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View Full Version : So You Wanna Be A DM?: A Potentially Helpful Guide (Reposted and Updated)



AKA_Bait
2008-03-31, 03:31 PM
So, rather than skirt the thread necomancy line (the original post of this has fallen to Page 16, mostly as a result of my own neglect (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73071)), I'm reposting the now complete (other than for suggestions an additions) guide. There are still some very good comments in the discussion on that thread which I didn't want to include in the main body of the essay.

I’ve noticed that a few times a week there are new DMs looking for some good advice on how to start down the road. So, I figured I’d start up this thread where we kindly folks of the OotS boards could pool our collective wisdom for them. Comments and other suggestions strongly encouraged! We all have our little tricks and good advice will be added to the main post.

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Stepping Behind the Screen

Tired of seeing the BBEG escape, dying because of a cruddy die roll or seeing the best laid plans be squashed beneath the iron boot DM fiat? Are you ready to take the reins yourself and dish out a little of your own punishment? Are you aching to sit behind a cardboard screen secretly rolling dice and cackling but aren’t really sure how to go about it? You have come to the right thread. Here we will provide some friendly tips and tricks about getting your game started and then keeping it oiled and running smoothly.

Before anything else, the very first thing any new DM needs to do is accept that they are going to screw up. DMs are human just like everyone else.
You will forget to add that dodge modifier and it will change then entire course of the battle.
You will forget that tiny bit of dialogue the PC’s were going to hear that would lead them where you wanted.
You will have to go look up the grappling rules and still be confused.
You will lose the bloody map someplace and spend 5 minutes searching for it only to discover it has been in your left hand the entire time.
You will screw up in myriad unimaginable (ok, well, probably pretty imaginable) other ways.
You will screw up and really, it’s ok. Say it with me.

I am going to screw up.
I’m probably going to screw up badly.
But it’s ok and I’m not going to worry about it.

Repeat that a few times until it sinks in. Feel better now? Good, on to the details!


Genesis of an Adventuring Party

So, you have a bunch of players and they all have the coolest concept ever for a character. (Well, except for Ted who wants to be the one winged last survivor of an exploded planet. We’ll talk about him later.) What now?

First, sit everyone down before the first session and have a discussion and cover the following topics, not in any particular order:

Make everyone agree that whatever happens in the game, stays in the game. D&D is supposed to be fun for all involved and in character disputes or problems should never spill out and ruin real friendships. Whatever happens in game both you and the players should be having a good time and not getting angry with eachother. If you think your players can’t handle that, don’t play. There are more important things in life.

Have each player explain their character concept to the rest of the group. Seems like a waste of time but it’s not. First, it helps avoid later player conflict. If one player wants to be a dwarf whose family was slaughtered by drow and attacks them on sight and another wants to play a drow, you are going to have a problem. Having everyone discuss it off the bat lets you and the players come up with a way to work around it before the game gets rolling and there is bloodshed. Also, you would be surprised what sort of interesting shared backstory players will come up with in collaboration if you give them the chance.

Demand regular and updated copies of character sheets. Seem anal? Well it is, but for good reason. If you are going to craft interesting and challenging encounters then you will need to know each characters mechanical strengths and weaknesses. I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to tell your players to keep an online ‘master’ copy of their sheet. This way, if their sheet ever gets lost you can just print it out again or if they forget to bring their sheet you can just print them out a new copy on the spot. Personally, I prefer http://pifro.com/pro/ for this but there is no lack of sites that provide a free place to store your sheets online.

Make a party contract. Just a little agreement between characters about basic ways the party is going to split treasure and generally behave. You’d be shocked how many problems this can avoid.

Explain any houserules you plan to employ. If you are banning Divine Metamagic, tell your players before they build a character around it.

Also, talk to each player individually before the first session.

Find out if there are any bits of backstory or other details your players don’t want to share with the rest of the party yet. You need to know about it, even if it’s going to be a surprise for the rest of the group. You don’t want this to happen. (http://somethingpositive.net/sp05032002.shtml)

Ask about their preferred playstyle. If you don't already know it, find out what makes them tick as a player. What are the apects of the game they really look forward to? Some players like hack and slash others like heavy RP. Getting a sense of what each player likes will give you a pretty good idea of how to balance adventures such that everyone, including you, has a good time.

Find out where they want to go with the character, RP wise. What are the character's overall goals in life? Do they have a backstory or any background characters they think are important (not everyone will, if they don't, don't press them)? Is there any particular bit of plot regarding the character that they would really like to see happen? This information will help you craft many a plothook.

Find out where they want to go with the character, mechanically.
Are they already thinking about PRC's? If so, find out which ones so that you can work the existence of the fluff aspects into the game world, so you can willfully ignore the fluff aspects or so that you can tweak them as you desire. Feel free to ask if there is some stinky stinky cheese they'd really like to be able to pull of, just make sure that they know that you are just asking about it, not promising to give it to them.


Homework: Preparing for the Game

Yes, sadly the DMs lot in life involves homework. Although some DMs can fly by the seat of their pants session after session most of us need to prepare. There are a few aspects of the game that if you handle them ahead of time will keep the game moving at a good pace.

Get your junk in order:

Have Papers to Hand. Either bookmark (post-its are good for this), photocopy, or jot notes on whatever NPCs/Monsters you plan to use to slaughter have in combat with the players in the upcoming session and put them someplace you will have ready access to them. Do the same with any annoying or obscure rules you expect to come into play.

Go over the adventure. If you are running a published module, read it over a few times so you know the sequence of events pretty well. If it’s your own creation, try to think about how the players could possibly throw a wrench in the works.

Go over the encounters you expect to have. Just having the stats ready isn't always enough to have a challenging and interesting encounter. Think about how the NPC/Monster would act in combat. Some monsters have a high CR because of particular abilities and if you don't think to use those they will be much easier than they ought to be and consequentally will be a let down for the players.

Find any other stuff you need. If you use dice (I use a diceroller on my computer) then make sure you have all the dice you are going to need ready to hand. If the party has minis they leave in your care, be sure the cat hasn’t stolen them and set aside any other minis (or coins or army men or stuffed animals…) that you plan to have represent NPCs/Monsters.

Pre-rolling: As a DM there are quite a lot of things you will need to roll for that the players either will not see, should not see, or don’t really give a damn about anyway. Roll these ahead of time and keep them at the ready for when you need them. Make sure your players know you do this though, so they don’t think you are just making it up as you go along (even if you are). What these are will vary from group to group but a few common ones are:

Spot and Listen Checks for your Players. Nothing destroys the verisimilitude of a game like a player realizing they just failed a spot check. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0003.html)You have a copy of their character sheet (RIGHT?!) so roll out someplace between 5 and 10 spot and listen checks for each character and use them when appropriate. You don’t need to do this for every spot and listen check your players will be rolling. If they actively ask to make a spot or listen check let them roll it on their own but if that ninja is creeping up behind them, use the one on the list.

Another option instead of prerolling the skill checks that will save you time at the table is the 'take 10' mechanic. If your players are ok with it, you can houserule that they are taking 10 on any check you would be rolling off screen.

Initiative for your Monsters. Rolling for initiative for each of the 15 kobolds will take a little while. That pause hurts dramatic tension. Roll this ahead of time and have it ready for when combat starts. Unless your players really like to use the Intimidate skill whatever it is will not change if you roll it 3 hours before the game or there at the table. I like to use Post-it’s or index cards to keep track of initiative. If you keep a stack with each NPC/Monsters critical stats and initiative rolls you can slide into combat pretty much seamlessly.

Any skill checks you expect NPCs or Monsters to have to make. When the DM rolls a hide check, the players know something is up. Figure how well that darkmantle is hidden ahead of time. Know how big a whopper that bard just told. It saves time and helps keep the players in character.

Damage for any spell or effect that you KNOW is going to happen. If Flagophan the Wizard is going to start off with a fireball no matter what, go ahead and roll the damage now rather than stopping to count out d6s midcombat. Of course, you might want to wait to roll in some cases, just to scare the hell out of your players.


Let the Game Begin!: Tips for Getting the Session Started

How the beginning of a session goes will frequently set the tone for the entire session, so it’s important to get off on the right footing. Here are a few simple suggestions for things to do right before you really get down to play and right after everyone in your group is ready to go.

Before The Dice Start Rolling:

Chatter: Sometimes the hardest part of getting a session started is actually getting started. Most people play D&D with their friends and a certain amount of chatter time at the beginning of the session about the latest episode of Heroes, so and so’s new girlfriend/boyfriend or how drunk you were at Ted’s birthday party last Friday is natural and to be expected. It can be hard to know when it’s time to stop just generally hanging out and get down to the rolling of dice and the slaughtering of tasty tasty chunks of xp. Be a little patient and wait for one of those natural pauses in conversation that occur every 22 minutes or so (not a scientific fact but it’s roughly true) and then ask if everyone is ready to start. I generally plan to actually start the session around half an hour after I tell my players that we are going to start. Don’t cut people off or demand that all conversation cease. Not only are you not your players mother (in most cases anyway) but starting off in an imperious and confrontational way will lead to an unpleasant dynamic for the rest of the evening. If conversation doesn’t pause for long enough, politely interrupt and ask if people are ready. Don’t be a jerk about it; these people are your friends and not your subordinates.

Food: Let’s face it; everyone eats when they play D&D. Having a bag of Doritos is almost as important as having dice to many a player and that’s perfectly fine. However, sometimes this gets out of hand and can delay the start of a session significantly. I have seen more than one session delayed hours as people order Pizza or Chinese, wait for it to be delivered, and then eat it before starting. Ask your players either to have their food with them when they arrive or plan for breaks to eat. If you are ordering a Pizza, ask the delivery place to bring it an hour or two into the session so that it will arrive at when you would normally take a little break anyway. That way, you can have your pizza and adventure too.

When the Game Actually Starts:

The Recap/Intro: At the beginning of each session it’s generally a good idea for there to be a quick recap of what happened in the last session or even last few sessions. If it’s the very first session ever, instead of recapping what happened in the last session, give a little of the backstory of how the party formed or if it hasn’t yet, how each of the characters got to the inn or wherever the opening scene takes place. If it’s a later session you can do the recap yourself or if you have an enthusiastic player let them handle it. It’s important to give the players a sense of continuity from the last session, remind them of things they might have forgotten over the week/month between sessions, and for the sneaky DM it provides a way to subtly prod the party in particular directions. If you want the party to go after the Vampire Lord this session rather than the Beholder, mention a few more details about the Vampire Lord in your recap. The players will frequently take the bait, intentionally or unintentionally.

Roll Initiative: I’m not saying start every session with an encounter, although sometimes it is good to do so, but to have the players roll initiative for whenever the first encounter is going to be later in the session and jot it down. If you are using index cards or post-its to keep track of initiative order and you have prerolled your monsters you can even slide the PC’s cards into their proper place in the stack. This may seem a bit unorthodox, but it really does improve the flow of the game as you can now go directly into PC actions the moment combat starts rather than having to pause, roll dice, and set up the order. After the first combat, when people are scribbling down the loot they acquired, have them roll for initiative the next one. Looting the bodies does not have any dramatic tension to break, seeing if the orc that just leapt from the bushes gets to stab you in the face does.


Greasing the Wheels: Keeping Things Moving and Players Happy During a Session.

Now that the session is actually underway as a DM you have two major responsibilities. The first, is that you are the arbiter of the rules and generally speaking set the pace of the game. Here are few ways to speed things up and a few traps to avoid:

Don’t Argue About the Rules: This is quite possibly the largest mid-game time waster and bad blood generator. Unfortunately, it is also the easiest to succumb to. In a game with as many Core rules and additional source books as D&D it is inevitable that there will be disagreements about one rule or another. Frequently the disagreement will come up when the player wants to take an action, cast a spell, or use an ability and you disagree about what the effect of their action is going to be or, in some cases, if they can take the action at all. Don’t just dismiss your player out of hand but don’t get into a debate about the rules either.

Give your player 30 seconds or so to tell you why you are wrong. If they manage to change your mind in that time, rule their way. If they don’t simply say that you don’t want to get bogged down in a rules debate and that for the remainder of that day’s session the rule will work under your interpretation. There will be ample time between the end of this session and the next session for you, the player, or both to look up the right answer or if it’s particularly tricky, ask someone who you can both agree is an authority on the rules (The Simple Q&A (By RAW) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66326)thread on these boards is a good place for that). It is better to work under an incorrect interpretation of a particular rule than get bogged down arguing about it for an entire gaming session and believe me; it is possible to spend an entire session arguing about rules.

If it turns out you were right, don’t rub it in. In fact, other than to explain to your player why you were correct, don’t mention it at all. Probably everyone else in your gaming group will have forgotten about the dispute anyway. In fact, the player with whom you had the dispute may even have forgotten about it since you didn’t get into an argument over it and just moved on.
If you were wrong, fess up. Tell your group that you misinterpreted that particular rule and from now on it will work the other way. It’s just one of those cases where you screwed up, like that time you forgot that the elf automatically gets a search check for secret doors. No big deal.

It Just Works: Technically speaking, there are tons of skill checks you should be calling for all the time but more often than not the result is a foregone conclusion or the need to make the check itself borders on absurd.

A listen check for people talking directly in front if you is a DC 0, but you have to beat the DC by 10 to understand what they are saying. This means that a character without any ranks in listen is going to be unable to hear the rest of the party having a discussion half the time if they actually roll. Rolling for this, or even contemplating the check, is both silly and a waste of time. Skip it and just tell people they hear the conversation.

Conversely, there will be relatively high checks but that involve skills the PC has a high enough modifier in that it is either impossible, or nearly impossible, for them to fail. To use listen again, hearing a stalking cat is DC 19. If your character has a 19 modifier, don’t bother rolling the check. This has the added bonus of making your player feel awesome. They are just too good to even need to bother with a check.

However, don’t do this in reverse and don’t do it with saving throws. With skill checks, the players should always feel like they have the potential to overcome any particular obstacle, even if the DC is so high that it is mathematically impossible for them to succeed. With saving throws, rolling a 1 is an automatic failure and a 20 is an automatic success, so no matter what the DC the PC will still pass or fail it 5% of the time.

The 'take 10' and 'take 20' mechanics are particularly helpful for speeding through some of this stuff if your players want a rules justification. With the Listen check examples above, if each character had taken 10 (and didn't have wisdom penalty) then their checks would have succeeded automatically anyway. Depending upon the demeanor of your group you may want to stress this tactics importance to the players, leave it be, or just handwave the results.

Another thing way to help move things along can be circumstance modifiers. The standard DCs for tasks assume a certian set of normal conditions. For some checks, there are explicitally identified instances when the DC is supposed to be adjusted up or down. A listen check has its DC increased by 5 if the PC is distracted for example. However, frequently it is up to the DM to determine if the task was made easier or harder and by how much. Adjusting the DC of a task down to suit the circumstances is a good way to save time and have a check just succeed. We will talk more about adjusting the DC up in the later sections.

Cut to the Chase: Some skills or abilities can bog down the game because they both seem important to character survival and only effect a small area of the map. Search, for example, technically only searches a 5ft. by 5ft. square. Unless you are running Tomb of Horrors there really is no reason to go through the rigmarole of having the party rogue roll 20 search checks just to move down a 10 ft. by 50ft. hallway. Have the player roll once (or use your pre-rolled number) and say it applies to the whole hallway.

Allow the Use of Averages: Some mathematically inclined players will not want to bother rolling out how many hit points they get back for a potion Cure Moderate Wounds but just split the difference and take the average number as if they had rolled. Let them. If your players are cool with it, you might even want to institute a house rule that all such items always give the average. Over the life of the campaign it will work out the same. That’s why it’s the average.

Try to Speed Decisions: Some players have a tendency to take a long time making decisions in combat. Others will get bogged down debating with the other party members. This can eat up a lot of table time and steal the scary from combat. Soggy combat is not exciting combat. Try to speed things along with some gentle prodding if you notice a tendency for this. Rolling a D20 in plain sight and looking as if you are consulting your notes will typically get the players attention focused back on the decision at hand. Also, after a little deliberation, you may simply want to ask your player point-blank 'So, what are you doing?'

Try to keep a lid on in character discussions during combat in a similar way. Yes, talking is a free action, but remember that each round is only six seconds long. A quick back and forth bettween players or to an NPC is fine, but a 15 minute discussion isn't.

Don't be draconian about this and don't be a jerk. If you know your players like to have a little table talk during combat, expect it and don't shut them down unless it starts getting out of hand. Be diplomatic and reasonable. Don't punish a player for wanting to make a good decision.

Your second job, as the DM, is to be the spotlight of the game. No, you are not in the spotlight. You are the spotlight. Everything the PC’s see, hear, touch, smell or interact with in a given gaming session is what you decide to highlight and this includes themselves. The world is exists only by your descriptions and the PC’s by your attention given.

The best way to go about spreading attention and description throughout is going vary from group to group. There is no one right way. Some groups prefer the DM to provide them with a complete story, lots of detail, and essentially function as actors in the DM’s play. Others prefer the DM just provide the rough sketch of a world for their characters run around in. Many like something in between. Finding you and your group’s style of play is really only discovered by playing. After the first few sessions, talk to your players about what they thought and listen if they have suggestions or complaints. However, regardless of your eventual style of play there are a few general rules for making a memorable world and keeping players happy.

Distinctive Marks: For NPCs or locations you want your players to remember give them some distinguishing mark or attribute that the will stand out in the players' minds.

For NPCs, styles of clothing, speech patterns and accents, scars and deformities, or even hair color can serve this purpose. I have an NPC aristocrat in my game that talks like a stoned surfer dude and although the players can hardly ever remember his real name ‘Lord Smokes-a-lot” is firmly fixed in their minds as a major NPC in the world.

This is especially true of any reoccurring villain the PCs are going to have to defeat. For villians though you have the additional option of some signature act, like always casting darkness before they strike or sticking the severed heads of their victims on pikes, which makes them unique.

For places, distinguishing pieces of architecture, unusual decorations, or even a particularly apt description of the mood of the location will mark the place as important to the players. The Parthenon has its columns; The British Houses of Parliament have Big Ben; Baradur has its floaty eye, and even Bag End has its little round green door. It doesn’t have to be grandiose, something as simple as having a dart board in the back of the inn can serve to set it apart as a memorable location.

Let The Players Do The Work: No matter what style of play your group turns out to like, the one constant is that the PCs should always be in the center of the spotlight. Whatever obstacles or problems that the PCs encounter, they should be the ones eventually doing the bulk of the work to solve it. A common trap that many DMs fall into is to create a really awesome NPC and then let them solve all the problems the party faces for them. Don’t do it. If some NPC can save the world all by themselves then why would the PCs bother to be there at all? Your players want to be heroes, not sidekicks. This is not to say that you can’t have NPCs that are really cool, integral to the story, or more powerful than the PCs but just that the players should always feel like they are important and critical to the success of the endeavor. What their role is can vary from casting the earth shattering evocation themselves to keeping the seemingly endless the horde of demons from reaching the NPC who has to cast it, but whatever it is, they need to have played a major role.

This also applies to when the PCs make decisions that would affect the progress of the plot (if there is a plot). Players need to feel like their decisions are important and that they have decisions to make. Even if you secretly know everything that is going to happen from the very first scene of the campaign to the final blow that will strike down the Evil Overlord (which is only one among many styles of play) the players should still see the movement of the plot as consequences of their deliberate choices. If a player wants to do something unexpected that could mess up your plot don’t drop the iron fist of DM and tell them that they just can’t or create ad-hoc punishments for their doing so. If you do, they will feel like they aren’t really a participant in the game and you will kill their fun. Besides, you have other and better options for handling it. We will talk about those options more in the "You Did What?: Recovering from Unexpected Player Actions" section.

Time to Shine: Just as important as making sure that your NPCs don’t make the players feel useless is making sure that none of the players make the other players feel useless. Make sure that you give each PC a chance to do whatever thing it is that they do best. If you have a party with a silver-tongued rogue and a big bruiser of a fighter give them an encounter they have to talk their way past and another one where they have to throw down and kick some butt. This can be tricky sometimes but it’s worth the effort to make sure that everyone at the table has a good time.

Occasionally, you will have a player who by dint of a better build, more problem solving skill, or just a mechanical imbalance in the game itself *cough*druids*cough* that will actually be better at whatever thing another PC does best and steal their that PCs spotlight time. The best way to solve this will vary and we will discuss it in more detail in the "Trouble with Ted: Dealing with a Problem Player" section below.

AKA_Bait
2008-03-31, 03:35 PM
Winding Down: Ending a Session Well

Ending a session well is one of the trickiest aspects of being a DM not only because you want to leave the players begging for more but also because most games have a set period of time in which they are played (my game for example meets 7pm to 10 pm on Tuesday nights) and having the hook for the next session arrive at just the right moment (9:45 or so for my game) can be quite touch and go. I’m going to talk about the most common ways to end a session and the benefits and dangers of using each one. Obviously, whichever way you choose to end will depend upon your play style and that of your group. I strongly suggest mixing it up though.

Oh God Oh God We Are All Going To Die:

DM: In the distance you see a gargantuan beast. It’s mammoth form does not so much crest the hill as push it out of the way.
Player: I’m going to make a Knowledge Arcana check to see if I recognize what it is I got a 24.
DM: It is the Tarrasque and we are going to stop here.

Anytime you leave the PC’s in the middle of a life threatening situation they are probably going to want to know what happens next. This is a good method of ending a session but be judicious in using it. For one thing, if overused, it becomes hackneyed and your players simply come to expect that every session is going to end right before a dangerous encounter. That kills the suspense. A second concern is a very practical one: will all of your players be at the next session? If not, congratulations you have just stuck yourself (or one of your players) with an NPC to run in a weeks time and deprived the player who can’t attend the fun of determining how their character makes it through.

