I think I'm in trouble

[xogrex]

Greetings!

I'm hoping some of you folks might be able to help me out. I played D&D Saturday night. 30 years ago. I enjoyed it immensely but trying to find other individuals who shared my opinion was exceedingly difficult at the time. As I got older, other things took on greater importance (things like girls, beer, girls, parties, girls, cars, girls, and beer) so I basically stopped trying to get back into it. Over the recent holidays, my wife's niece and nephew and a few of their friends mentioned that they were interested in playing. Being the intelligent guy that I am I explained that I had played before and that I was willing to pick up the 5e starter kit to play on New Year's Eve if they were interested. They agreed so I ordered the starter kit on Monday. It came in today and I realized that I would be acting as DM while not having a clue as to what I'm doing. I don't even remember how to play. So all that being said, is there any chance I can pull this off? :smallfrown:


PS - I hope this is the right forum. I looked around but didn't see any other forum that seemed pertinent.

[Starsinger]

Greetings!
So all that being said, is there any chance I can pull this off? :smallfrown:


PS - I hope this is the right forum. I looked around but didn't see any other forum that seemed pertinent.

Of course you can pull it off! First step, read the rules that came in the starter kit, familiarize yourself. You don't have to have them all memorized, but atleast know where you can find things, since you will be looked at as an arbiter to help others with the rules.

That being said 5e is fond of leaving situations up to the DM, so you should decide now how you want to handle rulings in general. Are you going to go for whatever's the most fun? Whatever's the most fair? Some combination of the two?

As you read the materials, go ahead and come to us with more questions or find the answers yourself, but make note of what stumps you or confuses you, chances are your players might have similar questions. All in all though, relax. This is supposed to be fun.

[downlobot]

All in all though, relax. This is supposed to be fun.

This is good. The starter set is very nice - the only thing that we've been occasionally bogged down with is how specific spells work (not actually how they work, just taking a minute to look up the details). Have fun!

[Demonslayer666]

Rule #1: Have fun! Don't get tangled up in the minutia. If you don't know the exact rule, just wing it. This can easily be done by leaving it to chance: have them roll a d20 (the higher the result the better the outcome).

Be flexible, and let the players do what they want, within reason (keep control). Set up some ground rules, like "don't split up the party" unless you keep it short (not fun for those waiting). And "you are all friends" so no backstabbing.

Do your best to be prepared. Read up on the encounters, and try to be familiar with the monsters. Also read up on combat actions. This will help keep your nose out of the books while playing.

Try and be creative with your descriptions. This is not necessary, but it adds flare to a game, and makes a great experience for the players.

The biggest challenge for a DM is appropriately challenging the party. Try not to kill them. :smallsmile:

Let us know how it goes.

[GlenSmash!]

A year ago my friends and I started playing D&D using the 5e Starter Set. You're right to think you are in trouble... you're going to buy more books :smallsmile:

Ultimately I think I've gotten more value out of the Starter Set than any other 5e purchase I've made. It's a really nice adventure. We started with the pre-made characters but after the first session ended up creating our own. I had purchased the PHB by then.

I'll echo the advice from above. The most important rule is that everyone has fun. Also, reward creative play. It can't get really boring if everyone is just rolling attacks and damage and writing down numbers. So give Inspiration for thinking outside the box.

Welcome and Happy Gaming!

[kraftcheese]

Greetings!

I'm hoping some of you folks might be able to help me out. I played D&D Saturday night. 30 years ago. I enjoyed it immensely but trying to find other individuals who shared my opinion was exceedingly difficult at the time. As I got older, other things took on greater importance (things like girls, beer, girls, parties, girls, cars, girls, and beer) so I basically stopped trying to get back into it. Over the recent holidays, my wife's niece and nephew and a few of their friends mentioned that they were interested in playing. Being the intelligent guy that I am I explained that I had played before and that I was willing to pick up the 5e starter kit to play on New Year's Eve if they were interested. They agreed so I ordered the starter kit on Monday. It came in today and I realized that I would be acting as DM while not having a clue as to what I'm doing. I don't even remember how to play. So all that being said, is there any chance I can pull this off? :smallfrown:


PS - I hope this is the right forum. I looked around but didn't see any other forum that seemed pertinent.

