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Thread: Need help as a new DM
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2008-11-29, 06:33 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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- Copenhaqen, denmark
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Need help as a new DM
So here is my situation. We're a little group of people who have decided to play DnD, having little to no experience each. So we have decided that i should be the DM, well that is delightful. Since i'm the one of us with the most knowlegde over the rules, and probably the most creative ( to some point). So i was wondering if anyone had some tips to what i should do/ never ever do? Becuse it would be really great if anybody would.
On beforehand thank you.I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh
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2008-11-29, 07:12 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2008
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Remember rule 0 -
The object of the game is for everyone to have fun, players and GM alike. If any other rule gets in the way of rule 0, toss it.
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2008-11-29, 07:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
This should contain everything you need.
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2008-11-29, 07:25 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
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- London, England
Re: Need help as a new DM
Remember to give your players freedom to choose.
nothing is worse than being forced to follow the script the GM has chosen.
Don't have an attachment to a DMPC. run NPCs but don't keep one as "your" character.
Be Flexible. Players come up with the weirdest plans. if you can accept their plans and find a way for them to work you'll all have fun. (sometimes the plans just won't work, then you can have fun describing how messily it fails) just be open minded about it and allow "out of the box thinking" to work out sometimes.
Don't use published adventures as written. Read it first, find the railroad tracks and remove them. assume you'll need to change it to make it work and you won't be disappointed.Doug
Currently GMing :
Moonshae Mysteries IC / OOC / Central Map / west rooms map / east rooms map
Moonshae Tales IC / OOC / Map
Map of Area
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2008-11-29, 07:27 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
Characters
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2008-11-29, 08:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
Don't worry about making mistakes. No matter how well you know the rules, it will happen from time to time. It may even happen a lot in the beginning. Just be willing to admit it, and remember how the rules work next time a similar situation comes up. New groups are usually willing to forgive a lot in the way of mistakes as long as they're having fun.
Also, never use the Deck of Many Things in a game. Just don't.
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2008-11-29, 09:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2007
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- Metro Manila, Philippines
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Re: Need help as a new DM
It's a very good idea to ask your players what they expect. Do they want a lot of combat? Or would they prefer exploration? Setting expectations helps you establish a guideline you could use so that everyone has fun. Of course, giving the players something they didn't expect every now and then is useful for breaking monotony.
What edition are you using? Whatever the case, make sure you understand how Challenge Rating works (and that at best, it's a guideline). Many new DMs made the mistake of piling on monsters that the party couldn't beat.
Eberron Red Hand of Doom Campaign Journal. NOW COMPLETE!
Sakuya Izayoi avatar by Mr. Saturn. Caella sig by Neoseph.
"I dunno, you just gave me the image of a nerd flying slow motion over a coffee table towards another nerd, dual wielding massive books. It was awesome." -- Marriclay
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2008-11-29, 10:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
This is important. CR != Level.
SRD Says:
Challenge Rating:
This shows the average level of a party of adventurers for which one creature would make an encounter of moderate difficulty.
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2008-11-29, 10:08 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2005
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- Somerville, MA
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Make sure everyone has fun, yourself included. Having a good time is more important than sticking to the rules in that book.
Using premade adventures isn't cheating. Feel free to try those out till you get the hang of things.If you like what I have to say, please check out my GMing Blog where I discuss writing and roleplaying in greater depth.
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2008-11-29, 10:29 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2005
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- NC
Re: Need help as a new DM
What type of game does the group want to play? (Style, genre, focus, etc.) Have you decided what setting you're going to play in? More detail on what you're trying to accomplish or specific questions may help guide advice.
Some general tips:- Don't ask for a roll unless both success and failure are interesting. This is particularly important with perception rolls - all too often not seeing something simply means it gets left out of the game. In other words, failure isn't interesting.
- "Say yes or say roll the dice." Don't tell a player 'you can't do that' unless the action simply breaks the style & genre of game the group has decided on. Instead, either tell them yes or tell them they can try just roll X - see first point to decide which.
- Be as evenhanded as possible with "screen time". Always remember GM attention is a player reward - even when the attention has negative character consequences.
- Remember your NPCs are alive, not just static pictures. Give them a goal and keep the goal in mind when role playing them. Even simple goals such as an a mother's desire to provide food for her children can give depth to an NPC. She's going to want something in return for the information she has...could be a loaf of bread or several gold. Depends how desperately she needs food.
- Always give the players meaningful choices. Not simply illusory choices, that isn't convincing if used more than once or twice. They'll be happier and you'll feel less guilty when they die. They chose the battle after all...
