Hello all. I have recently returned to dnd after an extended break.
I was a player and my DM for quite a long time died suddenly and I, out of grief, stopped playing until recently.
My sixteen-year-old brother and a neighbor the same age started wanting to play. I saw that adventuring wanderlust in their eyes and could not deny them. But two problems. 1/ I have only played. Never DM'ed. 2/ I have 3.0 ed books and all the resources available now are 3.5 ed or are transitioning to 4.0.
I have limited funds but want to become a legendary DM like my fallen friend. I was a subscriber to both Dungeon and Dragon before I stopped playing and I am sorrowful that they both are no longer printed. I know that they are in download/digital form but they are in rules I don't have and am not used to.
I was wondering if any of you might have advice to help me along in my endeavor.
Thank-you in advance
KattyKaty
Pick up the free beta available from here read it throughly then give it to your players. Don't ever worry about not being "current"... I still play some 2nd edition at times because I like it.
|
Hello all. I have recently returned to dnd after an extended break.
I was a player and my DM for quite a long time died suddenly and I, out of grief, stopped playing until recently.
I was wondering if any of you might have advice to help me along in my endeavor.
Thank-you in advance
KattyKaty
Hiya,
always good to have a new DM volunteering. First of all, do not worry about not having all the rules available. After all, 3.0 was a fine compilation / dusting off of prior years editions, and we had plenty of fun way back then. So if you have the PHB, the DMG, and the MM for 3.0 that's just fine. Besides, there are few differences between 3.0 and 3.5.
Grab some dices, and maybe a few minis or counters.
Now the thing is more like you have a small group, and while that's fun, you will have two problems :
- Not as many interactions between table between players as in larger groups
- Adventures as written usually assume a 4+ PCs group. So either you have to let each players run two characters, or you have to be ready to fudge a lot to allow your PCs to avoid death. if you play the rules as written, even a low level critter can get lucky and quickly wipe a two PCs party. And that's not fun for anybody. you should also probably reduce the number of monsters.
My best bet would be to recruit two other players if you can.
Then you have to select a few adventures that look good as a series in your mind, read them in advance, and start running.
|
The differences between 3.0 and 3.5 weren't so vast. There are differences, but I think you could grab any 3.5 adventure and pretty much just run it. I'm sure one of the resourceful people here might know of a quick document that outlines the changes between those 2 editions if you want to know what to be aware of. Seems like I might have seen one before, but I don't recall where. Some class features changed, skill points per class, Scry is not a skill anymore, many spells had minor changes like duration, and so on- but these kind of things shouldn't knock any printed adventures out of your range of use.
Like Stereofm said above the bigger issue is going to be adjusting for a 2 person party instead of 4. Hopefully they can round up a couple of friends for maximum good times.
Good luck on flipping to the other side of the screen!
|
|
Ah- A google search turned it up on the top of the list.
Here is a pdf with all of the changes between 3.0 and 3.5
First and foremost: Rules don't matter.
I've been in some great games with the worst rules ever... And I have been in some crappy games with the best rules.
If your issue about rules is more of a "I want my players to be able to get their own books - if they want it," I can understand that. But, unless their 16 year old finances were different than mine, they would be better off borrowing yours.
You'll do much better sticking to what you know anyway.
The only other thing to watch for is learning that fine art between being a "stickler" for the rules, and "winging it" for fun's sake. That won't come quickly, unless you are a natural talent. My best advice for you is to takes notes of times you wing it. When you have time after the game, look up the rules to see what they are. Not because you did it "wrong", but so you can see how it was written. Figure out how you prefer to do it (your way, the books way, or something else) and stick with it. Consistency is key.
Now for a few pet peaves of mine: 1) Don't ever, ever, make a ruling because "you think it will be 'more' realistic," 2) If you are going to change the way a rule, or rule section, works - tell your players well in advance. Nothing sucks more than building a character for ranged combat and then finding out ranged combat doesn't use Dexterity anymore it uses (a different game than D&D, but the closest equivalent is) Wisdom.
