I have played DnD for a couple of years (I’m Fizz’s wife for those who know who he is). I have been volunteered to DM our next game. I’m in music and on stage a lot but I’m incredibly nervous about speaking in front of our little core group. Plus I’m the newest of our group and a bit afraid I’ll make some horrendous mistake. Any advice oh wise ones of the message boards?
Yours humbly,
‘Zola
Ham it up. If you've got stage experience, use it. Don't stress about the rules - everybody screws up about that at least once. I guarantee if you let your acting come through, they will forget that you didn't get the rules for bull rushing right.
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Congrats?
Seriously here are my few suggestions for new DMs...
1) you are not on stage. You are the director. (At least that is how I view it.) That doesn't mean that you won't play a part or two, but the role is different.
2) you will make mistakes. I still do and I have been DMing now for over 12 years.
With that in mind.
3) make sure that the group allows you to learn and make mistakes. Ask them what they think a fair ruling would be.
4) regardless what they say, understand that you are in charge. If you make a ruling, stick with it and let the group understand "too bad, so sad".
5) start at very low levels. You have enough to worry about without trying to figure out all the different special abilities and feats of every high level creature.
6) use modules. They really help starting DMs. Dungeon magazine is a godsend.
7) have fun.
That's about it. Hope that helps.
7) have fun.
That's about it. Hope that helps.
That's probably the most important one. With any luck at all, the players will understand that you're new and cut you a lot of slack as you learn the ropes. As with all things, practice makes perfect (or at least moves you in the right direction!).
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What Moff said, except that I disagree with his suggestion to use modules. I think that, while it can be useful for a new GM to read modules, newbies are better off running their own stuff.
Since that statement is rather contrarian, I'll expand:
When you run somebody else's stuff, the first thing you need to figure out is what that stuff is. Also, the plots of published adventures tend to be more complex than the average and many adventures use adversaries with complex powers and abilities that are difficult to run. It can be particularly difficult to improvise changes without unintentionally affecting other elements of the adventure. The big advantage, of course, is that the writing is already done.
When you run your own stuff, you usually have a much better idea about what effect you are going for and you also know all the things that are left unstated. This can make it pretty easy to wing it when the players do something you didn't plan for.
Now, of course, you have to do the prep work yourself, but that needn't be very difficult. My suggestion is to keep your first adventures simple and straightforward. You have your good guys; you have your bad guys; you have your heroes that need to whack the bad guys and help the good guys. Pick some simple enemies to run (melee beaters like Ogres or Giants, for instance), a simple hook for the players, and an environment without many special characteristics. (Basically, follow the DMG suggestions for encounter levels and treasure.) As you gain experience, you'll find it easier to add complications, but simple adventures have a charm of their own. There's nothing wrong with starting simple.
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What Moff said, except that I disagree with his suggestion to use modules. I think that, while it can be useful for a new GM to read modules, newbies are better off running their own stuff.
One more point. Doug has a good point. But as you noticed, both Lilith and Doug disagreed with me on a couple of points.
That leads me to...
8) Be yourself. How you DM should be your way. While you can do it like someone else, usually the best thing is to be yourself and to find what works for you.
I can pretty well guarantee that Lilith and Doug are both excellent DMs and that both of their DM styles is probably very different from each other as well as different from my own. That is ok. Take advice -- take what you like and get rid of the rest and do what works for you.
All good advice above (even if somewhat contradictory). I personally think using modules, like Hollow's Last Hope, is a great way to begin. If you become familiar with the adventure by reading it a couple of times, it can be nice to have an idea of how things are supposed to progress. Of course, you can do this on your own, too, but I think it is harder to do when you're just starting out.
Also, I recommend trying to take an interest in your players' characters and their back-stories. Try to plan ahead to ultimately work in something to appeal to each player by having something tailored for each character. If one player has a super sneaky rogue, have a mission that has a brief sneak-in-and-grab-the-Maguffin component. If you have a player who loves roleplaying and is playing a cleric, have someone turn to his or her character for spiritual guidance. If you have a player who wants his characters to be "cool," give him a chance to impress some of the local yokels. Of course, the trick to this is to not make it obvious that you're just trying to please them, so each thing should really make sense in the context of the story you want to tell. I recommend reading through to DMG2. It has a lot of solid advice that I would agree with. But the bottom line is to make each player feel like his or her character is important and connected to the campaign world in some way. It should be less about your campaign world and more about making the PCs look like rock stars.
All good advice as always. She's really quite good. I have a feeling she'll rule with an iron fist. lol. I think it's going to be a unbelievably good game plus we have new people!!! I'm not worry she's wonderful at everything, Damn over achiever. lol.
Fizz
If it stops being fun call for a break. Evaluate why it isn't fun for you at that moment and use the time to collect yourself or talk with the players who are the cause of said lack of fun. You are playing the game as well remember that the player's satisfaction, while important, does not overshadow your own.
Oh and allow conversation about rulings within reason. If the players start getting argumentative do what many others have said and simply tell them to "shut up and sit down" (be more diplomatic).
