a cry in the wilderness-DM noob needs help [Archive] - Wizards Community

a cry in the wilderness-DM noob needs help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
vectorvanguard
07-02-07, 02:47 AM Hi all
Its been a while but as winter hits here its time to dust off the D&D books again.
Ive hunted my area and no one does D&D so Im stuck to doing it myself. I have read the 3.5 core books I have made and played a few small games. I played one or two in the chat rooms but more n more the timing just wasnt there. I wasnt when a game was on.
I want to increase my experience I DM for my family.

I was hoping to find a source of quick adventures, that I could play solo of a night when I grab some free time. That will help me grasp the games ins and outs. Force me to reference the books so I can get used to using things etc. I have a laptop that isnt always online so just a read this make a decision now goto page whatever type pdf or something would be great.

Is there anything like this around? to help me quickly get into the swing of things.

Much appreciated..point the way :)
s4ndm4n
07-02-07, 07:25 AM 1) find a dm and play as a player for a while
2) create a lvl 3-5 character using the player's HB rules and fight creatures from the Monster Manual randomly.This will greatly increase your game experience , try it if you can't find a DM. You will learn how to calculate xp and give treasure after encounters, and even learn about monster tactics, if you pay attention to the creature entries.
3) if you are inexperienced, DON'T buy or use sample adventures from Wizard's of the Coast or other campaign books (such as forgotten realms) , they are a bit specialized. If you can find them, try using some nice Sword and Sorcery , Necromancer games , Malhavoc press ect. books that have many, many sample adventures for characters of any level and experience(I can't recall titles, u'll have to search on your own...)You can always use WotC books after you have had some experience.
4)after you have had some experience with the game, and understood some basic rules, try to introduce some of your friends to DnD.DnD is all about friends and fun, it's not to be played solo.

hope I helped,have fun man
vectorvanguard
07-02-07, 09:48 PM cheers s4ndm4n I get your drift re not a solo game ..Im on that list already, I way prefer it as an interactive game.. even beyond playing it online. I much prefer people in the room. But what do you don when your on your own? I can only DM to those about me my family so Im doing my best to learn it and hopefully others may join our happy throng.
I was just amazed that all my searching on the net found nothing to help this situation. I found maps, plots, tools, tiles, paper miniatures , just about everything I could wish for ...except for a bunch of actual short n sweet teaching (learn as you go) games.
Ive read the rules till they look like a faded dog eared scroll :) I need to play! Ive worn out the sample game that came with the core books kit. i need more of them.

ok on the random monster trick i have done that a little but its all to easy to fall victim to your own understanding of something that way. ie reading it wrong.

Ill look up those books you mention and see if I cant find something.
ta
WizO_Cat
07-02-07, 11:43 PM Moved to the What's a DM to Do board.
hreslingozer
07-02-07, 11:46 PM The downloadable adventures from this site tend to fit your description -- short, simple and generally you can run them in a night.
Tarpan_God
07-03-07, 03:22 AM The first campaign I DMed was for my family. :) I'd only been a player for a year at that point, so it was a steep learning curve, for me and them. I made a little world myself, drew a map, and did my best to entertain them.

Teaching them how to play wasn't too bad (though my father had played AD&D years ago, and kept wanting to lower his AC) :) It was hilarious to see my mom playing a bloodthirsty elf wizard, HA! :rofl: DMing for your family is a fun experience, I say go for it!
vectorvanguard
07-03-07, 07:15 PM Thanks Tarpan I know what you mean, you see your family in anew light :)
I think my biggest hurdle is this, the fact that 50% :) of the team are under 9. All the little jobs you cant imagine, that release the GM of duty arnt done :(
However I see the light. I found what i wanted, online a list of plots, encounters and hooks and rather than create an adventure out of them I simply started to use them as found. quick simple short sweet, I put the kids characters into non lethal non level acquiring mode, sat them down with the dice and spent 5,10-20 min on a single event. Once it was over we might do another one connected or unconnected with the first or that was it for the night. Done two evenings so far, and it seems to be working.

What was happening was that the group was spending too much time trying to decide what to do next or explaining. I may have made the story line too intricate.

Trying to keep 3 adults enthralled at the same time of 2 under 9s is an interesting problem.
Necrosis
07-03-07, 10:36 PM try the following link, instant easy free one off adventures-easy to insert anywhere.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
s4ndm4n
07-25-07, 01:07 PM Grats man, it seems you are having some fun with your fellow players and family after all.An easy way to create a world of your own that 9 year old players can understand and adult layers may find exciting is to create a world or a plot or a chain of events similar to the real world .(Try not to include wars and genocides, for obvious reasons....).