Oh yeah... One more thing. Never let a rules "discussion," argument, or whatever you want to call it, take more than a couple minutes at the table. Get back to the game as quick as possible, then quible about things afterwards.
|
I was wondering if any of you might have advice to help me along in my endeavor.
Thank-you in advance
KattyKaty
My advice is to take it slow. Go through the basics of creating their characters and let them show you what is important to them. I always built my campaigns around the player characters. They are the stars and they know what they like. A successful GM will be attentive to the strengths and likes of the people that are playing. D&D is a mild bit of ego stroking with heavy doses of challenges and excitement.
I love the daydreaming I have when I am not GMing. I think of the PCs and the major role they will play in their own stories. Each character is moving towards their own great crescendo. Be it that they must settle some old score or face their greatest fears. I feel, there must be some underlying motivation that pushes the game beyond simple adventure completing. In a sense, you get personal and dig deep into the world of the PC and get your players into that world. Once you are there, then everything is going like 12 clocks ticking to their own beat in somekind of synchronous harmony. At that time, you will know you, you are a legendary DM.
Good Luck!
Zux
Don't ram the players into certain actions. Have a few different ideas ready then play it by what the players do, eventually one of those other adventures or plot lines will be just the ticket for what they are doing at some other time.
I think the best advise I can give a new GM is the most important thing is to have fun. Nothing else in the game matters next to that. If you and the players want all kinds of crazy stuff and have characters that would make most other player blanch in horror, go for it! If you and they want a gritty brutal game where people die left and right and the player characters are barely more capable than the average person, go for that in stead.
If you and the players have fun that is all that matters.
Having said that a few pit traps I see new GMs fall into all the time that tend to make the game less fun for players.
1) Be flexible, players hate getting railroaded. They like to be creative.
2) Try to keep some control over power level. If things get too crazy for people's taste it can ruin the game just as much as not being powerful enough.
3) Let everyone get equal face time. Some players are attention hogs and some players are wall flowers. You may have to put some effort into letting everyone get time to be an active participant, but it is worth it.
4) Read. Read novels, watch movies and do anything else to inspire yourself. Just remember that novels and movies don't have the same sort of pacing as a game. I steal from what I read and watch all the time, a fun idea is a fun idea.
5) Don't put treasure in there unless you want the players to have it. I've seen GMs who will give the bad guys dozens of items but for some reason the players can't use any of it. I've also seen where you find heaps of gold coins only for it to disappear or turn into rocks or get carted off by the king. This can be a quick way piss off your table. Just think how you'd feel if the next time you went to cash your paycheck and the bank said "sorry this check isn't a real check, so you won't get any money for the work you did this month."
6) Don't be afraid to tone down a fight if it is getting too hard. Especially early on it can be hard to tell just what the players can handle. I've realized that I had something be too powerful so I fudge a roll or two and had it fall down dead when technically it had 50 or 60 HP left.
7) Don't be afraid to house rule stuff, but talk it over with the players first and eventually put it in writing. Never ever change the rules in the middle of combat so it screws the players. I've seen GMs do this and it is one of the quickest ways to drive away a player.
8) Talk to the players. If you can find out what they want in a game you can run it. Otherwise you are flying blind.
Good luck, and remember that as long as you have fun nothing else is important.
With limited resources I suggest that you download the Beta. The differences from 3.0 aren't that overwhelming if you take your time, and most of them are definite improvements. There is also the advantage of friendly boards to turn to for rules clarification and discussion which is very useful for a new DM.
Also you should get some published adventures that are easy to run. You could always tweak them and add your own stories, but designing balanced encounters takes practice. It's a shame that the Goodman Games Dungeon Crawls were discontinued (if you have or find some they are ideal for beginners), but you could download Wizard's Amulet for free from Necromancer Games. It's 3.0 but easily updated. I would also recommend some of their low-level modules, like Crucible of Freya, Lost City of Barakus, Shades of Grey and Coils of Set, being easy adventures to run. Especially the first two give a lot of value for your money, each containing enough materials to build an entire campaign.