The Big Reveal:

DM: Krim fells the necromancer with a mighty blow from his war hammer! The black clad form tumbles backward and slumps against the far wall of the chamber. His dagger, jarred from his gnarled hands by the impact of the fatal blow skids across the chamber towards your feet. It carries the insignia of Duke Cain’s secret police. We are done for tonight.

Sometimes you will want to end a session with a piece of plot/information that will throw the PC’s for a loop or resolve a mystery they have been dealing with. This method can be quite compelling; just make sure that whatever you reveal is something players are probably going to want to act upon in the sometime next session. This can be a tricky one to plan. If you are going to use a Big Reveal be sure you plan to have extra time at the end of the session after the reveal, in case some earlier part of the session takes longer than you expected. If you don’t and the session goes over time, you run the risk of your players only half listening as they pack up their stuff.

Loot:

DM: You burst from the top of the foul water and before you lies the horde of the Black Dragon Xtyliner. Coins and gems lay scattered about in haphazard piles. Sword hilts, daggers, scrolls and a staff can be seen partially buried among the silver, gold and ruby. Here we stop.

Remember how you felt on Christmas Morning when you saw all the wrapped presents under the tree? I know my short befreckeld childhood self could hardly wait to start tearing into that wrapping paper. Showing your players a bunch of stuff (or even one really awesome looking thing) and making them wait to find out exactly what they got can make them very eager for the next session. Again, don’t overuse this, or your players will get ancy. This is also a good one to use if you hadn’t exactly planned what loot the players were going to receive was yet.

Mid-Combat:

DM: The Bugbear lunges at Krim slashing its scimitar wickedly. The blade ricochets off his armor with the sound of scraping metal. Ok, we have to stop now.

For games with serious time constraints ending in the middle of combat is a real and unpleasant possibility. It’s one thing to end a session right before or right after combat, that is what two of the examples above do, but it is entirely another to end in the middle of combat. I advise against it for a few reasons. First, ending mid-combat is essentially taking the suspension of disbelief you have been working on all session or all campaign and smashing it against the wall. Dramatic tension is dead if you have to wait a week to see how the fight already in progress ends (DBZ fans leave me alone on this). Second, there will be logistical problems. Between sessions notes get lost, mini’s get moved (especially if you don’t have a table specifically assigned only to gaming), and players lose track of the spell slots used, duration of spell effects, current HP and the like. This can make picking up at the same point in the next session very difficult. If you absolutely must end a session during combat for some reason, I suggest that you do the following.

Take a Picture of the Map with the Combatants in Place. These days, most groups have at least one, if not several, players with a digital camera or with a camera phone. Use it. When you are setting up again next time, having a guide no one can dispute to hand will save confusion and stop any potential disputes before they get started.

End at the beginning of a new round. It will just make things simpler.

Ask Players to Jot Down Their Statistics. Pass around a pad of paper and request that the players note down their current HP and any spell effects active on the players. Don’t ask about spells used/prepared. If you are having to end mid-combat, there probably isn’t time for it.

Danger Lies Ahead:

DM: The hole goes deep into the retaining wall of the sewer. Distantly you can hear the squeak of rats. Your informant had told you Silus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55087)was lairing in this part of town and this tunnel fits his description of the entrance. We will pick up here next time.

Occasionally, the players will take a lot longer to get to the meat of the adventure than you had planned. It can happen many, many ways, but the end result is really the same: It’s 20 minutes before the end of the session and the PCs are just about to head into an area where there will be a lot of wandering around and combat. You still have some time left but not enough and if you continue, you may very well have to end mid-combat or at a dramatically uninteresting moment. Discretion is the better part of valor here. Give a short dramatic description of the place they are about to enter and then call it an night. It’s better to end a little early than have everyone leave confused and/or unsatisfied.

Shopping:

DM: So, you all received an additional 2,000 GP from Baron Waltzingham. If you want to go shopping in town, figure out a list of things you want to buy and ask me between or right before the next session.

This is not the most dramatically thrilling of ways to end a session but it is one of the most practical in terms of saving table time. In most games, going shopping either for magical stuff or more mundane items happens off screen anyway. Ending a session this way keeps time from being wasted as players thumb through the DMG, the MIC, or other books during play looking for the new toy they want to buy. It also doesn't break the continuity of the story, as saying 'figure it out bettween sessions and get back to me' would if it was said in the middle of a session. Of course, if your group prefers to RP shopping trips, then don’t do this one.


You Did What?!: Dealing With Unexpected Player Actions

Sometimes your players suck. You heard me. They suck. Sometimes you have a plan. And exquisite, detailed, plan that you think would keep Hari Selden up nights wondering at your amazing powers of observation and group guiding. Then with one fell utterance of “Muck this, I stab the prince” the whole thing comes crashing down and you want to curl up into a little ball and weep.

If your players are anything like mine, this will happen on a weekly basis. There are good ways and bad ways to handle it and recover from it. One important thing to remember is that a good resolution will vary from situation to situation. There are a few general dos and don’ts though.

Question True Stupidity:

Player 1: I jump into the spiked pit.
Player 2: Um, why?
Player: I can take it.

A fair amount of the time, the player action that causes a WTF on the DM side is a silly impulse or an intentional (funny or unfunny) joke on the part of the player. If there is laughter, let it recede before doing anything. Afterwards, a simple raised eyebrow or other meaningful look accompanied by “So, you really use prestidigitation to soil the back of the Duke’s pants?” is generally enough to get a reasonable player to think twice about whatever truly stupid action they were about to take. If not…

Let Stupidity Take Its Course:

DM: Ok then… you take 12 damage from the fall and another 8 from the wooden spike that you greeted crotch first. Oh, and make a fort save against the poison on the spike.

If a player insists on doing some really stupid thing, let them and have the natural consequences of that action befall them. This can be whatever you think is appropriate but also keep in mind that you (probably) don’t want to derail the immediate or long term future of your plot in the process. In some cases, this isn’t a concern (al la spiked pit diving) but in others it could change the entire complexion of what is going to happen in the session you have so carefully planned out.

In cases like that, consider drawing the consequences of the stupidity out or delaying them. An angry look from the Duke now, or his pretending not to notice, and his revenge 2 sessions later, after the PCs have done whatever task the Duke wanted, can be a reasonable reaction and buy you some time to plan. After all, as far as the Duke is concerned, he’s probably sending the PCs to their deaths anyway. Why potentially waste men subduing the party and have to re-sharpen the headsman’s axe when the ogres might well perform the execution for him? If they manage to make it back, well, he can just arrest the offending oaf then. Or, if he’s not that hot tempered, he can just refuse to hire them for anything else and put out word among the other local nobility.

Don’t Flinch From The Unexpected Solution:

Beguiler: Well, I know that when you step on one of those three tiles a big swinging poisoned scythe comes out and then automatically resets, but I can’t figure out how to disarm the thing.
Crusader: Ok. I’ll disarm it then. I ready an action to attack the scythe when it comes out of the wall and take a 5ft step onto the tile.
DM: You know that if you do that then the scythe is going to hit you right?
Crusader: ::shrug::

I have actually had the above happen in a game. I let it work, and I suggest that most DMs do the same. In this instance the crusader took the damage from the trap but his attack did enough damage to destroy the scythe and disable it as well.

When players come up with some off the wall solution to a problem, if it makes sense, let them attempt it and if it works, it works. Although it can be disconcerting as a DM to have a player solve a problem in a way you absolutely did not expect (I expected the party to just jump over the tiles…) it makes a player feel awesome to have something like that work. If it doesn’t work, at least they get to feel like they tried. In D&D tis better to try and fail than be told by the DM that you aren’t allowed to try at all.

It can be tough, mechanically speaking, to determine how to resolve a strange solution to a problem. What skill, exactly, applies to swinging across the room on a chandelier? Well, the long and short of it is that you need to make a call on the spot. You can either use something similar, like tumble in this case, or make it an ability check, using just the characters modifier for whichever ability makes the most sense.

However, as solutions like this tend to bend rules or go beyond their scope as written, you must be careful that leeway here doesn’t snowball. Odd uses of spells can be a particular source of trouble down the line. If you let a player get away with using Detect Magic to pinpoint the location of an invisible item in a room then, mark my words, they will want to use detect magic that way to find the invisible BBEG. Consider the implications first. If you need a second to look up the spell, take it. If you have to say no, say no but have a reason beyond ‘because I didn’t see that coming.’

Have A Key Information Backup Plan:

DM: The once human creature emerges from the darkness, its red eyes reflecting equal parts madness and sorrow. “I will tell you who transformed me and trapped me here to suffer. But first, tell me…”
Player: I charge and hit it with my mace. ::rolls:: I crit!
DM: Sonofa…

As tempting as the idea is to have only one vital NPC in your campaign setting that has the essential piece of information for the ‘big reveal’ you need to get the PCs on the right track, it is frequently a recipe for disaster. PCs often have an annoying habit of scorching raying first and asking questions later. My theory is that much time in dungeons where everything actually is trying to kill them gives them PTSD. So, have a backup plan, possibly several, in case the PCs off the person with the information before they have a chance to squeal or just simply don’t talk to them. What the backup plan is, specifically, must vary from game to game but just remember there is almost never any secret so well kept that only one person ever knows about it. Butlers, maids and gardeners are good for this.

Have Some Stock NPCs:

Player: I set fire to the Inn.

Keep a few NPCs statted out and to the side in case you need impromptu guardsmen, healers or a bucket brigade. Trust me, you will. be happy you did.

Admitting Defeat:

DM: It doesn’t work.
Player: Why not?
DM: You don’t know that do you?

Once in a great while a player will come up with something so ludicrous, so off the wall, so totally within the rules, and so bloody effective that either the adventure you had planned or the entire campaign has just been radically altered or even rendered moot. Refrain from strangling them. Depending upon the level of destruction that has just been wrought, there are at least 2 more reasonable courses of action than violence:

Fess up and ask for time to plan: Let it work and say you need a 20 minutes or so to figure out what happens next as they have totally thrown you for a loop. Don’t say you need 20 minutes and then have it not work. The player who came up with it will probably feel cheated. This is most appropriate for adventure level destruction. This might seem lame but really, it will likely be one of the most memorable moments of your game. Your players will literally talk for months about the time that they ‘broke the labyrinth and got the DM to chain-smoke half a pack of Camels in 20 minutes.”

DM Fiat: Take the player who came up with it aside and be honest with them. Tell them that although it should work, you need to house rule in this case that it won’t or the entire campaign goes to Hades in a hand basket. Be apologetic that you are going to have to be arbitrary in this one case and be sure to compliment them on what an awesome idea it was. If your player is a reasonable person, they will understand. In many cases, they will volunteer to take some other course of action so as not to screw everything up.

Admitting defeat can be a pain. It’s not much fun to have what you planned shattered before your very eyes and the temptation will be there to simply squash it beneath the iron boot of DM Fiat without owning up to the players that you are doing so. DMs have egos too and the temptation to invent some ad-hoc rules interpretation, whip up some unjustifiably large negative circumstance modifier, or simply say ‘it’s a mystery because of some thing your characters don’t know’ is totally understandable.

Still, don’t do it. For one thing, your players will probably know that you are full of horse dung and experienced players, who understand that sometimes the DM needs to fiat, may be annoyed or even insulted that you weren’t up front about it with them.

This is particularly true if they spend some time trying to figure out whatever the in game reason was for the course of action not working when, in fact, there isn’t any reason other than hidden DM Fiat. I, personally, have threatened to walk out of games where I discovered my DM was doing just that.


Trouble with Ted: Dealing with a Problem Player

Occasionally you will have a player who is, frankly, a problem. As a DM, there is a strong temptation (some would call it a right, although I wouldn’t) to simply deal with the problem in game by fiating or out of game by demanding that the player change whatever it is that is causing the problem. This is a great strategy, if you want to alienate your friends. Otherwise, there are better ways to go about it. Below I’ll sketch out a few general pieces of advice and then look at some types of problem players and ways to deal with them.

General Advice:

Consider that You might really be The Problem: Yes, you. The first thing a DM should ask themselves when they have a player who is consistently a problem in game is: are they the problem or am I? Some players may have honest, reasonable, and well supported gripes about some aspect of game play which recur time and again. When talking to a problem player keep that in mind and listen to what they have to say. If it turns out that you are the one being unreasonable, change. A good way to spot if you are being unreasonable is if no one else in the group is seems to think that the player is, in fact, a problem.

Be Respectful: Be open, honest, and mature about whatever problem is happening in game. Treat them as an equal, because they are. Don’t be accusative. Don’t call them names. Don’t act like they must bend to your wishes because you are the DM.

Be open to reasonable compromise: This is not a war between you and the player. If there is something they want to do and you can accommodate them without much of a problem; do it. When you are willing to meet in the middle, other people usually are too.

Don’t Talk Angry: I cannot count the number of times that I have seen or heard about people losing their temper over this silly role-playing game. If you are ticked off at a player for some reason then wait until you have calmed down some before you have the conversation. Have a seat, take a few deep breaths, and encourage them to do the same. That alone will work wonders. Talking when sitting or lying down frequently keeps people from being riled up when they otherwise might be. There are studies on this but I forget the link.

Be Sure D&D Is Actually The Problem: Just like in all other areas of life, people will project issues they have about one thing onto another. You can talk until you are blue in the face about availability of prestige classes and wanton murdering of NPCs but it won’t do a lick of good if the real issue is that you stole their girlfriend and they are getting revenge by messing up your game.

Also, don’t steal your players’ girlfriends. Jerk.


Some Frequent Problem Players:

Obsessed With X: It’s said that good writers borrow and great writers steal. That’s true in literature and in character creation. We all do it. At least at some point one of our characters is, at least in part, Jack Sparrow, Indiana Jones, Jayne, Aragorn, Spike, Belgarath, Ginko, or another character from fiction that we think is really darn cool. It is normal and expected in a D&D game that we will borrow and steal ideas for characters but some folks take it too far and that can become a problem when the character they want to play is not conducive to the campaign the rest of the group wants to play. A one winged alien with a gunsword is not going to fit well in a traditional setting.

Ideally, this sort of problem should be dealt with before the game ever starts when everyone is sitting down explaining their character concepts but sometimes it slips by. Particularly, it can be easy to have a concept that doesn’t work with the group find its way in when you have a new player enter part of the way through a campaign. As a DM you have a lot to handle and may not look closely enough to spot a problem if you are in the middle of worrying about other things. When it does become apparent that there is a serious issue, pull the player aside and talk to them about it. If they don’t fit the campaign setting for whatever reason, tell them why and offer to help them tweak the character so it does fit. If they are adamant, work with them on a new character and a way to extricate the old character from the ongoing storyline in a manner they are comfortable with. If they refuse both of these… well, see Time to Go below.

The Back Seat DM: In many games with experienced players one, or more, of the players will have been, or is currently, a DM in a different game. Chances are they have their own house rules and that those rules are not identical with yours. Old habits die hard and you may find these players stepping on your toes or even trying to argue with you mid-session. Pull them aside and talk to them about it. Don’t be confrontational. Just explain that things can get confused and bogged down when there are multiple people interpreting the same set of rules. Tell them that you appreciate their input as a fellow DM and that you really do want to hear their advice after the gaming session is over (this may or may not be true but say it anyway).

Out Of Balance: Sometimes one player has a build that just kicks the snot out of everyone else *cough* wizard *cough* druid *cough*. This is only a problem if the rest of the group feels like they are not getting enough spotlight time. If they are cool with it, so should you be. But, if they are not, before you take any irrevocable actions, be sure that you design some encounters that play to the non-optimized players’ strong points. It might be that you simply have been giving challenges that are easier for the optimized player.

If the out of balance player remains so, talk to them about their play style as it affects the group. Ask them to hang back once in a while and let the other players shine. Consider giving the other players some stuff to compensate for the power discrepancy. Do not do so before talking to the optimized player. If everyone gets a power boost except for them and they don’t know why, they will feel singled out and punished. Make sure that they know their build was SO AWESOME that you had to restore a little balance for the other players to approach their fantasticness. Flattery is always helpful to keep people from feeling misused.

The Cheater: That’s kind of a harsh title right? Well, in some cases it is deserved. What is and is not out of bounds in terms of metagaming, dice rolling, etc. will vary from group to group but each group will have lines they do not cross and each group will sometimes have a player who crosses them. They might fudge stats, lie about die rolls, have a Schrödinger’s spell book, stack bonuses that don’t stack, or a million other things that vary from game to game and over time, it will really begin to tick off other players, who are following the rules and being outshone.

This can be the hardest type of problem player to deal with because no one wants to be in the position of accusing their friend of cheating. Some ways to deal with it arenot to single anyone out, but ask the group writ large to behave in particular ways, such as rolling in the center of the table, doing character creation in front of you, using point-buy for stats instead of rolling or keeping you provided with an updated copy of their character sheet (which you should have anyway). In the end though, that’s not always fair to the other players and there may come a point, as a group, where the person needs to be confronted and asked to stop doing it or leave the group. This should be done as lightly as possible, without accusation as much as a request that everyone do things the same way. If it gets to this point and the player refuses to follow the group-set rules then...

The Maladjusted: A frequent cause of trouble in games happens when, for lack of a better word, one player starts acting immaturely. They bully other party members. They steal from them. They attack them. They randomly murder NPCs. They throw a fit if things don’t work out their way. In short, they use the context of the game as a safe way to take out their pent up aggression and angst on other people. They do so at the expense of everyone else at the table, frequently causing the kind of out of character bad blood that can ruin friendships and cause players to just drop out of games.

This is not to say that a campaign with character conflict, backstabbing, stealing and general mistrust among the PCs cannot be fun. It can, so long as everyone is mature about it and knows what they signed up for. The kind of player we are talking about isn’t one who plays a psychotic killer in a game were everyone is playing some kind of evil SOB or other. This is the guy who plays the psychotic killer in the game where everyone else is a shiny good guy trying to save the princess. Not only that, he says he’s a good guy as he lobs fireballs at the party bard.

This can be a very tricky situation and there are three common ways of dealing with it.

The impulse solution is just to drop the DMly Fist of Doom and smite his character or to let the other party members strike back, kill the player’s character, loot his corpse and roast his familiar in a nice lemon glaze. Tempting as this is, it is usually not a viable fix. For one thing, it exacerbates any intrapersonal problems which already exist at the table. Second, after the screaming and arguing stops, the player will probably ask to make a new character and attempt to use that character to get revenge on the party for the first one, continuing the cycle. Cathartic as ‘teaching him a lesson’ may seem, in the long run it does more harm than good.

The easier solution is simply to tell them it is Time to Go. Often times, that’s also the only solution, as the same pent up issues that cause them to be jerks playing the game will make them refuse to change their behavior. Try to talk to them first. Don’t single them out in front of the rest of the group, pull them aside before you start or ask them to stay a little after the session is over. Emphasize that the game is supposed to be fun for everyone and the way they are playing is keeping other players from having as much fun (try not to single out any other members of the group as unhappy, that will typically make things worse). If you made a party contract, remind them of what it said. If they say that it is just how their character would be have, refer them here (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/tll307KmEm4H9k6efFP.html) or offer to help them make a new character that will play better with the rest of the group. If that’s not working, it may be time to cut bait.

The third option is to try to help them. This takes patience, time, and the consent and understanding of the other players in your group. It is not fair to your other players to keep a destructive player around if they are not cool with it. Your other players come first, since they are not the problem. Keep in mind that many of the kinds of players that fall into this category are teenagers (hello angst!) or people with few social outlets beyond gaming. They may not realize that their behavior is inappropriate. It is even possible that in some group they played in before everyone behaved the way that they do. Treat them with respect but not deference. Don’t humor their tantrums and respond to them in a calm, adult and mature manner. Maturity and respect can be contagious. However, be ready to cut your losses and ask them to leave if things get too bad. You are the DM, but you don’t have to be a saint.

Time to Go: Sometimes it just won’t work out. You can talk reasonably, but you are met with invective. You can try to compromise, but they are a brick wall. You can ask them not to do particular things, but they refuse or they agree but keep doing it anyway. A sad truth about this life is that sometimes, people just can’t be reasoned with and keeping them around actually causes more harm to the fun than having them around adds to it. At this stage it doesn’t really matter what the source of the problem was. Whatever it is, it’s not getting resolved. Frankly, it’s time for someone to leave, or be tossed from, the group.

When you have the conversation, aside from the general advice above, remember to emphasize that it’s no ones fault (even if it is) and that it is just a difference in play style. Tell them that some game later might work better as a fit for everyone in the group. Don’t tell them they are banned forever. Hopefully, before the conversation you were still friends. Remain so afterwards. Don't ruin a friendship. Besides, people mature over time, and the problem player now may be an awesome group oriented player two years from now. That's not just wishful thinking, I have one in my group just like that.


As before, any suggested additions are welcome! I know I missed a few from the older thread as well if folks would remind me of what they were I'd be grateful.

TheCountAlucard
2008-03-31, 04:33 PM
Wow. Wow. Again, wow.

This work is surprisingly in-depth, and really quite useful. It's entirely helpful, and covers a great number of topics.

I'd recommend this thread to a fledgeling DM. Definitely.

expirement10K14
2008-03-31, 04:46 PM
This was a great guide. I was going to attempt to start a game, and it would be my first time DMing without help, so this is a very helpful guide.

TheThan
2008-03-31, 04:47 PM
How about an “other concerns” title that deals with things like no-show players, drop outs (of the game, not school) and other factors that can come into play.

I let a pc control a no-show player for the session. I’m pretty fair, as long as I’m given a decent reason (girlfriend wants the night alone with player, family dog died etc) life happens after all. However when people start not showing up without explanations (I’m always available to telephone and everyone has my number) I start to consider dropping them. I make sure the remainder of the group is ok with the decision to drop them.