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I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
-- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
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The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
-- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small
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2008-11-30, 05:34 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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- Copenhaqen, denmark
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Well we have decided for 3.5 edition. As for what they want, i think that combat early on and then some exploration would be good for starters, since some of them never have played it i thought that combat would be good to get them excited early on.
I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh
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2008-11-30, 05:54 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2006
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- Norway
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Read dm of the rings. Don't do any of the listed mistakes.
Count on the players to solve difficult problems in a different and easier way, and count on them not thinking of the "obvious" solution to an easy problems, spending hours of real time on banging their heads in the wall.
Don't think of aligment as what the pc will or won't do, think if it as what the player thought the pc would be played like before the game started.
Plan on how players will get "quests" or "missions" and what to do if the players refuse to take them.check out my metal band: http://www.facebook.com/Dreamslain
Wash: "Sweetie, we're crooks. If everything were right, we'd be in jail."
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2008-11-30, 01:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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- Copenhaqen, denmark
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Re: Need help as a new DM
I think they have decided that all of them will play neutral good-evil wise, althought i believe that a few of them will change alignment somehow..
They don't seem extremely excited about the "meet in tavern" start.
I was wondering if the dungeon masters manual. How needed is that, and how helpfull in general? And which book contains the most "common" presige classes? Becuse we're going to use those, since most of them wants to become one at some point.
How do most of you remember what you want to happen, and how far do you usually plan ahead?Last edited by Jinura; 2008-11-30 at 01:12 PM.
I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh
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2008-11-30, 02:43 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
Consider carefully if D&D is what you want to play.
Do you want to spend most of your time killing monsters, growing in power, and gaining wealth? Then D&D 4e is a good bet.
Do you want gritty realism in combat and a relatively lo-magic setting? Burning Wheel or the Riddle of Steel may be worth looking at.
Do you want ultimate power to dictate the outcome of story? -then consider Sorceror or Dogs in the Vineyard.
Know what your priorities in play are before committing to a given rules-set. It can save you a great deal of hassle in the long run.The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 03:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
The DMG is very important if you want to stick to wealth by level guidelines and know what kinds of magic items are appropriate to use in the game. The DMG also contains the all of the core prestige classes. Some are good, others are kinda meh, but I've seen people have fun with all of them. The DMG also has the rules for experience gain and how to calculate it from the CR of monsters fought.
However, aside from the experience rules and wealth by level, you can find all of that info, and a lot more that's useful, in The d20 Hypertext SRD, so if you're willing to fudge leveling a bit, then you can get away with just using the SRD.
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2008-11-30, 03:27 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 03:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2005
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- NC
Re: Need help as a new DM
If you want an exciting start, begin "in media res" - in the middle of things. A sinking ship, a town under assault by raiders, a shop being robbed, etc...there are lots of potential meeting methods.
I was wondering if the dungeon masters manual. How needed is that, and how helpfull in general? And which book contains the most "common" presige classes? Becuse we're going to use those, since most of them wants to become one at some point.
How do most of you remember what you want to happen, and how far do you usually plan ahead?-
I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
-- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
-
The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
-- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small
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2008-11-30, 04:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
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- Copenhaqen, denmark
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Geez im excited about this :S
Well they say that want to meet each other in character first. And that's fine by me. Well i took a few min and wrote down a page of notes of what i want it to happen at the first session.
They start in a medium sized town/village, which acts as a crossroad, so the town is full of merchants( and inns). There is about a dozen small nations in around that town ( with the town being neutral) which are at war with each other.
So i thought that they should start up, meet IC, then i thought that a few small quests they could choose from ( they have to find the quests themself obviously) one being the mayor of the town asking them to interrogate a bandit prisoner to find out there secret cave of bandits ( i thought half a dozen bandits would be fine, with one of them being sorta the ringleader, and perhaps escape and become one of those annoying recurring villians)
Then there should be that someone ( haven't figured out who yet) asks them to get rid of the rising wolf problem, where there is this larger "matriarch" wolf who should be quite a deal stronger than the normal wolves ( might have to refigure that one).
Then a there should be some guy ( maybe from an assassin guild or something like that) that wants them to kill a chain of people ( still working on this idea though)
And when they gain a few levels, there should be a merchant who would ask them to escort him to another town ( in one of the warfaring nations) and they will be to some point drawn into the conflict.
What do you all think? I know that they all are a little cliché but most of them don't know a thing about DnD.I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh
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2008-11-30, 04:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
I mean in the more general sense- what do they want to accomplish/experience in play?