Hope this tip helped, enjoy gaming man
vectorvanguard
07-02-07, 02:47 AM Hi all
Its been a while but as winter hits here its time to dust off the D&D books again.
Ive hunted my area and no one does D&D so Im stuck to doing it myself. I have read the 3.5 core books I have made and played a few small games. I played one or two in the chat rooms but more n more the timing just wasnt there. I wasnt when a game was on.
I want to increase my experience I DM for my family.

I was hoping to find a source of quick adventures, that I could play solo of a night when I grab some free time. That will help me grasp the games ins and outs. Force me to reference the books so I can get used to using things etc. I have a laptop that isnt always online so just a read this make a decision now goto page whatever type pdf or something would be great.

Is there anything like this around? to help me quickly get into the swing of things.

Much appreciated..point the way :)
s4ndm4n
07-02-07, 07:25 AM 1) find a dm and play as a player for a while
2) create a lvl 3-5 character using the player's HB rules and fight creatures from the Monster Manual randomly.This will greatly increase your game experience , try it if you can't find a DM. You will learn how to calculate xp and give treasure after encounters, and even learn about monster tactics, if you pay attention to the creature entries.
3) if you are inexperienced, DON'T buy or use sample adventures from Wizard's of the Coast or other campaign books (such as forgotten realms) , they are a bit specialized. If you can find them, try using some nice Sword and Sorcery , Necromancer games , Malhavoc press ect. books that have many, many sample adventures for characters of any level and experience(I can't recall titles, u'll have to search on your own...)You can always use WotC books after you have had some experience.
4)after you have had some experience with the game, and understood some basic rules, try to introduce some of your friends to DnD.DnD is all about friends and fun, it's not to be played solo.

hope I helped,have fun man
vectorvanguard
07-02-07, 09:48 PM cheers s4ndm4n I get your drift re not a solo game ..Im on that list already, I way prefer it as an interactive game.. even beyond playing it online. I much prefer people in the room. But what do you don when your on your own? I can only DM to those about me my family so Im doing my best to learn it and hopefully others may join our happy throng.
I was just amazed that all my searching on the net found nothing to help this situation. I found maps, plots, tools, tiles, paper miniatures , just about everything I could wish for ...except for a bunch of actual short n sweet teaching (learn as you go) games.
Ive read the rules till they look like a faded dog eared scroll :) I need to play! Ive worn out the sample game that came with the core books kit. i need more of them.

ok on the random monster trick i have done that a little but its all to easy to fall victim to your own understanding of something that way. ie reading it wrong.

Ill look up those books you mention and see if I cant find something.
ta
WizO_Cat
07-02-07, 11:43 PM Moved to the What's a DM to Do board.
hreslingozer
07-02-07, 11:46 PM The downloadable adventures from this site tend to fit your description -- short, simple and generally you can run them in a night.
Tarpan_God
07-03-07, 03:22 AM The first campaign I DMed was for my family. :) I'd only been a player for a year at that point, so it was a steep learning curve, for me and them. I made a little world myself, drew a map, and did my best to entertain them.

Teaching them how to play wasn't too bad (though my father had played AD&D years ago, and kept wanting to lower his AC) :) It was hilarious to see my mom playing a bloodthirsty elf wizard, HA! :rofl: DMing for your family is a fun experience, I say go for it!
vectorvanguard
07-03-07, 07:15 PM Thanks Tarpan I know what you mean, you see your family in anew light :)
I think my biggest hurdle is this, the fact that 50% :) of the team are under 9. All the little jobs you cant imagine, that release the GM of duty arnt done :(
However I see the light. I found what i wanted, online a list of plots, encounters and hooks and rather than create an adventure out of them I simply started to use them as found. quick simple short sweet, I put the kids characters into non lethal non level acquiring mode, sat them down with the dice and spent 5,10-20 min on a single event. Once it was over we might do another one connected or unconnected with the first or that was it for the night. Done two evenings so far, and it seems to be working.

What was happening was that the group was spending too much time trying to decide what to do next or explaining. I may have made the story line too intricate.

Trying to keep 3 adults enthralled at the same time of 2 under 9s is an interesting problem.
Necrosis
07-03-07, 10:36 PM try the following link, instant easy free one off adventures-easy to insert anywhere.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
s4ndm4n
07-25-07, 01:07 PM Grats man, it seems you are having some fun with your fellow players and family after all.An easy way to create a world of your own that 9 year old players can understand and adult layers may find exciting is to create a world or a plot or a chain of events similar to the real world .(Try not to include wars and genocides, for obvious reasons....).