Another thing to consider is DMPCs. This is where a lot of Dms fall flat on their faces. Some dms make these characters vastly more powerful than the rest of the party, then the party with the DM’s Mary Sue.
This is usually a BAD idea. DMPCs should have two main functions, the first is to fill in a party role, say no one decided to play a healing class, a DMPC cleric would fill in that roll and contribute only as much as necessary. The second is plot reasons. Say a ranger asks that the pcs help him with defeating of an orc warlord, the ranger is likely to take the players to the warlord and participate in the battle. In these situations the DMPC is a temporary ally and probably won’t be willing to continue to adventure with the heroes. Any other function is probably not really needed.

Lets see, I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head.

This thread is great, I vote it gets stickied.

Treguard
2008-03-31, 05:49 PM
Thank you, thank you, a hundred times thank you!

As a player in a friend's game I knew enough about the rules and everyones' playstyles that I was technically able to run the group's next campaign. I knew, deep down, I wasn't gonna hack it, though.

For me it was a confidence issue; I tend to overanalyze a situation, to cover every conceivable angle and outcome so much so that any encounter writing was bogged down and slow in production; I wanted to provide so much for them and, more importantly, not be caught on the back foot that I was almost playing the encounters for them.

After reading this and various other sources I've finally come to terms with the fact that- yeah, I'll screw up occasionally, it's gonna happen, but the whole session/campaign/world isn't going to blow up because of it.

My thoughts about combatting backseat DMing, table chatter and the like were a lot more draconian than I had liked, now that I've looked at some of the more peaceful alternatives and ramifications of certain methods, and so I'm glad to nip that in the bud before it got out of hand even though some of the players really need to be bitchslapped now and again, hoo boy..

So once again, from an aspiring DM, thanks for the guide and I look forward to more pearls o' wisdom. :)

Raum
2008-03-31, 08:12 PM
Some addendums for you...

Have each player explain their character concept to the rest of the group.It can help to spend the first hour or two of the initial session brainstorming character background as a group. This makes it easy to start with the characters as acquaintances if not friends and helps keep character goals consistent - or at least not in opposition to each other.


Explain any houserules you plan to employ.This is worth reiterating. Don't surprise your players with game rules. Surprise them with what happens inside the context of the rules. :)


Find out where they want to go with the character, mechanically.Along the same lines, find out how they plan on playing the character. What role(s) do they plan on filling? To some degree this should be shared between the players themselves. That way they're not surprised when the cleric heads into melee instead of healing, or the fighter stands back and shoots his bow, etc.


Don’t Argue About the Rules:Unless you know the correct ruling or it will materially affect the outcome of the game, consider ruling in favor of the PCs on an interim basis. It's generally easy to correct before the next session and often prevents the need to apologize when the player actually did know the rule better than you.


It Just Works:As AKA_Bait says, getting bogged down in a constant stream of meaningless checks isn't fun. Consider using the last Listen roll until they get to a door where it matters, the last Search roll until they find (or miss) a trap, etc.


Try to Speed Decisions:It often helps to stay one player ahead in initiative. When Player A is up, tell Player B he's next. When B is up, tell C he's next, etc. That usually gets them planning their action before they need to act.


Let The Players Do The WorkDefinitely! Some related advice I read online a while ago, "Tell your players yes or say roll the dice." If they want to do something, let them try. A failure is more interesting than nothing happening because they were told not to try or it couldn't be done.


Question True StupidityRemember what the comedian (I think Foxworthy) said, give stupid people a sign! He wants to jump in the spiked pit? Ok, the spikes are a bit rusty...he'll be wandering around with rust marks on his posterior until he has time to clean and repair his armor or clothing. Sometimes humiliation is the best teacher. One major caveat, don't play favorites. Make sure the player does it to himself...even warn them..."Those spikes look rusty, you sure you want to jump in?"


Let Stupidity Take Its CourseEven beyond simple stupidity, character actions should have in game consequences. It's part of what makes a player's decision meaningful. If all problems are solved by slaughtering every potential cause they'll be feared and unwelcome in most civilized areas. They're also not likely to get any job offers requiring subtlety and may be used as assassins even when that's not why they're officially hired. At the extreme, they'll be hunted outcasts and 'good' parties will be hired to hunt down the evildoers.


Have A Key Information Backup PlanHehe, this is important. I think most GMs run into this at one point or another.


Admitting DefeatIf you think fast on your feet or just know the area well enough you can avoid the need for using 'DM fiat'. If they want to burn an entire wand of Passwall going through your maze, why not? If there's something in the maze that's truly important, leave a few clues up ahead of it. Even a map of the maze showing where the 'Tome of Important Clues' resides. That would get them to the information you wanted them to have while avoiding the annoyance of a featureless maze...which is why they burned through the wand to start with.

drengnikrafe
2008-03-31, 08:47 PM
*Absorbs all the information*

This is incredible, as well as very useful. I really owe you one, man.

Overlord
2008-03-31, 09:50 PM
That's an excellent guide, AKA_Bait. I'm sure there are quite a few inexperienced DMs who will find this very helpful. I personally found the section on ending a session to be quite interesting.

Prometheus
2008-03-31, 10:54 PM
I nominate it for stickiness

It seems like this kind of succinctness is what should be in the DMG, but unfortunately, they have space to fill.

Wooter
2008-03-31, 11:28 PM
That was incredibly useful. I've rad so many threads about "D&D horror stories" that could have been resolved if the DM would have read this first.

This should go in the front of the DMG with an "Important! Read me!" label above it.

Chronicled
2008-03-31, 11:42 PM
I'd also like to see this stickied. (What I'd really like is to see it in the 4th edition DMG, but I don't think we could be so lucky.)

Solo
2008-03-31, 11:51 PM
Good job, Sir Bait. I salute you.




Player: I set fire to the Inn.

Keep a few NPCs statted out and to the side in case you need impromptu guardsmen, healers or a bucket brigade. Trust me, you will.


See, when something like this happens, the player should find out that Ozymandias spends his spare time crime fighting, and just happened to be wooing women with his massive charisma score at that very inn.

Nohwl
2008-04-01, 12:24 AM
awesome, this looks like it will help me a lot when i try to be a DM.

Skjaldbakka
2008-04-01, 12:43 AM
At first glance, looks worth putting a link to in my signature, if you don't mind.

Having read it over, good work. Here are some highlights:


I like to use Post-it’s or index cards to keep track of initiative. If you keep a stack with each NPC/Monsters critical stats and initiative rolls you can slide into combat pretty much seamlessly.

This is something that I started doing a few months ago. I thought it might speed up combat a little bit. Instead, it sped up combat a lot. I mean a LOT a lot.


Not only are you not your players mother (in most cases anyway) but starting off a session in an imperious and confrontational way will lead to an unpleasant dynamic for the rest of the session.

Ah, I find this comment amusing. Of course, my mother actually was my first DM, so. . .


Food:
My group typically orders food at the beginning of the session. That way the interruption occurs during that 20 minute chat period at the beginning of the game.


Roll Initiative:
My comment about the index cards applies here. I've started using this advice a few months back for my tabletops as well. I have the PCs roll initiative at the beginning of the session, and at the end of each combat, that way the dramatic tension doesn't break. If your players have issues with knowing their initiative in advance, roll initiative for them. That way they still don't know.


Don’t Argue About the Rules:
I don't personally have this problem. My player base knows that I know, and is courteous enough to assume I'm right during the session, and possibly look it up later if they think I was wrong, and bring it up between games.

Turcano
2008-04-01, 04:53 AM
There is one type of problem player that, although most people know about, you might want to include for the sake of completeness. Tabletop RPGs attract more than its fair share of social misfits, so it is likely that you will eventually have to deal with people who have... issues. If you only play with people you know well, this probably won't come up; it's much more likely to happen if a player brings a friend to the game. These are the people who use RPGs as an excuse to act like a total prick: they'll steal from and/or attack other players, deliberately derail you as often as they can, and if sexual frustration is added to the mix, things will get really ugly really fast. Setting ground rules early on may help, and then again it may not. You will probably have no choice but to eject these people from your game and, these people being who they are, they probably won't go nicely, so you're going to have to plan a way of doing so (it's very unlikely that it will come to getting the police involved, but it has been known to happen).

Skjaldbakka
2008-04-01, 05:01 AM
Yet another problem I've never had to deal with. I've had some problem players of that sort, but they never gave me any trouble after I throw them out. That may be related to my physical stature. That tends to dissaude people from getting 'difficult' in that particular way.

Blanks
2008-04-01, 06:22 AM
A piece of advice, top of my mind, just whatever im thinking of right now?

If the players want to mess up your beautiful planned world by being silly - let them.

What is more important, the world or that the players have fun?
If they break it beyond repair, well thats what we have multible dimensions for ;)

AKA_Bait
2008-04-01, 10:03 AM
How about an “other concerns” title that deals with things like no-show players, drop outs (of the game, not school) and other factors that can come into play.

That's not a bad idea. I've been trying to figure out where to put things like 'oops I TPKed the party' and that section would fit that too. If things remain slow in the office I might have it up today.


DMPC Stuff

Thought I dealt with that sufficently in the Let the Players Do The Work section. Do you think it needs more? I've been trying to avoid using the term DMPC specifically. Many a flamewar has started over the meaning of those 4 letters...


some addendums for you...

Most of these I feel like I have in there in one phrasing or another and since it is already 20 single spaced pages long (I printed it out to proof over dinner last night) I don't want to add legnth repeating things too much. Other stuff though...


Unless you know the correct ruling or it will materially affect the outcome of the game, consider ruling in favor of the PCs on an interim basis. It's generally easy to correct before the next session and often prevents the need to apologize when the player actually did know the rule better than you.

As much as it would be nice to rule for the players on a temp basis many of the 'I didn't see that coming' moments arise when there is a rules interpretation dispute. Interum ruling the way you understand it, and negating the surprise, seems more practical to me so I'll leave that endorsement as is in the main body of the text. Additionally, ruling for the players off the bat seems to undermine the 'dm decides on iffy rules' default I like to maintain in my games.

It is really a matter of style though. Personally, I'd rather have things not get bogged down/derailed and have to apologize later than vice versa.


It often helps to stay one player ahead in initiative. When Player A is up, tell Player B he's next. When B is up, tell C he's next, etc. That usually gets them planning their action before they need to act.

Although this can be useful to move things, I feel like it takes away from the spotlight on the player whose turn it is and I'd rather not have it in the main part of the article.


If you think fast on your feet or just know the area well enough you can avoid the need for using 'DM fiat'. If they want to burn an entire wand of Passwall going through your maze, why not? If there's something in the maze that's truly important, leave a few clues up ahead of it. Even a map of the maze showing where the 'Tome of Important Clues' resides. That would get them to the information you wanted them to have while avoiding the annoyance of a featureless maze...which is why they burned through the wand to start with.

Yes. That situation you described is more like the one where you ask for an extra 20 minutes, to prepare whatever comes after the maze, which you had planned for next week.


My group typically orders food at the beginning of the session. That way the interruption occurs during that 20 minute chat period at the beginning of the game.

You have a delivery place that gets there in 20 minutes consistantly? Jealous hatred blooming...


These are the people who use RPGs as an excuse to act like a total prick: they'll steal from and/or attack other players, deliberately derail you as often as they can, and if sexual frustration is added to the mix, things will get really ugly really fast.

I have been debating adding a group like this. I probably will. Players like this, in particular, need to be handled carefully and with some understanding. Many are frustrated teenagers for whom the game is one of their only social outlets.


Sticky!

I'd like that. The idea is really to have something that the community keeps adding to over time that will be easy to see for a new DM looking for advice. New DM's could even even post with specific questions on the thread which are not addressed in the article.

BardicDuelist
2008-04-01, 10:36 AM
Great post, saying most of what is normally said. I would add somthing about the advantages of starting at lv. 1, but not make it sound like a necessity.

Sticky for sure! (Although I think we may lack a permenant mod. for the moment...)

Solo
2008-04-01, 10:50 AM
I have been debating adding a group like this. I probably will. Players like this, in particular, need to be handled carefully and with some understanding. Many are frustrated teenagers for whom the game is one of their only social outlets.


One should always be ready to dole out the harshness in this sort of event.

AKA_Bait
2008-04-01, 10:52 AM
(Although I think we may lack a permenant mod. for the moment...)

Er? I thought that Roland St. Jude and the Grey Watcher were our Mods. Has something changed?

I hope not. They do a good job.

TheThan
2008-04-01, 12:40 PM
Thought I dealt with that sufficently in the Let the Players Do The Work section. Do you think it needs more? I've been trying to avoid using the term DMPC specifically. Many a flamewar has started over the meaning of those 4 letters...



Oh it looks like you did, this is what I get for skimming through the parts l read in the last thread. Heh, that rimes...

Anyway it doesn't really need more advice on it. feel free to continue.

shadow_archmagi
2008-04-01, 01:01 PM
Very nice. I actually just finished re-reading the Foundation trilogy, the reference was well appreciated. I wish I'd had this a few months ago. So much suffering on the part of my players could've been avoided. Not that they KNEW they were suffering and missing out.

Uin
2008-04-01, 01:02 PM
I'm planning to start a little DMing over the next couple of months, no doubt I will be glad to have read this thread when I do.

xPANCAKEx
2008-04-01, 01:10 PM
for a nubby DM-to-be like myself this thread is a godsend

thank you!

Zeful
2008-04-01, 01:18 PM
Just a quick question, how do you know what to take notes on?

TheThan
2008-04-01, 01:26 PM
Anything you think you’ll forget, and anything you think is important. That’s the easy answer.

I take notes on npc names, jobs, locations and maybe a little bit of info on their personality.

For combat encounters and dungeons I stat out every room and take notes on hallways with important stuff in them. I try to keep notes on where things are in the world (a map helps).


Another option is to get a notebook and let another player record specific events (suggest they take turns, keeps writers cramp down and lets everyone focus on the game), think of it as a adventuring journal. They don’t have to record every twist and turn in the dungeon, just the basic events. (Killed dragon, looted horde, partied afterward).

Just remember, organization will set you free.

Duke of URL
2008-04-01, 01:50 PM
Just a quick question, how do you know what to take notes on?

Anything you know is going to come up in the session, or is reasonably likely to, even if not certain.

That, and a small set of "contingency" plans -- general-purpose creatures/NPCs/locales, etc., for when your players do something unexpected. You won't use them every time, but when you do need them, you'll be glad to have them.

BardicDuelist
2008-04-01, 10:09 PM
Er? I thought that Roland St. Jude and the Grey Watcher were our Mods. Has something changed?

I hope not. They do a good job.

In the interest of not derailing this thread, I'll PM you.

As far as what to take notes on, I usually do my best to record everything that my players have (items, etc) and the people they interacted with.

The items or people that seem insignificant at the time, I try to reuse. It seems clever to the players when you have some small conversation become a large plot point later on, but the trick is to do it differently each time and not to overuse it. It also helps when you are stuck for somthing to do next or when your players take a different direction than you would normally expect.

Skjaldbakka
2008-04-01, 11:17 PM
You have a delivery place that gets there in 20 minutes consistantly? Jealous hatred blooming...

The place we typically order from is really close buy. We could probably just walk over there and back in like, 10 minutes, but then we'd be waiting to start until they got back.

So I guess I'm just lucky.

Turcano
2008-04-02, 01:59 AM
I have been debating adding a group like this. I probably will. Players like this, in particular, need to be handled carefully and with some understanding. Many are frustrated teenagers for whom the game is one of their only social outlets.

Yeah, these people are in a nasty Catch-22: their only apparent social outlet is RPGs, but their behavior almost guarantees that they'll be kicked out of almost every social circle they enter. If it were only them, it might be commendable to try to rehabilitate them (http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12012003.shtml), but you have a responsibility to your other players, too.

Also, if you're dumb enough to run a game at a con, you will have at least one player of this type. It's like a bylaw or something.

AKA_Bait
2008-04-02, 10:12 AM
Ok. I've added a section to the Trouble With Ted about those kinds of players.


Also, if you're dumb enough to run a game at a con, you will have at least one player of this type. It's like a bylaw or something.

In my extremely limited experience at Con's, I have found that this kind of player is frequently the DM. I suspect that may be because that kind of player would probably have a hard time keeping a group.

Edit: Set up where the additional stuff section will go. Planning to discuss: Absent Players, Drop out Players, Switching Characters, Unexpected Character Death, TPKs and, although I'm still on the fence about it, Alignment Issues. Any general advice ya'll have would be appreciated and incorporated into the section.

Quincunx
2008-04-02, 12:32 PM
The place we typically order from is really close by. We could probably just walk over there and back in like, 10 minutes, but then we'd be waiting to start until they got back.

So I guess I'm just lucky.

That goes into the thorny issues of group control. It's better for organization and less wasted time if the food comes to you. If you go to the food, it's better for burning excess energy and prying the group away from the host's shiny things. With my old group, we split the difference and had the quiet ones cook (and paid with cooking/dishwashing) while the rowdy ones fetched other supplies (and paid with cash). Selling the idea of "your kids and a sit-down dinner" to the dubious parental units helped, too.

KazilDarkeye
2008-04-11, 05:12 PM
I, for one, found the section titles quite amusing (especially "You Did What!?"), plus I'm not gonna let THIS version go to waste.

Matthew
2008-04-11, 07:42 PM
Nice work AKA. Glad to see you're continuing with this project. The only things I would say about this in terms of criticism at the moment is that it sometimes reads as though a DM needs to have the patience of a saint and that the potential problems may be overwhelming. Still, I think it's all pretty good advice.

Turcano
2008-04-11, 08:05 PM
The only things I would say about this in terms of criticism at the moment is that it sometimes reads as though a DM needs to have the patience of a saint and that the potential problems may be overwhelming.

Well, yeah.

Matthew
2008-04-11, 08:21 PM
Simply put, that's not my experience of being a DM.

Azerian Kelimon
2008-04-11, 08:27 PM
Speaking for too many DM's: Lucky SOB!

purepolarpanzer
2008-04-13, 06:02 PM
Speaking for too many DM's: Lucky SOB!

Seconded. The adventures go so much better in your head without the PC's :smallwink:

Raum
2008-04-13, 08:02 PM
Seconded. The adventures go so much better in your head without the PC's :smallwink:Only if you've already sold yourself on a set conclusion.

-----
As a GM, I'm responsible for most, if not all, of the problems at the game table. If there's a personality clash where one individual player simply can't fit in with the group, I'm responsible for including him. If there's a problem with one or more characters not fitting the campaign, I should have caught it at character creation and either asked for a different character or change the campaign to suit. If I've made some mistake with the rules, well I need to correct it.

When it comes down to it, there are very few 'player' problems.

AKA_Bait
2008-04-14, 09:34 AM
As a GM, I'm responsible for most, if not all, of the problems at the game table. If there's a personality clash where one individual player simply can't fit in with the group, I'm responsible for including him. If there's a problem with one or more characters not fitting the campaign, I should have caught it at character creation and either asked for a different character or change the campaign to suit. If I've made some mistake with the rules, well I need to correct it.


Although I agree with this 99% I will say that there are some problems that aren't really the DM's fault. You can have clashes at the table without the DM being able to forsee it .Say, if you have a happy couple playing when you start the game but for reasons entirely unrelated to you they split up. You can also end up having character issues that develop due to your player giving you one idea of a character concept but once in play it is quite different. There are a lot of problems that a DM can have to handle that aren't really the result of any mistake the DM made. Of course, it is the DM's responsibility to make sure that those issues get resolved one way or another.

Oh and thanks for the continued interest folks. I should have some more up in the new section today, now that I know people are still following the thread.

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-04-14, 09:48 AM
Although I agree with this 99% I will say that there are some problems that aren't really the DM's fault. You can have clashes at the table without the DM being able to forsee it .Say, if you have a happy couple playing when you start the game but for reasons entirely unrelated to you they split up. You can also end up having character issues that develop due to your player giving you one idea of a character concept but once in play it is quite different. There are a lot of problems that a DM can have to handle that aren't really the result of any mistake the DM made. Of course, it is the DM's responsibility to make sure that those issues get resolved one way or another.

Oh and thanks for the continued interest folks. I should have some more up in the new section today, now that I know people are still following the thread.You Martin? Because I swear we have had all of that (including the breakup that cost us 2 of the most regular players) happen in the current campaign. :smallmad:

AKA_Bait
2008-04-14, 10:03 AM
You Martin?

Sorry, I know not this Martin of whom you speak. I'm a Patrick. Sucks that happened to your group and kinda weird that the two random examples I picked coincided with your game that exactly. You are a New Yorker as well?

Raum
2008-04-14, 12:01 PM
Although I agree with this 99% I will say that there are some problems that aren't really the DM's fault. You can have clashes at the table without the DM being able to forsee it .Say, if you have a happy couple playing when you start the game but for reasons entirely unrelated to you they split up. You can also end up having character issues that develop due to your player giving you one idea of a character concept but once in play it is quite different. There are a lot of problems that a DM can have to handle that aren't really the result of any mistake the DM made. Of course, it is the DM's responsibility to make sure that those issues get resolved one way or another.You'll note I didn't attempt to assign fault, just responsibility. Assigning fault is generally pointless outside of a courtroom and more likely to cause additional conflict than to resolve it.

The GM is the leader at the game table much like a quarterback on a football team. He (or she) needs to step up and take responsibility for resolving issues. That doesn't mean the GM can or should resolve them by himself, just that he needs to take initiative in seeing them resolved. Do note, I say this specifically for game related issues! Other interpersonal issues should be handled outside the context of a game.


Oh and thanks for the continued interest folks. I should have some more up in the new section today, now that I know people are still following the thread.It's interesting to see other points of view...particularly when the views aren't identical. It helps you take a second look at what you're doing.

