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So this is how it is. I have been thrown into the position of being a dm with only playing the game about 2 years or so. The gorup I play with has even less experience than I do and well since the last dm left I have had to take on this role. While I admit I can have some good ideas once and awhile I still need help. I've started by studying the dm's guide and other sourcebooks and reading the articles in Dungeon magazine. But I really need some help. It now seems that if I don't take this role D&D will die in my group so I have started with a few games here and there and so far it's been a shaky start. I would appreciate any imput you can give me, since I know there are many experienced gamers on this sight. Any info will help.
A new DM? Best advice I think I can offer is to keep it simple. Tackle things a little at a time. And do it as a group since your players are new, too. There's a ton of great material available in Dungeon magazine. Pick a couple adventures that you feel comfortable and confident about running and start with them. Short adventures are probably best. Or just create a short one of your own.
Work on game rules themes. If you would like to learn how to use the Skills system better, run an adventure that relies heavily on Skill checks to accomplish the objective of the adventure: Diplomacy, Hide, Listen, Search, Bluff, Intimidate, etc. and even Ability checks like Strength checks to force doors open.
If you need to get used to running combats, run a few short combat adventures. And even then, you could focus on certain aspects of combat to try to learn the rules better: grappling, disarming opponents, trip attacks, bull rushing, etc.
The same applies to all aspects of the game (spells, combat, skill use, role playing). Don't take on too much at a time and you'll find your role as a DM much easier and soon you'll be able to mix all of the things you and your group have learned together to have more complex and even funner adventures.
A lot of new DMs have really high aspirations and want to create huge, sprawling adventures like those they've read in their favorite books or on forums like these messageboards. Most fall flat on their faces when the DM doesn't have the know how to back it up. This is why I suggest you keep it simple. There's plenty of time to develop the bigger and better adventures and campaigns. Don't try to rush it.
My advice is to start with published adventures and first level players. Keep it simple.
My next advice is to relax and have a good time. Two years is not a short time to have been playing DnD, and if your players have been playing even less time, then what are you worried about.
Feel free to limit players to the core rules as far as characters are concerned, so you dont have to learn too many rules all at once. They should understand.
My last piece of advice: ham it up. Use funny voices, gestures, pantomime, and lots of description. You will probably get a feel for it quickly.
Also, (lastly) that suggestion about +2 being the DM's best friend is a good one.
Good luck,
As a DM only a little more experienced than yourself, I have one VERY strong recommendation at the moment: Use the three core books and only them. Until you gain at least a limited mastery over these, the other supplementary books will be more headache than boon. Other experienced DMs may tell you that supplements are a one-way street to a better game, but I think they have forgotten what it is like to be a new DM. Because players are able to focus their intire attention on improving and expanding their characters, supplemental books can quickly become a migraine for a new DM, who does not have the luxury of finding just the right feats, classes and counter-abilities for NPCs/monsters to challenge supplementary superpowered characters.
Hope this helps, TS.
Okay, here are my tips and advice:
Free Options
1.) Subscribe to Roleplaying Tips. It's a email newsletter that is chock-full of tips for gaming in general and it's FREE! The official e-group for RPT is GMMastery at Yahoo! Groups.
2.) Check out Treasure Tables. It's a blog written specifically for GMs in mind and the forums are equally excellent. It's not D20-centric, but that's no biggie - many GM issues that crop up are system-independent. Tell 'em Lilith sent you. :-D
3.) The Library Is Your Friend. Check out writer's guides on plots and character development.
4.) The Burning Void. Very good articles, site is a bit weird to navigate at first, though.
Not-Free Options
1.) Read the Campaign Workbooks in Dungeon. There hasn't been an article that isn't useful.
2.) Dungeon Master's Guide II. Well worth the price tag, it also covers many gaming pitfalls, stereotypes and player types.
Other tips I can give you:
1.) Read everything. Inspiration comes from odd places, you know.
