Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jonas87 01-24-08, 10:23 AM	Hi, I'm working on creating my campaign over the next few months and I'm not to great a DM. I've been playing since 3rd so I have a good grip on the rules and I've tried DMing in the past but it never worked out. So any advice pointers or stuff like that? Any topic would useful especially world building.
AntontheDM 01-24-08, 10:31 AM	Try to remember what DM's you've had in the past did to make you enjoy the game. Remember that the DM screen is great for concealing your rolls. Try to be descriptive of the surroundings, look for adventures from the WOTC archive to run to see how they're put together, how to make a world seem more immersive. I use miniatures, and a huge pad of graph paper with one inch squares on it (got it at the office supply store) this way I can draw complete maps or just map out what they see as they go along. If you know your PC strengths, give each one their moment in the spotlight during an adventure, you don't want anyone feeling left out. Was there any part of DMing in particular that gave you trouble, saying "it never worked out" is kinda vague.
Jonas87 01-24-08, 10:38 AM	I've only been in two DnD groups before, the first, which I am still in, I've learned a lot from that DM about how to do it, the other group is my brothers and boils down to a Hack-n-Slash game when I prefer to be able to role-play. I can come up with good overall ideas for a campaign but on small scale work I have trouble.
AntontheDM 01-24-08, 10:59 AM	Well, what kind of game do your players like? That the question, hach and slashers will be bored to tears or totally derail your "social interaction" moments. What do you consider the small scale stuff. The basics are create a world, a kingdom, a city, a dungeon, a villain, and then expand the world as you go along. Have a recurring villain to hound your PC's, and of course he has loads of disposable henchmen. Now you just need a reason for him to be sore at the PC's, have they (unknowingly) thrarted him in the past? Do they have something he wants? Have they been hired to protect something or someone he wants? The rest can flow from there. Take the first adventures from Eberron, like the Grasp of the Emerald Claw. They are facing the Emerald Claw at just about every turn, and wonder, "why? " Of course if they finally nail the villain, it might turn out he was, in turn, working for someone REALLY evil, and they go through the routine again.
Jonas87 01-24-08, 11:07 AM	I haven't yet recruited players, right now getting the world done is my priority. I want my brother in the group, but I'll have to do some foot work to get the others. I actually have a few premade adventures I can look at. I also need help with naming places and people so a name generator would be helpful as well. I mostly plan adventures to be dungeon crawls with a few above ground adventures as well.
AntontheDM 01-24-08, 11:44 AM	Try Seventh Sanctum, they have a name generator for just about everything. http://www.seventhsanctum.com/