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The Cats
2017-05-23, 08:16 AM
Just specific stuff that you don't often see posted in "New DM, Help me!" threads. Probably because those threads seem to be looking for more general advice.

1. Have your NPCs talk to the players, not each other. NPCs having long conversations with each other (Read: The DM talking to themselves) is kind of awkward and feels like the players are watching a cut scene instead of playing the game. Not necessarily to be avoided at all costs but keep it minimal.

2. Collect character info. Having a sheet behind your DM screen that has, at the very least, all the characters' AC makes combat a little faster as you won't have to ask if the seven goblins hit every time they attack. Other useful info to have is CON saves (in case the character gets diseased and doesn't notice) and passive perception. And whatever else you think you might use to either speed up the game or for rolls you don't want the players to know about. Tape it to your DM screen for ease of reference.

3. For new players, physical reminders of their abilities (beyond the shorthand on their character sheet) will help them remember all their options. I print and cut out cards with more detailed descriptions of abilities and use tokens (little blue gem-thingies you can probably find at a craft store) to represent limited-use abilities ("OK Jim, your druid used a wildshape so take one of your gems out of the pool until your next short rest."). Another option for some abilities that use a certain number of dice (Bardic inspiration and Combat Maneuvers) is to just give the player that many of that kind of die.

sengmeng
2017-05-23, 10:10 PM
4. Keep your options open. Don't designate every NPC as villain or ally. Have their allegiance depend on the players treatment of them.

5. Don't have a DMPC save the day unless it's a heroic sacrifice. It gets old otherwise.

Noje
2017-05-23, 10:41 PM
6. Make sure your players are able to interact with the setting. there's no point in spending hours building a setting if the players can't make a difference and be involved.

7. If you can afford the time, a session 0 can make the campaign run much smoother

8. Don't shove a bunch of information about your setting in the players' faces all at once. The information reveal itself naturally. Remember, the game is ultimately about telling a story, not teaching a class about your setting.

JAL_1138
2017-05-24, 08:54 AM
9. If using a physical battle map, check the type of marker before making a mark! (Edit: Since it needs spelled out, vinyl mats are semiporous, meaning you should only ever use wet-erase. But all three types of markers look very similar if you aren't careful snd you can easily grab a dry-erase or Sharpie by mistake). Dry-erase will stain a vinyl Chessex-style mat and will be tricky to remove without damaging the grid, but it can be done. Sharpie is possible, albeit difficult, to remove from a vinyl mat, but often takes the grid lines with it.

10. If using houserules or variant rules, writing them up and distributing them ahead of time can save a lot of headaches.

11. Learn the game's math—meaning the specific edition's math; don't rely on knowledge of previous ones or newer ones than the one you're playing—and a bit about dice probability in general if you don't already know, before homebrewing crunch.
11a. Never use anything from dandwiki.

12. Having a few generic encounters already prepped and ready to go whenever needed can save a lot of headaches.

13. Reskinning and/or tweaking-and-recycling encounters can help you avoid the Quantum Ogre Problem, help you not get bothered if players skip things you've prepped, and save you a ton of prepwork down the line.

sengmeng
2017-05-24, 09:35 AM
14 (but piggybacking off of 12 and 13). The stats of one 5th level fighter can stand in for 4 or 5 different NPCs, especially if only one of them turns out to be hostile to the party.

15 (piggybacking off of 14). Don't stat something up that they don't fight. If they avoid or befriend it, bring it back later or reuse it's stats for something else.

a_flemish_guy
2017-05-24, 12:19 PM
9. If using a physical battle map, check the type of marker before making a mark! Dry-erase will stain a vinyl Chessex-style mat and will be tricky to remove without damaging the grid, but it can be done. Sharpie is possible, albeit difficult, to remove from a vinyl mat, but often takes the grid lines with it.



9a: permanent marker can best be erased by overdrawing it with non-permanent marker and then erasing that (might take more then one try though)

JAL_1138
2017-05-24, 12:26 PM
9a: permanent marker can best be erased by overdrawing it with non-permanent marker and then erasing that (might take more then one try though)

I've never had any luck with that on (semi-porous) vinyl mats with either Sharpie or dry-erase stains (even with multiple attempts and elbow-grease, they never seem to pick it up), but it works wonders on (non-porous) whiteboards or plastic-laminated paper maps. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great to take dry-erase marks off vinyl mats, but for some reason will damage/fade the grid-lines a little bit when removing Sharpie.

