characters and make standing tokens for them that look like them. I use markers for the enemies.

I find having a visual representation makes life so much easier.

[Knaight]

If you want the nitty-gritty of how to run the combat side, then I'd recommend reading the rules thoroughly, getting a grid map of some sort, and establishing a systematic way of doing things. Get in the habit of asking for the initiatives, then writing them, then formally declaring turn transitions.

With all that said, it sounds like the bigger issue is that you're worried about screwing up. My recommendation there is to mentally allow yourself to do so. Realize that everyone involved is new and gets that everyone involved in new, nobody is expecting anybody to be perfect or even particularly good at this yet, and that getting into the swing of a system takes time even for veterans of other systems.

[gfishfunk]

DO:
- Use a single page with notes of NPCs and characters. Have some stats for monsters.
- Have an outline of possible plot points (or definite plot points)
DO NOT:
- Slow things down by looking up rules all the time. If there is a question about how something works, say "Lets go with this for now....but does some one want to look it up for next time?"
- Worry about a detail you forgot. If you never said it, they never relied on it, and you can change it. Just because your notes / story says something doesn't make it gospel. You can change anything from your notes on a moment's notice. Just b e sure that you mark the change in your notes.

[Demonslayer666]

Wing it. Don't be afraid to just make stuff up.

Stay in charge, and direct the game, keep it on track. Try not to let players derail it. You can set this expectation up front with the players and agree that you are all there to have fun, and not to argue over rules. Agree to keep the party together.

Take notes. Write down initiative order. Being skipped as a player really sucks. You don't need minis, just a picture in your mind. Keep it simple until you are more comfortable with complex stuff. Fewer enemies makes less bookkeeping for you.

Rely heavily on the players to know their own abilities. You don't need to know all the rules. Just read up and be familiar with the encounters you intend for them.

Don't over plan. All Players have the feat "dodge plot hooks". It never fails that you prep a dungeon and they just skip it. Along those same lines, don't railroad them into your dungeon.

Try not to say no, try to think of an appropriate roll.

If you need to, fudge some rolls so you don't wipe out the party. Your job is to challenge them, not kill them. :)
Edit: I always have the players fill out a cheat sheet for me: Name, AC, HP, Saves. That way I have a rough idea of what they can handle.

Most importantly, have fun!

[ChelseaNH]

Yeah, I thought about the same kind of stuff. Every DM has a tool set, and I wasn't sure what I would put in mine. Right now, I have a spreadsheet with player stats, initiative order, monster stats, whatever. But we're also using Roll20 and there are a lot of built-in features that we could exploit.

Other tools are more low-tech. I've played in games where the DM tracked initiative with a stack of index cards. I've used scratch paper to jot down initiative and monster HP.

My players like having a diagram to work with, but I've also run combats where I'm the only one with a picture, and I just pick where everyone is standing.

There's no right answer; it's just a question of what works for you.

[DarcyFinn]

Thank you all for the advice. I have a slight follow up question. We will have a fluctuating number of players between 2 and 3 initially. Is this too few? How hard would it be for each player to pilot two PC's each?

[Sir_Leorik]

Thank you all for the advice. I have a slight follow up question. We will have a fluctuating number of players between 2 and 3 initially. Is this too few? How hard would it be for each player to pilot two PC's each?

Rather than have the players run two PCs (which can get confusing) scale back the difficulty, at least at first. Make sure that one of the PCs has access to healing magic of some sort, even if its just a few potions of healing. My own campaign has only three players, and I try to tailor the encounters to a small group. I did add an NPC to the party, which I control out of combat, but which one of the most experienced players runs during combat. One of the benefits of a small group is that you can give each PC individual attention, which you wouldn't be able to do if the players were running multiple PCs. Try to include more roleplaying opportunities so the PCs don't get overwhelmed by constant combat whittling away at their resources.

If you feel that you need to beef up the party, use NPCs rather than multiple PCs. You can either create a character using the rules in the PHB, or use some of the NPCs in the back of the Monster Manual. Note that some of the weaker NPCs may not be strong enough to last multiple combat encounters.

Good luck!

[McNinja]

Thank you all for the advice. I have a slight follow up question. We will have a fluctuating number of players between 2 and 3 initially. Is this too few? How hard would it be for each player to pilot two PC's each?My group only has three players, and we're just fine.

[Shining Wrath]

Prepare the key combat stats for the monsters you intend to use so you don't have to flip through the MM. I use a laptop and a spreadsheet. Paper works.
For battles I plan ahead (i.e., not wandering) I also use a spreadsheet; one column is initiative, and after initiative is rolled I sort the spreadsheet by Initiative. There's a column for HP, so I can track the monsters and know when they drop. Again, paper works, but for larger battles can get a little difficult to use. You don't want to skip anyone's turn.

[Flashy]

My group only has three players, and we're just fine.

Mine too. No trouble at all.

[Randomthom]

I regularly DM a campaign with only 3 of us.

