Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aslin 10-03-04, 07:28 PM	Ok, after having badgered all my friends, co-workers and random people off the street I finally have a group of people ready to play D & D. That's the good news. The bad news is I have been away from the game, oh, about 15 years or so, and I have no clue where to begin and since I am the elected (Gulp) DM, I am expected to have all the answers. So, the question is, where do I start? We have some people who have played before and some who have not. Any Ideas? :confused:
Didge 10-03-04, 08:01 PM	Figure out what version you'll be playing. Make sure you know what classes the PC's will be. If at all possible get their characters and run them through your prepared adventure in a trial run to gauge how hard it is. Download some of the free adventures from this site, or other sites across the web. And... Below is a link you need to visit. Read it. Learn it. Love it. It's a must-have link for all DM's who need to start somewhere. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=75741
Kilsek of Sheverash 10-03-04, 08:17 PM	1) Get the Revised 3.5 D&D Core Rules. That's 3 books, the Player's Handbook 3.5, the DM's Guide 3.5, and the Monster Manual 3.5. 2) Read the hell out of them, especially the PHB and DMG. Nothing influences you into becoming better player or DM more than doing this. If you really want to improve from session to session, reading, knowing, and using the rules properly is the path to success. 3) Know your PCs. Have a small, efficient summary of all your PCs in front of you. A brief stat block with their race, class, level, HP, AC, Listen and Spot checks and whatever else you want at-a-glance, will go a long way. I try to keep my at-a-glance stats of the PCs to no longer than 6-10 lines, and the entire party on one sheet of paper at my fingertips. 4) START SIMPLE, START SMALL. This is extremely important! Tiny village, not a city. A few NPC contacts for the party, not tons. Two local dungeons or adventure choices, not five. Put yourself in a position to succeed as a new (or rusty) DM, not be overwhelmed. Use a published and/or free adventure from the D&D site to start, modify it, and make it yours, to save you time in getting started for your first campaign. 5) Keep a VIP log for the campaign. I use a Faces, Places, Things list. On the left, the name of the VIP, and on the right a ONE-line description. Very helpful for "remembering" for everyone, becoming a valuable and simple-to-maintain campaign resource. Good luck! :)
Rasmus 10-03-04, 08:31 PM	I'd say run a few trial games before you hit out on a big campaign. That way, both you and the players can get the hang of the game and each other. The new system is at its most basic rather simple, but the amount of options are staggering. By running a couple of trial games the players can get an impression of how to make a character that isn't totally useless, and you can get the hang of all the things you have to know to have enjoyable games. Happy gaming :D
Aslin 10-03-04, 09:04 PM	Thanks for the great advice! :bow: I am so excited!!!
DougC 10-03-04, 09:25 PM	...I have been away from the game, oh, about 15 years or so.... I find, as many others do I'm sure, that 3.x is much easier to learn and play than the earlier editions. Having played before, even if it has been 15 years, you should be able to pick it up pretty quickly. I did. :D You may want to run a few published adventures ("modules") at first to get back into the swing of things (that is, if you wrote your own before). In addition to the "What's a DM to Do? FAQ" link provided by Didge, you may also want to take a look at the Useful DM Links (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=181536) thread. There, you will find links to a wealth of DM tools, sites, articles, programs to randomly generate PCs and NPCs, free downloadable adventures, and whole lot more. And remember the number one reason for playing D&D, or any other game for that matter: Have Fun! :D
Dichotomy 10-03-04, 09:46 PM	I agree with the advice posted prior. Just to put in my two cents... Start with only the core rules. Don't allow stuff from outside those books. This could lead to many problems, especially if some of your players are more familiar with the current ruleset than you are. It is, by far, easier to expand to other things than it is to cut back. Be capable of working things on the fly. As you get more experience, you will be better able to plan for contingencies, but when you first start out, the PCs will surprise you, A LOT. Try to plan as much as you can for different things. What if the PCs decide to go into the forest next to the town? What if they decide to work with the unsavory guy you never thought they would want to talk to? Start small. Don't plan for big things right off the bat. Be willing to go for some cliche plans to start with (saving the villagers from a band of orcs, etc.). This will help you get more familiar with the rules AND let you know what the PCs want and how you can deal with it. The biggest point, HAVE FUN. Things WILL be bumpy to start with. But have a good time with it, be spontaneous, and the PCs will come back for more. You will get better as time goes on. Just don't plan to go too nuts, but be prepared if the PCs do. Things will go well. Hope this helps.