This is gonna depend on you and your players personal tastes, but there's two apps that my group uses that have made:

A) making pcs

and

B) managing spells

SOOOO much easier; Fifth Edition Character Sheet and D&D 5 Spellbook Cards.

We still use character sheets and generally write our prepped spells in pads as well, and the apps dont REPLACE any of the books, but if you're looking to create a character quickly (or make it easier on yourself due to confusion about what you are/aren't getting from the various tables for classes/races/backgrounds like me) and if you want to be able to look up the effects of a spell real quick theyre really useful.

I think levelling through the first app requires u to buy the full app but its free for char creation and gives u a little table showing your spell slots/starting equipment etc; theyre not replacements for the core books in any way but theyre pretty much just an easy way of avoiding hours of flipping through the DMG for spells and specific things your character gets at creation/level up, and also just useful to clarify some of the things in the books; I'd say check em out.

[Ninja_Prawn]

is there any chance I can pull this off? :smallfrown:

Of course there's a chance!

As mentioned above, there are things you can do to prepare, but your main objective from the first session with a bunch of newbies is to have enough fun to convince everyone that it's worth their while to come back and play another session. So as well as having a decent grip on where the adventure is going, how to resolve actions and how to run combats, you also need to be aware of what your players do and do not enjoy. Different people like different things, so make sure you pay attention to their reactions as you play.

5e is a fairly simple, lightweight system with good balance and well-written rules. Your players ought to pick it up quickly enough. It does, however, demand a lot from its DMs. For now, see how your first session goes, then come back to us with any questions that arise.

[KorvinStarmast]

So all that being said, is there any chance I can pull this off? :smallfrown:

Roll a 1d6.
What was your result? :smallbiggrin:

[ruy343]

First-time DM with first-time players? you're in for a fun night!

Some DM pointers for you:


When a decision point comes, point out to them that they have to make a decision, and suggest a few alternatives. This can help them avoid analysis paralysis without forcing them down one path or another. Remind them that they can go their own way too, if they come up with something clever!

If they're in combat, for example, and they ask what they can do, point out to them a handful of options, and invite them to make a choice.
If they have to choose between two story locations to travel to, point out the strengths and weaknesses of each choice, and let them decide.

Watch for the things that make your players light up, and try to provide more of them when you can.
If any detail of the game is becoming cumbersome or un-fun for them (or you), end it as soon as you can

If a combat with some meaningless goblins, a fight that wasn't supposed to take forever, goes too long and they sigh as they roll their dice, perhaps have the goblins take stock of their doomed fate and have them run away!
If a puzzle or other situation has them stumped and frustrated, allow them to make skill checks to have their characters do some of the thinking.

Use the characters' skills, and give each player a chance to shine.
At appropriate moments, use body language to help tell the story.

Are they talking to a sinister dragon, eyeing them for dinner?
Lower your face below your DM screen with just your eyes showing and talk in a hiss.
Did they just run across a dangerous giant? Show them how big he is by standing up and raising your voice.
Was a blow particularly epic? Raise your arms and swing an imaginary sword to show its awesomeness!



Have fun!

[xogrex]

Wow! Thanks for all the feedback! To be honest, I only expected to get 1 or 2 replies. You guys have definitely boosted my confidence and I plan on reading through the rulebook and adventure this evening, then maybe running through it again tomorrow afternoon. Regardless of how things go, I'm going to stick with it. I went whole hog and grabbed a battle mat, a DM screen, an extra set of dice, and some plastic tokens for the people to use. I figured it would make things a little more "interactive" for the players. In my research I also came across a local, independently owned hobby shop (they seem to focus on Warhammer based on their inventory) and plan on stopping in at some point in the near future to try and connect with fellow players.

And all of this has nothing to do with the fact that the person who sleeps next to me keeps telling me I'm becoming a hermit and need to get a hobby. :smallannoyed:

[gullveig]

Just a tip about the Lost Mines adventure from the Starter Set: It's heavily based in western movies and comics. If you watched some Clint Eastwood movies, then you can put some far west feeling in the game... A small village, far from civilization, with no law, infested with bandits and a prospecting mine nearby being conquered by the evil guy. But instead of gun, you have swords and bow.

Have fun! ;)

[djreynolds]

Let people roll for everything, first time rolling 4d6 or 3d6 is very fun.

Remember your first character, I do. These characters will be special for some, and disasters for others.