The Eye
2017-05-24, 12:27 PM
16. Don't railroad.

Jay R
2017-05-24, 02:39 PM
17. In each session, plan to have an encounter in which each PC can shine.

A situation in which the Fighter's feat stack is overwhelmingly good.
A situation that the wizard's favorite spell is devastatingly effective.
A lock in an anti-magic field that the rogue can pick.
etc.

Don't worry about the time. By definition, these encounters are very quick.

18. But also have a situation planned in which each one's favorite tactic does not work.

The fighter likes to trip? Beholders attack.
The rogue has a great backstab or sneak attack? They are surrounded by one enemy.
The wizard loves fireballing? Large creatures with fire resistance.

Give them each a moment when their go-to approach doesn't work, and they have to get creative.

ThurlRavenscrof
2017-05-24, 02:56 PM
19. Discuss with your players what type of play they enjoy most: intrigue, negotiation, hack and slash, heroics, rp scenes, straight forward quests, tough decisions, etc

The Cats
2017-05-24, 08:16 PM
20. Arrange a rotating snack schedule with your players or something like it (Unless you just want to be the awesome guy who always brings the food). Make sure there will always be something to munch on at the table, especially if you run long sessions.

JAL_1138
2017-05-24, 10:03 PM
21. If you game at a FLGS, support them with purchases (if financially able). Be respectful of others playing and shopping, and of the employees and any store policies. If you rearranged tables and chairs to set up your gaming table, ask if the store would like you to put them back the way they were initially (they may or may not, depending on what they've got scheduled next). Clean up your table space when leaving (hopefully the players will help out, but it's still kinda on you to see that it gets done whether the players help or not). And definitely call ahead several days in advance to check if the store is running any events that might conflict and make sure there's room for your table.

AshfireMage
2017-05-25, 01:56 AM
22. Don't be afraid to take a second to figure out how to react to something really off-the-wall your players do. Ask your players to pause for a second or call a mini break if needed. If you're constantly being completely thrown for a loop, you may need to plan your sessions better, but don't feel as if you need to instantly have answers for everything.

TheFamilarRaven
2017-05-25, 09:14 AM
23. When designing challenges for your group, do not make them so that there is only one pre-defined solution. Let the party figure out how to best use their resources to overcome the obstacle.

24. When designing a dungeon, be sure to take into account the party's general power. Many non-combat obstacles that would challenge a low power party are obsolete once your party gains enough power or resources. Likewise, obstacles that may have previously been impossible for low power groups to bypass are now well within reason to encounter.

sengmeng
2017-05-25, 10:07 AM
25. Become friends with logical consistency in world building. I got so good at this that being attacked by orcs in a place where they weren't common had the players wondering if it was a plot hook with a story behind it. You can't have them invested in solving a mystery if everything is presented without logical reasons behind it.

26. Following up on 25: random encounters should not be labeled as that to the players. They should always wonder if it's part of the plot. A bounty hunter coming after them for plausible reasons is much better than 1d4 monsters that aren't appropriate to the terrain.

TheFamilarRaven
2017-05-25, 11:34 AM
27. (As an extrapolation of 16.) Do not use your power of being the DM (rule 0) to force players to do something, or to deny them them the ability to something.

28. Do not abuse power of rule 0 to bend or create rules on the fly, especially if you're doing so for the reasons presented in tip 27.

29. Have the plots to your adventures be flexible. Players have a tendency to not go in the direction you thought hey would, for the simple reason that they are human.
29a) Note the premise of your adventure need not change; but the story can be malleable.

30. Have a good (relative to your group) understanding of the rules of the System you are running. The better your knowledge, they less rulings you end up having to make on the fly, and the game world becomes more consistent.

sengmeng
2017-05-25, 06:33 PM
31. Make sure EVERYONE has fun.

The Cats
2017-05-25, 09:13 PM
32. If you use homemade paper minis (Printing pictures of beasties on cardstock and cutting them out) small bulldog clips make a good, cheap base. Just clip then on then squeeze the leg to remove them. For large and bigger creatures you can cut out a circle of cardstock (with the terrain of your choice printed on it if you want to be fancy) to the right size (covering a 10'x10' area on the battle map for large) and affix it to the bottom of the base with some sort of stickiness.