Small parties can be difficult to manage, mostly because of action economy.

There's a few ways to mitigate this;
1. Play a character yourself
In the game I DM, I play a character as a pseudo-NPC alongside the two players. Just don't pick a class that is very involved, pick ASIs rather than feats unless the feat needs no player decision once picked. A sword & board fighter can be pretty straightforward. Also, don't optimise much or if you do, go for resilience rather than damage, let the players be the "main" characters.

I wouldn't recommend this until you're very comfortable with the rules.

2. Provide the players with an NPC that they can control in combat. This is a great solution on a number of levels. First, they only control it in combat and even then, you can overrule their decisions, it's a NON-player character after-all. It provides a great in-road for storytelling. Give the character LOTS of... character! They can be quest-giver, guide and occasionally provider of DM fiat if all else goes to hell in a handbasket.

3. Alter the rules. Give each player an additional standard action on each turn. BEWARE! This makes them considerably more powerful and allows for certain actions and combinations that shouldn't be otherwise possible. It does make the players feel awesome though & hey, they're heroes after-all right?

Beside that, general DM tips would be;
Dry-wipe markers & surfaces are excellent help to manage combat.
Create small cards for each PC with their name, passive perception, AC etc.
Use these cards + cards for monsters etc. to manage initiative, place them in a stack with highest at the top, placing it to the bottom once it has had its turn. Also have an end-of-round card which starts at the bottom of the stack so you don't forget where the start of a round is.
Fudge rolls. Your primary role is storyteller, not rules judge & jury.
Have at least a name and a tiny description for every NPC. Even it if is just "Ron Fourfields, fat, big beard, nervous stammer, sweaty palms". You can even pre-generate a list of generic ones. Make a note of which ones you use and where though or your once-blacksmith might suddenly be mayor of a small town half-way across the world!
Also, to re-iterate what someone else said: Try not to say no (to reasonable requests). E.g. Can I jump off the balcony, swing across to the far balcony on the chandelier and then attack? Sure, that sounds quite difficult so it'll be an athletics check followed by an acrobatics check to make the jump & swing, then another athletics OR acrobatics check for the swing-to-jump, none are particularly difficult individually but making all 3 could prove a challenge!. Then make your attack (if you succeed at both). Perhaps even give them advantage on the attack if they succeed by more than 5 on all 3. I just made that all up while writing it, it's that kind of action in games players enjoy and find memorable. It's fun so let them do it (or let the dice decide at least!)

[Hudsonian]

I also am a new DM. I have run two sessions and one of the big things that I learned last session is that sometimes, if the players are having an in character discussion... just sitting there is the best option. Giving advice as the DM must be done with tact. Otherwise it is railroading. If I could go back, I would just sit back and enjoy the show.

Also, I really liked having some sort of representation of the map for myself. It also really helped my players. (didn't have whiteboard first session, got it for session 2.)

Be prepared for your first TPK. Make sure that your players know that fleeing is an option. (I still want to run a chase scene.)

Do your players have PHBs? Mine don't yet, but that would be nice.

do you have a module? or are you homebrewing? if you are making your own... read the encounter building rules carefully and it should help drastically with not killing your party.

Be prepared for the players to straight up skip encounters/key items/NPC names/plot hooks. EVERYTHING. (my players weren't paying very close attention during the intro to the 1st session and missed everything. Almost had to run "The Wizard Kills the Goblins" instead of "The Lost Mines of Phandelver".

[Knaight]

I consider 3 players the ideal group size, and have run plenty of games with two. You're fine.

[McNinja]

Something I would like to mention is that while my group does on have three players, I run two characters and one of the players is in charge of another character. It sounds like a lot but it's pretty fun, and I've gotten positive feedback about it along the lines of making the world seem like there's actual people in it outside of the players characters and helping to keep the players invested.

[DarcyFinn]

Well that all sounds very promising. I was going to start with one of the pre made scenarios, so I won't have to worry a huge amount about making encounters. I might a NCP that cab follow them around and get stuck in fights, but is not very talkative. Other than that, what do experienced DMs consider the best way of letting players work out their stats, should I let them roll for it? If so what's the best method, or should I go for the fixed 18 16 14 12 10 8 approach....

[gfishfunk]

Well that all sounds very promising. I was going to start with one of the pre made scenarios, so I won't have to worry a huge amount about making encounters. I might a NCP that cab follow them around and get stuck in fights, but is not very talkative. Other than that, what do experienced DMs consider the best way of letting players work out their stats, should I let them roll for it? If so what's the best method, or should I go for the fixed 18 16 14 12 10 8 approach....

I prefer either rolling all together (prevents cheating) or using a point buy system.

[Randomthom]

Well that all sounds very promising. I was going to start with one of the pre made scenarios, so I won't have to worry a huge amount about making encounters. I might a NCP that cab follow them around and get stuck in fights, but is not very talkative. Other than that, what do experienced DMs consider the best way of letting players work out their stats, should I let them roll for it? If so what's the best method, or should I go for the fixed 18 16 14 12 10 8 approach....

