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Hello there I have been play 3rd edition since the beginning then converted to 3.5 a couple months after the conversion. Mostly a player but I have DMed a couple of times. I have gotten a group consisting of three people besides myself, two women no replaying experience and one guy with limited role-playing experience.
I have all of the books I could ever need and all of the Adventure Paths by Paizo.
So I have a few questions:
What should I DM for them?
What classes should they play to cover all of the bases?
Any advice on what to read?
Any advice on how to DM?
Any advice in general?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
Hello there I have been play 3rd edition since the beginning then converted to 3.5 a couple months after the conversion. Mostly a player but I have DMed a couple of times. I have gotten a group consisting of three people besides myself, two women no replaying experience and one guy with limited role-playing experience.
Well since your group has little to no roleplaying experience and that there are only three of them, I might suggest (now I know I'm going to get it for suggesting this) that you run an NPC along with the group. I find that for some people it is much easier to respond to an NPC then to just blurt stuff out themselves, at least at first.
I have all of the books I could ever need and all of the Adventure Paths by Paizo.
So I have a few questions:
What should I DM for them?
Well that is hard to say, because it depends on people involved. For example I have quite a few women in my group (there are 4 women and 3 men, including myself), and I know that the women I game with all like pets, especially cats. So when we started playing, I included a Grimalkin (MM2, intelligent cat-like creature) whose mistress had been killed and followed the party around. Of course the women loved the character and it helped them to get more interested in the story.
What classes should they play to cover all of the bases?
Whatever they want. At this point it is more important that they make characters they really like than to worry about party balance. If there is some glaring weakness in the party then feel free to include an NPC that fills that gap. I might point out that rogue is probably the easiest to do away with, just remove 90% of the traps. But you'd be surprised how well a bard NPC could fill in for a lack of a mage or cleric (especially with wands).
Any advice on what to read?
Not really, though I tend to scan through my monster manuals regularly to see if any creature hits me for inspiration of a bit of story that I could make (I don't run modules usually, I tend to just have an overall story arc and have the details get knocked out as we go). I would suggest that if you have problems or questions to do what you are doing here and seek out advice from others. But also don't forget to talk to your players between sessions, you'd be surprised at the insight they may have.
Any advice on how to DM?
Any advice in general?
Just realize to go with the flow. Things are going to blow up from time to time, be ready with a back up. The party won't take a hint, or they will drop the big foe in one hit/spell. Just have a bit of back up, but don't forget to let them have their chance to shine. Remember that the "story" is about their characters, you are just the foil they work against.
Any advice on what to read?
The best how-to book that I ever read on being a gamemaster was Play Dirty by John Wick. It emphasizes cooperative play between a GM and the players (as opposed to adversarial) and lets the players determine what sorts of conflicts they'll be facing.
If you're mostly running scenarios straight out of the book then it won't necessarily be as relevant, but I still use techniques from there all the time in my Pathfinder AP games.
Note that it is a book about doing nasty stuff to PCs. That's what being a PC is all about, after all. It's just showcasing methods of doing nasty stuff other than just throwing big monsters at them.
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Hey, welcome to DMing!
1} When first starting to DM, run a scenario you know and are comfortable with. It should, however, be one you've never played before! See, it's important for you to be knowledgeable about what's going on, rules-wise and NPC & Setting-wise. But if you try to make this into "the favorite gaming experience" you've already had then you're going to run into Railroading problems and disappointments that the current game doesn't unfold like the past game.
2} Begin an adventure that will only take 3 or 4 sessions to complete, thus creating no big commitments for the newbies (or yourself). This will also give you guys as a group opportunities to work out houserules and atmosphere style all with the ability to "start over" with the "real" campaign after 3 or 4 sessions.
3} Make sure it's a simple adventure: simple and obvious BBEG goals, simple setting, few PC choices. Don't overwhelm the PCs. For example, "Life's Bazaar" is far too complicated and will not make for a good first adventure. Most urban adventures, because of the sheer unlimitedness of Player choices, are poor choices. "Life's Bazaar" is probably the best adventure in SCAP but I don't recommend it for starters with newbies. "Flood Season", on the other hand, is probably the weakest of the SCAP adventures but is very good for newbies. It's very linear; the BBEGs are very transparent; it's got a taste of all kinds of different D&D experiences.
4} The DM arbitrates the adventure, the Players run the adventure. You describe the setting (KEEP IT SIMPLE!) and suggest 2 or 3 choices. The Players tell you what they're going to attempt. As long as there aren't too many choices and as long as the BBEGs aren't too complicated the Players shouldn't have a problem coming up with ideas. If they get stumped, throw out a few choices.
5} The DM should work individually (probably via e-mail) with each Player to decide PC Class and Race. Some DMs ask the Players which movie or book hero they want to "be like" and go from there. The problem being that a Player gets the idea for a 20th level character he thinks he's going to play at 1st level. Other DMs illustrate a few choices (Ranger, Monk, Sorcerer, Warlock being the easiest to learn) and see which the Player feels inclined to try. The problem here being the Player can too easily allow the DM to create the PC for him.
Well, hopefully this will give you some food for thought. And Pres Man was right when he wrote we'd call him on suggesting you run a "4th" PC as NPC. It's a really bad idea for newbie Players and newbie DMs alike.
-W. E. Ray
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Absolute Laws for DMs.
Thou Shall Not Preempt PC actions. If a Player wants to try something let him roll for it; be generous. It's not your job to smack-down a PC's abilities. You create challenges and enemies for the Players to defeat. You lose every fight.
Thou Shall Not Railroad the PCs. A railroad train has no choice but to stay on the path. PCs should have a few choices that you never think of. Check you Dungeon collection for a "Challenge of Champions" adventure and read over it. It provides the opposite of railroading (and is a great source for puzzles)
Thou Shall Not Turtle the PCs. When the PCs constanly get beat up and have to run away, when the PCs make NPC friends & contacts who die, get kidnapped or betray them, then the PCs go inside their "shells" like turtles for protection. They don't make choices; they don't trust any NPCs; they don't have fun.
Thou Shall Not show favoritism to a Player & Thall Shall Not be vindictive to a Player. They're going to kill your beloved NPCs. They're not going to listen (always) to your story background. They're going to spill coke on your maps. They're going to show up late. That doesn't mean you can punish them. Also, just because one of the Players is a great listener, team-player and smart guy, you can't give his PC extra stuff.
There are other principles to DMing well but these 4 are the ones you just gotta get.
-W. E. Ray
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Absolute Laws for Players.
Get along with the other PCs, no infighting.
Keep in mind the DM is limited in the time he has to prepare for the session and cut him some slack on what he's able to arbitrate. -- In other words, if the DM says alright guys, "The Lucky Monkey" Inn is on fire and is under attack by some tongue-eating demon-baboon; the priestess is begging for help, the Player's choices should be something like, Well, do we want to approach from the north or the south? Do we want to spend 4 rounds preping some spells or just charge in now? Their choice should not be, Hey, the map says Crazy Jared's Hut is only 50 miles north of "The Lucky Monkey" and it sounds cool; let's go there!"
-W. E. Ray
Hey King o' Cthulu
Salvage Operation (Dungeon 123) or Kill Bargle (Dungeon 150) are good choices for low level beginner dungeons. Avoid long term AP commitments for now, unless you play some of them as stand alone adventures. I think the advice already given pretty well covers it; let your players get a feel for the game first. Since their are only three players, I'd be inclined to have them roll up two characters each. It gives them a chance to see what type they prefer as well as some hope for survival. I wouldn't pull too many punches, let the chips fall where they may and it will feel more like a game to them and less like a pre-written script. Great storylines and experiences will develop through good game sessions from everyone involved.
Trevor Watson
Absolute Laws for DMs.
Those are all excellent. I'd add one that closely complements the "no railroading" rule, and was exceptionally hard-learned for me: When the players make their PCs do things that bring your entire scenario crashing down, that's not their fault, and it's not your fault. Congratulate them, think fast, and roll with it.
Any advice on what to read?The best how-to book that I ever read on being a gamemaster was Play Dirty by John Wick. It emphasizes cooperative play between a GM and the players (as opposed to adversarial) and lets the players determine what sorts of conflicts they'll be facing.
If you're mostly running scenarios straight out of the book then it won't necessarily be as relevant, but I still use techniques from there all the time in my Pathfinder AP games.
Odd. This sort of sounds interesting but the book title and the link seem to imply that the Book emphasizes an adversarial approach while your saying it emphasizes a co-operative approach.
Could you clarify as this does look like something I might be interested in reading.
I really dsilike the idea of throwing in a DMNPC. Especially with really new player and with an less experienced DM. Ones first games can be a really powerful experience and while the DM needs to some times summurize some of the options for newbies to help prod them to go forward and do something a DMPC has a horrible potential to become a crutch for new players. They'll quickly come to rely on the DMPC and won't even recognize that their being robbed of choice.
That said a pet is a pretty good idea for a small party. Something thats cute and cool, something that can understand what they'd like it to do but won't give advice itself. A Baby Dragon or Psuedo Dragon are pretty good options - normally I think these creatures are smart and can speak but I'd play them as child like and maybe just learning the language. I've had fun with Baby Dragons and newbie girls myself as they think its adorable when its stealing silverware to make its 'horde'.
Shout out to Molech as well as I think he's given some great advice for running a party of Newbies.
I agree. War dogs and horses are also a good idee. Especially dogs. They give the PC's extra fighting power and you do not have to add an NPC, which is generally not a good idea. In the worst case you come to be playing the adventure as DM and the players are just running along, which is not what you want.
For the rest I agree with the advice given above, but I would add one more piece of advice: have fun and let your players have fun. During a game session check whether your players are having a good time, and whether you are having a good time. If you and your players do, then you are doing a great job.
What helps is to make a lot of notes during a game session. I make notes all the time and use them in subsequent sessions. E.g. when you improvise something, write it down and act as if it was part of your campaign all along. Players never notice.
Do not bother too much about making mistakes. I still do after 20 years of DM-ing. I only got better at hiding them.
What also helps is to tie small encounters to the back story of the PC's. It makes them feel more important and more involved. In this case you have to watch out that you give all PC's roughly as much screen time, and that you regularly switch from one PC to the other. This also keeps up the pace of the campaign.
Good luck with your campaing. I hope you have lots of fun.
Odd. This sort of sounds interesting but the book title and the link seem to imply that the Book emphasizes an adversarial approach while your saying it emphasizes a co-operative approach.
Could you clarify as this does look like something I might be interested in reading.
Let me define my terms then. An adversarial approach is one where the GM learns what the player wants and then tries to thwart it. A co-operative approach is one where the GM tries to figure out what kind of plot (defined as conflict and resolution, not a progression of things always going well) the player (not the PC) would enjoy, and then goes for that.
John Wick no longer does print installments of Play Dirty, but instead does a video blog. Here's his take on always saying yes. I'd watch all the Play Dirty installments first if you're thinking of buying the book. I think that they show the tone well.
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First off let me say, Molech is giving you excellent advice.
Id like to add a few things...
Ive done several DM's advice 'columns' (if you will) on another site...Ill repost the first three here as they are whats pertinent.
Here is the first installment of my thoughts of DM'ing and the trials and tribulations.
DM's Primers 1: Campaign Concepts.
Every Campaign is born from an idea. That idea can be from a movie, a book, sitting around a table with your friends...But however it came about the first step comes when you try and put that initial idea into game terms.
This first step is where your biggest pitfall as a DM can arise. What you find as interesting, your players may not.
A campaign concept, no matter how well designed, is only valuable if the players find it interesting; and if the players do not find it interesting, boredom is certain to lead them either away from your game or at least away from your concept.
In transferring your idea to game terms, Ive come up with a method that, for me, has worked. If you think any of this has merit, than Im glad Ive posted it and if not, no harm no foul.
For my method I'll be using the example of a campaign idea that ive never used, but thought was a cool idea.
Heres the intial concept- A druid is harassing and terrorizing a coastal community and is masking his attacks under the guise of being a vampire.
So now that I have my initial concept, its time to put iit into game terms.
I use the following method:
1. The Journalistic approach (who, what,where, when, why, and how)
2. The Layered Villain
3. The Mystery
4. Something for Everyone
5. The Twist
first comes the synopsis that makes me see the concept in real terms:
1. The Journalistic approach- putting it into a first paragraph will let you see if youre missing some key ingredient. If you cant visualize the entire campaign then the players certainly wont be able to.
My example: Who- The Druid/ What- Pretending to be a vampire as a red herring while terrorizing a village as punishment./ Where- a coastal village surrounded on its land side by an ancient forest./ When- mid summer at the height of the trade season./ Why- punishment for disturbing sacred ground...and why the vampire masquerade? an old legend mentions a vampire in the woods....predating even the druid./ How- by using summoned creatures...wolf packs, bats, rats....his powers of charm, weather summoning; he should be able to pull of the masquerade for a good long time, until real scrutiny is paid to hsi activities.
2. The Layered Villain- A villain is only useful as long as he isnt defeated. If you allow the adventurers to learn who the villain is too early, the mystery is spoiled...and the campaign will lose some pizzazz. Also the campaign would be over too early. This means The villain should have lesser villains working for him. and lesser for them. and lesser still.....
so to our example- I imagine the Druid to be about 15th level ;that means the party won't be able to really defeat him until they about 10th or 11th. So who will they fight? summoned animals will help fill gaps at every level. The Drudids animal companion will be a Wolf, and making the Wolf an Alpha Male, ascertains cooperation from organized wolf packs under the intelligent working of the companion. We'll choose a small village of Kobolds as the primary initial enemy, they can be a threat for a long time...and its believable that they could be under the command of a vampire without tipping our hand. We'll put in several Fey Folk helping him...as nuisances and to make it seem random, and maybe put some clues in. a few Treants and other intelligent plant life will top of the opposition. Finally as a possible enemy or ally we'll add some human bandits who have seen their earnings drop as the 'vampire' scares off trade.
note: Im linking the majority of the opposition, thats not to say that i cant put in a dungeon crawl somewhere as a break from the primary plot. its also worth mentioning i can sill use any other monsters i choose for other encounters. Also worth noting is the familiarity with the ideals im using. its natural to connect fey...treants...sacred woods...druid...this means the party is on familiar ground. Never assume The party is going to be able to uncover too complicated a plot. Ive seen many a campaign get spoiled by that pitfall.
3. The Mystery- Role Playing without a mystery is Roll Playing...simple. If the players arent trying to find something out, they want to be active...and the campaign will result in a hack and slash. I'm the first to admit, hack and slash has its good points. However it Cannot sustain a campaign. The players will get bored..and will move on. This seems even more relevant in a Play by Post Game then in a table top game, when combats can take weeks to get through.
A mystery is just that. its usually the why? find out the motive and youll find the villain.
Example: so for our mystery we have a sacred site in the forest being desecrated, and we will put a fake tomb in the area for exploration as being the 'resting' place of the mythical vampire. we'l stock the tomb with 2nd to 4th level monsters so it fits into our idea of when its explored...there will be afew hard to discern clues that it might not be The Vampire of Legend. (the party would have to go to other sources to discover the truth)
4. Something for Everyone- Build your campaign with the idea that there is both challenges, treasure and role playing opportunities for eveyone in the party. Remember at this point you don't know what the party will run. Leave a few shrines/temples to 'unnamed dieties' make sure you have some underworld types...have a shady politician. put in the kind information source. The cliche works wonders in this area. Familiarity will enable the party to quickly ID whose what, this helps progress the campaign.
so for our example: i put in the coastal village 2 shrines to be named later, i make note theres a tavern at the docks where elicit information, shady goings on and a band of thugs operate out of. The mayor is doing shady dealings with some smugglers (maybe a side adventure?) The Sherrif is a retired adventurer who sympathizes with adventurers. There is an old spellcaster who runs a 'magic shoppe' ill make him forgetful but kind..and he has well stocked spellbooks.
Note: I will not go more in depth at this point than what ive done here, just enough to work from...and not too much that wasnt needed. Its just a concept being given game terms...its not the actual adventure.
5 The Twist....Just when they finish or think theyve finished...BANG! This will set your campaign apart from the average campaign.
Example: You guessed it...The real Vampire is there tucked away in a real tomb that is guarded and sealed. We'll stock it with 8th- 9th monsters indicating when the party will run into it. then make certain all they can do is 'disturb' his resting spot...so they unwittingly let him free, thus they have some obligation to put him back. He will get loose about the same time they are heading to confront the Druid...and once finished...shortly thereafter the truth will come out. Well give our Vampire a 16th level rogue template this should enable him to be a very survivable type...and make him capable of taking over for the druid....
all these notes could be written on half a sheet of loose leaf paper, to begiven life once things begin to progress.
The final bit of warning is DONT DO TOO MUCH! gradually fill in the blanks. Parties are horrible about throwing monkey wrenches into your ideas, be prepared for that by not being stuck to any one course of action.
This is how i turn concepts to game ideas. It is not meant to be the only way, its just one that works for me.
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DM's Primer 2: Early Pitfalls
The second in my initial series of advisory threads for new DM's is on the subject of common errors made.
First let me say, Theres not a DM out there that hasnt made these mistakes early in their DM Career.
These mistakes can be broken down into 4 sentence phrases: Too Much, Too Little, Ignorance Is Not Bliss, and I'm The Boss
Too Much: a common mistake by new DM's is trying to create too much of the adventure before it gets going. This early pitfall has a few results. First- Its too easy for you, the DM to fall in love with your idea and characters. When the characters start going in a direction that you didnt plan for, or take out one of your beloved characters...frustration and anger can result. Second- If the players don't show interest it makes all that effort for nought, and can also result in frustration.
The best possible course of action is only create what you need. Remember, from our earlier example about the druid vs the vampire we laid out a loose outline for the campaign.....so what do we really need to kick it off. : a map of the area, the town map, a few NPC's to get the campaign kicked off, 1 or 2 preplanned encounters, for early party involvement and finally the Vampires name...for the legend. We dont need to create the Druid yet, we dont need to go too indepth in town..just a few key buildings...an Inn of course, and the mayor, the sherrif......easy. maybe 2-3 hours work. if that.
Too Little: A DM can try and be the good guy with the players too much and have little control over the assembled party. Players want a DM who 'leads' or maybe a better term is 'in control'. If given an inch the players will take the mile...they are expecting you as the DM, to know what your capabilities and expectations for them are. If you dont want a race or class...dont allow it. If youre not comfortable with psionics...dont allow em. If you don't want certain magic items...dont let them be found or bought. simple. The players will appreciate and respect your guidelines...Remember...they want to play as much as you do.
so for my example I would say all core rules for 3.5, characters from the complete series can be used with DM approval, Psionics are ok. Odd races have to be approved. Buy in character build at 32 points. Characters start at 1st level. send the characters in once created for final approval.
easy.
Ignorance is Bliss: This is the catch all. I didnt know that class would unbalance the campaign. I didn't realize that magic item would do that. I thought that encounter would be tougher. I thought theyd be higher level by now. I wasnt aware of that rule. etc etc etc....
There really is no way to stop these except with experience. Even today after 30+ years of experience I still overlook something occasionally. Or create an encounter that quickly becomes apparent is too tough. Bad dice can destroy a balanced fight................The good news is this is the easiest to correct.
Got a class that unbalances the campaign...1. talk to the player of what he plans for the character...then alter the campaign to rebalance (example- I had a powergamer in my campaign a while back that was a rogue who took max ranks in tumble, and bout a psi-skin that aided him in this. He was almost unstoppable in getting into a flanking position and backstabbing....I added heavier undead encounters than what i would normally put in. added a necromancer as 1 of the villains....)
Got a magic Item that is causing too much trouble? take it away. (example: ive been DM'ing for maybe 2 years...the original Blackmoor and Greyhawk books are released, and lo and behold...a really cool magic item is featured...The Rod of Lordly Might. Me being the noob that i was, said Cool...let me introduce this into the party....itll be fun. It was, for 2-3 encounters then The Samurai that was using it (it was a class in the dragon) began to rely on the paralyzing and fear powers of the early rod......
I was forced to be heavy handed and take it back. I did it without style and very roughly...a character was killed and to get the character back, the priest demanded the rod....not stylish at all..but it rebalanced the campaign. Now I know that I could have had it stolen by thieves...or just cease functioning...and make it an adventure hook to get it reworking ...when they are higher level.
Anyway you get the picture. Remember- You are the DM...The referree. The Gamesmaster...The one responsible for making the campaigh and having it run smoothly. Do not be afraid to make the tough desicions and be flexible enough to change course if you have a problem.
Finally- I'm The Boss: Of all the early DM pitfalls, This is the worse. There is nothing that will kill a campaign quicker than an egotistical DM. Yes you are the boss, but without the players what are you the boss of? an empty campaign? Thats boring. I cannot stress enough to not let being a DM go to your head. The players come to have fun....Let them. If a rule causes something to really damage the fun of the game...overlook it. If a dice roll will cause the destruction of the party...change it. Let the game be about fun. Thats why we are here.
finally let me add my caveat again...This is not the only way to play...nor is it meant to say it is the best way. Its only the views of a humble DM whos seen them work.
Have Fun.
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DMs Primer 3: The Early Levels 1-3
Howdy again...and its time for my weekly foray into the art of DM'ing....thats right art. A good DM is like an artist painting a picture, with the players the subjects of the painting.