Gorbash Kazdar
2008-04-15, 09:05 PM
Did this thread just get stickier all of a sudden, or is it just me? :smalltongue:

Anyways, excellent thread, AKA_Bait! I definitely will point any newbie GMs I encounter towards it in the future. I'd skip Alignment Issues, mostly because that's a giant can of worms on its own, plus it's kind of D&D specific. I know you're presented this a guide for DMing, but almost everything you've put in so far is useful universal advice for any game.

If anything, I think a note on it in the Genesis of an Adventuring Party (perhaps subtitle to "Steps to Get a Good Campaign Rolling"?) on talking over any particularly thorny parts of the chosen game with the players, particular things open to interpretation like alignment, so everyone is on the same page.

For example, in Shadowrun the decking/hacking and rigging rules can get really involved and horribly complex, so many GMs de-emphasize it or reduce in-session parts to a few rolls to keep the game moving smoothly - which can really cause problems if one of the players has a dedicated decker/hacker and suddenly never gets to show of his 1337 skillz. This doesn't really count as a house rule because the GM hasn't changed the required skills or resolution process, he's just choosing not to delve into the optional complexities offered by the system. Basically, in D&D terms, it turns decking/hacking into an off-screen process like magic item creation. A hacker/decker is still needed, but a player would be better served making a hybrid build (combat hacker/decker) so they'll always have something to do and will be able to take part in the cool stuff.

Action descriptions in Exalted are another one. You actually can get in-game bonuses for evocative and exciting descriptions of your actions, but what constitutes exciting and evocative is different from group to group. The level of tolerance for this varies a lot as well. A five minute narrative for a single attack might fly in some groups, and annoy the hell out of everyone in others. Some groups are willing to do this for just about any check, while others prefer to save it for the really dramatic moments. Again, if everyone's not on the same page before the game starts, expect issues.

Alignment in D&D fits this in my experience, especially if a player has chosen a class or character type that is heavily alignment drive *cough* paladin *cough*. The reason alignment threads spiral out of control is because everyone has a different interpretation, and finding out your version doesn't mesh with the party paladin's mid session is a recipe for disaster. Even worse, someone else might get offended even if you and the paladin agree. Ideally, lay out guidelines for what alignment means in your game (with input from and compromise from the players). At worst it will become clear the expectations are incompatible, and a good player will opt to switch to a second choice rather than create conflict.

Skjaldbakka
2008-04-15, 10:33 PM
Congrats on getting stickified. Someone should do one of these for PbP DMing.

Rutee
2008-04-15, 10:43 PM
I'd like to point out one of the most useful tips that I didn't see up there (Though I may just be blind)

Try to never say "No". Try to say "Yes, but..." No closes off possibilities. It keeps people in their rigid thinking. "Yes, but.." /adds/ possibilities. Obviously it's easy to get someone who's following this guideline to say no, if you /try/. "Can I rule the universe?" "No, probably not" (Unless you're playing a game based on Disgaea or something). But in general, I think most serious (or joking) requests can be answered "Yes, but.." with a straight face and complete accuracy. It's certainly been my experience as a GM and a player.

Skjaldbakka
2008-04-15, 10:51 PM
I've found that "No, because..." works just as well. As the long as the explanation after the ellipses is worthwhile.

Solo
2008-04-15, 11:04 PM
Yay, the thread has been stickied.

Now, if only other certain threads would be stickied as well.

Rutee
2008-04-16, 12:05 AM
I've found that "No, because..." works just as well. As the long as the explanation after the ellipses is worthwhile.

Well, sure, it justifies the No.. but does it really keep the No from closing off possibilities?

Matthew
2008-04-16, 12:43 AM
Good call, Gorbash. Nice to see this thread in a useful place.

Allis
2008-04-16, 05:58 AM
could I ask something about Challenge ratings here? If a party is level five, what level should one NPC bard be? The books seem to tell me 5 as well, but then it's one to four. I must be misreading. Could anyone shine a light on how to actually make encounters?

kamikasei
2008-04-16, 06:34 AM
could I ask something about Challenge ratings here? If a party is level five, what level should one NPC bard be? The books seem to tell me 5 as well, but then it's one to four. I must be misreading. Could anyone shine a light on how to actually make encounters?

It's a bit off-topic and I'd suggest making a new thread for a specific question like that, but the gist of the idea is that CR is supposed to give you a fight that the party is expected to win, but will have to make an effort for. One against four is appropriate. A fight where the party are evenly matched and stand a fifty-fifty chance of losing would be about CR X+4 (X being the average party level). If you pick a single CR 9 enemy to fight a level 5 party, it'll be extremely tough, so you may be better off just putting together four CR 5 foes.

PS: Mods, if this is too off-topic, please move this post to any new thread on the topic, or just delete it.

Allis
2008-04-16, 06:48 AM
I'd say that designing good, entertaining, smart and challenging encounters is a vital part of good DMing, but I agree the mechanics of CRs is only a tiny bit of the work. So this question maybe should be moved. However, I think a good post on how to design an encounter, both the game mechanics and the description part (motive, area, int of the monster etc. ) would be really handy in this sticky.

TheThan
2008-04-17, 03:04 AM
*Pokes thread, finger gets stuck to the webpage… pulls harder freeing finger (useful buggers, those fingers). Notices the sticky substance… eyes brighten with joy!*


It’s nice to see this thread in its new sticky status.

AKA_Bait
2008-04-17, 12:24 PM
Did this thread just get stickier all of a sudden, or is it just me? :smalltongue:

Hooray! Thanks Gorbash.


If anything, I think a note on it in the Genesis of an Adventuring Party (perhaps subtitle to "Steps to Get a Good Campaign Rolling"?) on talking over any particularly thorny parts of the chosen game with the players, particular things open to interpretation like alignment, so everyone is on the same page.

I think you are right. I'll add it there. I didn't want to make the guide too game specific or to start a huge war and this seems like a good way to deal with the in practice issues about alignment (primarily those all stem from not making sure everyone is on the same page about them) without causing trouble.


I've found that "No, because..." works just as well. As the long as the explanation after the ellipses is worthwhile.

That would be cool and I'd very much like to read one. Personally, I'm not even remotley qualified to write such a thing. I'm only playing in my very first PbP game now, as a player. I've toyed with the idea of running one but the notion of PbP combat terrifies me (in terms of grids and maps and things).


Well, sure, it justifies the No.. but does it really keep the No from closing off possibilities?

I'd prefer not to take a stance on this in the body of the guide. I think which way to go really varies depending upon the dynamic of the group and the way the individual players and DM interact socially. With some of my players, generally the more astute ones, I tend to go "No, because" with others "Yes, but..." and most often "Maybe, I need to look into it."


---
Apologies to everyone at the slow pace of adding the new section. I'm working on it but my job tends to go from zero to decapitated poultry with little to no notice. I'd rather have something I'm pretty satisfied with before posting, and have it take a bit longer to go up, than toss up some schlock I really haven't had time to revise.

The_Blue_Sorceress
2008-04-17, 03:49 PM
Well, sure, it justifies the No.. but does it really keep the No from closing off possibilities?


Sometimes possibilities need to be closed off because they're stupid and shouldn't have been considered in the first place, or because the player is trying to do something game breaking. All things in moderation, even open-mindedness.

-Blue

TheCountAlucard
2008-04-17, 04:13 PM
I'm glad to see that this was stickied. It's very helpful.

Rutee
2008-04-17, 08:34 PM
Sometimes possibilities need to be closed off because they're stupid and shouldn't have been considered in the first place, or because the player is trying to do something game breaking. All things in moderation, even open-mindedness.

-Blue

Nobody I actually play with would be problematic on that regard. I did note that some questions need a "No", but I don't expect them to come up often from mature players.

Skjaldbakka
2008-04-17, 10:46 PM
Nobody I actually play with would be problematic on that regard. I did note that some questions need a "No", but I don't expect them to come up often from mature players.

Most of the time, when I have to say no to a player, it is because it doesn't fit into the setting. I put a lot of work into designing my campaign settings, and often I will run multiple campaigns in the same setting. Which means that sometimes what a player wants to play just straight up doesn't fit/won't work. I've never had any problems with this, since most of my gaming group have lost of different ideas for characters they would like to play.

Perhaps I am somewhat fortunate in the rich gaming community that exists in my town.

JaxGaret
2008-04-17, 11:58 PM
Congratulations on the Sticky status, my old friend!

Victor would be proud.

WrstDmEvr
2008-04-21, 12:10 PM
Something I might add is that using core only helps out new DM's a LOT. Splatbooks in my opinion only multiply the opportunities to have a plot being blasted out of the water by the players.

Malachite
2008-04-21, 04:55 PM
A good part to add could be some tips on how to guide players into the plot. I had my first game die in two sessions due to a lack of knowledge of how to do this (and admittedly, lack of planning).

Building the campaign world is the easy part for me, it's creating the campaign part of it that's difficult! :smalltongue:

Heliomance
2008-04-21, 06:58 PM
It's a bit off-topic and I'd suggest making a new thread for a specific question like that, but the gist of the idea is that CR is supposed to give you a fight that the party is expected to win, but will have to make an effort for. One against four is appropriate. A fight where the party are evenly matched and stand a fifty-fifty chance of losing would be about CR X+4 (X being the average party level). If you pick a single CR 9 enemy to fight a level 5 party, it'll be extremely tough, so you may be better off just putting together four CR 5 foes.

Unless your PCs are insanely lucky. We made our DM vow never to pit us against level 9 casters again, due to the fact that from level 4 onwards, we one-shotted every single one we came across.

Raum
2008-04-21, 07:44 PM
A good part to add could be some tips on how to guide players into the plot. I had my first game die in two sessions due to a lack of knowledge of how to do this (and admittedly, lack of planning).There are a couple of basic styles / methods:[1] Scripted - This is essentially a railroad. Done well, the tracks are hidden and the players buy in to the same story goals. This covers most printed adventures.
[2] Flow Chart - This is a script with decision points, "if / then" statements which change the potential result based on player choices. Similar to the old 'choose your own adventure' books.
[3] Goal Driven - Antagonists and PCs have set goals, but how they interact depends on player actions. If they choose not to interfere with the antagonist, he may succeed - potentially causing changes to the world. You also need to know the PCs' goals - and ensure they're compatible! The easiest way is to either decide on goals as a group during character creation or to require characters be built around a set goal or concept.
[4] Sandbox - This is just a world to play in...players go where they will and the 'campaign' adjusts itself to their desires. This is probably the hardest to do and only really effective when the players are decisive. If the players can't come to reasonably quick decisions, it simply bogs down.One important thing to remember, no single style is good all the time. Find what works for you and your players most of the time, but be willing to switch styles when the situation warrants it.

My personal preferred style is a mix of 2, 3, and 4. I attempt to predict player decisions (and simply ask what they plan on next when I don't know) and chart a potential decision tree at a macro level while having the antagonists act or react based on their individual goals.

Warler, Darûk
2008-04-23, 11:20 AM
That's down to earth, that's a REAL guide for dungeon master, not only but for game master in general, really good, keep on the good work. It just gives the feeling of a masters guide, but dude, now I can g.m. thank's man. :smallcool:

drengnikrafe
2008-04-23, 06:49 PM
[2] Flow Chart - This is a script with decision points, "if / then" statements which change the potential result based on player choices. Similar to the old 'choose your own adventure' books.


These are usually the games I run. I plan out a bunch of possibilities to throw at the PCs, but I'm always a bit ready for them to go "My character doesn't like this idea, and would like to do this instead". I don't like it, because it leaves me requiring to think up things off the top of my head for awhile, but it is fun to take that challenge.

Raum
2008-04-23, 08:44 PM
These are usually the games I run. I plan out a bunch of possibilities to throw at the PCs, but I'm always a bit ready for them to go "My character doesn't like this idea, and would like to do this instead". I don't like it, because it leaves me requiring to think up things off the top of my head for awhile, but it is fun to take that challenge.You might try adding a couple of goal driven antagonists (style 3) to your plans. They can really help your response time when coming up with something new.

Take an inn the characters may be staying at as an example...your plan may be for the PCs to purchase a map and follow it to 'treasure' but, for whatever reason, that goes awry. What do you do next? Well, take a look at the major NPCs in the inn and their goals: Inn Keeper - Make a profit and get rich!
Stable Boy - Get a horse (or possibly breeding herd) of his own.
Maid - Get married and settle down.
Cook - Drink himself senseless.But your PCs burnt the map and you need to turn your goals into an adventure on the fly! So ask your self three questions; what is the NPC willing to do to reach their goal, what problems exist which may prevent reaching the goal, and how will this involve the PCs?

Is the inn keeper willing to steal from tenants to get rich? Or perhaps he doesn't steal but is a fence for stolen goods. Perhaps he's unwilling to stoop to dishonesty, is he getting enough travelers through to make a living? Is he getting supplies on time and at a reasonable price? If not, what is stopping the travelers or supplies? Bandits?

What about the stable boy? Is he willing to leave the inn to attend a traveler's horse for the promise of a horse of his own? Perhaps he's working odd jobs and running errands to save pennies for a horse. Is money his only obstacle? Does the inn keeper do anything to prevent him from earning the money? Was his stash stolen by someone else?

On to the maid, has she picked out a potential beau? Perhaps even one of the PCs... Or maybe she has a sweetheart who's father refuses to let them marry due to her lack of a dowry. What is she willing to do to get a dowry? Steal from the inn keeper? Tenants? Is the inn keeper trying to keep her from leaving?

The cook may simply be a drunk or he may have past sorrows he wishes to drown, but what does he do to ensure he gets his next drink? Water the customers' drinks? How does his drinking affect the food? The kitchen? What is the inn keeper doing about the cook's habit?

-----
That's from a stereotypical list of characters and goals which I probably wouldn't have bothered to write down. Using two or three goals for each of your more influential NPCs gives you similar ways of expanding goals into situations and bringing conflict to the PCs.

drengnikrafe
2008-04-23, 08:49 PM
...
Woah.
So far (I just realized this), all my NPCs have been completely one dimensional. They said what I told them to say, and didn't think for themselves. And yet, now I can create stories that aren't that "Choose your own adventure book", and I can write one profile to suit circumstances, rather then 1000 possibilities...
That's brilliant, man, brilliant!

Raum
2008-04-23, 10:58 PM
Giving NPCs goals certainly helps make them seem more 'real' but, to me, that's almost a side effect. I don't have as much time for planning campaigns and adventures now as I did fifteen years ago so creating several NPCs with a mix of complementary and conflicting goals is often the extent of any formal planning. A game I'm currently running has this bad guy:
Antagonist: Apocalypse survivor abandoned by friends.
Goals: Vengeance.
Resources: Voodoo power, ability to control zombies.
Limitations: One arm, obsessed with vengeance, physically a coward.Since he is a recurring villain whom the PCs have run into already he also has a character sheet with specific stats and powers, but he started out as the above outline while he harassed the PCs. He only got fleshed out into a full character sheet once I was pretty certain the PCs were gunning for him. He's sort of become a major villain naturally though, he started simply - from a PC's 'Enemy' hindrance.

A more complex villain will have multiple goals, something like this:
Antagonist: Power mad wizard.
Goals: Rule the world. Destroy council of white wizards (and all individual white wizards). Capture and interrogate a man summoned by a white wizard.
Resources: League of black wizards. Assassin Daemon. Scrying Daemon.
Limitations: Backstabbing politics within the league. Opponents within the council of white wizards. Arrogance. Megalomania.This guy is probably too powerful for a beginning group of PCs to take on, but his actions and the actions of his subordinates may drive the campaign long before the PCs could challenge him directly. Add at least one subordinate with the goal of killing and supplanting the wizard above, another who is simply a coward and may be manipulated by fear, and another who wants to control the black league from behind the scenes and you have a fairly complex set of villains. Then start on the good guys...one wants fame and approbation for saving the world, another is a pure researcher who only wants to figure out the next spell, and another selflessly sacrifices himself to prevent harm by the black league. There may even be a fourth with betrayal in mind...

From this you can start putting together a myriad of potential adventures, everything from targeted by one of the villains to hired by by a good guy or even merely being in the wrong place at the right time when some gambit of one side or the other goes down. Or, going back to our original exercise with the inn's inhabitants, the inn keeper may want to hire (or fool) the PCs into taking the road blocked by bandits, the maid may try convincing one to buy a farm and settle down with her, the stable boy begs them to find the thief stealing his stash of pennies, and the cook waters their wine because he already spent the pennies he stole from the stable boy.

-----
Glad it seems to be sparking some ideas! Have fun gaming...

--Raum

drengnikrafe
2008-04-23, 11:02 PM
Dude, after I read your suggestions I got struck with an idea, and I started writing up some NPCs and backstories for a campaign I had begun planning about in my head. It's still half complete, and pretty iffy, so I'll get it to you when I'm finished writing it out.
Thank you, though. Seriously.

Bitzeralisis
2008-04-23, 11:34 PM
Horray, I screwed up! :smalltongue:

The Mormegil
2008-04-24, 11:09 AM
Add a part on evil PCs, how to combine them with A) your plot and B) the rest of the party. And on backstabbing and bad relations between the party. Please? Pretty please?

Lappy9000
2008-04-24, 10:49 PM
First off, I also nominate this thread for Stickiness (for what it's worth)

Second, I found this to be very helpful. So far, I've never had to use many of the advice shown here, as I'm blessed with a very good group and what is apparently the ability to pull ideas completely out of nowhere and having the players love it anyway.

I've got a very non-chalant style to DMing with the most important rule is:

Have fun.

Everything from not really keeping track of exp (both prevents leveling mid-dungeon and causing a 40-minute break and gives you the chance to simply say, "K, you guys level.) to letting the player's decisions actually matter help me alot.

For example, the guys wanted to start up a race riot in a bustling metropolis where I had planned a simple Urban crawl. My response: Go for it. However, they did have to reap their actions involving poor planning and lack of foresight that led ot hilariously disastrous results :smalltongue:

TheOOB
2008-05-03, 11:11 PM
First of all, great guide. It doesn't have everything yet, but any DM can learn something from reading this, old or new.

If anyone cares, here's an old trick I learned that works very well to get a players attention and deal with odd situations.

The Tommy Gun in the Window

An old Noir stories, when the story was starting to get to long and dry and your audiences attention in waning, having a tommy gun stick point into the room from the window and spray it with bullets, and figure out why later. It will immediatly get everyone's attention and can be explained in the plot later when you actually figured out what it going on.

This trick can be adapted into D&D as well. When the game gets the dry or boring, throw in some action, whatever comes to you. The players getting tired of the court ball, have a group of thugs led by a dark priest attack the affair and take hostages. Characters tiring of hitting the streets and finding information, have a group of shadowy assassins ambush them. The trick is, you don't need to know who they are and what their goal is right now, how many times in your favorite show has something dramatic happened and you don't know the cause for several episodes, making it all the more dramatic.

Or a varient, prepare some of these encounters ahead of time, but just wait to spring them when the players get bored for maximum effect.

Gorbash Kazdar
2008-05-04, 12:33 PM
Or a variant, prepare some of these encounters ahead of time, but just wait to spring them when the players get bored for maximum effect.
I find this to be the preferable method. If you have a pre-drawn encounter map and stats for some interesting opponents, the players will assume this was a planned plot occurrence rather than a random toss-in.

I've recently started making such set-piece encounters that I can drop in randomly myself; plus, even if you need the badies for a different location, chances are you already have a map for that and all you need is stats. Two additional benefits are 1) if you find yourself planning a plot encounter that's similar to one of the random ones you made earlier, you can just drop it in and save yourself a lot of work and 2) you can use the same basic encounter in multiple games with minor tweaks. The latter is better if you don't have the same players or can twist it a little bit.

I'll post a pair of pre-built random encounters I have for my current campaign later (hopefully today). Most of my notes are hand-written so I need to type them up.

Vouru
2008-05-09, 03:05 PM
My groups old DM wanted to take a brake from being a DM and wanted to just be a normal player for once, so I took up the role of DM for my group now and god it's been uber frustrating lol thank to this guide our sessions will go a lot more smoothly! tyvm!!!

Silent Hunter
2008-05-18, 02:58 PM
Great thread. Very handy.

nagora
2008-05-22, 06:56 AM
Before anything else, the very first thing any new DM needs to do is accept that they are going to screw up. DM’s are human just like everyone else.
You will forget to add that dodge modifier and it will change then entire course of the battle.
You will forget that tiny bit of dialogue the PC’s were going to hear that would lead them where you wanted.
You will have to go look up the grappling rules and still be confused.
You will lose the bloody map someplace and spend 5 minutes searching for it only to discover it has been in your left hand the entire time.
You will screw up in myriad unimaginable (ok, well, probably pretty imaginable) other ways.
You will screw up and really, it’s ok.


Wisdom of the ages.

Bayar
2008-05-24, 11:41 AM
I just read this guide and I must say: It will really help me with future gaming sessions.

The problem is: my group is really disorganised. We agreed that guy A will be the DM. They made some characters while in town (I was with some exams and stuff so busy) and a day before the gaming session I find out that guy B got pissed off because Guy C did not want to take a PrC for a better character. he drops out of the session. The other guys tell me to fill his role (the tank). I agree and spend about 3-4 hours on creating a dual wielding Dwarf fighter (that I would have fun playing anyway). Well, the next day, I find out that the DM (guy A) cant do the session because he is busy *insert lame excuse here*. The other 3 guys that were in the group tell m "Please get a ready made campaign for level 1. Because we dont have enough DM skills (meaning that they have no skill as a DM)" I sigh, and search for a level 1 campaign. 2 hours before the meeting, one of them (lets say, guy D) says "Erm, I am not in the mood for D&D, helpimg my dad clear out some junk out of the van and ****". So I meet up with 2 guys at the mall. they wanted D&D, I had a campaign that would have required at least 3 level 1 characters and they had 1 Warmage and 1 Bard. *suicide* . So we go halfway across town to guy D's house, help out with his civic duties and have a session. In the end, it was worth it. The paladin I helped him make rolled about 7-8 19 and 20's (heh, and the greatsword saw plenty of action) and everybody was happy.

But the TPK section would really come in handy since I got confronted numerous times with the following situation:

Players: "We attack the cleric"
Me: "Why? "
Players: "Because we 2 are Chaotic evil/Neutral evil and he is Neutral good / Because we have feats that allow us to not sleap and since one of us is a warlock we dont want to wait 8 hours for the cleric to rest up and prepare spells / Because the cleric is a newb and he doesnt know how to pick spells"
Me: Erm...Hmm...Umm...No ?....Cant you help him? ....No TPK please.........:sigh: Roll for initiative.

Cinders
2008-06-11, 01:04 PM
" i jump in the spike pit" had a player do that one in tomb of horors.

Thrud
2008-06-23, 05:28 PM
I'll throw in my 25c worth here.

I have recently finished running an entire campaign where the players never knew their hitpoint totals. Now this can be a lot of work for the DM, but it can add a whole bunch to the game play.

For Example- OOC conversations I have heard at table:

Hey, Lord Franklin should jump through the wall of fire, it can't do all that much damage, and he has a ton of hitpoints left.

After not knowing how many they have-
Artemis, think you can make it past the goblins to free the prisoner before they kill her? You are the one with the boots.

I just don't know. I took a couple of hard blows in the last fight, and I still haven't fully healed that big gash in my side from the blade trap. I'm not sure I want to risk it.

Like I said, it is a lot of work, but can be a real aid to roleplaying.

Also, about having copies of the character sheets online, or whatever, I usually just collect all my players character sheets at the end of each game so I can make sure I have up to date records of everything for the next session. This can also throw a spanner in the works if you are unfortunate enough to have someone who falls into the 'cheater' catagory. If you always have the original character sheet, it is ulikely any little things might crop up in the way of extra cash, etc.

As a DMing tool to aid in roleplaying, I assign CR's to certain NPCs who might have information, etc, that the players want. Thus you can give non arbitrary amounts of XP for out of combat situations.

Example of a very small amount of my notes on a game session:

Convincing village elder to tell about magic pool in hills CR6, convincing him to have Edward guide the party CR 7, finding out about village's curse linked with pool cr9.

If the party roleplays well in the situation as it is set up, they will certainly find out about the pool. If they say 'o.k. then' and head off, in its general direction they won't get anything more, and it will take a lot of hunting around to find it. But if they work at it they can get a guide (who is integral to the problem, but the players won't know that until after they have investigated), who happens to be the village elders son, and if they really work at it they could find that the pool is the key to the whole problem in the village. However, if they don't they will probably go out there without having all the knowledge in the first place, and not realize what they are getting into. So in order to get the XP award they first have to realize that only the village elder has the info they need, then get the info, and then figure out that there is more info to be gained.

(needless to say, they don't get 3 separate awards here, they just get the highest one.)

Just a few of my GMing tools.

OneFamiliarFace
2008-06-30, 03:51 AM
This is a really well put together guide!

I'd be all for seeing some stuff on world-building once this expands (dealing with some of the NPC creation issues mentioned above). For NPCs, I like to think of who in a town likes and dislikes each other. It provides all kinds of possible adventures when PCs' friends have loved ones or enemies of their own.

And I might add a tip for the Unexpected Turns section:

Have a spare dungeon or encounter planned. If the PCs ever totally circumvent a particular plothook, you can send them to the spare dungeon (buying you important time). I think someone mentioned that before, but what I would add is that you can then keep your old plot item in tact, and just recraft it a bit for a later level, accounting for the way your PCs got around it.

(This is probably too convoluted for the guide, but:) Unexpected turns also provide a chance to show the world operates outside of the PCs. For example, if the PCs kill the giver of a plothook, and you don't have any back-up info ready, running your spare dungeon instead, then whatever the players were supposed to do at the first place changes. The ritual is completed, or the powerful magic item falls into the wrong hands (or perhaps just the hands of a bragging adventurer at the tavern). This is actually another way of showing that the PCs' actions have a stake in the world. If so much happened from them avoiding one dungeon, then just imagine everything they stopped when they went to all the others! (It can be summed up as: opportunity can lie in the strangest of situations.)

Silence
2008-07-02, 12:28 PM
Hmmmmm... I tend to do a lot of GMing for younger, less mature players, and that can pose some problems. I'll do a section.

Dealing with less mature players

Teaching the game

I've found that it's more difficult to teach the game of D&D to younger players. Sometimes they're simply not as intelligent as older players. Sometimes they lack the focus (I'll get to that later). Sometimes it's just like teaching anyone else.

I guess this section goes for teaching anyone the game.

What I've found works the best is to first explain the game of D&D from a standpoint without dice. No HP, no AC, no attack rolls, no skill checks, no feats. They feel free at that point, and describe the type of character they want. If they want an assassin type guy, go roll up a fighter/rouge. They want a wizard, go roll up a wizard for them. I like to do this over the phone before the game.

After that, explain the basics of the character sheet. Explain anything they would need to know for a simple combat encounter. Attack, AC, HP, int., ect. Alternatively, you can just give everyone a generic level one barbarian for the simplicity. This is a good time to note that sorcerers are better choices for beginners than wizards.

Find a simple, short adventure. I suggest this one. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20050329a) Simple, free, and easy.

During the game, slowly wade them in, explaining abilities. Depending on how far they go, you may move into skills and feats.

The next game should be the first real game. Sit down with everybody and go through the rules thoroughly. You don't have to explain the really specific stuff (flanking, immunities undead have, ect), but make sure that they know enough to get them through an adventure fine.

Run a normal adventure, some dungeon crawl, and they should come out of it an A+ D&D geek.

Keeping them on the game

Immature players seem to be more concerned with how Bobby has a crush on Suzy, and how that TV show last night was sooooooo funny than D&D at times.

You'll find that, like any social dynamic, only a few people are causing the problem. They talk constantly about stuff, joke around, trying to name their characters "Farty McStupid". These people make it difficult to run a game. It's hard enough to get people focused, but suspending disbelief becomes impossible.

Frankly, there's no way around this. You have to, one way or another, eliminate them. Just boot them from the game. Explain to them why, and they probably won't care, as they weren't majorly interested in D&D anyway.

Bringing them back in a few years to see if they've changed is a good idea, but don't get your hopes too high. Some people never change.

Remember that age isn't always the perfect measure for maturity. One high school sophomore might be half as mature as a 6th grader. The only way to tell is the hard way.



"Leading by the nose"
Sometimes younger players seem to be a little confused by D&D, and need time to get used to it. They cease to function correctly, and things like this happen.

DM: You enter a huge chamber carved from stone, probably 200 feet wide and 300 long. The ceiling is covered in darkness, making it impossible to see. Your torch illuminates what looks like hundreds of black, charred bodies. What do you do?
Player: Ummmmmm.... I don't know.
DM: (With no other choice) Maybe you should explore this place, or take a closer look at the bodies.
Player: Yea, I'll do that. What's on the body?

As you can see, the DM had no choice but to lead the player by the nose there. Sometimes you have to do this, but try to keep it to a minimum. After a few hours, players will start taking the initiative.

Raum
2008-07-02, 05:37 PM
Hmmmmm... I tend to do a lot of GMing for younger, less mature players, and that can pose some problems. I'll do a section.You may want to specify what you mean by "younger players". I've been told I have to consider twenty and thirty somethings "younger". :smalleek:


Teaching the game
I've found that it's more difficult to teach the game of D&D to younger players. Sometimes they're simply not as intelligent as older players. Age affects experience and knowledge, how does it affect intelligence? Frankly, the statement simply seems condescending.


Keeping them on the game <snip>I'm curious, have you found this to be significantly different from similar focus problems with peer group players?

Silence
2008-07-03, 09:33 AM
By "younger" I meant middle school.

Dervag
2008-07-03, 09:34 AM
Age affects experience and knowledge, how does it affect intelligence? Frankly, the statement simply seems condescending.Functional intelligence increases with age during the childhood and early teen years, at the least. A very small child (say, a five year old) will do all kinds of things that almost any adult would consider idiotic. And rightly so; they are foolish things to do but the kid doesn't know any better.

Today, it is more popular to say that children are merely inexperienced, not unintelligent. But if one's standard of intelligence is "the ability to figure out what the smart thing to do is," then young children really can be less intelligent now than they will be in a few years. By that standard, at least.

The phrasing is a little rude, but the basic idea is sound. Children will have trouble applying tactical and strategic intelligence to an RPG because they aren't used to thinking in terms of tactics or strategy.


I'm curious, have you found this to be significantly different from similar focus problems with peer group players?Maybe he's used to playing either with very young gamers or with dedicated adult gamers?

Silence
2008-07-03, 10:43 AM
Yea, I'm a freshman in high school, so I do my gaming with younger guys. It's ok if you can find the right ones.

Raum
2008-07-03, 03:43 PM
Functional intelligence increases with age during the childhood and early teen years, at the least. A very small child (say, a five year old) will do all kinds of things that almost any adult would consider idiotic. And rightly so; they are foolish things to do but the kid doesn't know any better.Hehe, that illustrates one reason so many games have separate stats for Intelligence and Wisdom. :)


Today, it is more popular to say that children are merely inexperienced, not unintelligent. But if one's standard of intelligence is "the ability to figure out what the smart thing to do is," then young children really can be less intelligent now than they will be in a few years. By that standard, at least.Hmm, haven't seen intelligence defined in those terms. It's usually defined as a capacity for learning - a potential if you will. Unused or untrained intelligence may certainly result in less than optimum decisions, but does that mean the individual is less intelligent or just not acting to their potential?


The phrasing is a little rude, but the basic idea is sound. Children will have trouble applying tactical and strategic intelligence to an RPG because they aren't used to thinking in terms of tactics or strategy.I'm not sure that's a function of age. I've seen adults with similar issues...it often becomes readily apparent when switching from a game with limited tactical options to one with more open ended tactics. It takes a while to change modes from one to the other. Some initial time is spent repeating tactics used in previous games while becoming aware of potential tactics in the new game. It takes even longer to switch mental modes and think in terms of the new tactical possibilities.

Part of the reason I asked about Silence's experiences with keeping younger players focused on the game is my experience with niece and nephews...there's a big difference in attention span between the younger ones and their older siblings. I can certainly see how keeping them focused on the game would be a challenge.

I was actually hoping you'd expand on that section a bit Silence! :) Have you tried any tactics other than booting recurrent distractions? What else works?

Silence
2008-07-03, 09:06 PM
Well, if you've ever been in a middle school class, you'll understand the dynamic that goes on. There are three classes of kids.

Class A kids: These are the kids you want. They make As not because they're smart, but because they're focused and willing to put the time in.

Class F kids: These are the guys you do not want playing. They won't focus, and generally cause chaos in the classroom and on the nonexistent battlefield that is D&D. What they really want is attention, which is given to them by class C.

Class C kids: These kids are chameleons. If there's a class F guy, they start making noise just to fit in. If the mood is calm and collected, so are they.



Sometimes a class F kid comes over, and there's no way to change them in a short enough time to keep the game good for everyone else. This personality carries on for a long time, and it's hard to change. You're left with very little choice in this matter, especially if you have a lot of class C kids.

Dervag
2008-07-03, 11:05 PM
Hmm, haven't seen intelligence defined in those terms. It's usually defined as a capacity for learning - a potential if you will. Unused or untrained intelligence may certainly result in less than optimum decisions, but does that mean the individual is less intelligent or just not acting to their potential?The problem is that it's not obvious how to define intelligence. I think it's at least sane to define intelligence as "not doing stupid things." By that standard, children are morons.

I don't apply that definition myself, but it's not absurd. After all, one would assume that intelligent people would behave intelligently and not stupidly, and thus would not do stupid things.

Think about an analogy. We define "strength" by the ability to perform feats of strength, like lifting heavy things. By this standard, no five year old child is "strong," because all five year olds are much weaker physically than adults. As children grow, they gain strength.

Is it obvious that we shouldn't apply the same logic to the property of intelligence that we do to the property of strength?

Eredo
2008-07-08, 08:36 AM
A truly impressive and useful guide which I will definitely show to our DM.

The Mormegil
2008-07-08, 10:37 AM
Okay, I think I'll repeat the call. Please, anyone, god or mortal I don't care, make a guide for TPKs, riots, backstabs, idiot PCs who just want to kill things so 'cause sleeping is just not their cup of tea they attack other party members etc. PLEASE!!!

Cowjuicer
2008-07-09, 12:14 AM
First of all, great guide. It doesn't have everything yet, but any DM can learn something from reading this, old or new.

If anyone cares, here's an old trick I learned that works very well to get a players attention and deal with odd situations.

The Tommy Gun in the Window

An old Noir stories, when the story was starting to get to long and dry and your audiences attention in waning, having a tommy gun stick point into the room from the window and spray it with bullets, and figure out why later. It will immediatly get everyone's attention and can be explained in the plot later when you actually figured out what it going on.

This trick can be adapted into D&D as well. When the game gets the dry or boring, throw in some action, whatever comes to you. The players getting tired of the court ball, have a group of thugs led by a dark priest attack the affair and take hostages. Characters tiring of hitting the streets and finding information, have a group of shadowy assassins ambush them. The trick is, you don't need to know who they are and what their goal is right now, how many times in your favorite show has something dramatic happened and you don't know the cause for several episodes, making it all the more dramatic.

Or a varient, prepare some of these encounters ahead of time, but just wait to spring them when the players get bored for maximum effect.

I've heard of this trick before and try to use it often. I originally heard it described as "Think of the most awesome thing that could happen right now, and make it happen at any cost." I appreciate learning the origins of this trick, which I believe is worthy of being called "The DM"s Other Best Friend".

On Topic: I believe a section should be added on creating adventures (and by extension, campaigns); creating realistic goals and problems for the PCs to solve is something I have a bit of trouble with. :smallbiggrin: Yay for Savage Tide, which kicks nine different flavors of butt and actually makes sense!

Zeebiedeebie
2008-07-24, 09:50 AM
I have a question:

I DM for an 11th level group (currently). Last session, they were fighting a couple of mind flayers and one of them proceeded to use charm person on the bard. He failed his save. Now, I had a charmed PC that I didn't know what to do with. I was forced to say "Um... You suddenly realize that the mind flayer is your friend." Not too credible, is it? Anyway, the wizard in the party fireball'd the mind flayer, killing it. But I am afraid of what I would do if he hadn't killed it.

tl;dr: What do you do if a PC fails his/her save against a charm person, dominate person, suggestion, or other spell that would require them to suspend their disbelief, or for me to run them as an npc. (Worse, what would happen if the other players did not know that the person had been charmed?) Help please!

ericgrau
2008-07-24, 10:17 AM
I dunno, but ideally you'd have the charmed player handle it, he would know about it, and the rest of the party would not (but they'd get suspicious fast).

Just a suggestion, write on a note card or scrap of paper and pass to the player:
"You're charmed. You're friendly to (monster X) but you're still friendly to your party."

It helps if you make a habit of passing cards with other information like:
"You notice a creature in the shadows." (successful secret spot check)

The one game where I was a PC passing notes I had trouble writing fast enough and still keeping the message clear, though.

AKA_Bait
2008-07-24, 10:28 AM
You may also want to keep in mind that Dominate, Suggestion, Charm and the like have verbal components. You can play that up IC. For charm, think of the scene in LotR (the book) where Saruman is using his Voice to attempt to pursuade Gandalf et al. to leave him alone in his tower.

NPC: There really is no need for all this violence. Let's just talk things out.
(hands paper to PC reading "You are charmed and treat NPC as a close friend)


Also, yeah, I know, I know, I'm way behind on adding that last section. It's coming I swear!

Eldran
2008-07-27, 02:53 PM
I have a question:
...
tl;dr: What do you do if a PC fails his/her save against a charm person, dominate person, suggestion, or other spell that would require them to suspend their disbelief, or for me to run them as an npc. (Worse, what would happen if the other players did not know that the person had been charmed?) Help please!

I hope it is ok to post the links here ...
The following articles on wizards.com represent quite a good coverage of your topic:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/tt/20050704a
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20050812a

Zeebiedeebie
2008-07-28, 11:53 AM
Thanks everybody!:smallbiggrin:

Falrin
2008-08-04, 09:18 PM
Something I've been doin grecently, and my players don't seem to mind:

I started with taking a 1000 d20 on an online diceroller and print them. Just scratch the next one when needed. Try to keep rolling for BBeG and other important enemies, players like that.

Then I started prerolling. Getting initiative for your band of goblins before the sesion starts really speeds things up, getting attacks and saves beforehand and you'll smoothly run a whole tribe. Try to stick with whole tribes, a single monster is easy to run and rolling keeps it fun for you. With a whole tribe you get your fun out the tactical wargame, not from some gobling hitting for 2 damage.

AKA_Bait
2008-08-05, 08:14 AM
Something I've been doin grecently, and my players don't seem to mind:

So long as your players are cool with it then great. However...


getting attacks and saves beforehand and you'll smoothly run a whole tribe.

some groups will take umbridge with this. Even if they trust you, some part of the players fun is also seeing the die tumble (or the mouse get clicked with a dice roller) for enemy saves and attacks. Your folks seem to be fine with it but I'd hesitate to advise people to roll saves and attacks ahead of time. Iniative and the like is always a good idea to preroll though.

Falrin
2008-08-07, 03:00 PM
I mostly use it for the minor units.

When AoE hits the Goblin Cleric and his 5 bodyguards, I roll for the cleric and just take pre rolls for the goblins.

When 3 Ogres attack the fighter I can say the attacks and ask if they hit without hesitation, the Cleric barbarian charging the rogue will be rolled for.

It's a question of balancing quick batlle with rolling suspense. And as I'm a fan of big battles (I'd probably love the Minions from 4e) I tend to use this method a lot.

Mortith
2008-08-10, 11:58 AM
Thanks a lot. This guide is so useful. i plan on using it's advice next time I run a game. I seiously hate it when my friend thinks he knows the rules better than me.

But what should I do to get them on track? All my partey members are nuetral or evil. Its like they want to play D&D mainly because they aren't allowed to play Grand Theft Auto IV.

Ayrynthyn
2008-08-13, 12:06 PM
excellent article. couple thoughts on TPK to work from


TPKs

... the TPK comes in all shapes and sizes. From the sheer stupidity flavor (your first level party decides to attack the lvl 16 foreign dignitary and his etire entourage.), to the Dice just wont cooperate flavor. (Seriously... three orcs should not be capable of dropping 5 lvl 5 pc's). Bottom line is, they happen. If they didn't there wouldn't have a cool acronym named after it.. question is how to deal with one.

Fudge em
if you work behind a screen, don't be afraid to fudge the occasional success with a miss. You really want to be careful here. don't let your desire to save the party place doubt of your integrity in the mind of your group. And dont let it undermine your BBEG! Sometimes plot needs to trump mechanics... sometimes mechanics needs to trump plot. A well placed fire ball/breath weapon which drops everyone just into negs where they can be strung up in a dungeon and awake with 1 hp and no gear might be a better option than killing off the whole party. Everything in moderation, and you should be fine.

Let em play out
some players want their characters to go out in a blaze of glory. This can be their chance. Some games are a little less forgiving to the dearly departed than D&D, but you can always make use of the revolving door Rich is so fond of mocking. Advance your time line a few years, describe to them the boredom and pain of the purgatory they find them selves in, and have them Raised by <<insert plot twist/good guys/bad guys here>> as the Hero's of what ever battle claimed them. "When you stood up to "Hmm... we really expected more", kind of thing. This can be played off with out coming off completely trite. Or the alternative... the world still needs saving. Show up next week with new characters, try again.

Deus Ex Machina
It's a literary tool for a reason. How were they supposed to know that the 15 ninja assassin's were just about to attack the foreign diplomat any way? Having mini Eowyn/Merry-esq battle vs the witch king in the midst of mass chaos could a very awesome session make.

... bottom line is this. TPKs happen. If they happen too often, you need to talk to your group (Running away should be a consideration for them), and or review play style and your scenarios. There are several ways around, through and over them. If you use these techniques moderately, you'll be in good shape.

Raum
2008-08-13, 05:59 PM
But what should I do to get them on track? All my partey members are nuetral or evil. First question, why do they need to be "on track"? Are you forcing them towards a preconceived ending? Is there anything you can do with the direction the players are going?

That said, what are your antagonists going to do after the PCs have gone off on their tangent? If your BBEG wanted to destroy Atlantis by activating some artifact and the PCs go off hunting dragons, well Atlantis is hosed. Let them find out their homes, friends, and everything else went down under the waves while they chased dragons. Do it in character! What about other NPCs? If the PCs kill some shopkeeper, how is the town going to react? Will other shopkeepers stay open while they're in town? Will the guard try to arrest them? Will the mayor raise money for a bounty?

Often there's no need to force characters back "on track". The adventure may change but it's probably what the players wanted anyway. That's what they're saying by heading off on a tangent.


Its like they want to play D&D mainly because they aren't allowed to play Grand Theft Auto IV.That may well be fun on occasion but make sure you and your players agree on what type / style of game you're going to play before you start. Play a hackfest for a while. When that gets boring, move on to something else...

Mortith
2008-08-13, 07:40 PM
Thanks. They ask me to have a set story, so I try to. But then they start messing around and get frustrated w/ me when I don't manage to "keep them on track"

Good idea.
If they betrayed their shady employer to the guard when he didn't pay them enough for their tastes, the rest of the black market is going to be a little... hesitant before helping them.:smallamused:

Raum
2008-08-13, 09:58 PM
If they betrayed their shady employer to the guard when he didn't pay them enough for their tastes, the rest of the black market is going to be a little... hesitant before helping them.:smallamused:More than a little. If others will deal with them at all prices should double (or more) and require cash up front.

I generally don't use scripted adventures, but the world should definitely change based on character actions. It doesn't always change for the better. Small changes in prices, contact attitudes, law enforcement, etc can become the entire adventure if that's the way the PCs go. Killing a contact in a bar may well change the adventure from save the "princess from the dragon" to "run from the law". Meanwhile the princess gets eaten.

If you're consistent, it won't take long before the characters figure out they don't have freedom from consequences even when you allow freedom of choice. Do be consistent though! Inconsistencies break verisimilitude by randomizing the world's reactions to the PCs. Decide (with your players) what type and style of campaign you're going to play before starting. Then stay consistent.

Dervag
2008-08-17, 04:56 AM
Is it that you want to keep PCs "on track" in that they follow your overarching plot? That's pointless, because the players shouldn't have to follow your idea of the plot if they don't want to.

Or (very likely) is it that you want to keep them "on track" as in "under control?" One problem with some immature players is that they're so focused on the wish fulfillment side, thinking "Wow, I can stab people in the face and get away with it!"

In which case your best bet is to play NPC reactions very straight. As others say, if the PCs develop a reputation for betraying their employers it will hurt them when they need to make a deal. If they let the bad guy conquer the known world, the bad guy may decide these loose cannon adventurers are a threat to his power and send assassins or armies or monsters after them.

While doing this, you should probably keep a log of each 'bad' decision the PCs made, and how it affected them. This gives you a defensive tool if the players start saying you're unfair. You can look at the list and say:

"This all started when Frazz the Impious decided he'd rather stab the baron of Mittelmecklenburg and take the reward than go on the mission to get the reward. That's why you were being hunted by the baron's heir and his soldiers. So you fled to Townsburg. Where you proceeded to betray half the major underworld figures in the city. And then word got around that you were wanted in the Barony of Mittelmecklenburg. Which is why you had to flee to Metrograd across the ocean. Where you proceeded to fool around hunting random monsters for gold while the Legions of Dread conquered the entire continent. Then when the Legions sent you a messenger offering to recruit you, you kicked him into a pit because it reminded you of that scene from 300.

And that is why the entire world is hunting you right now. Any questions?"

Most people are capable of understanding that a person who has been wronged will seek revenge. It's just that immature roleplayers may not care at the time. If they decide later on that they don't want to roleplay people dealing with the consequences of those nasty decisions... that's when to remind them of just how they got into this mess.

Shazzbaa
2008-08-19, 01:33 AM
Try to keep a lid on in character discussions during combat in a similar way. Yes, talking is a free action, but remember that each round is only six seconds long. A quick back and forth bettween players or to an NPC is fine, but a 15 minute discussion isn't.
This is how one of my GMs handled too much player discussion. (http://www.shazzbaa.com/index.php?c=20) It was very effective. :smalleek:

Regarding player absences, I've seen it run a bunch of different ways. I'm in one group now where we only play when all of us can get together, because there are only four of us, and we wouldn't do well with any of the players missing. I've also had this all-or-nothing approach in another game where all of the players wanted to play badly enough that no one would cancel unless they really, really had to.

Then, by contrast, I'm in another campaign right now where I set up my character with some allegiances outside the party, so that when I leave to go back to college (several states away), the character'll leave the party, and when I come back home, he'll rejoin them. The DM, I assume, already knows how he's going to get me out of the party, so he's planned for my absence.

But one of my favourites, and by far the fairest tactic I'd run across was used in one group where we had a sort of capricious player that would frequently cancel for no good reason, and we realised our previous 'don't play unless everyone can come' tactic wasn't going to work. So we set up this rule:
If you let the DM know ahead of time that you can't make it, we'll work to either postpone the session, or write you out of it (for example, your character is captured in the previous session and not rescued until the following session).
If you let the DM know last minute, or simply don't show up, then we'll play anyway, but we'll retcon you out of the party in some way that makes sense. If that means that the DM decides that your player never actually left town and never actually fought those wolves, then you'll lose that experience.

I like it because it's a good incentive to work everything out ahead of time, without getting into the messy, messy mess of having someone else control your character... but it admittedly only works if you have a large enough party that you can function without them.

I've seen it suggested that another player, or the DM, should take of the absent player's PC, as a means of encouraging them not to miss since they doubtless don't want you playing their character... but as someone very in love with the character-interaction part of the game, that just wrecks my immersion in a million different ways. I can accept a lot, but when Steve isn't playing Aphelion, he no longer feels like the Aphelion I know, and I'm... no longer sure how to interact with him. If we take the "lantern bearer" approach and just pretend that the PC is totally there, just being very quiet, this becomes difficult to believe for some PCs that enjoy doing ridiculous things, especially when we run into some particularly shiny things and all think in the back of our minds that we know, if the rogue were really here, he would be stealing them, but we don't want to make a risky decision like that for him. It's not just the absent player that suffers when his character is taken over, it's other players, too; so I've never liked this approach.
Though I guess YMMV (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YourMileageMayVary); I'm kinda curious how other people typically handle it?

Kobold-Bard
2008-08-22, 11:24 AM
Great guide. I DM my first game soon and I think this will help.

On the down side, reading it made me realise that I am sometimes Ted. :smallfrown:

AKA_Bait
2008-08-22, 12:06 PM
Great guide. I DM my first game soon and I think this will help.

On the down side, reading it made me realise that I am sometimes Ted. :smallfrown:

No worries on that man. Everyone is sometimes, it's just the realizing it and being willing to change your idea to another one you like and that does mesh with the group that matters.

Also, THANK YOU Shazzbaa and Ayrynthyn for your imput. I'll totally be using a number of your ideas in the update. I should admit, that like all other DM's, I'm sometimes a screw-up and my two weakest places were TPKs and missing players. I've never actually TPKed a party of mine (although I've killed individual PCs many times) so I was a bit brain-dry on advice to give and I'm not so good with the missing player stuff. I tend to cancel the session, which is bad for everyone, especially since I had a player much like your 'cancels for no good reason' one.

BlueWizard
2008-08-23, 06:32 PM
As a veteran DM, I must say this is an excellent resource. I am sure there is much more that can be said as well.

I have seen almost every example above.

Graymayre
2008-09-10, 06:19 PM
When will the next update be done AKA Bait?

OracleofWuffing
2008-09-27, 02:49 PM
I've just wrapped up the first arc of my first campaign... And this thread has been a lot of help. There's a lot of stuff that I could still use help with that's probably too specific for this thread, but overall, this has been an excellent resource and was a large proponent in making a one-session storyarc last three sessions. Er, that's meant as a compliment.

What I've learned in my campaign so far:
Don't send one-monster encounters against a party where one character has a huge grapple mod. Speaking of which, no two people will ever agree on the grapple rules.
Traps scare adventurers stiff.

What my players have learned in my campaign so far:
Perform (Percussion) isn't exactly the best random skill check to use when you're trying to sneak by monsters.
When my maps have a compass indicating "North" drawn on them, that tends to point to the direction of "North".

I do have a bit of a question that I feel is quite silly, though. What's been a recurring problem in my sessions is keeping all the stuff organized. Sure, I've implemented the notecard initiative system, and it helps battles flow, but there's the issue of me digging out the battlemap and monster info for my encounters, marking each lego so I know which Bugbear is Bugbear "A", and keeping track of where each Bugbear's sheet is. Given that I might also be keeping track of a newcomer's character sheet as well, I have the data for four-or-five things all at once, and I really have a quarter of a table (at best) to keep all this stuff. Can I get some advice on keeping all this data immediately accessible?

Raum
2008-09-27, 06:11 PM
Traps scare adventurers stiff.Traps done well scare adventurers, done poorly they just bog the game down while every square foot of space gets checked. Sounds like you've got the first type. :)


I do have a bit of a question that I feel is quite silly, though. What's been a recurring problem in my sessions is keeping all the stuff organized. Sure, I've implemented the notecard initiative system, and it helps battles flow, but there's the issue of me digging out the battlemap and monster info for my encounters, marking each lego so I know which Bugbear is Bugbear "A", and keeping track of where each Bugbear's sheet is. Given that I might also be keeping track of a newcomer's character sheet as well, I have the data for four-or-five things all at once, and I really have a quarter of a table (at best) to keep all this stuff. Can I get some advice on keeping all this data immediately accessible?Do you have a laptop? If so there are a variety of useful tools. Everything from spreadsheets or wikis to virtual table top mapping software. One question, are you using the notecard initiative system you refer to to its full potential? In other words, are you putting the common combat stats on the cards? You may also want to consolidate some things, a group of bugbears could all be on one sheet for example. Just use stickys to track individual hit points and location. Speaking of location, marking your battlemap with numbered / lettered sides gives you an easy method of tracking invisible or hidden NPCs and items. Stickys are also useful as tabs on your various character sheets...easy to pull the correct sheet when you label the sticky with it's name.

OracleofWuffing
2008-09-27, 07:55 PM
Heh, thanks. Nice to know I'm running traps effectively.


Do you have a laptop?
It's not so much that I don't have a laptop, it's an issue that the only laptop I own is, well, old. It's sort of my hobby/Linux low-end machine, and for all practical purposes, it's not capable of doing anything involving juggling windows or switching applications- and forget about internet access. At best, I suppose I could just keep a text document open with the required information, but it just feels like it's missing something. Additionally, my players like to see pictures of the legos they're fighting, which is why the paper's handy.


In other words, are you putting the common combat stats on the cards? You may also want to consolidate some things, a group of bugbears could all be on one sheet for example. Just use stickys to track individual hit points and location.
Perhaps this is where I'm missing something, because I'm a bit confused... The way I've been doing this, is each bugbear gets a card, each player gets a card, I assemble the cards in order of highest to lowest initiative, stack everything up, read the name off the top card to start the turn, when the turn ends shove the card to the bottom, and read the top card's name again.

So, uh... If the group's fighting multiple bugbears- some of which have a higher initiative than the players, others which have a lower initiative- it seems like placing the info for multiple bugbears on the same card would break the ease of the model. Additionally, say, when it's the Paladin's turn, I don't need to know the Paladin's Armor Class, I need to know the Armor Class of whichever arbitrary bugbear he's targeting... I'm sort of at a loss at how to make this more streamlined without using tachyon emmissions.

Raum
2008-09-27, 08:51 PM
Yeah, I think I bounced around too much - comes from typing as I think. To clarify, consolidate whatever character sheets and notes you can. The fewer pages you have the flip through the better. Use stickys to tab the ones you keep for easy reference. Separately, write basic combat info on the initiative cards to avoid having to look at character sheets every time. You may have 5 bugbears with a card for each but you should only need one character sheet - unless your bugbears are fundamentally different from each other.

Personally, I like using a wiki for notes. It makes it easy to link things nonlinearly. When I did keep things on paper I used two different binders (one for characters and one for runs) in addition to a much reduced folder of what I thought I'd need that session. Oh, and lots of stickys. They're good for everything from hit point tracking to note throwing. :)

OracleofWuffing
2008-09-28, 10:00 PM
I got you, consolidation is going to happen a bit more next session... I might be spending too much time in Computer Sciences, though, as I initially thought, "Well, the bugbears all kind of have to have unique current HP," then thought, "Duh, just write A = 16 HP, B = 12" on the main character sheet. I could still see a problem when there are three or four different monsters in combat, but something tells me that's just going to happen regardless.

As far as stickies go, well, it sounds like a good idea... But I already have enough trouble keeping my players from dinking around with the legos. Who knows what messes they'd get in with stickies. :smallbiggrin: And we all know who gets stuck with cleaning up the mess after the session.

I think what would be interesting and a bit of a help- and I realize this is asking for something delicate- is some "behind the screen" pictures of the DM area, raw, uncensored, and uncut. Granted, our group doesn't have a screen, but I guess that's what it would be called.

DemetriX
2008-10-09, 12:28 PM
Man, I feel I ought to post a reply to this super topic. It really helped me a lot and it was the best thing to read before starting my own campaign(!). I want to really thank you, for the time you spent and the effort you made. If there were ranks among DMs, this topic would give +2 ranks to anyone reading it! Hope to see more threads like that! Continue the good job.

OracleofWuffing
2008-10-14, 01:15 PM
Have each player explain their character concept to the rest of the group.

By the looks of things, I should have taken more notes on this section.

My group hasn't played "Wealth by Level" in previous campaigns, and I wanted to experience a bit of everything in DMing, so I decided to go by that. My players were quite excited to get 5,400 gp in assorted items on their first day in.

Unfortunately, now that I'm winding up and preparing for the next storyarc, I have their character sheets in front of me, and nobody's bothered to note those items down.

:smallfrown:

Luckily, I kept game notes on what everybody was given, so I can correct everybody next time, but I really want to show my players the fun in magic items.

Egiam
2008-11-03, 04:10 PM
Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "Mary Sue"?

Winged One
2008-11-03, 05:24 PM
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue

If you don't want your free time destroyed, the basics are a character who the story revolves around.

Dr. Killjoy
2008-11-15, 08:25 PM
I love this guide. It has great suggestions and, even though written for D&D, it could apply to just about any tabletop game.

Belkarsbadside1
2008-11-19, 08:35 PM
Just remember, as a DM, You must remain bipartisan (and sometimes cruel if your PC's do somethiing stupid.) Thats the hardest thing to remember

Prowl
2008-11-23, 08:10 PM
Two cardinal rules of being a DM:

1) Assign someone else to buy the beer, and lots of it.

2) Half the beer is yours. This is non-negotiable.

Congratulations! You are now prepared to deal with many hours worth of DMing a campaign.

Lycan 01
2008-11-23, 09:05 PM
This thread has proven to be very helpful. Thank you. :smallsmile:


I can see where I've been making mistakes, and where I've been doing rather well, actually. I'm DMing a game sometime over Thanksgiving - probably Friday - and I'll have to deal with a few cliche problems: Talkative players, bogged down battles and rolls, and the ever-present "bad player" who in his own words likes it when he gets to kill everything and dominate the other players. :smallannoyed:

Of course, I have a few Contingency Plans prepared for the bad player, I'm pre-rolling most of the monster initiatives and attack rolls, and I have several generic spare characters and back-up quests prepared in case we have a TPK due to a handful of Kobolds... again. (Yep. 3 PCs vs 10 kobolds = TPK if I hadn't bent the rules at the last second. We haven't played since... :smalleek:)


Oh, and should I be cliche and start them out in an Inn? :smallbiggrin:

Zeful
2008-11-23, 09:16 PM
Hey would it be possible to get some general campaign building advice? I have a hard time with that.

Raum
2008-11-24, 08:05 PM
That's a fairly broad question. What type of campaign do you want to build? Are you looking to create a scripted campaign similar to what you'd purchase? A sandbox? Or something in between?

Zeful
2008-11-24, 09:39 PM
That's a fairly broad question. What type of campaign do you want to build? Are you looking to create a scripted campaign similar to what you'd purchase? A sandbox? Or something in between?

Like I said, just general advise. I'd like to believe that I'd run more of a sandbox game, but I generally have to work backwards (ending to beginning) which leaves little wiggle room for stuff I didn't think of.

Lycan 01
2008-11-24, 09:43 PM
My advice? Set up the general setting, and be sure to have a few side quests made up. For my first campaign, I set up an open world, and turned them loose in hopes they would head towards the places I'd already mapped and set up quests for.

They didn't, of course. *facepalm*


So yeah, be sure to cover as many possible routes as you can think of. You've really got to spiderweb your quest lines, because there's a lot of stuff that can go wrong in a campaign. I've learned that from CoC many times, which is funny because the point of CoC is to actually make things go wrong for the players. :smallamused:

Zeful
2008-11-24, 09:49 PM
So a time line of sorts?

Lycan 01
2008-11-24, 10:19 PM
Not exactly, although that could be cool. Like, have NPCs gossip about a local country threatening war, and after a few sessions the PCs hear that two of the neighboring countries are at war with each other. And then a few more sessions later, either a 3rd country comes into play, or they all make nice and stop fighting.

Time-dependant quests are cool, too. The current CoC quest I'm running is time dependant. The players are racing the bad guys to summon Cthulhu, and I've got pre-determined points in time where if the good guys don't get to something, the bad guys will, thus making the game harder.

The good guys are already a week behind. >.<

But I digress...


Try this. PCs start in TOWN A. Mention that TOWN B is to the South, and TOWN C is to the North. CAVE A is to the East, and FARM A is to the West.

TOWN B is where the main plot-line is. CAVE A is filled with Kobolds. FARM A features a quest where a farmer asks you to kill a pack of dire rabbits that have been eating his carrots. TOWN C features a few sessions worth of material, namely an investigation into the dissappearance of several children near the town lately. The players then must investigate several people who live near the town, including an old hermit, a sweet old lady, an ex-adventurer, and possibly the farmer at FARM A.


The point is, always have lots of back-up quests prepared, because your players might now want to spend the current sessions trudging through the dungeon you spent 3 weeks planning... :smallannoyed:

Raum
2008-11-24, 10:23 PM
Like I said, just general advise. I'd like to believe that I'd run more of a sandbox game, but I generally have to work backwards (ending to beginning) which leaves little wiggle room for stuff I didn't think of.For a pure sandbox campaign you need to tie events to locations. Something along the lines of 'Castle X is ruled by a werewolf who is preying on the surrounding peasants.' and 'Grove B is a Sylvan dell defended by a group of fauns and dryads.' It's fairly simple if the scope is small but can end up being an enormous amount of work when you're detailing a larger setting. Worse, the PCs may never see all the work if they go off in another direction altogether. For some published examples look at Wilderlands of High Fantasy by the Judges Guild or some of Savage World's newer plot point adventures.

Pure sandboxes are generally too static for me. I prefer to have some dynamic NPCs in the world who act to meet their goals whether the PCs interfere or not. Such goal oriented campaigns are generally built around the NPCs themselves. Put NPC Z - a necromancer looking for an arcane method of forcing an unwilling spirit to return to it's flesh with NPC R - an assassin out to kill the local potentate and NPC H - a fighter out to become the local ruler by any means necessary in the same city and you have the beginnings of an interesting adventure. Add in Organization P wanting to control all the city's crime and Organization A trying to defend the current potentate for even more dynamism. Then throw the party into the middle of the mix and see what happens! For published examples look at Pirate's Guide to Freeport or some of the Shadowrun "Threats" supplements.

The most common type of published adventure is a script. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end - and relies on players cheerfully (or otherwise) moving from one to the other in order.

I generally mix a sparse sandbox with lots of antagonists (both individual NPCs and organizations) who all have their own agenda. That gives the PCs room to roam while giving me antagonists who are proactive and not waiting on PC action.

Zeebiedeebie
2008-11-30, 10:44 AM
I DM for a 14th level party currently. It contains a druid, a wizard, and a bard.

The person who plays the druid used to play a barbarian/ranger. He dual wielded small greataxes. It was a pretty terrible build overall. The worst part of it was the fact that he acted retarded. I have posted the story before, but long story short the rest of the party killed him and destroyed his soul.

Hunter_Rose
2008-12-03, 06:27 PM
I would also like to add AKA Bait that this is a very helpful thread and contains a large number of helpful hints. Hopefully I can add some more.

When I approach a campaign I like to think in story arcs. I have found this is really helpful in pacing my game for college semisters. I know based on how much of the semester has passed where the players should be in the campaign. I figure what I want the story arc to be about and then figure out how the players would get from start to finish. Once I have an idea of where the campaign is going I can then figure out how to get the party to the end of the arc. If the players are getting stuck at a certain part of the arc I can alter the story accordingly to either get it back on track or take it into a whole new direction. I learned early on that scipting an adventure is a lot of work down the toilet once the party decides to go in a direction you didn't anticipate. Granted the party may take a convoluted path to the end result I can usually drop enough clues, give enough hints, and craft the campaign so it seems like the entire arc was planned from start to finish, but really I just came up with the beginning and the end and let the PC's fill in the rest.

For example you want to run a city campaign where a sinister enemy is trying to subvert the city to EVIL!!! For the arc to begin you have to first figure out how to get the party into the environment of the campaign. The party consists of all first level PCs that want to begin their lives of fame and fortune so they journey to the city of Campaign Beginning to start their quest. For the arc to end you have to have the party figure out who is the enemy is, how they are operating and/or where they are operating out of, how to confront them, and how to defeat them. You can now create encounters that address those elements of the story.

To introduce the enemy you can feed into the party's need for employment. There is an infestation of rats plaguing the basements and warehouses of Campaign Beginning . The Stevedore's Guild has taken to hiring adventures to clean out the rat infested warehouses of the guild. The PCs then can move to clean out a couple of warehouses to get some early fighting experience along evidence that the rats are very numerous and seem to be acting with more purpose than a mere animal. Allowing a few rat survivors to escape through drain pipes, sewer grates, and foul smelling cracks in the ground can point to the rats accessing buildings through the sewers of the city. Hopefully at some point the party will have the idea that if the rats are not rooted out of the sewers then the rat problem will never go away. If not there are other ways to point the party in the right direction.

At this point you create an encounter that shows the PCs how the rats are operating and where they are operating from. The city watch annouces an open call for adventures to take to the sewers to root out the rat problem. Now the party gets a nice dungeon crawl in the city's sewers where the DM can introduce some other creatures not tied to the plot (carrion crawlers, neo-outygths [sp?], and an icky slime) along with more powerful creatures tied into the plot (larger rats leading the smaller packs of rats). For a crowning encounter you can have a den with a wererat protected by some more larger leader rats. After searching the den the party will find evidence that something more sinister is going on here (a journel is found that tracks the movement of one of the minor nobility's younger daughter). A holy symbol of a vile god or a mysterious insignia tattooed to the wererat's hide helps build a slight level of menance.

Now the party suspects there is a cabal of wererats operating in the sewers. They have proof with the journel, and an encounter with the noble mentioned in the journel can be set up. The PCs can be hired as body guards to the nobel's daughter or can be hired by the noble to continue their investigation of the city's sewers. If your PCs have good investigative instincts you can allow them to gather information that a wealthy merchant who runs a caravanseri near the north gate of the city has reported no rat infestation within his holdings. Further investigation will implicate him in the plot. Research in the town library gives valuable information about the tattoo found on the wererat. When the city was founded a nest of warerats were (thought to be) exterminated after they began to prey on the citizens from their underground lair. The symbol of their clan matches the tattoo. Further reading shows they worshipped a vile god of filth and disease that has a holy symbol matching the one the party found. The tenets of this vile religion include virgin sacrifice and horrible blood magic atrocities. Based on the old records the party can get a vague idea of where the original underdark lair used to be. If the party does not research this out then the caravan merchant can be found to be paying off the wererats to leave his goods alone. Eventually the merchant is forced to work on forwarding the wererat's evil plot. The party can then catch the merchant talking to a suspicious stranger with rat like features or other clues can be dropped that will let the party know the merchant is working with the wererats. The party can find the location of the final encounter by having the party tail the merchant to his wererat contact then tailing the contact to the wererat lair, or having the party capturing the wererat contact and torturing/charming/ seducing the information out of them. Ultimately these encounters will point the party to the wererat lair and the final confrontation.

Now the party gathers information on how to effectively fight wererats and any other information that would be helpful in the final showdown. Have the party complete a final dungeon crawl for the underground lair that would begin in the sewers and end with the final showdown with the leader of the cabal. To add the final cherry of menance to the endgame have the noble's daughter kidnapped by the wererats and the dungeon crawl be a rece against time to save the daugter before she is sacrificed. Do the final battle in the wererat's atrocity of a temple to their vile god of filth and disease and rescue the princess. The coda of the adventure is when the party returns the daughter to her father.

This should be able to get a party of 5-7 adventurers from level 1 to level 5 within three months of gaming sessions where the group meets once a week regularly. You will probably need to draw 5 maps: a map of the city itself, some warehouses for the beginning encounters, a map of the city's sewers, a map of the caravan merchant's house, and the underground lair (with temple to the vile god of filth and disease) of the wererats themselves. Most of the meat of the campaign will be filled in by the PCs. This will also help make this city into a good base of operations for the party and will establish the party in the eyes of the city's inhabitants. A good number of NPC relationships can be introduced that may be enhanced in the next story arc of the campaign. Also there are seeds in this arc that will allow you to craft more of a metaplot (my god could there be more worshippers of this foul god still out there in other cities across the realm). Plus now the party has cheesed off a pretty nasty deity who can pop up from time to time to harass the party further. This is nice way to introduce some memorable enemies for the party to encounter over the course of the campaign.

Hopefully this helps illustrate an easier way to approach a campaign and set up an adventure that will be less likely to get swamped if the PCs don't act the way the DM expects.

Kiero
2008-12-04, 04:56 AM
Some of the best GMing advice I've seen:


Directed at the OP...

1. The only scene that should be somewhat railroady (if any) is the opening scene. Make it important and make it start in the middle of things. This provides a motive for the game without being too specific or forcing a long-term course of action.

2. Ditch the end scene that you have in mind. It will hardly ever match your expectations. If players have five choices, they will choose number six.

3. Create dynamic NPCs that have their own personalities and motivations.

4. Once the game is going, have the NPCs react and act according to those motivations and the player's actions or inactions.

5. You will need to improvise heavily to achieve maximum success. This doesn't mean: Do not prepare ahead of time. Create NPC game stats and profiles. Have short notes on what they are doing and why. Make maps or better yet, steal them from another source. A timeline is a good idea but don't be confined to it.

6. If players do "stupid" things, then there are consequences for doing stupid things. If they are galactically stupid (ie "We chuck a grenade at the Emperor") then make sure they pay the in-game price for their choice of action.

7. While the game should be focused on the PC's course of action, make sure that things happen in the game when they decide not to act at all. Be consistent and make the world feel like anything can happen. Ask the PCs what their upcoming plans for a session are. They will think of approaches that you do not expect to see.

8. Jot down notes on the scenes you expect to see in a particular session. If they happen the way that you anticipate, then that is great. If they do not (more than likely), don't sweat it. Always refer to NPC motivations vs player goals/actions. It is the conflict between PCs and NPCs which drive a role-playing game. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

9. Communicate with your players. Find out what they want in a game and what they don't want. Ask them how the game session went: What did they like? What did they not enjoy?" Constructive feedback is valued. Petty feedback can be ignored. Try to mesh with their playstyles. Part ways if it is impossible to do (rare).

10. If they think this gamemastering thing is so easy or that you are "doing it wrong," invite them to take a turn in the hot seat. :D

There you go. Twenty-seven years of experience taught me those things. I hope it helps. :cool:

Fortinbras
2008-12-09, 01:29 PM
do most people operate on the DM per world per campaign per group of characters system?

Shadowbane
2008-12-14, 04:44 PM
Just posting to say "Thanks!" for this, because I just started DMing. Really helpful.:smallbiggrin:

Dervag
2008-12-20, 09:56 PM
I generally mix a sparse sandbox with lots of antagonists (both individual NPCs and organizations) who all have their own agenda. That gives the PCs room to roam while giving me antagonists who are proactive and not waiting on PC action.Also, you can move your antagonists and their plots around so that the PCs don't accidentally blunder out of the parts of the setting where you've gotten around to writing in some interesting details. Some quests can begin in more than one place, with you moving the plot hook to make sure the PCs get at least one good chance to bite it no matter what. If they don't bite they don't bite, but that should be a conscious decision on their part.

Thus, the evil cult of the God of Bad is trying to subvert the government of a city... which city? Why, whichever one the PCs decide to go to from the starting town. :smallwink:

Raum
2008-12-21, 12:36 AM
Thus, the evil cult of the God of Bad is trying to subvert the government of a city... which city? Why, whichever one the PCs decide to go to from the starting town. :smallwink:Yes, NPCs who haven't been used in game are often easy to move to other locations. But if you've started giving out hooks, you may want to consider leaving them at that location and letting them succeed. Where you draw the line is up to you.

I'm not a big fan of illusionism. If I've thrown out any hooks at all, I'm more likely to leave the cult in the original town. Let them take over. Then let the PCs hear rumors / news of all the bad stuff going on back home... Sometimes going back to fix a problem you let happen makes a better game than preventing it. It also helps make it personal.

Let bad stuff happen when the PCs decide not to stop it. It helps make the world a living place that changes and moves on. The PCs' choices help decide the direction - and avoiding a confrontation is still making a choice.

Dervag
2008-12-22, 03:47 PM
I think a blend of the two approaches is good.

For example, you have a vague hook about kidnappings that you know is a line to a cult planning to take over City A. The PCs move to City B.

Since they've ignored City A, the cultists' plot proceeds, but it's reasonable for you to use the "cultist warehouse" map and the cultist statistics you rolled up in a new location.

That way, you have an ongoing plot that proceeds whether the heroes act or not, but you limit the amount of new detail you are forced to create when the PCs do something unpredictable.
____________

The key is that the PCs shouldn't accidentally make vast amounts of your created content useless by performing an unintended action. One way to do that is to drag them through your created content (railroading). Most people won't enjoy that. So the other, better way is to subtly adapt your created content to the new PC actions.

Thus, if you have a plot hook scheduled to occur in a tavern on the highway from A to B, and the PCs choose to take the scenic route that bypasses the tavern in favor of the Canyon of Monsters, then your adventure plan shouldn't be sunk entirely.

For this purpose, it also helps to have plot hooks that will chase the party around until it gets a chance to interact with the hook. If the party knowingly rejects the hook, fine, but in that case you can reuse some of the characters, places, and creatures attached to the hook at another location.

Raum
2008-12-23, 12:00 AM
Sounds like it'd work Dervag. I certainly reuse maps, though not always as the same thing I'd originally intended. The 'cultists' warehouse' can also become a thieves' hideout in a warehouse, a smuggler's transshipment point, or possibly a slaver's entry into town. Some changes may need to be made to tailor it, but you don't have to start from scratch.

------------------------------------------
Talking about reusing things, the following is cross posted from another thread - didn't want to have to gather all the links again. :)

GMing really is not special or difficult. I'm certain some will disagree, but thinking GMing is only for a limited set of 'special' people does a disservice to gaming as a whole. It's elitist and artificially limits the pool of available GMs. GMing is a skill. It can be learned like any other skill.

Resources for GMs: There are thousands including this thread. Here are a few others I recommend ars ludi (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/), some of Greg Costikyan's articles (http://www.costik.com/articles.html), some of John Kim's articles (also links to other sites) (http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/), Greg Stolze's How to Run (http://www.gregstolze.com/HowtoRun.zip) (also a 'How to Play' on the same site if you're interested), Uncle Figgy's GM Guide (http://arkanabar.tripod.com/gmguide.html), Ray Winninger's Dungeoncraft essays (http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/dnd/dungeoncraft/), Johnn Four's Role Playing Tips (http://www.roleplayingtips.com/index.php) and Joseph Young's The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast (http://ptgptb.org/0027/theory101-02.html).

You'll find different and even contradictory advice - but that's good. Not all groups, or people, are identical. Pick and choose what works for you and your group.

Wafflecart
2009-01-03, 07:04 AM
I just wanted to say, that I read most of the first two posts (it's 4am and I've been reading for an hour) and I think it will really help me out. I have never DM'd before, and I am going to give it a shot at my friends birthday party, to give him a break for once. I will be DMing a side quest to our groups current campaign, and I even have a way for my friend to make his new character (still working on integrating him into the story), but I have a way to make it so that once the side quest is over, his character isn't lost, but stays in the campaign, and might even pop up again every now and then. I don't remember where I was going with this, so I'll just conclude and say that this should help me out a lot, especially the parts about not dropping the DM hammer on the players, even when they do something that I don't like, or is just outright stupid.

SurvivorX
2009-02-06, 11:27 AM
One thing that I think should be added to the list (unless this is just something I experience twice a session and nobody else gets this):

Bring enough dice. If it sounds simple, you're wrong. Bring enough dice...FOR EVERYBODY. Otherwise, the question "Who has the D10?" becomes very exhausing, and players eventually get tired of passing them around and just toss them across the table, which can lead to the following side effects: Broken miniatures, Miniatures Knocked Over And You Forget Which Square It Was On, Dice in Pizza (Also known as Pizza on Dice, which some more anal players might constitute as "weighing the dice"), You'll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid, and, as always, Death.

MiniMan
2009-02-07, 03:19 AM
I just wanted to chime in that i thought this was a very helpful thread.

Ethrael
2009-02-22, 11:41 AM
Thank you very much. An incredibly helpful thread with pretty much any problem that has ever arisen in my experience. Congratulations and thank you again. :smallbiggrin:

Wystrell
2009-03-07, 05:22 PM
Awesome resource!

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but I would be tempted to say that anyone thinking of DMing should listen to the WotC/Penny Arcade/PvP 4E Podcast series. The DMs are top notch and the players, being well-known webcomic writers, are hilarious.

The podcasts do a great job of showing how to do a lot of things - how to introduce an entire system to a group of players that knows nothing about its workings, how to roleplay NPCs, how to use random player comments to your (and their) advantage, how to start the very first gaming session with your players, good ways to explain why a character can't see because you rolled a 1 on your spot check (and other related die-rolling succeses and failures), how to deal with TPK, how to add new players to the mix... and how to gracefully recover when you screw up!

But above all, the podcasts show what the end product of D&D or any tabletop RPG ought to be - a bunch of goofballs having fun.

Mystic Muse
2009-04-04, 11:46 PM
hello I am an extremely nooby DM but that isn't the problem. the problem is one of my players left the game because they are bored of it. the reason being "you can't see the things happening like you can in video games" the group could go on without him but it might not be the best idea. the details around this are a little bit long so they are in a different column. also he's about nine years old so is this just a "he needs to grow out of it and I need to be patient" thing or should I do something about it?

no comments about what planet is this kid from.he's my cousin and I've made enough of those comments already.

me my brother and my two cousins families are homeschooled. because of this they come over to our house once a week. each week we get together and do various things. lately we have taken up Playing D&D and it usually encompasses the entire time they are here. each of my cousins plays with a specific group, not because certain cousins hate each other (at least I hope not) but because that's simply who they like hanging out with. however when my group plays D&D all of the people he normally plays with are playing D&D. therefore the only way to hang out with them is either to stop playing D&D or for him to KEEP playing D&D. if there were too many players gone the group wouldn't even want to play. (I'd like to allow him to play video games during sessions but he only plays online games like cod4:yuk: so he can't just pause in the middle and resume D&D) (yes he's nine and plays m rated video games. )

Chiron
2009-05-11, 09:50 AM
I'm not that far away from DMing my first session in close to eight years. It's been that long between drinks for me, because the last time I tried to run a game it was not only a complete disaster it also put a severe dent in a couple of friendships. Also, the last group I was with was generally overseen by the Ted-type to end all Ted-types whether or not he was the GM. That kinda scared me off the idea.

I've been using this thread as a starting point. Coming up with ideas, putting on my black hat and sussing out potential problems ahead of time (That way I'll only have to deal with half as many when running the thing). One I'm working on at the moment is an esoteric and changeable one: pacing.

I've got a broad plan for my campaign a couple of villains, some recurring some not, major events, a campaign world for things to happen in, and an epic confrontation to wrap the whole thing up. But I'd like to have some idea of how to pace my sessions. How many encounters I can expect to have the PCs run through at the best, and at the worst, on average. Also, because some of these encounters are going to involve investigation, subterfuge, and/or diplomacy over combat an idea of how long THEY might take would be nice. My party is generally 20+, we have a couple of teen-aged boys who like to play up from time to time, but I'm confident I can deal with them after playing with worse. The good thing about my group is that they come to play the game more often than not, we all have our off days, but mostly we want to find out what's next in the story and strip its mutilated carcass of valuables.

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Other stuff Below
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theburningfield:
I would say that your cousin isn't getting something that he is looking for from DnD, and I doubt that it is purely a visual thing.
If he's contrasting tabletop roleplaying against FPSes that's one clue. examining what he likes and doesn't like in an FPS will give you more clues. Does he play single-player or multiplayer more? Does he like it because it's fast paced or simple and straightforward? Does he have any favourite games that aren't FPSes? What are they? Why does he like them?

A good single-player game focuses on the actions of one person and allows the player to play the game through their own eyes with their own perspectives and effect the outcome of major events. People who play single-player games more than multiplayer can do so because of a desire to feel in-control, somewhat god-like, or the centre of attention. No matter what, at the end of the story, the single-player person has a sense of personal accomplishment.

Look at the build of his character. Does it allow him to come to shine and occasionally save the day? If not, figure out ways to work with him so that can happen. Don't just MAKE him the centre of attention arbitrarily but perhaps being mistaken for the King of Nowhere or having an old friend/mentor being killed by the BBEG's lieutenant and making things personal (giving him a rival and someone to battle one on one) will help.

If he prefers multiplayer, then it may be more about competition and skill. Good multiplayer game experiences present just enough challenge to test a person but still let them win about 40-60% of the time. They also let a player face off against opponents operating off of fuzzy logic and intuition rather than scripting and AI.

Simply throwing monsters at him isn't going to engage him, because they're hollow XP. Likewise, if he realises that you're not going to let his character die because the party doesn't have access to resurrection then immediately he's sussed out that he is effectively immortal, and therefore there the game is no challenge to him. Either changing the scenario and style of play to something where the players can compete with each other a little more and/or making resurrection part and parcel of the campaign would be advisable. Maybe the party has entered a grand tournament run by a completely amoral religious cult who holds an artifact capable of destroying the world in the wrong hands. Let the players compete, form temporary alliances, betray each other, and get killed or knocked out of certain rounds. Let some/all of them have competing goals and keep it lighthearted as you can. There are a couple of Fighting Fantasy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Fantasy) books that were based on this idea (Deathtrap Dungeon and Trial of Champions being two I know of) I think there was an expansion for 3rd ed waybackwhen as well that dealt with the same sort of thing.

If it's complexity, then finding ways to simplify the gaming experience for him would help. maybe instead of giving him a whole character sheet (which can be headache-making to some people) do up a small index card will all his relevant stats on it, forget about skills for a bit and whenever he has to level up, take him aside and help him through it quickly and privately.

If it's pacing, try the zerg-rush approach. Pit the party against a series of mobs composed of weaker enemies aim for two EL+2 encounters, and then an EL+0 encounter. Careful fenagling may be required on your part to make them seem bigger, this would be best accomplished either in the midst of a pitched battle where there are multiple NPCs helping, or by giving the enemy an objective beyond 'stopping the PCs'. Maybe they're Kobolds who are evacuating a warren and need to slow down the party long enough for the bulk of them to escape, so they rush the party, sparing a few brave soldiers to slow them down while the rest of each mob swarms past.
Give him an adrenaline rush and he'll feel like the adventure is flying along well enough.

These aren't the only things that may be going on, but that's the thing that jumped out at me the most. Sorry for waffling on so much, it's kinda what I do sometimes.

Duxus
2009-05-28, 07:06 AM
Wonderful thread, extremely helpful! =)

I have a question regarding social or mental attributes of the players against the PCs.
I think an example will be a best way to explain it:
Imagine a lady's man PC; but the player has zero talent, zero experience on that department. Or a very sharp player, wanting to play a dim-witted PC; but he can't stop himself acting smart, also vice versa... What to do? Just roll the corresponding dice, and don't play it out loud?

AKA_Bait
2009-05-28, 07:22 AM
Wonderful thread, extremely helpful! =)

I have a question regarding social or mental attributes of the players against the PCs.
I think an example will be a best way to explain it:
Imagine a lady's man PC; but the player has zero talent, zero experience on that department. Or a very sharp player, wanting to play a dim-witted PC; but he can't stop himself acting smart, also vice versa... What to do? Just roll the corresponding dice, and don't play it out loud?

Well, for each of those situations I'd think that the DM's response ought to be different and, honestly, as the DM there is only so much you can do for some of these things. You cannot roleplay the character for your PC's.

For example, if a player has zero experience with the ladies but a great charisma and wants the character to be a hit with the ladies, that's something you as the DM can make work since you control the NPC's reaction. Simply have female NPCs inexplicably find whatever the PC says, even if it would normally be off-color or weird, to be interesting, adorable, witty etc. This can lead to some pretty funny exchanges later betweent the PC's as well. "How does he do that?" kind of thing.

With the PC wanting to play a character with a different level of int than they have it can get tricky and it will really depend a lot on the playstyle of the group. Personally, when I played characters dumber than myself, I would generally figure out, roughly, how much difference there is numerically between myself and the character then roll a die to myself and determine from that if whatever ever it was that I figured out or come up with is something the character would also have come up with. There's no set way of doing this and honestly at the end of the day, the PC is the only one who can really address this problem. As I said, you can't RP their character for them.

As for playing a character with a higher int, that can be trickier. I have to run now but I promise I'll post again soon with some thoughts on that.

Also, given that I'm now unemployed and living in a new city, I may be able to FINALLY finish the guide in the next week.

Duxus
2009-05-28, 08:52 AM
It's real nice hearing that you will be able to write again! Hurray! (I hope in the light of unemployment and new city, I'm not being a dork; and they are temporary and the things are under your control.):smallsmile:

Let me add another question. How much of this social aspect of the game you roll with dice, and how much you let your players play it out loud? Do you let the role playing effect rolls, as bonuses or penalties? As an example: Bluffing, or (This happens to me a lot when we play WoD; it seems I can't intimidate no one without getting really angry. (= ) intimidation...

Raum
2009-05-28, 11:03 PM
There are a variety of methods for dealing with such social skills:
- Some mature (certainly not old!) gamers prefer leaving role play entirely up to the player and only using rules for combat and possibly skills. This is the model for the first couple versions of D&D (and many other games of course).
- Another option is to add a modifier (positive or negative) to the roll based on the player's description. Some games enshrine this in the rules but often it's simply a situational modifier left entirely up to the GM.
- Finally there's the pure roll...no matter how well or poorly (or even if) it is described, only the roll matters.

As always, use whatever method the group finds most enjoyable. I've used versions of all three over the years with different groups. My personal preference is a combination of the first two, but that is simply preference.

@AKA Bait: Good luck with the job search! That can be a full time job in it self. It's obvious advice but worth repeating - remember to network. :)

Forbiddenwar
2009-05-29, 02:26 PM
Wow. Just wow. This is the most amazing thread I have read in a long time.

And I've been DMing for 10 years.

Just WOW.

I got a couple of questions I want to throw out here. I tried asking in the general forum, but saw silence as the questions got pushed down to the second page:

The use of a laptop and DM tools have been mentioned: What DM tools on the laptop do you recommend? I've always used pen and paper, but my characters are heading into a city and I'm facing the prospect of creating 100s of NPC, some in depth and some not. Is there a good NPC generator that can be recommended? Also, do you use elctronic dice or real ones? If electronic what's your favorite?

I recently have discovered D20srd.org and found it a very good tool to have up.

ChronoDwarf
2009-05-31, 11:14 PM
Hey Ive been thinking of starting a game and DM'img it, I was thinking it would be a world where all magic users are outcasts, Needless to say all of the players would be spell casters of some sort (dusk blade, cleric, sorcerer), and the large portion of game would be surviving the law, (Or it would be the exact opposite) Please get back to me on this with your thoughts, (yes I know this isnt really the place to post this but I dont know where else to post it) THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP.

Mr. Mud
2009-06-02, 04:26 PM
Firstly, this guide has really helped me to begin to lose my DMing-virginity... So, thanks :smallbiggrin:.

Secondly, I have a question that I could see both in this thread, or in Homebrew but...