2.) Don't be afraid to chuck out your adventure - sometimes railroading your players into an adventure is the worst thing you can do.
3.) Keep coming back for advice!! There is a plethora of GM/DMs on this site that are always willing to help and may have been in the same situation for you. While you're here, check out the Campaign Journals section on this site.
4.) Have Fun. There is no rule or advice more important than that.
My two coppers.
A new DM? Best advice I think I can offer is to keep it simple. Tackle things a little at a time. And do it as a group since your players are new, too. There's a ton of great material available in Dungeon magazine. Pick a couple adventures that you feel comfortable and confident about running and start with them. Short adventures are probably best. Or just create a short one of your own.
Work on game rules themes. If you would like to learn how to use the Skills system better, run an adventure that relies heavily on Skill checks to accomplish the objective of the adventure: Diplomacy, Hide, Listen, Search, Bluff, Intimidate, etc. and even Ability checks like Strength checks to force doors open.
If you need to get used to running combats, run a few short combat adventures. And even then, you could focus on certain aspects of combat to try to learn the rules better: grappling, disarming opponents, trip attacks, bull rushing, etc.
The same applies to all aspects of the game (spells, combat, skill use, role playing). Don't take on too much at a time and you'll find your role as a DM much easier and soon you'll be able to mix all of the things you and your group have learned together to have more complex and even funner adventures.
A lot of new DMs have really high aspirations and want to create huge, sprawling adventures like those they've read in their favorite books or on forums like these messageboards. Most fall flat on their faces when the DM doesn't have the know how to back it up. This is why I suggest you keep it simple. There's plenty of time to develop the bigger and better adventures and campaigns. Don't try to rush it.
I wish there was something more to add to this, but you couldn't have asked for a better response. Keep the big picture simple, and the details will work themselves out.
I totally agree with what's already been said...
Start small: Start with very short adventures, like protect a merchant caravan along a trade route from bandits/kobolds. Then maybe track down a wearboar that's been agressing farmers on the outskirts of town to his three-room cave-lair...
Stick with the three core rulebooks: These three books contain all you'll ever need to run adventures for the next five years. Other books are just clutter.
Have fun: Remember that the most rewarding adventures are the ones you (and the players) can finish. So keep them short and simple. After a while, when you get the hang of it, you can introduce a re-occuring NPC villain to sort of connect some of your adventures together.
Ultradan
Lots of good advice on this thread. However I get the impression that part of your issue is comparing yourself to the DM that left. I can see how having to fill another DMs shoes can be daunting - especially if the last DM was a veteran of 30 years and highly charismatic or something.
Still presumably your players know as well as anyone else that whatever experience the last DM had does not mean you have the same amount of experience. That said your in a bit of a bind in this regard - a DMs word is law but it can almost be an invitation for the players to argue with your rulings, especially if they think the last DM might have ruled differently.
You have to establish that your word is law - your the DM now and that's final. Still keep it fun and keep it fair.
Avoid playing too confrontationally. I suspect that a 'DM vs. the Players' style of DMing is something that's best reserved for experienced DMs as its a very fine line to walk, the players have to feel that even if their characters are being slaughtered they are getting their asses kicked completely within the rules and that the DM is maintaining an impartial stance and simply playing by the spirit of the adventure even as he or she kicks their butts. Basically that the adventure is tough but fair.
For less experienced DMs I'd suggest a more player friendly game. Note also that many experienced DMs run a player friendly game, its just that they have the option of running something more adversarial as they have the skills to pull it off.
Try and play well rested, if you can't pull that off then be extra lenient during the session. Its when your tired that your most likely to get into nasty confrontations with your players and really you never want to be getting into any confrontations with your group as a whole - that's bad news, really bad news.
Another piece of advice is to get out of the previous DMs world. Try using another world and consider trying something with a different style. If your last experienced DM was old school Greyhawk and you were doing dungeon crawls try switching to Ebberon and playing swashbuckling explorer types or something. Give your players a game that's not just more of the same with a less experienced DM but something a little different - your lack of experience won't show as strongly if the players don't have as strong a point of reference.