For your first few encounters, I'd suggest under-cooking them. Make them simple and deliberately easy. This serves the purposes of both learning the rules and learning the strength of the PCs.

The fixed array for 5e is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Starting with an 18 isn't possible without rolling stats. In both point-buy and fixed array, the highest score is 15 (17 with racial). As GM you're perfectly entitled to overrule this and use whatever you want but I'd suggest sticking with the book in this. Remember, this isn't 3e and 20 is the upper limit so 17 is a very good score.

[Hudsonian]

I posted this on another thread...


I'd say toss in a Wolf or Bear barb that has base stats at 12,10,20,8,4,4
Proficient in stealth, animal handling, athletics, acrobatics
Outlander Background for the geography help
Uses a Warhammer, picks up Dual Wielder at lvl 4 for two Warhammers (because it is awesome concept)


That way he is particularly awful out of combat, but can take a beating when he needs to. Think the little brother from "Of Mice and Men". Then he could act more like a hireling than a DMPC. Basic commands, but nothing to complicated. Might ask him to stay in the room when your in town because he tends to smile while intimidating and growl when trying to be nice. Also, he really doesn't look for details well.

So he's really good at damage mitigation, and can dole out meh damage, is going to be a hilarious part of the story, but not going to take the spotlight. I would say that he is a tag along unless one of the PC's asks for his help.


At first I was worried about charm effects, but then I remembered that rage gives immunity to charm.

[Kurt Kurageous]

When I transitioned to 5e from a vague memory of AD&D, I got the books, read what I could, then played both sides solo using a random dungeon generator set on first level to playtest it with a group of preprinted characters from a website. I rolled all the dice, looked up all the rules, and played about 12 painful hours of a slow, faltering, and fatal dungeon crawl. By the end, I knew I'd be comfortable with combat, spells, monster management, etc. More importantly, I knew what I still wanted help with and then set about getting that help.

I created a player management sheet so I didn't have to shuffle sheets looking for ability scores or asking for/determining passive initiative or passive perception. The players fill this out before the game begins, and I keep it on clipboard. I created compendiums for my homemade "modules" using the clipping tool on a PDF of the MM instead of looking in the MM. I used 3x5 cards to track monster HP, AC, etc and XP they gave when defeated.
My player management sheet https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzHVsiBMMb98VDZfd3hnR2Q3M2s/view?usp=sharing
A sample compendium: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzHVsiBMMb98MlRPNEx2NUhKZHM/view?usp=sharing

I decided what I wanted to track and what I wanted the players to track. I wasted none of their time looking up rules at the table on game night. I made decisions if I forgot a rule, and asked them to look it up if it didn't interrupt the flow. I also preprinted a random D20 roll so I could very quickly determine outcomes of saves and attacks by the monsters. This is a big deal as no one likes to wait around to find out if they got hit, they're itching for their turn. I use a smartphone die roller for everything else besides the d20 rolls.
The random 20 sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzHVsiBMMb98VkhsNXZ6aC13QTg/view?usp=sharing

I printed, cut out and glued a mess of 3d tent counters from http://www.iheartprintandplay.com/ I bought a tacklebox with trays and loaded em up with this stuff, put my dice, 3x5 cards in, etc.

I eventually bought 2 yards of fabric in a 1"x1" checkerboard from Hobby Lobby. I used the back side and chalk to mark out rooms. I will replace this eventually with 2" (not 1", hard to draw a map on quickly) laminated grid.

Oh, yeah, I build a DM screen from various sources. Took a copy paper box, cut off the end and used the hinge bits as wings, glue sticked the pages on it, and called it great. I kept the "floor wings" to put half sheets on, as they fold up nicely. A binder clip keeps it all in place.

All of this relaxed me so I could lead the collective storytelling exercise that is D&D. That's what you want to do best.

Read the optional rules in the DMG. I use side initiative as I feel the individual initiative is really time consuming and uninteresting. With prerolled d20s its a snap.

[Douche]

I like how the TC mentions storytelling, and everyone tells him to buy a battlegrid, haha.

Anyway, tell your players ahead of time not to be afraid to remind you of stuff if you forget. In communication it's called pre-empt'ing. People won't get upset if you make the expectations clear. Like, if you asked me to take care of your cat while you go on vacation, and I tell you I'm actually a werewolf and prone to eating cats when I transform, you know what to expect. Can't be that mad if I eat your cat.

[Knaight]

I like how the TC mentions storytelling, and everyone tells him to buy a battlegrid, haha.

Specifically, he says that he has the storytelling side under control, but is worried about how to handle the game side, and specifically mentions tactical positioning as a concern. So yeah, battle grid.

[old school man]

Realize that everyone involved is new and gets that everyone involved in new, nobody is expecting anybody to be perfect or even particularly good at this yet, and that getting into the swing of a system takes time even for veterans of other systems.
AMEN and AMEN!!




John