I'm making a dungeon map for player's convenience... In your expired, should I just do a smaller map for their viewing pleasure, on something like a 8.5' by 11' piece of graph paper, or should I use a big poster sized graph paper? I'm leaning towards the latter, but the former seems easier and less... well, less intimidating to make. Also, we don't use figurines or anything like that, it's really just to make moving around a lot easier.

TheOverlord
2009-06-04, 01:17 PM
The use of a laptop and DM tools have been mentioned: What DM tools on the laptop do you recommend? I've always used pen and paper, but my characters are heading into a city and I'm facing the prospect of creating 100s of NPC, some in depth and some not. Is there a good NPC generator that can be recommended? Also, do you use elctronic dice or real ones? If electronic what's your favorite?

It will become painfully clear how biased I am in a moment so I apologize. I wanted some good tools...didn't find ones that really did what I wanted...so I made some.

I am not just some guy developing tools for others. I use everything I have made. I am continuing to develop what I have for use based on what people tell me they want and need. But I think they get the job done nicely for npcs, monsters and encounters.

My biased opinion: Monster Advancer (http://www.monsteradvancer.com)

Before I stepped out on my own I used Jamis Buck's npc generator coupled with a npc gear generator (whose name I have forgotten), the online javascript dragon generator as well as jamis buck's dungeon generator. I will provide links to all these soon. There are tons more but these are the ones I found myself using.

Thanks,
The Overlord
Monster Advancer - D&D 3.5 Monster, NPC and random encounter generator, customizer and advancer. (http://www.monsteradvancer.com)

Coidzor
2009-06-04, 03:35 PM
Firstly, this guide has really helped me to begin to lose my DMing-virginity... So, thanks :smallbiggrin:.

Secondly, I have a question that I could see both in this thread, or in Homebrew but...

I'm making a dungeon map for player's convenience... In your expired, should I just do a smaller map for their viewing pleasure, on something like a 8.5' by 11' piece of graph paper, or should I use a big poster sized graph paper? I'm leaning towards the latter, but the former seems easier and less... well, less intimidating to make. Also, we don't use figurines or anything like that, it's really just to make moving around a lot easier.

I'd say it's probably better for you to go with the plan that won't expend as much of your time and resources. Since if you're not having it double as a battle grid, then the map only really needs to be about the size of what'll fit in with the rest of the notes they should be taking and not get lost.

My group has done very well with maps on 8/11 paper and marking the rooms out as we need to fight in them on a friend's poster-scale roll-up battle grid(one of those squares on one side, hexes on the other deals).

Superglucose
2009-06-06, 08:54 PM
For the "keeping of people's character sheets" there are a lot of great options. Myth Weavers, for instance, lets you organize sheets online. I like doing this for my NPCs and monster foes (I'll actually write all the stats of the monster into a character sheet so I don't need to look at the MM), and I also transcribe their sheets onto the site. I'm sure there's other online tools that let you do this.

The reason I like myth-weavers (and other such sites) is that it can be easily edited.

Another option is to simply scan your PCs character sheets onto your computer before hand. This also saves a bunch of trees, though sometimes it'll be hard to read their handwriting.

Also, encourage your players to NOT look at each other's character sheets. you're the boss, like it or not, and while curiosity is a great temptation, I personally find it very annoying when people are looking at my sheet without permission.

Mr. Mud
2009-06-10, 08:48 PM
If one of my (4 total) players is going to be absent for about a month (in which we plan to have about 10-20 sessions...) should I replaced him, if that's fine with him, or should we try and play long distance... ie, over skype or conference calls or something... Does anyone have experience with that? Alternatively, I could play his character for him, or we could all take turns, or all partly manage him while he is away, and be non-bias. Would a video chat between the rest of the group and me, be able to suffice? The only problem I see is moving on a grid... but that could be easily maneuvered around by showing him where everything is or something...

Thoughts :smallbiggrin:?

Je dit Viola
2009-06-13, 07:25 PM
If one of my (4 total) players is going to be absent for about a month (in which we plan to have about 10-20 sessions...) should I replaced him, if that's fine with him, or should we try and play long distance... ie, over skype or conference calls or something...........I think that, if you can't figure out a way to work out a long-distance play, then an effective (probably not the best) way to work around it is to have their character have some 'family buisiness' like, for example, a baron-warlord overly taxing his family and neigbors and he has to leave to form a resistance akin to the OOTS where they got split up. Meanwhile, you control a non-shiny NPC that fills his role. Then, when the player comes back from his vacation, you and him can 'speed-RP' to catch up and find his way back to the party. That will form some interesting plot-hooks, and give his character some character development, and enough EXP to stay at the same level as everyone else.

That's just one way that I think would work.

Eurantien
2009-06-19, 11:25 AM
Sometimes one player has a build that just kicks the snot out of everyone else *cough* wizard *cough* druid *cough*.
Or rogue, if you play 4e. Bloody backstabbing Sneak Attack using the paladin as cover *grumble*. Need more monsters with tremorsense :smallbiggrin:


Originally posted by AKA Bait
he says he’s a good guy as he lobs fireballs at the party bard.

Who hasn't lobbed the odd fireball at the party bard?

Woodsman
2009-06-19, 11:35 AM
It's often perceived that bards aren't the most useful of characters, and the bard might get on the guy's nerves. If he's CG, it's not entirely out of character if he wants the bard to shut up, so long as he's not trying to kill the bard.

Y'know, there should probably be some hints as to PbP DMing, just in case. I've just recently started PbP DMing (Well, DMing in general), and it's helpful that so far, all the people in my game are well-known friends who I can contact easily. One is an experienced DM, and I'd trust him to help me out occasionally.

Eurantien
2009-06-19, 11:46 AM
I was kidding, but hey. Bards are comic relief. Besides, he's probably stood close enough that, unless you resist fire, fireball will hurt both of you.

Originally posted by Woodsman
Y'know, there should probably be some hints as to PbP DMing
As for PbP gaming, I've never tried it personally, but I'd warn against too many hurt feelings on behalf of your players. I can imagine it happening.

Scactha
2009-07-05, 06:14 PM
To budding DM´s: White Wolf who makes the monsters in modern settings games call roleplaying Storytelling. Keep that thought in mind and the job becomes much clearer.

Your job is to be sensitive to what your audience expects. Forget the rules aspects when you are starting out but learn drama. Why? Biology. We humans thrive on the roller coaster of emotions. It fuels the mind and is why we guys love action and the ladies the love stories.

Imagine how a good story is told and the mechanics of it. Are you good at telling jokes? That´s a good start. Jokes are all about timing and suspense. Laughter is the easiest emotion to summon up because we expect to have a good time when being with friends.

Next look for talents. Who amongst the play group are the good story tellers? These are the people who vividly tells you about this awesome movie trailer and you get a high just from that! These players are your helping tools. Give them much "air time" but be sensitive to what the other players feel so no one feels left in the shadow.

Your goal is to create escapism. The magical rule of role playing is in the words; when role playing happens it all works out by itself. When you get peoples heart strings to move just a little they will have a much stronger experience and just by doing that you are succeding in your goal. The fact is that in time you will notice that your players will remember the heart string moments (biology again) but not other important moments. H*ck, they will even forget about what is happening as long as it is good drama.

So next time the party resupplies play out a little scene with your local talent. Maybe a child asks what that big book the mage has in his knapsack is about ("It is about deeemons lad. Want to look...? *evil chuckle followed by a grin and wink at his mother nearby*) or the stoic knight bumps in the local femme fatale in the doorway to the inn ("Wearing armour sir knight? Are we fearing someone will...break in?" *puts a gentle hand on his chest with a meaningful smile*).

It doesn´t matter what happens as long as something does. The plot is the stage but the drama is the action that goes on there.

Blackjackg
2009-07-18, 01:31 PM
One tool I always use when I start a new campaign (as a GM) is the Hotseat. It's something I cribbed off of writing and acting workshops I used to do in my college days, and it's really helpful for letting the player, the other players, and yourself get to know each character.

The Hotseat comes after character generation has happened, but before the first session. The players should already have a basic back-story worked up. Start by laying the ground rules: you will ask each player a series of questions. They answer honestly, in character, and "I don't know," is never an acceptable answer. You can do this with all the other players around, which is great for campaigns where the characters are already supposed to know one another, or you can do it in private so it's between you and and the player.

There are a lot of different questions you can ask, but I try to keep the number around 20-25. That would probably take you about an hour to get through with a party of 4-5 players. The questions can be very general, or specific to your world. They can be fun and funny, or very serious. They can be strictly for the players' benefit, or they could elicit some information that you can use later as a DM. A few questions I might ask:

"Where were you born, and when were you there last?"
"Who in the world do you feel closest to?"
"What was the best day of your life, so far?"
"What is the most embarrassed you have ever been?"
"What is your greatest fear?"
"What color are your eyes?"
"If you were a vegetable, what sort of vegetable would you be?"
"Have you ever broken a bone?"
"Where were you at the moment of the nuclear apocalypse?"
"What do you really think of [the character to your left]?"'
"If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?"

If you're feeling bold, encourage the other players to ask a few questions of their own. It helps to take notes as you do this, and I even encourage the players to take their own notes as they answer. That way, when you work their beloved Aunt Sally into the plot, they don't look at you blankly and say "who's that?"

Anyway, that's a tool I use for my campaigns, and I thought I'd toss it out here for DMs who might get some use out of it.

VirOath
2009-07-18, 08:56 PM
I can only offer one piece of advice for those that find the Party completely bypassing an entire dungeon that was planned a week ahead of time.

Save it. Save the traps, save the monsters, the little itty bits that were completely bypassed.

Why?

Well, you can always toss them back at the players in another form. It's a shame to let all that work go to waste.

Lord Loss
2009-07-19, 10:23 AM
Good guide. I've been DMing for years, and i have to say that I approve of it.

Aphaedon
2009-09-12, 06:54 AM
I would just like to say thanks for this DM's Guide. I'm going to be DM'ing for the first time next weekend and found this very very informative and helpful.

Superglucose
2010-03-19, 01:08 AM
I assume since this is 'stickied' (at least as stickied as anything can get in this forum) I can't necro it?

Anyways I'd like to add:

Do not turn the party's familiars into GMPCs so you can create party conflict.

To that end, I will likely be burning my familiar at the stake soon enough in keeping with the first rule of GMPCs:

Kill it with fire.

Iban
2010-03-22, 02:05 PM
Amazing :smallbiggrin: I have a feeling that I will keep coming back to this over and over again.

Oh and




My biased opinion: Monster Advancer (http://www.monsteradvancer.com)



is very useful; I've been looking for a way to advance monsters for a while. It was kinda naff in the latest combat where one of the PCs could auto-hit and auto-kill two things a turn. Their turn ended up being "Which two do you want to kill this round?" -.-

Ranger Mattos
2010-03-22, 04:45 PM
Great guide. I was thinking of DMing a game in maybe a year or 2 and this will help a lot.

101jir
2011-01-23, 07:48 PM
Sometimes your players suck. You heard me. They suck. Sometimes you have a plan. And exquisite, detailed, plan that you think would keep Hari Selden up nights wondering at your amazing powers of observation and group guiding. Then with one fell utterance of “Muck this, I stab the prince” the whole thing comes crashing down and you want to curl up into a little ball and weep.

If your players are anything like mine, this will happen on a weekly basis. There are good ways and bad ways to handle it and recover from it. One important thing to remember is that a good resolution will vary from situation to situation. There are a few general dos and don’ts though.

Question True Stupidity:

Player 1: I jump into the spiked pit.
Player 2: Um, why?
Player: I can take it.

A fair amount of the time, the player action that causes a WTF on the DM side is a silly impulse or an intentional (funny or unfunny) joke on the part of the player. If there is laughter, let it recede before doing anything. Afterwards, a simple raised eyebrow or other meaningful look accompanied by “So, you really use prestidigitation to soil the back of the Duke’s pants?” is generally enough to get a reasonable player to think twice about whatever truly stupid action they were about to take. If not…

Let Stupidity Take Its Course:

DM: Ok then… you take 12 damage from the fall and another 8 from the wooden spike that you greeted crotch first. Oh, and make a fort save against the poison on the spike.

If a player insists on doing some really stupid thing, let them and have the natural consequences of that action befall them. This can be whatever you think is appropriate but also keep in mind that you (probably) don’t want to derail the immediate or long term future of your plot in the process. In some cases, this isn’t a concern (al la spiked pit diving) but in others it could change the entire complexion of what is going to happen in the session you have so carefully planned out.

In cases like that, consider drawing the consequences of the stupidity out or delaying them. An angry look from the Duke now, or his pretending not to notice, and his revenge 2 sessions later, after the PCs have done whatever task the Duke wanted, can be a reasonable reaction and buy you some time to plan. After all, as far as the Duke is concerned, he’s probably sending the PCs to their deaths anyway. Why potentially waste men subduing the party and have to re-sharpen the headsman’s axe when the ogres might well perform the execution for him? If they manage to make it back, well, he can just arrest the offending oaf then. Or, if he’s not that hot tempered, he can just refuse to hire them for anything else and put out word among the other local nobility.

Don’t Flinch From The Unexpected Solution:

Beguiler: Well, I know that when you step on one of those three tiles a big swinging poisoned scythe comes out and then automatically resets, but I can’t figure out how to disarm the thing.
Crusader: Ok. I’ll disarm it then. I ready an action to attack the scythe when it comes out of the wall and take a 5ft step onto the tile.
DM: You know that if you do that then the scythe is going to hit you right?
Crusader: ::shrug::

I have actually had the above happen in a game. I let it work, and I suggest that most DMs do the same. In this instance the crusader took the damage from the trap but his attack did enough damage to destroy the scythe and disable it as well.

When players come up with some off the wall solution to a problem, if it makes sense, let them attempt it and if it works, it works. Although it can be disconcerting as a DM to have a player solve a problem in a way you absolutely did not expect (I expected the party to just jump over the tiles…) it makes a player feel awesome to have something like that work. If it doesn’t work, at least they get to feel like they tried. In D&D tis better to try and fail than be told by the DM that you aren’t allowed to try at all.

It can be tough, mechanically speaking, to determine how to resolve a strange solution to a problem. What skill, exactly, applies to swinging across the room on a chandelier? Well, the long and short of it is that you need to make a call on the spot. You can either use something similar, like tumble in this case, or make it an ability check, using just the characters modifier for whichever ability makes the most sense.

However, as solutions like this tend to bend rules or go beyond their scope as written, you must be careful that leeway here doesn’t snowball. Odd uses of spells can be a particular source of trouble down the line. If you let a player get away with using Detect Magic to pinpoint the location of an invisible item in a room then, mark my words, they will want to use detect magic that way to find the invisible BBEG. Consider the implications first. If you need a second to look up the spell, take it. If you have to say no, say no but have a reason beyond ‘because I didn’t see that coming.’

Have A Key Information Backup Plan:

DM: The once human creature emerges from the darkness, its red eyes reflecting equal parts madness and sorrow. “I will tell you who transformed me and trapped me here to suffer. But first, tell me…”
Player: I charge and hit it with my mace. ::rolls:: I crit!
DM: Sonofa…

As tempting as the idea is to have only one vital NPC in your campaign setting that has the essential piece of information for the ‘big reveal’ you need to get the PCs on the right track, it is frequently a recipe for disaster. PCs often have an annoying habit of scorching raying first and asking questions later. My theory is that much time in dungeons where everything actually is trying to kill them gives them PTSD. So, have a backup plan, possibly several, in case the PCs off the person with the information before they have a chance to squeal or just simply don’t talk to them. What the backup plan is, specifically, must vary from game to game but just remember there is almost never any secret so well kept that only one person ever knows about it. Butlers, maids and gardeners are good for this.

Have Some Stock NPCs:

Player: I set fire to the Inn.

Keep a few NPCs statted out and to the side in case you need impromptu guardsmen, healers or a bucket brigade. Trust me, you will. be happy you did.

Admitting Defeat:

DM: It doesn’t work.
Player: Why not?
DM: You don’t know that do you?

Once in a great while a player will come up with something so ludicrous, so off the wall, so totally within the rules, and so bloody effective that either the adventure you had planned or the entire campaign has just been radically altered or even rendered moot. Refrain from strangling them. Depending upon the level of destruction that has just been wrought, there are at least 2 more reasonable courses of action than violence:

Fess up and ask for time to plan: Let it work and say you need a 20 minutes or so to figure out what happens next as they have totally thrown you for a loop. Don’t say you need 20 minutes and then have it not work. The player who came up with it will probably feel cheated. This is most appropriate for adventure level destruction. This might seem lame but really, it will likely be one of the most memorable moments of your game. Your players will literally talk for months about the time that they ‘broke the labyrinth and got the DM to chain-smoke half a pack of Camels in 20 minutes.”

DM Fiat: Take the player who came up with it aside and be honest with them. Tell them that although it should work, you need to house rule in this case that it won’t or the entire campaign goes to Hades in a hand basket. Be apologetic that you are going to have to be arbitrary in this one case and be sure to compliment them on what an awesome idea it was. If your player is a reasonable person, they will understand. In many cases, they will volunteer to take some other course of action so as not to screw everything up.

Admitting defeat can be a pain. It’s not much fun to have what you planned shattered before your very eyes and the temptation will be there to simply squash it beneath the iron boot of DM Fiat without owning up to the players that you are doing so. DMs have egos too and the temptation to invent some ad-hoc rules interpretation, whip up some unjustifiably large negative circumstance modifier, or simply say ‘it’s a mystery because of some thing your characters don’t know’ is totally understandable.

Still, don’t do it. For one thing, your players will probably know that you are full of horse dung and experienced players, who understand that sometimes the DM needs to fiat, may be annoyed or even insulted that you weren’t up front about it with them.

This is particularly true if they spend some time trying to figure out whatever the in game reason was for the course of action not working when, in fact, there isn’t any reason other than hidden DM Fiat. I, personally, have threatened to walk out of games where I discovered my DM was doing just that. Refrain from strangling them.... My theory is that much time in dungeons where everything actually is trying to kill them gives them PTSD.

I have only done a part of a campaign (In a sense, 2 ended in total party wipeout early on, the other never finished) and I have DMed about 3 independant practice encounters. This will really help a lot, THX:smallsmile:! I have a lot of trouble coming up with stuff on the spot, so it was kindof helpful when you said just point out that you need more time to think about it. I used to rush myself on those three encounters and it caused some problems.

I know what you mean about things not working out the way you anticipated. One of the encounters I DMed was the player was in a wood elf prison, and was being interregated to see if he was worth being set free, or if he was a spy or had bad intent toward their woods. Turned out, he swore a divine oath that he had no malicious intent, and the player rolled a critical! What could I say? It was a crit. He let the character off with a stern warning that his trust was not in vain.

Love your humor:smallbiggrin:. And yes, I like that PTSD theory. In the game I played, the party rogue threw shuriken at almost everything that moved that she didn't anticipate. Talk about PTSD! So there was a bartender with valuable information, but he was severely injured (hence the red eyes and foul breath) and she shurikened him. So we had a good time riding him about that.

Also, I found that it is a good idea as a player to give your characters RP some leeway, especially if your character has recently irritated the other characters. I was playing an abnoxious paladine that was always getting on everyone's case. To keep the game fun, I kindof had to change my RP plan when after the battle the wizard gave me what was left of my teddy bear! Gave them something to laugh about with my character, and probably increased my chances of not getting killed by the rogue:smalltongue:.

EDIT: In summary, it seems that sometimes the players can do more to keep the game going well than the DM, even though its the DMs responsibility.

sournote103
2011-04-20, 03:46 PM
The DM in my group varies some, but EVERYONE hates my Gnoll Ranger, and they use the exact methods of dealing with it that this says NOT to do.

The way I see it, DMs run games basically in one of four ways:
1. The game should be fun for the players. I am here to tell the story.
2. I am the GOD of this game. Let those who oppose my will suffer and perish!
3. Well, this is a game, so I should be having fun. Darn. I rolled a 1. Let's just pretend it was a 20.
4. OH GOD SOMEONE BROKE THE RULES! THAT IS NOT ALLOWED!

The last three represent the DMing strategies I have encountered.

Omeganaut
2011-04-21, 05:19 PM
I love this guide. Basic and not long, but it gives a lot of info and I think its about everything you can learn as a DM without actually DMing. I'm definitely using this when I start DMing.

Liliet
2013-09-05, 01:58 PM
I'm a newbie DM. And this guide is so... so unhelpful.

Well, it's just me, since long before starting the game I've been reading all DM tips I happened to come across, and they all had the same points, and more: do not railroad, do not make DMPCs, don't be a ****...

There are so many difficulties to being a DM... especially when you have never played DnD in your life. I'm going to list just a few questions here, so you understand what I'm talking about.

What's the best way to prepare a map? How many copies of a map do you need? How many different maps do you need in a session, how do you determine it?

What other notes do you need? Monster stats, class abilities, world map, pantheon description, combat rules? How do you determine that?

How do you go about the stats? Should the players know them? Do you tell them the amount of HP of the enemies? Do you tell them who's most dangerous?

Just where the hell do you get information for playing in the fantasy setting? What the cities were like, how the villages were organised, how much wilderness is there likely to be around villages and how many fields; what should local authorities logically be... Do you really need to conduct a historical research with encyclopedias and thematical sites, or is there a simpler source?

How do you calculate the random encounters rolls? For example, you are walking in a forest known to be dangerous. How do you determine what to roll and how to interpret the results to know if you are going to encounter something?

And oh, just how the hell do you adjust and plan out and design combat encounters? To what degree is adjusting them even possible?



I can't think of more questions right now, because I've already DM'd a few sessions and kind of worked out answers for them, but there was a lot of them. I really wish there were some kind of total-newbie-friendly DM guide which would make the first session something other than a big awkward moment.

Roland St. Jude
2013-09-05, 10:20 PM
Sheriff: If the OP wants to restart this thread, he can, but please don't revive old threads.