Noje
2017-05-26, 01:00 AM
I've never had any luck with that on (semi-porous) vinyl mats with either Sharpie or dry-erase stains (even with multiple attempts and elbow-grease, they never seem to pick it up), but it works wonders on (non-porous) whiteboards or plastic-laminated paper maps. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great to take dry-erase marks off vinyl mats, but for some reason will damage/fade the grid-lines a little bit when removing Sharpie.

Why not just use wet erase? you can find them at any office supplies store, they work great on vinyl (they're easy on the grids), and come off real easy. just have a wet rag and a dry rag handy.

CaptainSarathai
2017-05-26, 05:09 AM
33. Never make a world larger than the party will reasonably travel to in a campaign.

Noob DMs fall into this "world building" trap all the time. They pop open a setting book like Forgotten Realms, and see a whole world, but even published, 15-level modules don't see the whole thing. Don't waste your time with stuff you won't use!

33.5. If you Map it, they will go
This is really the problem with 33. I am playing a setting in a fictional analog of medieval Europe. The whole of the campaign happens in Britain, Scotland and Wales. The map I gave them is just that: Britain, Scotland, and Wales. France is "somewhere over there, east" and Ireland is "off the coast, northwest." NPCs know damn well where France is, but it's not mapped. Players have no interest in going to France - they know that if I meant for them to go, I'd give them a map.
My setting is tiny. You could hike it from North to South in about 5 weeks. East to West in about 2 weeks. It forces my players to revisit areas, getting them invested in the setting and it's NPCs.

JAL_1138
2017-05-26, 06:37 AM
Why not just use wet erase? you can find them at any office supplies store, they work great on vinyl (they're easy on the grids), and come off real easy. just have a wet rag and a dry rag handy.


Yes. I'm aware. Did my earlier posts read like I'm too much of a derp to know which markers to use? I can edit for clarity. I was talking about what happens when you accidentally use the wrong type and it leaves a mark than won't come off. Somebody always ends up mistakenly using a Sharpie or a dry-erase on a Chessex mat and staining it; if you own one long enough, it will happen. You always end up with somebody using a Sharpie by mistake on a whiteboard, too.

All three types of marker are visually very similar, so it's really easy to grab the wrong one by mistake. Same diameter, same type of cap, similar-color barrel. Sooner or later, someone will use the wrong one on accident. It's a question of when, not if. If you get into a habit of double-checking the marker you grab, you're much less likely to end up with a mark that won't come off.

Velaryon
2017-05-26, 09:42 PM
34. Small details make the game world feel more real. What's the weather like on the party's journey to the dungeon? What color blouse is the barmaid wearing? Is one of the goblins missing an ear?

35. As a caveat to #34, there definitely is such a thing as too much detail. Don't spend more than a couple sentences on describing any one thing that's not particularly important to the game.

sengmeng
2017-05-27, 11:55 AM
36. As a caveat to 35: if you only give details that are important to the plot, or only give detailed descriptions to important people/items/locations, the players pick up on it. This can be good or bad, but is more likely bad because it breaks immersion.

Noje
2017-05-27, 03:55 PM
Yes. I'm aware. Did my earlier posts read like I'm too much of a derp to know which markers to use? I can edit for clarity. I was talking about what happens when you accidentally use the wrong type and it leaves a mark than won't come off. Somebody always ends up mistakenly using a Sharpie or a dry-erase on a Chessex mat and staining it; if you own one long enough, it will happen. You always end up with somebody using a Sharpie by mistake on a whiteboard, too.

All three types of marker are visually very similar, so it's really easy to grab the wrong one by mistake. Same diameter, same type of cap, similar-color barrel. Sooner or later, someone will use the wrong one on accident. It's a question of when, not if. If you get into a habit of double-checking the marker you grab, you're much less likely to end up with a mark that won't come off.

Ah, That makes sense. I've never used white boards in my games so I didn't consider that situation. the only writing utensils on my table are pencils and wet erase markers.

JAL_1138
2017-05-27, 04:59 PM
Ah, That makes sense. I've never used white boards in my games so I didn't consider that situation. the only writing utensils on my table are pencils and wet erase markers.

