any advice? [Archive] - Wizards Community

any advice? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
young_warrior
12-10-05, 10:50 PM im only 11 years old and i started a d&d craze in my neighborhood.im going to be the dm in most of our games so anyone got any advice?
Milo HoBo
12-10-05, 11:09 PM Stick with a small group. Limiting your group will not only keep you from getting a head ache, but also allow you this opportunity. Run a campaign with your small group. Get them to understand the rules really well. Then, be a bard. Make them show everyone else how to play (your minions do all the work). For more technical questions the "What's a DM to do" board. Good gaming my padiwan.
BvS
12-10-05, 11:10 PM Excellent! :) Welcome to the club as it were.

Best advice I can give you is to take it easy, be prepared and have fun. Don't worry about screwing up your first few (or in my case many!) sessions, as everyone else is usually just as new. You might try playing a pre-made adventure as your first run. Or even trying the D&D Basic game, you can grab it at Indigo or Barnes & Nobles for about $30 I figure.

Either way, enjoy.

- BvS
smoker
12-10-05, 11:48 PM Awesome. I made all my friends playing D&D. And now, I'm 29, and I have the same
friends I started playing with around your age.

Good luck! I would subscribe to Dungeon Magazine if I were you.

smoker
young_warrior
12-11-05, 12:26 AM thanx im getting 9 books fer christmas,so that should get me started.il post how my first game went. :)
Nonnie
12-11-05, 02:35 AM DON'T learn everything!! Too much too learn and they are NOT rules; they are just guidelines; you make your own world for everyone to play in. But be CONSISTENT no matter what, your players will be happy with you and the game.

As for the players, just show them the very basics and that's it. They can dig deeper in the "rules" later on: you don't want to bogg them down with "rules", instead you worry about the "rules", just let them use their imagination.

Enjoy this game!! I have always.
Magnetic_Pudding
12-11-05, 04:23 AM I started playing when I was your age and at the age of 40, I'm still playing.

The best advice I can give is this: don't take yourself, or the game too seriously. Have fun. Don't let anyone tell you that you are doing it wrong. You aren't. Its your game. Change it, modify it, make it yours. Ignore rules. Make up rules. If you want dragons to be fluffy in your world, so be it. Some people will try to convince you that Dnd can only be played one way. Those people are wrong.

And don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Nice to have you. :)

By the way, the Dungeon Masters Guide actually has some excellent advice on running games. Just about every DM I know would benefit from simply reading the DMG. And if you can get your hands on the DMG 2, it has even better stuff on running games.
Leap_UK
12-11-05, 05:35 AM A bit of advice on any changes you make....make small ones (if any) to start with as if they are bad ones they are easier to ignore/offset without making the whole thing go bang :)

As for group sizes...keep it small (no more than 6 total including you - believe me, keeping track of 5 playes plus all the NPCs will be hard enough :) .

Dont try to write epics yet, write simple small stories to begin with and you'll have more fun; trust me :)

Some examples -

Have all the a characters come from close to each other - so they know each other and perhaps have common ground

A good first adventure is a bunch of goblins raiding the town then heading off into the woods. Your characters get together to chase after them and get all the stuff back they nicked (dont make it valuable art, make it sentimental stuff folks want back, that way you dont encourage the playes to think "gold and its all mine mine mine" :) ). Then you might find instructions on the goblins to make the raid as a diversion....to maybe get the local mayor re-elected when he "sends adventurers to wipe out the goblins". Of course you can get back to town with the evidence but the mayor denies it etc..... All of a sudden you have a nemesis (someone to use as a foil against the party) and you are off

hehehe

Welcome to the nutty club :)
Belgarath
12-11-05, 07:38 AM read everything you can about the rules until your brain frazzles and play it cool :cool:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
young_warrior 12-10-05, 10:50 PM	im only 11 years old and i started a d&d craze in my neighborhood.im going to be the dm in most of our games so anyone got any advice?
Milo HoBo 12-10-05, 11:09 PM	Stick with a small group. Limiting your group will not only keep you from getting a head ache, but also allow you this opportunity. Run a campaign with your small group. Get them to understand the rules really well. Then, be a bard. Make them show everyone else how to play (your minions do all the work). For more technical questions the "What's a DM to do" board. Good gaming my padiwan.
BvS 12-10-05, 11:10 PM	Excellent! :) Welcome to the club as it were. Best advice I can give you is to take it easy, be prepared and have fun. Don't worry about screwing up your first few (or in my case many!) sessions, as everyone else is usually just as new. You might try playing a pre-made adventure as your first run. Or even trying the D&D Basic game, you can grab it at Indigo or Barnes & Nobles for about $30 I figure. Either way, enjoy. - BvS
smoker 12-10-05, 11:48 PM	Awesome. I made all my friends playing D&D. And now, I'm 29, and I have the same friends I started playing with around your age. Good luck! I would subscribe to Dungeon Magazine if I were you. smoker
young_warrior 12-11-05, 12:26 AM	thanx im getting 9 books fer christmas,so that should get me started.il post how my first game went. :)
Nonnie 12-11-05, 02:35 AM	DON'T learn everything!! Too much too learn and they are NOT rules; they are just guidelines; you make your own world for everyone to play in. But be CONSISTENT no matter what, your players will be happy with you and the game. As for the players, just show them the very basics and that's it. They can dig deeper in the "rules" later on: you don't want to bogg them down with "rules", instead you worry about the "rules", just let them use their imagination. Enjoy this game!! I have always.
Magnetic_Pudding 12-11-05, 04:23 AM	I started playing when I was your age and at the age of 40, I'm still playing. The best advice I can give is this: don't take yourself, or the game too seriously. Have fun. Don't let anyone tell you that you are doing it wrong. You aren't. Its your game. Change it, modify it, make it yours. Ignore rules. Make up rules. If you want dragons to be fluffy in your world, so be it. Some people will try to convince you that Dnd can only be played one way. Those people are wrong. And don't be afraid to make mistakes. Welcome to the neighborhood. Nice to have you. :) By the way, the Dungeon Masters Guide actually has some excellent advice on running games. Just about every DM I know would benefit from simply reading the DMG. And if you can get your hands on the DMG 2, it has even better stuff on running games.
Leap_UK 12-11-05, 05:35 AM	A bit of advice on any changes you make....make small ones (if any) to start with as if they are bad ones they are easier to ignore/offset without making the whole thing go bang :) As for group sizes...keep it small (no more than 6 total including you - believe me, keeping track of 5 playes plus all the NPCs will be hard enough :) . Dont try to write epics yet, write simple small stories to begin with and you'll have more fun; trust me :) Some examples - Have all the a characters come from close to each other - so they know each other and perhaps have common ground A good first adventure is a bunch of goblins raiding the town then heading off into the woods. Your characters get together to chase after them and get all the stuff back they nicked (dont make it valuable art, make it sentimental stuff folks want back, that way you dont encourage the playes to think "gold and its all mine mine mine" :) ). Then you might find instructions on the goblins to make the raid as a diversion....to maybe get the local mayor re-elected when he "sends adventurers to wipe out the goblins". Of course you can get back to town with the evidence but the mayor denies it etc..... All of a sudden you have a nemesis (someone to use as a foil against the party) and you are off hehehe Welcome to the nutty club :)
Belgarath 12-11-05, 07:38 AM	read everything you can about the rules until your brain frazzles and play it cool :cool: