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View Full Version : How to start as a new Dm?



ReluctantReaper
2008-02-02, 05:30 PM
I was just wondering if people could give me pointers and things on dming, because I think I might try it today, but I am not sure.

metalbear
2008-02-02, 05:48 PM
First off, players have a bad habit of doing whatever they please, despite the fact that this may sometimes ruin the plot you had planned out. So try to run things by the seat of your pants and take notes on what is going on so you don't get it all mixed up.
Secondly, try to keep everything that is going on in a battle organized. This is crucial.
Thirdly, don't let the powergamers run rough shod on you (I'm sure you are familiar with a power gamer, every group seems to have one).
Fourthly, don't go for the standard clique' early game encounters of "you are attacked by 5 goblins". Try mixing it up some, use unfamiliar monsters and such.
Good luck.

ShellBullet
2008-02-02, 05:51 PM
I haven't ever been DM, but writing notes what happened during the game could be very useful for long campains...

ReluctantReaper
2008-02-02, 06:11 PM
Well..seeing as how the guy just called and said nothing is going on tonight, I might as well scrap the whole idea. Whats up with everyone else?

Emperor Tippy
2008-02-02, 06:18 PM
Remember that you have Rule 0. Use it. If you have to shoot down an idea for whatever reason do not try to justify your position as being what the RAW says. You will get arguments that will piss off everyone involved. Just say "This is how it is going to be for this game, whatever the RAW says.".

And tell everyone your houserules before the game starts.

Lolzords
2008-02-02, 06:28 PM
Leave the monster manual open and only do a subtle flip through, so the player's don't know when battle comes.

Haha, in my first game I opened the monster manual before the players walked into a room and instead of barging in in their normal manner they drunk healing potions and buffed up.

ReluctantReaper
2008-02-02, 06:29 PM
haha nice.

Irreverent Fool
2008-02-02, 06:33 PM
Leave the monster manual open and only do a subtle flip through, so the player's don't know when battle comes.

Haha, in my first game I opened the monster manual before the players walked into a room and instead of barging in in their normal manner they drunk healing potions and buffed up.

This is precisely why I use my laptop rather than books. I prefer to have my hardcopies open on the table, but then the players pay more attention to what I'm doing than what they're supposed to be doing. We've got wireless access where we play, so everything core I can look up on the SRD and I have pdf files for all of the books I own.

I didn't have my computer with me last session and I flipped open the Monster Manual to check out the stats for wraiths and the players caught on... one even said 'Well, it went through a wall and he's in the back of the book, so it's got to be wraiths.'

I was so mad. He's lucky I only took it out on his xp.

So, if you own a laptop, keep your notes and dungeons on it for easy reference.

I know you've scrapped the game, but you may try again another time so my real advice to th 1st-time GM is this:
Limit sourcebooks. If you're not intimately familiar with the game, limit it to just core. If you are, add the Complete series in there. I would recommend disallowing psionics as well, but that might just be my prejudice talking.

No LAs. Level adjustments are a pain and the races that have them are either hurt by them, or under-adjusted for the abilities. LAs suck. This includes racial hit dice. In fact, stay away from monster entries for PCs altogether.

Wealth-by-Level. Populate a dungeon with treasure based on how much xp you expect to give out. If you plan a 'full clear' of a dungeon to give enough for everyone to level, populate it with roughly enough treasure to give a total WBL. The tables are in the magic items section of the DMG.

Monsters Use Treasure. If a monster has access to a masterwork longsword, have him use it against the PCs. If a monster has scrolls and potions he can use, he should use them if it's to his advantage. If you're generating random treasure, roll it before you start the game. Feel free to re-roll if you think it's going beyond what the PCs should have.

Get the Magic Item Compendium Seriously. Just don't let them run out and buy all the neat stuff in it.

Avoid Monty-Haul. Many new DMs like to give out neat stuff as quickly as possible. This works out poorly because it breaks the CR system (worse than it already is, I mean), it makes it difficult to slowly increase the PCs power by giving them gradually more powerful stuff which in turn ruins the fun for the players because there won't be much 'progression', it befouls any later games where you have to 'start over'. Eg: "Last time I had a +3 longsword at level 2! What am I supposed to do with this Masterword junk?"

Absolutely No DMPCs. While it may be tempting to throw a DMPC in there for you to join in the fun, I would avoid it altogether. NPCs should be much weaker than the PCs and should exist mostly in the background unless they are prominent figures in the community or plot-important individuals. That being said, feel free to give the barmaid a fully-developed description and personality to keep the players on their toes. If the only people with anything to be said about them are the important figures, the players will quickly learn to watch such characters like hawks, which can ruin intrigue.

Edit: One more!
Start with a Module. Pick up a level 1 adventure module. There are plenty online for free, or in the old Dungeon magazines. I recommend the first 3.0 module The Sunless Citadel. You can always fit them in to your home-brewed world (or other setting) later.

bosssmiley
2008-02-02, 06:35 PM
* Start small and simple, work up as your comfort level rises
* Know the rules and don't be afraid to check if you have to
* Know the tastes and reference points your players have in common
* Don't be afraid to rip off what you know works ("Star Wars", "Matrix", etc.)
* Fudge die rolls and events only if it makes for a better story
* No plan ever survives contact with the players
* You are ringmaster for an improv' troupe, not a micromanaging film director
* Have fun: if people are laughing and cheering you're doing ok.

All the best, and don't worry about it. If you have a decent group of people (ie: you all have roughly the same idea of what constitutes fun), you'll do ok.

FlyMolo
2008-02-02, 06:49 PM
Umm, give them a harmless trap which can frustrate them until they work it out. For example, my PbP group is dealing with a room tiled in red and black squares. Each round, only some players get teleported in a seemingly random direction, and they're trying to work out how to avoid it. There's a seemingly simple way, but they haven't got it yet. And kobolds keep streaming through and chasing them around the teleporting room.

[solution] The first turn, the red tiles teleport people. The second turn, black ones. Then red ones. Etc etc etc.


@V: Oh, go ahead. I thought it was one of my better ideas when I had it. A fun way to make "look-there's-kobolds lets-stab-them" encounters more interesting.

Irreverent Fool
2008-02-02, 06:51 PM
Umm, give them a harmless trap which can frustrate them until they work it out. For example, my PbP group is dealing with a room tiled in red and black squares. Each round, only some players get teleported in a seemingly random direction, and they're trying to work out how to avoid it. There's a seemingly simple way, but they haven't got it yet. And kobolds keep streaming through and chasing them around the teleporting room.

[solution] The first turn, the red tiles teleport people. The second turn, black ones. Then red ones. Etc etc etc.

I am totally going to use that. (with your permission)

EagleWiz
2008-02-02, 09:06 PM
Wealth-by-Level. Populate a dungeon with treasure based on how much xp you expect to give out. If you plan a 'full clear' of a dungeon to give enough for everyone to level, populate it with roughly enough treasure to give a total WBL. The tables are in the magic items section of the DMG.

Actualy dont. The Wealth-by-Level fails to take into account magic/non-magic item used up by the pc's.

Zincorium
2008-02-02, 09:15 PM
Actualy dont. The Wealth-by-Level fails to take into account magic/non-magic item used up by the pc's.

Which is why there is a sidebar on page 54 of the DMG addressing that very issue. There's also a table a few pages earlier showing the average amount of treasure that you should give out to keep people about at the WBL. Add some to a few encounters, take it away from those that shouldn't have it, and remember to include any rewards in the overall gain.

The DMG really is the new DM's best resource.

Proven_Paradox
2008-02-02, 09:57 PM
Be ready to improvise. Players are going to do strange crap that you didn't plan for. Try to roll with it. Sometimes, players come up with some stuff that's honestly rather clever. Sometimes they're being incredibly stupid. Either way, they should reap what they sow.

Map dungeons out. For your first few games, it might be a good idea for the players to be going into some place that has been explored and mapped by others, and hand the players an actual map so they can track their movement. Drawing maps on the fly takes a lot of time and has a good chance of resulting in errors; usually minor but when they're not, it can be a big issue.

Start small, start with a module, and start low level. I hate playing at level 1 since everyone is so utterly at the mercy of dice, but level 3 (for example) isn't quite so bad; it's still manageable but the players have more options.

Be ready to say no. This is very important and something I've seen many new DMs handle poorly. Starting out at ECL 2 and a player wants to play a Solar? No. (It might be a good idea to say no to LAs and RHD as a whole). Someone wants to take Leadership and you think it's broken? No. Pun-Pun? Dear GOD no. If you keep caving, players will notice this, and unless you have some unusually good players, they will walk all over you.

Think about how you're going to deal with mistakes beforehand, because you will screw up--everyone does. You need to be consistent, whatever you do. Perhaps when you screw up--say, you forgot that monster has spell resistance and the sorcerers spells shouldn't be doing anything--you start going by the rules. "The golem glows brightly for a moment, and suddenly, your spells stop working on it." Perhaps you let it go on as it was. "This golem is defective and lacks the spell defenses most enjoy." Whatever you choose, be consistent. My personal preference, for example, depends on whether or not it's in the players' favor. If, for example, that blow should have been a critical hit but I rolled it normally, I just let it pass (it's in the players' favor). If, for example, I rolled a hit as if it were a critical hit and it wasn't supposed to be, and because of that the paladin dies, I'll backpedal. "Oh, wait, turns out the paladin's still alive! Just at -5 HP. Might try healing him."

Irreverent Fool
2008-02-03, 12:19 AM
Actualy dont. The Wealth-by-Level fails to take into account magic/non-magic item used up by the pc's.

I merely suggested it as a means to avoid giving level-1 adventurers way more magic items that they ought to have -- something new DMs tend to do. (I know I did)

the_tick_rules
2008-02-03, 02:58 AM
hit the players with sticks when they try to correct you.