Try and learn from what the other DM was doing well without exactly copying him or her and try and avoid doing whatever the last DM did badly.
I guess thats all I can think of on the topic of filling a more experienced DMs shoes at the moment.
All the above advice is rock-solid.
Be prepared. The amount of time you spend in preparing the adventure will pay off exponentially in your games. I've been playing for 25 years but I dont claim to know every rule in the DMG. Its always a good idea to refresh yourself with certain situational rules if you know they're going to come into play in your game. And as a purely technical note - bookmark the pages you know you'll need to reference during your game. Some searching and page-flipping is inevitable, but you can really cut down on these unnecessary breaks by using a couple bookmarks.
Having a notebook or nearby computer open to the hypertext d20 site is a great idea if its possible in this regards - finding rules there is extremly fast and easy.
Read the other posts in the forums about gming; there are some good ones; look for threads with people posting adventure questions and the like; there are some good responses and stuff you can work with there.
I have been gming for nearly 30 years and my gamers are quite frankly; fanatics. Maybe some basic advice will help:
Decide how your gonna handle rules. You are going to run into rule disputes as somethings are not explained in the books that do not contradict other sources. Your players will read something that you read and get different stuff out of it; just listen to them fairly and decide how it will affect your game long term. You can always try a rule decision out for a month or so then modifiy it if it doesnt do what you thought. Always give the player their chance to explain; ask how the other feel about it; if you don't have a real good reason to do it your way; go with theirs; write down the rule modification so you dont forget it. Most little details that many players are hot to argue about really make very little difference to the gm as he can just modify future settings and monsters as needed. Pc like to win; let them win some when you really dont have a good reason not to force your way; it will make you seem fair.
Be prepared; by this I mean; know everything about everything in the adventure you are gonna run. You should know the mood and temperment of each npc, monster, whatever. During encounters, be sure to use the charisma modifier of whomever does the parties talking.
Dont give to much non disposable treasure to fast; in the old dmg it had a creation table in the back for what type of items different level characters would have; you need to set yourself some guidelines like this; from a player perspective, it is better to have a +1 longsword that has a name and does some ginchy stuff than a raw +2 one.
If your just running a dungeon crawl; make sure players know that they are expected to solve the dungeon; defeating a monster doesn't have to mean you killed it, just defeat the threat; bypassing can count. If you doing a campaign, which is much harder for the gm, be prepared for pcs to go anywhere; know thy world; at least 20 miles around where the pc's are currently located.
Get a notebook and put a copy of every persons character sheet in it and label it GM ONLY. This is where you will make notes about characters and their development; you can make annotations for items they havent figured out; stat changes they might not be aware of; curses; blesses; etc. Also, keep in here your alignment graphs if alignment is something that will be important in your game; I can say more about this if needed.
Institute whisper paper; meaning; keep a box of scratch paper around for pc and you to communicate things that other players would not be aware of; send fake notes once in a while if you notice your players suddenly checking their items when you do so or suddenly being on guard. This will keep em honest.
I could go on if needed; this should help; remember to keep the game a semi party atmosphere; encourage snacks and drinks and such; it is your job to make sure the players have a good time; vary your themes from light to dark and back again. well, if you get any specific problems or need help setting up or getting prepared; I can help there also; if you need adventure ideas; can help there too; will be glad to give you as much help as you desire.
A new DM...this reminds me of my first day as a DM...5 years ago...I had just bought the dungeon master's guide and the adventure "the sunless citadel"...One of my players bought the player's handbook and everyone was anxious to start playing... I was really nervous, and I knew I was probably going to mess up but still, I was confident. Well...then we started.. I will never forget..My brother was Arthas, the paladin(someone should stop playing warcraft), my neighbor Luciano was Legolas, an elf AND archer(very creative). Vitor(the other neighbor) was a dwarf called Oskar and Felipe(the one who had bought the player's handbook) was a druid called Ginli(Lord of the rings..though he was a human).... I remember that i messed up a lot..and one of my biggest mistakes was that i didn't know the difference between an attack and damage..(xD)..
Well, even with all the mistakes and stuff, that was probably our best game...and simply because it was the FIRST.... What made the game so good was that they all respected me...And this im my greates advice to you: Show them that you trust your bat..SELF CONFIDENCE..if they believe you know what you are doing, they will respect you and you all wil have a great time.
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Practice your voices, you will be playing the part of many,many NPCs.
Props are fun and interesting, and tea is great for staining a sheet of paper to make it look like parchment.
Don't be afraid to say that you DON'T know something. You have friends at the table and they can help you.
It is your responsibility to give each of your players a good, fun evening of gaming. People like different things so my suggestion is to ask them what they liked and disliked about a session after its over. Some like combat, stealth, magic shops, political intrigue, NPC interactions, Exploration, interesting locales, and the list goes on and on. Find out what each individual at the table likes the most and try to include a bit of it all into the game.
The fact that you care enough to ask here shows that you want to be a good DM. You will do good because you want to do good. If you need any advice on further stuff, post a question and the answers these guys give are usually great ('cept for that Ultradan guy, I think he likes his beer being from Canada and whatnot, Eh?};P
FH
There has been a lot of good advice so far. Some things I would reiterate or add:
1) Keep it simple. Use the core rulebooks only to start with, and don't move on from them until you are completely comfortable doing so. I don't care how much your players want to use feat X, Prestige Class Y, or template Z, the answer is "no" until you feel you can handle it. That's not about limiting player choice - it's about your ability to run a better game with fewer options than a lesser game with more.
2) Start over. Do not be tempted to continue the same campaign and using the same characters. You want as few reminders of the way the previous DM did things as you can, especially if he was really good at what he did. Chances are you will suffer in the comparison, simply due to relative experience, so why make things worse than they have to be?
3) Was there something that your previous DM did that you didn't care for, or would have done differently? If so, make a point of doing it differently. This again reinforces to your players that you're the DM, and that things are going to be different. If your change improves the game, so much the better.
4) I see you've subscribed to the magazines. That's good. Do not be afraid to use pre-published adventures. I would especially recommend "The Sunless Citadel" to a new DM - and don't worry about the few differences between 3.0 and 3.5 in the module - it should work as written without any trouble.
5) If you hit problems, ask. The forums here and ENWorld are very good.
6) Relax. You're doing a better job than you think you are.
Oh, and put that last in big type on the inside of your DM screen, so you can see it often.
Hail! It's been quite awhile since I last ventured here...
SO! New Dungeon Master! I offer you the simplest idea for you to go from a Novice to a Master.
1) Before you even start the game, have everyone tell you about their character's past. THIS, my friend, is the KEY to a great storyline! Don't necessarily have it to where your story resides with one player, but as many of them as possible. (This will make sense when someone can't make it, and you wish to play on.)
2) Also, since you will be playing with people you know, try to make it so that you think two steps ahead of them. {Ever wonder why the DM is always moving? Always rolling in the middle of something? That's right...}
3) Keep track of people, places, and things that your players see, so it adds a bit more realizm. {Personally? I handout a notecard to every player, and they keep their HP, AC, etc. on it. This helps when I want to make the game "close".}
I have been a Dungeon Master for over 3 years now, and I would say that I'm great at it! BUT! Not once have I ever fully read the Dungeon Master's Guide, let alone the Player's Handbook. What you want is to know the books well. Not EVERYTHING about them! You're only a good as your players, and they're newbs. {I hadn't created my campaign untill 6 months after I started becomming a DM. Nothing was connected; just random battles and mini-adventures.}
Recap:
[1] Using notes, keep track of significant encounters. (no one cares about the bug they saw on the ground...unless it was important.)
[2] Use your players' pasts to build and mold your campaign! (I've played the same campaign several times, withe the same group, and the story almost changes entirely! It's never the same!)
[3] Think two steps ahead of what everyone will do. (These are your friends, neighbors, and maybe even family! You know them well enough to get the general idea of what their next move might be!)
*[4]* Have fun! If this is causing stress, quit! I mean it! I have driven myself into walls, only to realize that it's a game that's supposed to be fun and relaxing! Don't sweat over the little things! Like you said, you get ideas every-so-often, so use them!
If you need help, and you like my ideas, or you just want to say, "Thanks" personally, just drop me a line:
Drake_Knight2002@yahoo.com
Until next time! Good Gaming!
I have given some more thought to what I would say to a new gm, though there has been some good stuff in this board already like the tea stain; using coffee works to but is aromatic; I used to put scrolls in cigar tubes sealed with wax or hardened play doh and hand them to players; some few would be trapped and you could watch if they just popped them open or not or game them to the rogue player to check, but here is some thoughts that I think you might give some brain crunch time too:
Good and Evil. 3.5 has done a much better job in describing alignments than the fluff from first edition, but basically you have to make some basic game mechanic choices here. There are spells and abilities that can detect evil. You have to decide what this means and be consistant. Also, some of your players with good alignment may do things that in our culture would not be considered good. Throw in the shades of good and evil and this can get convoluted very quickly. I would suggest as, a guideline until you get a good feel for how you are going to handle this, that you use a basic personification of good and evil. Basically, good aligned pc's, npc's, monsters, should be devoted to the basic good and try to see that that wins out. Evily aligned just the opposite. If you attack anything evil, that is a good act, if you attack anything evil that is a good act or an evil act as evil often tried to dominate evil to engender more evil ends. The question you will have to handle is who radiates evil or good. I suggest that anyone that channels the power of a good or evil diety is themselves good or evil and should radiate it; the higher the power level the stronger the radiation. Other things are not so simple; ie an assassin that did murder for money 5 years ago, but hasnt worked since due to his more secure bodyguard job, but might be willing to take a case if the situation is right. I would say this guy doesnt radiate evil though he may have an evil descriptor; he just isnt really committed to it. Anyway, this is something you should think about as these situations will arise from time to time and it is likely that your players will need a clear understanding about this sort of thing. As your just starting out, I would keep to a basic; good killing evil is good if it is quick and merciful. it is likely that your pcs will feel the need to torture some mob for needed information; you are gonna have to think about boundries of good here. If they bury him in the ground up to his chin, so they can sleep at night as they dont have enough to provide a secure guard; yet protect him and feed and water; is that still good; if the mob hold the secret that could save many lives; can they chop off body parts or cause great pain. These are difficult questions and they seem to always come up so give some for thought to how you are going to handle them.
Additionally, find out what kind of game your players want you to run; before I start a game I do a little poll using the movie rating system. For my game, my players - none whom are teen agers - chose to play a rated R, dark, apocolyptic game where magic is somewhat common, but great magic is usually tied to ruler types or old crypts and battlegrounds. The outsider forces of good and evil and neutrals have great interest in the world and are often the antagonists or protagonists. So basically, my pc's are trying to save the world from antagonists that wish to completely destroy it; they will stop at nothing; no sacrifice is to great (and they have made some big ones) to avert this destruction and awakening of (they just figured out after about 7 years) Cuthulu. The whole plot is very complicated as it has been ongoing for about 30 years. The players really love this game, I wish I could tell you why, my best guess is that they love the freedom to act; feel important; love their multiple sub plots, and see that what they do good or evil affects the world around them.
That said; just one caution; beware of using powerful npc's or easily accessable healing type npc's; these can ruin you game for the players. The recent Dragon had some good thoughts on the commonality of healing and a npc that leads the pc throught stuff answering any threat will drain the lifeblood out of your game; I have seen many gms with great ideas and world building stuff ruin there games this way; ie; players stopped showing up cause it was boring for them;
Resist the idea that you are in competition with the players. Work with them; build up their backgrounds; make them matter, give them sub plot tags and see what they bite. Find out what each of your players have in mind for their ultimate goal for their guy, then make sure the possiblility exists in your game.
Hope this helps get you started.
If you feel you're needing practice with running combat sequences, here's a suggestion that provides training for you as DM while offering something a little different for your PCs: run a tournament game. Have some city hosting a tournament for some prize. If your players have more than one character, its a great opportunity to bring out some chars they may not have used in a while. It also lets the players square off against each other, which rarely happens. You can throw in some NPCs also if you want practice with that or want to introduce someone new for down the road.
By allowing other players to bet on the two fighting, keeps them interested while they're waiting for your turn. You get to focus on nothing but combat, spells, etc. and the players get a bit of a break from "saving the world".
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I like to run combat simulations before we play. It helps me decide if the combat is something the players can hack, and it helps me with running the magic. I never played many wizards, so running spell combat can be a cluster bomb for me, but if my characters FIGHT one I feel obligated to give them a decent brou-ha-ha.
I just get their character sheets, get whatever monster, and test it out a few times. It also allows you beforehand to research different rules esoterica, so you aren't digging in the middle of a grand melee. That can really spoil the mood...
And always remember that the players WILL come up with something you haven't thought of, even if you are a genius like me. But simulation does help in running a nice convincing battle.
I don't do this EVERY battle, just if it is really a crucial one or one I think I am going to jack up if flying by the seat of my pants.
Remember--there's a lot of us out here who have been doing this crap for 20+ years, but we can end up in the same boat as you due to the rules changes between...1st ed. and 3.0, much less 3.0 and 3.5..........
Let me start by saying I didn't read anything but the OP, as I am on a time budget right now, so I'm sorry if I missed a relavent point somewhere.
I start straight into DMing three years ago with NO experience in the game whatsoever, save Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate. That first campaign was so poorly done in hindsight, but it's also been more or less the most memorable one I've run in the time since. I made a dungeon using the random generation rules in the DMG, and man was it hard to come up with a story for why all these things were together! Water mephits got acid flasks with adhesive thrown on them, then exploded when their acidic ooze ate through the bottle. Players lined up in 5-foot wide corridors and were aghast when a lightning bolt flew out of the door and blasted them. It was great.
You will do fine. Just keep your mind open, and look everywhere for inspiration. Dungeon magazine has been amazingly helpful for me, giving me ideas I never would have come up with on my own. If you maintain a view of the whole thing as a learning experience, you'll be amazed how fast your DMing talents will grow. For your first camapaign, keep things very simple. No epic save-the-world plot, no political intrigue, just dungeon delving. At least, until you feel ready to handle the bigger stuff. Enjoy this time, an don't dispair if you find yourself doubting your own abilities. Looking back in later days, this first campaign you DM will probably be one of the most fondly remembered.
Well, as you can guess from my posts, I am very excited for you; keep us posted on how it goes.
Most things are already mentioned, so I add only a point of view.
I like to see DM'ing as a craft. Remember no one is born as master. Experience, try out new things, surprise your players.
Soemthing went wrong? Try again. Learn. Talk with your players.
Look for the right tools, there are a lot of useful tools in the internet. You don't have to invent the wheel twice.
Rules are guidelines, they are not written in stone. Try to tell a story, everything else is additional.
It can't be mentioned enough: Take care that your players and you have fun.
I've been DMing for ten years, and I agree with those who've said keep it simple starting off. Keep things simple, and just follow the modules you're using. If you're not using modules, then USE THEM. ;-) Good luck and have fun.
So the only thing I can add is nothing. I can't think of anything at all to add to the responses.