Hope this tip helped, enjoy gaming man

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
vectorvanguard 07-02-07, 02:47 AM	Hi all Its been a while but as winter hits here its time to dust off the D&D books again. Ive hunted my area and no one does D&D so Im stuck to doing it myself. I have read the 3.5 core books I have made and played a few small games. I played one or two in the chat rooms but more n more the timing just wasnt there. I wasnt when a game was on. I want to increase my experience I DM for my family. I was hoping to find a source of quick adventures, that I could play solo of a night when I grab some free time. That will help me grasp the games ins and outs. Force me to reference the books so I can get used to using things etc. I have a laptop that isnt always online so just a read this make a decision now goto page whatever type pdf or something would be great. Is there anything like this around? to help me quickly get into the swing of things. Much appreciated..point the way :)
s4ndm4n 07-02-07, 07:25 AM	1) find a dm and play as a player for a while 2) create a lvl 3-5 character using the player's HB rules and fight creatures from the Monster Manual randomly.This will greatly increase your game experience , try it if you can't find a DM. You will learn how to calculate xp and give treasure after encounters, and even learn about monster tactics, if you pay attention to the creature entries. 3) if you are inexperienced, DON'T buy or use sample adventures from Wizard's of the Coast or other campaign books (such as forgotten realms) , they are a bit specialized. If you can find them, try using some nice Sword and Sorcery , Necromancer games , Malhavoc press ect. books that have many, many sample adventures for characters of any level and experience(I can't recall titles, u'll have to search on your own...)You can always use WotC books after you have had some experience. 4)after you have had some experience with the game, and understood some basic rules, try to introduce some of your friends to DnD.DnD is all about friends and fun, it's not to be played solo. hope I helped,have fun man
vectorvanguard 07-02-07, 09:48 PM	cheers s4ndm4n I get your drift re not a solo game ..Im on that list already, I way prefer it as an interactive game.. even beyond playing it online. I much prefer people in the room. But what do you don when your on your own? I can only DM to those about me my family so Im doing my best to learn it and hopefully others may join our happy throng. I was just amazed that all my searching on the net found nothing to help this situation. I found maps, plots, tools, tiles, paper miniatures , just about everything I could wish for ...except for a bunch of actual short n sweet teaching (learn as you go) games. Ive read the rules till they look like a faded dog eared scroll :) I need to play! Ive worn out the sample game that came with the core books kit. i need more of them. ok on the random monster trick i have done that a little but its all to easy to fall victim to your own understanding of something that way. ie reading it wrong. Ill look up those books you mention and see if I cant find something. ta
WizO_Cat 07-02-07, 11:43 PM	Moved to the What's a DM to Do board.
hreslingozer 07-02-07, 11:46 PM	The downloadable adventures from this site tend to fit your description -- short, simple and generally you can run them in a night.
Tarpan_God 07-03-07, 03:22 AM	The first campaign I DMed was for my family. :) I'd only been a player for a year at that point, so it was a steep learning curve, for me and them. I made a little world myself, drew a map, and did my best to entertain them. Teaching them how to play wasn't too bad (though my father had played AD&D years ago, and kept wanting to lower his AC) :) It was hilarious to see my mom playing a bloodthirsty elf wizard, HA! :rofl: DMing for your family is a fun experience, I say go for it!
vectorvanguard 07-03-07, 07:15 PM	Thanks Tarpan I know what you mean, you see your family in anew light :) I think my biggest hurdle is this, the fact that 50% :) of the team are under 9. All the little jobs you cant imagine, that release the GM of duty arnt done :( However I see the light. I found what i wanted, online a list of plots, encounters and hooks and rather than create an adventure out of them I simply started to use them as found. quick simple short sweet, I put the kids characters into non lethal non level acquiring mode, sat them down with the dice and spent 5,10-20 min on a single event. Once it was over we might do another one connected or unconnected with the first or that was it for the night. Done two evenings so far, and it seems to be working. What was happening was that the group was spending too much time trying to decide what to do next or explaining. I may have made the story line too intricate. Trying to keep 3 adults enthralled at the same time of 2 under 9s is an interesting problem.
Necrosis 07-03-07, 10:36 PM	try the following link, instant easy free one off adventures-easy to insert anywhere. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
s4ndm4n 07-25-07, 01:07 PM	Grats man, it seems you are having some fun with your fellow players and family after all.An easy way to create a world of your own that 9 year old players can understand and adult layers may find exciting is to create a world or a plot or a chain of events similar to the real world .(Try not to include wars and genocides, for obvious reasons....). Hope this tip helped, enjoy gaming man
