Help for a new DM!

[Onigokko]

Alright so a little background, ive done SOME DMing before, but it has all been in game stores with a printed out module before me detailing step by step instructions. Thats about as far as my DM experience goes, however a few friends have been wanting to try out D&D and i decided to offer my services as DM. I went out and got the DM Manual, Monster Manual and the Princes of the Apoc campaign book.

Im going to start them off with the 'Trouble in Red Larch' module in Chapter 6 of the Apoc book, but my problem is, Its a lot of information to take in and im not yet sure how to shape it into a cohesive whole! I want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, but im worried that my inexperience will prove detrimental. The books give you a lot of information, but dont give a lot of ways to shape it into a whole (Which i know comes with the experience of a good DM, but i have none! lol)

Is there anyone that can offer me some help setting it up in an orderly fashion, or someone that knows where i can find a printout that lumps it together for me? or just any advice in general at this point! I have 5ish days to prep for this, so i have enough time to get it down pat, im just confused and worried!

Thanks ahead of time!


I also want to ask. Do you think its worth it sitting down with them and helping them all create characters, or should i just bring some premade ones with us and let them use those and THEN if they still want to keep playing we can go through the process of making everyone new characters?

[Specter]

What you should do is understand how the world works, how the society works and how the NPCs work. If you get that right, you don't need to worry about railing things too much.

I believe they'd prefer to customize their characters. In any case, you can find many premade sheets on tabletopping.com . Let them choose at least a race and a class.

[Onigokko]

What you should do is understand how the world works, how the society works and how the NPCs work. If you get that right, you don't need to worry about railing things too much.

I believe they'd prefer to customize their characters. In any case, you can find many premade sheets on tabletopping.com . Let them choose at least a race and a class.

I do have a bit of experience in that, as ive been RPing for awhile even outside of D&D. Im just worried i wont 'rail' them enough, or that ill just be mixed up when im doing things, and having to look stuff up all the time and thus break the 'flow' of the game. It does help its set in the Forgotten Realms of which ive been obsessed with from the first time i played Baldurs Gate LOL.

Thanks for the link to tabletopping. I think ill bring some premade sheets, and then give them an option of choosing a premade or sitting down and making one for their first session :)

[Daishain]

Perhaps the single most important rule of being a DM is to remain flexible. The more rigid your plans, the more likely your players are going to either screw up your plans, or feel like they're trapped.

Now, in this case, you aren't dealing with a truly open world, and are working from a fixed storyline. This limits your ability to stay flexible, but it doesn't eliminate it.

In this case, you need to be prepared to nudge them onto a particular path without going deus ex machina on them every time they make an unexpected choice. (suddenly a large army of orcs appear on the road ahead, you'd better backtrack and take the other fork.)

Perhaps instead of fighting the guy who has a clue they need, they snuck around him? Just present the clue in a different way, have them stumble over a corpse with a letter clutched in their hands, or let them catch a glimpse of abused prisoners who if freed have information.

Much the same holds with combat. There's always a fairly high chance that your players will at some point do something that gets them involved in something they can't handle. (rolled a one on a stealth check getting past the BBEG they won't be ready for for another 10 levels) Now, I don't know your players, but I suspect that if you just let them all die, and say "game over, thanks for playing", they're likely to be pissed. But at the same time, trivializing such mistakes is in some ways even worse. If this occurs. I suggest keeping at least most of the players alive by some means, but make damn sure that the event is a big setback. The party fighter dies covering their escape. The group is kept captive for a time and the BBEG wreaks havok in their absence, it could even be as simple as stripping them of all gear and loot and the same not being available for immediate recovery when they make their escape (don't mess with a murderhobo's loot!).