I apologize for the tone in the first bit of my earlier post; my reply to you was really snappish and out of line. Sorry about that. I don't even know what got a bee in my proverbial bonnet there, and I shouldn't have spoken that way.

The Cats
2017-05-28, 11:06 AM
31. Make sure EVERYONE has fun.

37. Make sure the players know this is the goal and that YOU are included in everyone.

Amphetryon
2017-05-28, 09:58 PM
38. Know that following virtually* any of the advice here has gotten a DM labelled 'bad' at some point, somewhere - even on these forums. Be prepared for it with a better answer than booting the malcontent or "but the forum guys said...."

*'ensure everyone has fun' is the notable exception... probably.

The Cats
2017-05-31, 09:47 PM
39. You'll probably need a good chunk of space as the DM. Depending on the size of your group, the size of your table and if you use battle maps real estate might be limited. Remember: you can put the rulebooks and monster manuals etc. on the floor when you're not using them! (Don't laugh. It took me way to long to realize this. Ok, laugh.)

rs2excelsior
2017-05-31, 10:18 PM
40. Give your players multiple clues pointing to things you want them to figure out, even if you think it's obvious. What's obvious to you won't be to players who don't have the whole picture and they'll probably light two of the clues on fire before examining them.

41. Give your players multiple ways to approach the problem you set for them, and be willing to work with them if they pick an approach you hadn't expected.

42. Related to 41: It takes practice to get to the point where you can improvise confidently and well. Don't be afraid to jump in and see what happens; even if you don't do a great job, you'll have a bit more experience with it for the next time the situation comes up.

43. Think about what the campaign's antagonist does without the PCs interfering... how their plan proceeds if everything goes exactly as they expect. Then advance that plan as time passes. Especially if this has visible effects in the world as the campaign progresses, it gives the sense that the action doesn't "pause" when the PCs are not present, and if there are multiple plot lines, it can give your players tough choices to make about which problems to follow up on.

44. NEVER take away player agency. Even if they walk straight into a trap, give them some way to break out of it. Maybe they stumbled in there due to their own stupidity, maybe they have an incredibly slim chance of actually succeeding, but let them try. Nothing makes a player disengage faster than being told "nope, you can't do anything." That said, don't be afraid to hold them to the consequences of their actions.

Vknight
2017-06-01, 01:20 PM
45 : Never be afraid to admit you don't know a rule.
-Follow up, say you'll look up the rule later or after the session and players be patient

46 : Put your rules-lawyer to use as they can probably quickly grab the right rule for you if you must have it during a session. Otherwise plan around these things

47 : Notecards/Artists Tiles are a great way to have players contribute. Throw them to the more artistically inclined players to let them draw a npc or write notes or details about a scene(or well Aspects if your playing any version of fate)

48 : Be prepared with basic notes about the world map, and other nations because players will be players. A quick blurb can make a lot of difference. if you need to suddenly setup a plot hook

49 : If your online for a game session and the players do something super unexpected 2 or more hours into a session it is ok to end the session soon after that; and then use the time between it and the next session to figure out the hell your going to do.

50 : These are all pieces of advice take with a grain of salt and make the most of them what you will, each is valuable in and of itself.

rs2excelsior
2017-06-01, 07:04 PM
51. Related to 45 and 46, if you can't remember a rule and no one else at the table can either (or they are arguing about it), and a precursory search can't solve the issue, make a judgement and move along. Remember, as GM, you are the ultimate arbiter of the rules, not the other way around. Look up the rule after the session, but don't waste time on rule arguments/flipping through a rulebook.

52. Be careful playing fast and loose with the rules. It's within your prerogative as a GM, and some groups will be fine with it, but other players might not be--like if they build their character to make use of a certain thing and you radically change how it works, making their character useless. As always, be open with your players about the kind of game they want, and make house-rules known beforehand if it might be an issue.