vectorvanguard 07-02-07, 02:47 AM	Hi all Its been a while but as winter hits here its time to dust off the D&D books again. Ive hunted my area and no one does D&D so Im stuck to doing it myself. I have read the 3.5 core books I have made and played a few small games. I played one or two in the chat rooms but more n more the timing just wasnt there. I wasnt when a game was on. I want to increase my experience I DM for my family. I was hoping to find a source of quick adventures, that I could play solo of a night when I grab some free time. That will help me grasp the games ins and outs. Force me to reference the books so I can get used to using things etc. I have a laptop that isnt always online so just a read this make a decision now goto page whatever type pdf or something would be great. Is there anything like this around? to help me quickly get into the swing of things. Much appreciated..point the way :)
s4ndm4n 07-02-07, 07:25 AM	1) find a dm and play as a player for a while 2) create a lvl 3-5 character using the player's HB rules and fight creatures from the Monster Manual randomly.This will greatly increase your game experience , try it if you can't find a DM. You will learn how to calculate xp and give treasure after encounters, and even learn about monster tactics, if you pay attention to the creature entries. 3) if you are inexperienced, DON'T buy or use sample adventures from Wizard's of the Coast or other campaign books (such as forgotten realms) , they are a bit specialized. If you can find them, try using some nice Sword and Sorcery , Necromancer games , Malhavoc press ect. books that have many, many sample adventures for characters of any level and experience(I can't recall titles, u'll have to search on your own...)You can always use WotC books after you have had some experience. 4)after you have had some experience with the game, and understood some basic rules, try to introduce some of your friends to DnD.DnD is all about friends and fun, it's not to be played solo. hope I helped,have fun man
vectorvanguard 07-02-07, 09:48 PM	cheers s4ndm4n I get your drift re not a solo game ..Im on that list already, I way prefer it as an interactive game.. even beyond playing it online. I much prefer people in the room. But what do you don when your on your own? I can only DM to those about me my family so Im doing my best to learn it and hopefully others may join our happy throng. I was just amazed that all my searching on the net found nothing to help this situation. I found maps, plots, tools, tiles, paper miniatures , just about everything I could wish for ...except for a bunch of actual short n sweet teaching (learn as you go) games. Ive read the rules till they look like a faded dog eared scroll :) I need to play! Ive worn out the sample game that came with the core books kit. i need more of them. ok on the random monster trick i have done that a little but its all to easy to fall victim to your own understanding of something that way. ie reading it wrong. Ill look up those books you mention and see if I cant find something. ta
WizO_Cat 07-02-07, 11:43 PM	Moved to the What's a DM to Do board.
hreslingozer 07-02-07, 11:46 PM	The downloadable adventures from this site tend to fit your description -- short, simple and generally you can run them in a night.
Tarpan_God 07-03-07, 03:22 AM	The first campaign I DMed was for my family. :) I'd only been a player for a year at that point, so it was a steep learning curve, for me and them. I made a little world myself, drew a map, and did my best to entertain them. Teaching them how to play wasn't too bad (though my father had played AD&D years ago, and kept wanting to lower his AC) :) It was hilarious to see my mom playing a bloodthirsty elf wizard, HA! :rofl: DMing for your family is a fun experience, I say go for it!
vectorvanguard 07-03-07, 07:15 PM	Thanks Tarpan I know what you mean, you see your family in anew light :) I think my biggest hurdle is this, the fact that 50% :) of the team are under 9. All the little jobs you cant imagine, that release the GM of duty arnt done :( However I see the light. I found what i wanted, online a list of plots, encounters and hooks and rather than create an adventure out of them I simply started to use them as found. quick simple short sweet, I put the kids characters into non lethal non level acquiring mode, sat them down with the dice and spent 5,10-20 min on a single event. Once it was over we might do another one connected or unconnected with the first or that was it for the night. Done two evenings so far, and it seems to be working. What was happening was that the group was spending too much time trying to decide what to do next or explaining. I may have made the story line too intricate. Trying to keep 3 adults enthralled at the same time of 2 under 9s is an interesting problem.
Necrosis 07-03-07, 10:36 PM	try the following link, instant easy free one off adventures-easy to insert anywhere. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
s4ndm4n 07-25-07, 01:07 PM	Grats man, it seems you are having some fun with your fellow players and family after all.An easy way to create a world of your own that 9 year old players can understand and adult layers may find exciting is to create a world or a plot or a chain of events similar to the real world .(Try not to include wars and genocides, for obvious reasons....). Hope this tip helped, enjoy gaming man