I tell my new people to give me an image of your person and how he fights in combat. And the game at the end is all about how you perform in combat. Players will get stuck on this, obviously there are other elements to the game, but players will, IMO, view themselves on how they perform in fighting. So make sure to create moments where everyone shines, learn their powers and create times in fights where they can excel and others cannot.

And most importantly, do not kill them. Have an NPC who can shadow them and save the day, and not seem gimmicky.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I tell my new people to give me an image of your person and how he fights in combat.

This can be good for figuring out their personality, too. It'll certainly help the players settle on a class.


And most importantly, do not kill them. Have an NPC who can shadow them and save the day, and not seem gimmicky.

Hmm... how old are these relatives? I would have thought even a teenager would be able to understand that their decisions have costs and mistakes can lead to death. Certainly a lot of people would feel that being rescued by a deus ex machina takes the fun out of the game.

But this debate is probably beyond the scope of newbies playing their first game. Maybe having some helpful NPCs around would be a good idea. I have heard that LMoP can be very deadly if you don't treat it with respect.

[xogrex]

Thanks for all the insight everyone! I'll post back and let you know how things go. :smallsmile:

[xogrex]

First, let me thank everyone again for all the advice and support - it really boosted my confidence and helped reduce the feeling of impending failure. :) As far as how things went, I think one of the players running notes/summary sums it up best:

"Two axes sailed into the trees.... After it takes an arrow to the knee, Zenrana (a.k.a. Timber Packhobbit) bound and tortured a goblin. Crowbars and candles were involved inspiring an instant best-selling novel "50 Shades of Green". I am apparently too drunk to hit anything but am still allowed to drive. Aurora kills the goblin before it says anything helpful but Zenrana did manage to use some of its hide to make a hat - she was hot and wanted some shade. Somehow we made it into town and the first thing I do is find the bar where a strange man approaches me. [at this point he stopped taking notes for a while, but then picks back up] Zenrana lies bloody on the steps of some taphouse with 4 bandits screaming obscenities. I can't remember how we got here but I magically heal our stumpy little friend and turn my attention back to the Bullies at the bar. Note to self - Aurora hates porches. Following a rather crappy trail, we find a place that may be the bandit stronghold. Deep beneath the manor, we find a store room but as we search the room Aurora knocks over a chair alerting a guard dog and bringing more bandits down on us. After several "warning" swings, Aurora finally severs the arm of a bandit causing the floor to become slick with blood. Abcde leaps into a barrel to tend her wounds as Zenrana takes a severe wound. In the space of moments the last bandit falls and the room smells of fish, blood, and shame as we notice our hard won treasure."

While I have a long way to go as a DM, overall the five of us had a blast! Two of the players were going to the local comic shop to buy miniatures for characters they are going to spend the day rolling. I'm running to my local gaming store to look around and potentially get some additional information. While I wasn't planning on it, we've decided to meet and play again tomorrow, so I think I'll be lurking as I sift through the info contained on the forums.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Sounds like things went pretty well!

If you want to read up a bit more, I'd recommend the Angry DM (http://theangrygm.com/) - his advice is always good, and he takes the time to explain the theory behind it too. These fora are good as well, of course, if you've got a specific question you need answered.

[Strill]

Angrydm recently did a guide specifically for first-time DMs.

http://theangrygm.com/jumping-the-screen-how-to-run-your-first-rpg-session/

[xogrex]

REDUX!

So we enjoyed things so much, we got together again last night to play. Several of the players decided to roll their own characters prior to playing this time and while we don't completely understand the process yet, everyone was happy with what they came up with (no one had all 18's for stats or a +20 weapon). We played the same starter scenario but things went differently based on the new characters and their reactions to various situations. I also felt much more comfortable acting as DM this time. I was able to "flesh out" the surroundings a bit better without reading straight from the book and the PC's were better at deciding what actions they wanted to take. As it got late and I wanted to wrap things up, I improvised and had an Owlbear come up behind them while they were busy dividing up the loot from a chest they found. He managed to score a crit on one player killing them instantly, however the rest of the party managed to bring him down with no further casualties.

I went over to the local games store this morning and grabbed the player's handbook and plan on dropping by Tuesday evening (and possibly Wednesday as well) to observe and maybe get into a couple of games that they run on a weekly basis. Again, thanks for all the help and support!