The Paizo stuff is great, but for beginners I'd look to something simpler.
Capt'n Jose has some GREAT advise. Listen to that.
Also, for just starting out as a DM, 2 people may be easier. You can adjust to running the game, and they can learn it easier. From there you can expand out an recruit more people. It's easier to run a large game when you're more comfortable.
Keep things simple to start. You won't need a huge elaborate plot or world just yet. In fact, the simpler the better. Let it grow around you and your players. Stick to just the core books. When you and they get more comfortable, start adding ones in the players wold enjoy.
Most of all, as has been said before... HAVE FUN.
Tell your players that while you endorse the amazing potential for fun to be had, you also admit that you are inexperienced and as such, you will make mistakes. But when you make them, you will roll with them, do your best to fix them, and go back to making the game as fun for everyone at the table as you can.
Then, go to the bathroom or bedroom, look in the mirror, and tell the same thing to yourself.
If your old departed DM was as good as you say, I'd put money down that he did something like that, even if only in his head.
Experience is nothing more than the diminishment of inexperience. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone screws up. Pros just do make them less, and recover from them more gracefully.
Game on, and good luck! I hope many excellent memories await you and your players!
|
|
I could easily see you downloading (for FREE) Module D0: Hollow's Last Hope by Jason Bulmahn from here at PAIZO. I just ran it as part of my homebrew campaign and it felt fun and easy to run. From there, you'll need to dust off your core rulebooks - you can still DM using 3.0, but I'd recommend downloading PATHFINDER RPG (again, for FREE) from here at PAIZO. You can make copies of the Pathfinder character sheet and off you go, though some of the skill names will have changed.
Thats the cheapest route.
Other options might include downloading (for FREE) a copy of OSRIC. A google search will help you find this. In fact, OSRIC II is available, if you're interested in playing some original-style D&D. The rules are very easy and would make a good beginning, until you're ready for Third Edition. You can find used copies of v.3.5 books at your local library (for FREE) or post on this thread that you need some, maybe someone will mail you a set.
Have fun is always good advise, along with: be creative. From your post I could see you've been a player, so, since you already know your way around a character sheet. I would truly just recommend starting at 1st level with either Pathfinder or the 3.0 books you have.
Person tips I usually give new DMs are:
1) Prepare, prepare, and then forget everything you prepared - this means its good to think about many, many ways an adventure could go (the NPCs, the places, names, personalities, story, general adventure plot, etc., and then when play begins, just relax and go anywhere your imagination takes you.
2) Ask your players questions in advance so you have a good idea what their characters are all about. Spend most of your time focusing on your players, and reacting to their choices.
3)Lay out your first adventure like this (you can deviate from this structure once you feel more comfortable...)
- exposition
- rising action
- climax (or turning point)
- falling action
- dénouement (comedy) or catastrophe (tragedy)
Let us know if you have any specific questions.... good luck.
Go through the monster manual an find a couple of your favorite monsters all at different CRs preferably. Take the lowest CR one and think whats a problem that it could cause (orcs raid livestock, rustmonster eats iron mine, shadow is a back-alley murderer). Make a town and the surround area as well as come up with some cool NPCs that the PCs are likely to meet (inn keeper, blacksmith, vendor, priest). Create a simple mission with a few encounters and point the PCs in that direction. During this time, throw some side quests at your PCs to learn their styles (Hack'n'slash, mystery, roleplaying). Have them fight the low CR baddie on the first or second session. Now why was that baddie there? Is a demon controlling the orc tribe? Was the rust monster forced from its lair by derro? Was the shadow animated by a crazy necromancer? Something this simple can be the base of a lengthy and heroic campaign.
WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!!!!!!! I can't stress this enough.