The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 04:37 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Well a few of them wants to just try DnD for starters. I guess they want combat with about just as much story about it.
I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh
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2008-11-30, 04:41 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
Well, there's nothing in D&D 4e to particularly support storytelling mechanics, but it doesn't particularly get in the way either. Try it out with a couple of level-appropriate encounters, and if they're more interesting in story direction than levelling, consider at least reading Sorceror. It gives some excellent techniques for weaving together an overall story structure.
...You are using 4e, right?The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 04:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Copenhaqen, denmark
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Re: Need help as a new DM
No, we're using 3.5 edition. The one of them who has played before wouldn't be much for playing if we used 4th.
I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh
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2008-11-30, 04:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
I would incline to ask him/her what s/he dislikes about 4e, because this may indicate s/he'll be happier, in the long run, with something apart from D&D of any description.
To be honest, 3e/3.5e is not a great system. It doesn't simulate real combat very well, it's horrifically unbalanced in competitive terms, badly susceptible to abuse, and it's fairly rules-heavy. Extensive patch rules can help, but you may want to save yourself some effort by just using another rule set entirely.Last edited by Samurai Jill; 2008-11-30 at 04:56 PM.
The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 05:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
Well, I should probably make the distinction that the unbalanced parts of 3e aren't the core system itself- just the classes, the feats, the skill system and the multiclassing mechanics. So, if you threw away almost everything needed to play the game, 3e could be considered mechanically balanced.
The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 05:51 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2007
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- Metro Manila, Philippines
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Re: Need help as a new DM
I don't think it might be a good idea to bring an edition debate into this. If the OP has decided on using 3.5, I'd let him and his group do as they wish.
The way I started my campaign (set in Forgotten Realms 3.5) was to have the players be recruited by the country (Cormyr) during a festival. But if this is just an introductory adventure, you might want to try out one of Wizards of the Coast's free adventures. You can find them here.
Eberron Red Hand of Doom Campaign Journal. NOW COMPLETE!
Sakuya Izayoi avatar by Mr. Saturn. Caella sig by Neoseph.
"I dunno, you just gave me the image of a nerd flying slow motion over a coffee table towards another nerd, dual wielding massive books. It was awesome." -- Marriclay
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2008-11-30, 05:53 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
Re: Need help as a new DM
Last edited by Samurai Jill; 2008-11-30 at 05:55 PM.
The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast- "The GM is the author of the story and the players direct the actions of the protagonists." Widely repeated across many role-playing texts. Neither sub-clause in the sentence is possible in the presence of the other.
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2008-11-30, 06:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2005
- Location
- NC
Re: Need help as a new DM
That works too. One way of accomplishing it is have them know (or be related to) a single NPC. Then create some mystery around the NPC to bring them together. This could be anything from figuring out who killed the NPC to receiving a group bequest of some odd tome or map.
They start in a medium sized town/village, which acts as a crossroad, so the town is full of merchants( and inns). There is about a dozen small nations in around that town ( with the town being neutral) which are at war with each other.
So i thought that they should start up, meet IC, then i thought that a few small quests they could choose from ( they have to find the quests themself obviously) one being the mayor of the town asking them to interrogate a bandit prisoner to find out there secret cave of bandits ( i thought half a dozen bandits would be fine, with one of them being sorta the ringleader, and perhaps escape and become one of those annoying recurring villians)
Then there should be that someone ( haven't figured out who yet) asks them to get rid of the rising wolf problem, where there is this larger "matriarch" wolf who should be quite a deal stronger than the normal wolves ( might have to refigure that one).
Then a there should be some guy ( maybe from an assassin guild or something like that) that wants them to kill a chain of people ( still working on this idea though)
And when they gain a few levels, there should be a merchant who would ask them to escort him to another town ( in one of the warfaring nations) and they will be to some point drawn into the conflict.
What do you all think? I know that they all are a little cliché but most of them don't know a thing about DnD.
Have fun!-
I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
-- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
-
The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
-- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small
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2008-12-01, 01:22 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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- Copenhaqen, denmark
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Re: Need help as a new DM
Yeah i can see that i have to think twice about some of those things...
So i just found out today that most of them aren't much for pre-created adventures ( or what you call them)... Guess i won't tell them that i've decided to use A dark and stormy Knight free adventure, as a ( semi-optinal) dungeonLast edited by Jinura; 2008-12-01 at 04:02 PM.
I can tell you so much that I honestly have no idea what to put in a signature here..
Avatar by Thelizard
English is not my native, just so you don't jugde me to harsh