MrStabby
2017-06-01, 07:33 PM
53. Particularly loose one here - make sure things that take time have a purpose. For example I find random encounters don't work. Under almost no circumstances is something rolled of a table better than an options specifically selected for a given purpose. A purpose may be broad - to give a skill or ability a chance to shine, to develop the depth of the world, to push the plot forwards, to be a climactic fight by itself, to challenge conventional tactics... Keep this purpose foremost in your mind when refining and running the encounter. Multiple purposes are even better. Whilst "pointless" encounters can be fun they take time - time that could be used for another encounter that is as much fun AND does something else as well (or is more fun). Feel free to handwave away encounters if they can be dealt with narratively and your players are happy with that.

sengmeng
2017-06-01, 10:24 PM
54. Everyone likes fudge, right? Fudge some die rolls. If the players are to be ambushed, roll dice behind the screen and tell them they failed a spot check. Don't tell them it was automatic/plot mandated.

55.Fudge in their favor too, you monster.

56. Riding off 54: roll dice at random, shuffle your notes, quickly glance through the books, and never, ever explain why.

lunaticfringe
2017-06-01, 10:45 PM
57. A tablet or smartphone with a dice roller is a great way to make rolls without players realising it.

Velaryon
2017-06-02, 09:22 PM
36. As a caveat to 35: if you only give details that are important to the plot, or only give detailed descriptions to important people/items/locations, the players pick up on it. This can be good or bad, but is more likely bad because it breaks immersion.

The key is to find the right middle ground in between a lengthy description of every minor detail, which leads to players not paying attention or interrupting you, and describing only the things that are important, which leads to always making it obvious that "this one thing is important and everything else in the room is not."

I like to give a brief description of what's there without focusing too much on any one detail, and then fill in details as the players look further. If need be, I'll let them make perception rolls and add some hints or clues.

Cluedrew
2017-06-02, 09:35 PM
Well there are a bunch of general tips I could give, but specific without being silly:

58. If you players make a bunch of completely incompatible characters, don't force them into a party. Let them fight it out. (That campaign didn't last very long but it was awesome.)

59. Let the players do work. Is someone wants to create part of the setting, memorizes every rule or similar let them. Use them as a resource, they want to do it, you get buy in and have less work to do.

Jay R
2017-06-03, 11:11 AM
60.The players will not remember to track the effects of their weaknesses, flaws, and curses. You must track them yourself.

The Cats
2017-06-03, 11:21 PM
61. Don't try to cram in every plot and idea you think of all at once. The average gaming career lasts decades. You'll get a chance to use them in time.

62. Don't worry if your players completely bypass a super cool scene or plot you had planned. That just means you get to use it somewhere else later!

Jay R
2017-06-04, 04:58 PM
63. Don't invent a trap with only one solution. That's impossible unless they read your mind. Instead, invent a trap with no ways out. Then any really clever plan they come up with might work.

Vknight
2017-06-04, 06:00 PM
63. Don't invent a trap with only one solution. That's impossible unless they read your mind. Instead, invent a trap with no ways out. Then any really clever plan they come up with might work.

64 : Check out the Atomic Robo rules for solving solutions and accept crazy player plans.
65 : If the players have been given the information to solve how to beat a monster several times and they try to brute force it well sometimes people need to learn to pay attention or make notes

Jay R
2017-06-05, 08:56 AM
66. It's all right for the party to steamroll past an encounter or two that you thought would be challenging.

67. When a player gets a new, powerful ability or item, you should soon have an encounter where it devastates their foes, and you should soon have an encounter in which it is nearly useless. The first makes the new ability fun to have, and the second keeps it from dominating the game.

rs2excelsior
2017-06-05, 11:14 AM
68: Related to 67, design combat encounters where different players have a chance to shine. Give the rogue a tactical situation where she can flank; give the wizard a bunch of mooks to fireball; give the cleric some undead to smite; give the fighter a good melee brawl; etc. Every encounter should not be tailored to counter the party's strengths, let them use those strengths in a way where everyone gets to shine now and then. And then, when you do want a challenging encounter, feel free to design something that negates many of their advantages, but don't go too far toward countering one character in particular or the group as a whole. When players feel they can't even try anything in a combat they get frustrated quickly (related to my previous advice re: not taking away player agency).

Goaty14
2017-06-10, 03:53 PM
69. If the party is unbalanced, i.e no healer, or no front line fighter, etc either tailor encounters to suit such instances or introduce friendly NPCs to fill such roles (True Neutral is a preferred alignment)
70. As in #69 don't encourage multiclassing because of this.