I have played DnD for a couple of years (I’m Fizz’s wife for those who know who he is). I have been volunteered to DM our next game. I’m in music and on stage a lot but I’m incredibly nervous about speaking in front of our little core group. Plus I’m the newest of our group and a bit afraid I’ll make some horrendous mistake. Any advice oh wise ones of the message boards?
Yours humbly,
‘Zola
Welcome to the screenmonkey club Zola !
With your background in stage you will do quite well as a GM, especially in terms of portraying your antagonists. With also being in music, you could tap that part of your background and add in an oft-missing element of games: background music, perhaps even sound effects on tap. ( I personally would almost kill to have a remote control operated portable audio system that didn't cost a paycheck or two to get. )
All of the above posters have given excellent advice too, so pick and choose what fits you as a person. Keep it simple at the start, and I'm sure your players (especially Fizz) will be happy to help you with the game mechanics side of things while you get accustomed to the director's chair.
As far as how to handle some things when starting out, asides from the advice above, when the time comes for the dice to fly, I would suggest at first that all the die rolls happen 'in public', yours and thiers.
Oh, and if you can, scrounge up one of those poker tables with the built-in cupholders and chip trays. I just saw one today, and I am SO jonesying to get one to game on. A beverage / dip holder, a dice / scribbling implement holder and enough room for a prepared player to have a character sheet on the table or readily accessible while the stack o' books sits off to the side. Perhaps accompanied by a TV tray (or equivelant) per person ?
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A lot of great advice so far -- here's one more thing if there's time:
You know the players' likes, dislikes and styles. With that in mind check out the DMG II, Ch 1. It has brief, stereotyped descriptions of player personalities and how to consider them. Thinking through the dynamics on how different players have fun leads to great metagame preparing and DM'ing. Though obviously not an ultimate "fix all" or "do all" it nonetheless makes you think about what kinds of scenarios really make the session fun for the individuals. Also check out the 3.0 DMG (the real DMG) as it has a lot of cursory advice along these lines as well.
And hey, these are experienced players -- as such, you have the perfect situation. You'll be able to learn as you go and it won't be held against you. Of course, the sharp side of that blade is that the experienced gaming personalities may try to pursuade or even coerce you into a ruling of his/her choice instead of your own.
Have fun; you'll do fine!
-W. E. Ray
Thanks for the congrats!!! We are not married just yet, but the day is rapidly approaching!!! Fizz wants D&D minis on the cake... I don't think so.
Thanks for all the advice so far. I am planning to run Crown of the Kobold King with a few minor alterations. I'm sure I will have to knock Fizz back in line. :-)
Yours humbly,
'Zola
Thanks for the congrats!!! We are not married just yet, but the day is rapidly approaching!!! Fizz wants D&D minis on the cake... I don't think so.
Thanks for all the advice so far. I am planning to run Crown of the Kobold King with a few minor alterations. I'm sure I will have to knock Fizz back in line. :-)
Yours humbly,
'Zola
Have the bridesmaids all decked out in gowns all elfy and flowing - of course to make the blushing bride stand out as the hawtness of the event - whilst the groomsmen are forced to wear Conan attire (i.e., not much), thereby obligating them to get thier kiesters in semi-decent physical shape.
Or maybe not.
If you're going with minis on the cake, at least get GOOD ones on the thing - the Colossal Red Dragon should do nicely. ^_^
It will also double as a clubbing implement for keeping the grognards in line as the reception progresses...
Molech mentions a good point about catering to the players interests. I agree with that most of the time but I'll throw in some caveats.
Play to your strengths. It'll take a bit of time to realize what they are but once you do have some ideas in that regard try and make it so that most adventures can showcase what your good at doing and minimize what your not so strong with. What your players desire should not force you to design whole adventures around your weak points. Ultimately your players are going to enjoy a really well run game that might not highlight their favourite aspect of D&D more then a game that puts their favourite part of D&D front and centre and then mangles it.
That said always try and practice your weak points - but in little doses. If your lousy at voices and running NPCs then include them but interspersed through the rest of the adventure. That way you get some practice and if they fall a little flat, well, the players will hopefully remember the other parts of the session.
Another example might be if complex combats leave you confused, In this case have most of them be pretty straight forward but every so often try and push your boundaries just a little so you can improve as a DM. Essentially intersperse small amounts of your weak points into larger amounts of your strong points in order to give you practice - and also to allow the players a little verity. If one is lousy at NPCs its not a good idea to never have them - but having less of them is a good idea.
Every word (however contradictory seeming) is excellent advice. Moff’s basic list is a very good template to begin working from, with the add-ons from others making good points as well. I always get a little nervous trying to advise new folks, because the nature of the game is so individual. Without experiencing one or more of your games to “assess” your style, skills, knowledge, etc., I can’t give anything more concrete than has already been stated, though I think the most important advice given so far is along the lines of “relax, enjoy yourself, make sure your players are enjoying themselves, and everything else will work itself out”, will sum it up. Enjoy.