Advice and tips for new GMs

[The 8th Dwarf]

I have noticed a few new GMs floating about. I thought we could chip in with and provide some tips.

1. If everybody is having fun then you are doing it right! That is to say if it works for your group, then you are not having bad/wrong fun.

2. Set expectations before anybody sits down.... This goes for players and GMs

for example:

This game may have some sexual content, there may be demons, and there may be gory bloody sacrifice and my combat descriptions are vivid.

or

I would prefer no swearing at the table, I would also like no sexual themes or anything that I might find religiously offensive.

3. Player/GM behaviour is also a good thing to be negotiated.... you might like to discourage racist, sexist "jokes" discussions about religion, sport, or politics during game time.... I have been penalised xp at times for Monty Python, Blackadder and Red Dwarf quotes.

4. Let the players know in advance the level of lethality you plan to use.

For example:

I roll my dice in front of you. If the random wandering the Kobold with the butter knife crits and kills you you are dead. I don't fudge in favour of the players or monsters.

Or

I will generally make sure that there are no insignificant deaths in the game.

6. Let players know well in advance if contribution for food and drink is required.

If you are playing at somebodies place its nice to bring some food.. Something as simple as a litre of milk or a loaf of bread and some cheese to replace the milk you use in the coffee and the toasted cheese sandwiches you eat.

7. Be respectful of your hosts... Say hello to significant others and thank them for the use of their space.

8. Understand that real life can make things hard for players to make a game. Have alternatives if you cant get a full crew.... Either NPC those that cant make it or break out some boardgames.

[Jiggy]

I can't take credit for this line, but I also can't remember who said it:

"If I don't like what Player 1 is doing, but Players 2-6 are having fun with it, I shouldn't be trying to stop it."

[Dark_Mistress]

Here is my list of things. Added to the above.

Communication, talk to the players, get feedback before you ever start a campaign during it.

Make sure people are having fun including yourself.

Be up front and honest with the type of game you want to run. Don't force anyone to play something they won't enjoy, on the same token don't let others pressure you into running something you don't want to. Sometimes it is better to take a break or let someone else run something.

Know the players and their charactes.

Know the rules and read the adventures several times before running them and read it one finally time the day before you plan to run.

Take notes, take lots of notes.

Make decision and don't bog the game down with endless rules looking up. Make a not of those on the fly decisions to keep the game running smoothly and after the game is over then as a group look them up. Then see if you got it right, if there is a open interpretation then make sure when you choose your rule to stick with it.

[Azaelas Fayth]

Keep an open mind when a player brings something they want to play to you.

A little compromise can lead to more committed players.

[therealthom]

This thread is long and focused on PbP, but has a lot of good general DMing suggestions too. You just have to dig for them.

(For complete newcomers to these boards, the prior sentence is a link to the thread described in the sentence.)

[Justin Ricobaldi]

People upstairs seemed to run the gauntlet of social stuff and they are right on!

So some game related advice:

1) Consistency. No really, consistency in your game's theme, tone, descriptions and reasoning will go a long way to help bring characters and players alike deeper into the world you've presented.

This rule of consistency should also in some ways apply to the characters as well. Nothing is more jarring than the player who is playing Goku while everyone and everything else in the world resembles Game of Thrones.

2) Calling it early. Don't be afraid to end your game a little earlier than usual if it will help smooth out the game as a whole. Sometimes you are thrown a curve ball as DM and you need time to plan or perhaps the players just moved through what you had set up a little earlier than expected.

Either way, reward them with a longer more precisely thought out session next time you meet and they won't even remember they had to stop early last time.

3) Saying no. If you are like me and find yourself DMing 8 people, then something has to change. While it is baller-awesome that a large number of people are looking to be in on a game. You have to know some of your limitations and you can't DM the world. Some players may just have to sit this one out.

The best policy is to pick those who approached you first since they showed the first initiative. Or at least that is my rule of thumb for gaming at my FLGS.