The Cats
2017-06-10, 07:52 PM
71. You don't necessarily have to prepare a unique stat block for every single creature the party might wind up in combat with.

"Suddenly out of the dark cave emerge three giant lizards! Two are green and as big as a horse but the third has mottled gray scales and towers over all of you!

Yeah, they're all just giant lizards. The big one has a few more HP.

I have a ton of pathfinder pawns but mostly just play 5e these days. I do a lot of throwing a stat block onto a pawn that looks nothing like the named creature (Gnolls become sinspawn, etc.)

Your players are never going to know (unless you tell them, but why would you do that?) and it makes things more dynamic and surprising.

Mr Blobby
2017-06-12, 03:46 PM
72. The okay DM plans. The good DM steers. PC's take a random direction / takes the third option / whatever? Simply bin your plan, and go with it.

73. Have a little list handy. Generic names / describing features / personalities / quirks. You know how it is in some computer games, right - 'oh they must be important 'cos they have a name while everyone else is called 'villager''. Sod that. In my games, everyone the party talks to appears to be a fleshed out NPC - and as I don't pause, they can't tell I'm trying to think of something.

Just remember to cross them off the list when you've used them.

74. Throw enough curve-balls to remind the players that over-specialisation has downsides. Do this increasingly as the PC's gain in abilities.

75. Let the PC's fail - if said failure is warranted.

76. If a rule leads you to a plainly insane or stupid ruling - the rule is the one which is binned.

goto124
2017-06-14, 07:58 AM
ou know how it is in some computer games, right - 'oh they must be important 'cos they have a name while everyone else is called 'villager''. Sod that.

I thought the RPG equivalent is having random NPCs called Alice, Bob, Charlotte (or whatever names are fitting for the setting) while the important NPCs are named Super Awesome McCool Name :tongue:

AshfireMage
2017-06-15, 01:48 PM
77. A trick from one of my college DMs: if you're using a mat, grid, etc, stand your figurines on top of a d6 whenever they're doing something that would put them on a plane above the rest of the combat (flying, climbed a tree, on top of a building, etc). You can even use multiples to indicate different levels or have the numbers on the d6 itself indicate how many 10s of feet you are up.

The Cats
2017-06-15, 07:03 PM
77. A trick from one of my college DMs: if you're using a mat, grid, etc, stand your figurines on top of a d6 whenever they're doing something that would put them on a plane above the rest of the combat (flying, climbed a tree, on top of a building, etc). You can even use multiples to indicate different levels or have the numbers on the d6 itself indicate how many 10s of feet you are up.

:o Genius! My party is going on an underwater adventure on saturday and I was trying to figure out ow to handle that. Thank you!

Jay R
2017-06-15, 08:04 PM
77. Roll dice a lot, even when you aren't rolling for anything. Look at the dice.

Most especially, when the PCs do something that has no randomness to it (searching an empty room, trying to bribe the NPC who has already been paid twice as much to betray them, etc., always roll a die and look at it before announcing the result. This way you haven't given away the fact that the room is empty or the PC already bought.

Cisturn
2017-06-18, 08:46 PM
78. When designing traps, try to allow for more than one possible solution. Sometimes it's could to reward players for creativity for problem solving than finding the exact right answer.

79. Remember that wearing heavy armor sucks if you get knocked into water. Keep this in mind for those long boat rides your PCs have to take every so often.

goto124
2017-06-20, 04:19 AM
78. When designing traps, try to allow for more than one possible solution. Sometimes it's could to reward players for creativity for problem solving than finding the exact right answer.

I thought the advice was "don't design traps with one solution, design traps with NO solution and let the players come up with solutions".

Jay R
2017-06-20, 12:29 PM
I thought the advice was "don't design traps with one solution, design traps with NO solution and let the players come up with solutions".

That was my advice. If the trap has one solution, the players are stuck unless they read the DM's mind. If the trap has five or seven solutions, then finding one of them is a little easier, but they still have to find one of the DM's solutions.

But if the trap has no solutions, then what works will be the players' idea, not the DM's.

Cluedrew
2017-06-20, 06:54 PM
80. Don't design traps, let the party get themselves into trouble.

I'm not sure if this works outside of proactive risk-taking groups, but it works for my group quite well. So specific to that type of group.