Keep it small (Check)
Use only the core books for the most part (check)
Have fun (check)
Yeah that is about the three main hints for a new DM. I have just started DMing for a group of foreign students. Thats all we do. They seem to be having fun and don't seem to notice that its not a video game:)
Later
Remember your only limit is your imagination and sometimes that isn't even true :)
I have been pondering the keep it simple message. I must say, I am kinda confused by this as I don't think simple is easily defined; simple for me, I have noticed, can be a bit overwhelming. I remember when I started out; I read the little role playing session in the DMG where the gm and party characters interact; I read it a lot.
Having given this much thought; keeping it simple seems to mean be very flexible and organized. I have my books tabbed at sections I use frequently as a gm. In big fights, I have a couple of my players role for some of my monsters; this keeps things flowing and makes things easier to handle; I just ask a player to role 30 d20 die rolls and write them on a piece of whisper paper; I keep other battle parts going; he gives it back to me, I apply mob bonuses and check for hits; you could do this ahead of time; which I used to do, but I noticed that players who have already acted or who are waiting to act were just sitting there; depending on the speed of other players, sometimes for like 15 or 20 minutes doing pretty much nothing. having them do some rolls; cut my workload; help cut cross chatter, and speeded up the game. Nowasdays, some of my players anticipate that they will get a group and they make sure I dont forget them in the battle; they volunteer stuff like; hey; you want me to roll for that pack of ghouls? This can be a great help keeping things simple and flowing and players like to be involved. Thought this might help when you get to a finale type fight.
I have been pondering the keep it simple message. I must say, I am kinda confused by this as I don't think simple is easily defined;
In this context, I would define "keeping it simple" as follows:
1) Use the core rules only.
2) Start the campaign at 1st level, and don't try to rush through those low levels to get to the "good stuff". This gives the DM time to learn to control the game while it's easy, and should make handling the higher levels easier once they are reached.
3) Don't use too many opponents at once - ideally no more than 4-6 opponents in any one combat. Fewer if spellcasters are involved, as they're more complex.
Your other advice, about tabbing books, pre-rolling hits and misses, and getting the players involved, are all good.
One more piece of advice that I have to offer: when making rulings, bear in mind that a good answer now is much better than a perfect answer in 15 minutes. So, if you aren't quite sure how Disarm works, and if you can't find the appropriate passage in the PHB, just use something that sounds about right. The game will flow better for it.
After the session, when you have the time, look up the actual rule, and use that in future, but don't be tempted to "do-over".
(Better still, have a player look up Disarm for you while you're dealing with something else.)
From the initial post, it sounds as though while the poster is *willing* to DM, he/she does not necessarily *want* to carry that role at the gaming table. While many have already pointed to the fundamental point of playing the game (to have fun), realize that this base impetus applies to all at the gaming table...including the DM. DMing should not be a chore, a responsibility, or a role acquired under circumstances that are described in the initial post ("I have been thrown into the position of being a DM with only playing..."). I'd suggest that the poster consider weather this is something that will garner the same enjoyment that I assume he/she got out of playing a PC.
There are always multiple solutions to issues concerning the departure of a player or DM from a community.
As ever,
ACE
My advice is to start with published adventures and first level players. Keep it simple.
My next advice is to relax and have a good time. Two years is not a short time to have been playing DnD, and if your players have been playing even less time, then what are you worried about.
Feel free to limit players to the core rules as far as characters are concerned, so you dont have to learn too many rules all at once. They should understand.
My last piece of advice: ham it up. Use funny voices, gestures, pantomime, and lots of description. You will probably get a feel for it quickly.
Also, (lastly) that suggestion about +2 being the DM's best friend is a good one.
Good luck,
Took the words right out of my mouth.
When I started my current campaign I was quick to grab a published adventure to run. Dungeon magazine has some of the best ones around and it takes very little effort to string four or five of them into a decent campaign.
#1 rule:
Have Fun!
-Rath
Good Luck and remember rule 0- have fun.
FH
I thought that was 'The DM is Always Right'.