Enough D&D philospohy though, lets talk about transferring that initial concept into the start of the campaign. Remember from the first idea...you created a concept..then with a view for the early pitfalls you begin the campaign.
You do the bare minimum creation to start the campaign. A map of the area. a sketch of the coastal town. Filling in a few key buildings you know they'll need. The temples, sherrif, mayor, 2 inns (the one that is on the wrong side of town and the one the party will stay at.) create a few key NPC's...all you need is names, class's maybe a few notes on personality and a key stat or two...example:
Sherrif Darla Trollkiller- 7th Fighter. retired adventurer. has flaming sword. sympatheic to adventurers, runs a tough 'ship', has 3 deputies. 1 is on the take. St 17 Con 18
This makes Darla high enough the party wont want to mess with her early on and makes it likely she could be the sherrif of a small town...and of course we had to put one twist in her situation..makes it interesting...This gives you enough to use her effectively. If The party gets ridiculous, shed be able to spank them nicely. no need to go into more detail. You have just enough to 'wing' anything neccessary with her.
Oh one more thing...when creating NPC's...dont roll em up. give em the stats you want them to have! Youre doing enough already without rolling endless dice for NPC's...One word of warning...If every Fighter has an 18 ST. The party will become numb to statistics...shake it up...vary it. remember you start getting bonus' at 12 so use that as a guide.
On to the creation process...At this point you name the Druid. (youll need to, because you want within the first few adventures to drop the name in subtly in conversation....maybe in the inn..merchant talking about the woodsman that got killed)...See in my mind. The Druid has orchestrated his own death to take himself out of the picture...the first victim. This way if the name ever comes up with the Kobolds or the Fey..itll be familiar and cause the party to scartch their head. They may even begin to think the druid was 'made a vampire'. oh yeah, well never call the Woodsman a Druid in front of the party.
You'll need to name the Kobold chieftan, create a few kobold encounters. maybe some wild animal encounters as the party scouts the forest..and don't forget undead. A rule of thumb I use, is 50% of any scenario's encounters should revolve around the central theme. 30% should be random 10% informative but not threatening. neutral types. and 10% should be helpful to
the party.
Youll need the 'hook' to get the party involved...in this case an "adventurers wanted" sign will work nicely..."see the mayor"
And with this creation done youre ready for your first game session.
Now you have 3 concerns.
1. Keep your information orderly. (youll need to access it frequently and not knowing where it is can delay the game and make the party doubt your DM skills). Part of this is knowing the characters. I suggest writing the pertinent information on each character down on a character log for your use.
The information I suggest you write down and keep track of is this: Player/character, Race/sex, level/class, align/diety, AC-touch-ff, Hp, Statistics, saves, speed, initiative, unique character info..for psi characters psi points, for bards..bardic music uses...for clerics, how many undead turnings they have and have used. key skills: spot, search. listen. sense motive, hide, move silent, then 1-2 skills that character excels in...(to plan adventures for that character to shine), Familiars-animal companions, Experience, special equipment/magic items...charges. finally a spot to track things youve done to the players that they dont know.,...curses/disease/poison...etc...
I know thats a lot. I guarantee...if you do this, itll make your life so much easier. if you dont...youll still be able to DM but youll be looking the information up or asking the players all the time for it. It makes you appear 'ontop' of things. (even if you arent )
2. Get the players/Characters to 'buy into' the scenario. This is a huge challenge. If the players cant see that what youre telling them 'fits' within their concept of the adventure you will lose them. Example: I played in a campaign at one time, the DM suddenly sprung on us that we were carried away to a world dominated my Illithids...Mind Flayers ..the world was primarily a water world, and dolphins were the intelligent race. so far so good..we were skittish but accepting. then we found out the key of the adventure. To get home we had to defeat the elder brain..see the Dolphins had kidnapped us to fight for them on land where they could not. They had sent a spelljammer ship across the galaxy to grab up this legendary party to fight for them.... Heres the kicker...we were 3rd level.
The boundary of belief had been thrashed. from that point on the players played..but were not into the game. Time and again we faced Illithids that Killed the entire party...if not for DM intervention. Time and again we saw he had not thought it through. We lost faith with the DM and the campaign gradually fell apart.
The party must be able to see the posibility of victory. they must be able to see that what youre thinking could happen. They must be on familiar ground.
3. Help the players to develop their characters. I know youre saying What???? A campaign is only as good as both players and DM; it takes all pieces in the machine clicking for the gaming to be memorable. When a player creates a character of 1st-3rd level. That character is 2 dimensional. they dont becoming real for a few whole adventures...then the player begins to get attached to the character and can respond "in character as the character" instead of "in character as the player" You as a DM need to help the player to get to that place...by providing opportunities for that character to shine. By finding goals for that character and providing opportunities within the campaign for those goals to be realized. By Finding out what makes that player and his/hers character tick...so adventures can have meaning to them.
This is a lot of work. But, players will be thankful to you, if you can do it effectively. Ask yourself one thing before each adventure..."how can I make it more fun for the players" Thats the goal. You get your pleasure from them getting their pleasure. Thats why we DM isnt it?
oh and do I need to say...This is not the only way..Its only 1 way...and its worked for me.
Let me define my terms then. An adversarial approach is one where the GM learns what the player wants and then tries to thwart it. A co-operative approach is one where the GM tries to figure out what kind of plot (defined as conflict and resolution, not a progression of things always going well) the player (not the PC) would enjoy, and then goes for that.John Wick no longer does print installments of Play Dirty, but instead does a video blog. Here's his take on always saying yes. I'd watch all the Play Dirty installments first if you're thinking of buying the book. I think that they show the tone well.
Checked out the Youtube installation you provided. I'm not sure I agree with him all of the time. Thats fine but I'm not sure that this is new game master material here. I think this is more of an advanced course. Your first few sessions are not really a time to worry to much about the ethical dilemma's of their characters because players have rarely come to really empathize with their characters at this point.
That will come later but this is like giving Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams to first year psych students. Their not ready for the material yet.
This guy might be better saved for after you've begun to get comfortable DMing. Its not time to delve into philosophical debates concerning styles of GMing and their pros and cons until one is comfortable in their role as a GM. First get the basics more or less down.
Checked out the Youtube installation you provided. I'm not sure I agree with him all of the time. Thats fine but I'm not sure that this is new game master material here. I think this is more of an advanced course.
You have a compelling argument. I'm convinced. Once one has more experience though he's a good read. :)
I also don't always agree with him, but I like the way he gets me thinking outside the box.
I like Molech's mention of Challenge of Champions here, for first time/new players as it offers chances to role-play and get into some of the basics of the rules & world without getting too caught up in combats.
I think this is not a good idea. When Molech mentioned it I took that as a way of looking at an interesting adventure when considering the concept of railroading - not making this the first adventure.
A Challenge of Champions is an adventure ideally suited to make advanced level players think outside the box. When your players are still looking at a D20 with a certain level of intimidation its not time to see if they can think outside the box. Stay in the box - learn to love the box...its wonderful in the box.
More serously a Challenge of Champions is going to be something that first time players are likely to have a hard time with. Puzzles are dangerous at the best of times. Players have widely variable tolerances for puzzles. Until you know your players be a little careful with tough puzzles. I'd usually place them off to the side of the adventure, the puzzle loving players can think on them and consider the possibilities while the adventure continues. If they solve it they can go back and deal with it but the adventure carries forward one way or another and the players that gave up after two minutes are not forced to stop the fun because the puzzle is standing in their way.
The big problem with a challenge of Champions for a new group as I see it is that its unlikely to feel like a co-operative experience.
The players will either fail miserably (what a great session - you showed them they suck).
Will get lots of help from the DM - in which case they just became the audience while the DM plays with himself.
One player will be good at this while the others are not. Two players shower one with compliments as he or she shows that she has a real talent for deductive reasoning, but its still not co-operative.
Veteran groups don't face this - they understand what their characters can do in terms of climbing walls or jumping over things. They usually have a good idea how magic works and how the magic items are used in a normal manner and have a real head start in determining how they might utilize that.
In a Challenge of Champions the play experience is usually going to involve the players first hearing the challenge and being introduced to the conditions. They'll be co-operative becuase their next act is likely to be to start going down their character sheet to evaluate what their character can do well. They'll throw out ideas based on what their character can do for everyone to consider. Somewhere in that maelstorm of ideas is probably a combo. If character A does X and Character B does Y and they use the magic item to do Z then they pass the challenge.
However newbies won't do this. They don't even realize that their little man can jump unless the DM tells them its so and climbing walls is right out.
I'd stick to something a bit more straightforward that they are going to win.