Any advice for a new DM [Archive] - Wizards Community

Any advice for a new DM [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
phishhead1991
07-19-05, 10:46 PM i am a new to D&D and me and my friends are starting a group.we have only done a couple of adventures all of which i was DM.Baiscly ive been appointed Dm and i seek any friendly advice for a beginer.
phishhead1991
07-19-05, 10:47 PM i dont no why this thred posted twice sorry
Fixxxer
07-19-05, 10:59 PM i dont no why this thred posted twice sorry

It happens. The other one will fall off the page and be lost. No harm, no foul.

I'll give you the same advice I give everyone that asks for advice for a new DM:

Step 1: Read the Player's Handbook (PHB). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.

Step 2: Read the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.

Step 3: Read the Monster Manual (MM). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.

Step 4: Read the PHB again. All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.

After you've done this, then you're probably ready to start working with other people in a gaming environment. Additionally, it often helps if you spend some time with your players rolling up throw-away PCs and running them through combats before actually beginning your real game. I just started a new gaming group this past week and I have two players that don't know the 3rd edition rules very well. This past session, we rolled up throw-away PCs and I ran them through a few combats, trying my best to utilize non-standard combat options, such as trips and bull rushes. Additionally, I placed some of the combats in areas where cover could be used and used opponents with reach. This helps new players to realize that there's more to combat than "I swing my sword at it." On a related side note, I also killed a PC during this mock combat. I didn't intentionally do it, but I'm glad it happened, since it shows the players that the DM doesn't have any problems killing the PCs when the situation warrants it. I think the point was especially driven home with this example, since it was my wife's PC. :D

Also, I highly recommend coming back to this forum frequently. There's a lot of good stuff here and you can have any questions you might think of answered by a number of individuals instead of just one guy, so you have a much better chance of getting the right answer.

Welcome to the world, Dungeon Master. Now get to work! :D
chrisnd
07-19-05, 11:12 PM i am a new to D&D and me and my friends are starting a group.we have only done a couple of adventures all of which i was DM.Baiscly ive been appointed Dm and i seek any friendly advice for a beginer.

Wow, this is a mighty task indeed for those of us on these boards. What to say, what to say?

Um...see if you can join another group and watch how the DM runs a game. Don't be a player (PC), just be an observer. You can learn a lot that way.

Try some previously published works (i.e. modules) from WotC, Mongoose, or other such D20 authorized products. You can even download free adventures from this very D&D website. Even if you only use them as ideas to run your own campaign, it should give you a good start. You may even want to consider purchasing the D&D "starter" box - it comes with dice, an adventure booklet, a few miniatures, and some other good materials.

Talk to the players and find out what they like? Lots of rollplaying, or do they prefer dungeon crawling? Would they like to play in a forested area, or does the frosty highlands of the arctic tickle their fancy? Work with the players to find out what they like.

Read. Read lots of books. In fact, read obscure fantasy books that you know that no one else in your group has read before. There was a book I read a long time ago called "Elvenbane" (part of the Halfblood Chronicles by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey). I remember the plot vaguely, but there is not a single person in my entire gaming sphere that has ever heard of the book, let alone read it. You might be able to get some great ideas and thoughts for a campaign based on a book or two, and if you read stuff that no one else has, you will even appear to be "creative"...Ooooohhh, how cool is that?

Write. Anything you can possibly think of that could be fun or adventerous, write it down. Even if they are just scribbles. Thomas Edison discovered many of his inventions by merely writing scribbles on paper. Tolkien was notorious for the sheer volume of paper napkins that contained his Middle Earth notes. Invest in a good computer with a word processor program - heck, the "notebook" text editor that comes standard with Windows should do the trick.

Practice, practice, practice. Run an adventure. Keep track of what works and what doesn't. Watch how the players react to certain things, and build on those good and bad things that happen.

And finally, under all circumstances, avoid being a munchkin (or letting the PC's be munchkins). You won't get any respect from fellow DM'ers, and it will lose it's luster pretty quickly. The DMG has some great guidelines on player wealth and power for each level. If the PC's hit 8th level while cavorting around the in the 124th layer of the Abyss, then you know something is not going right...

And always, always, always remember - A properly played Great Wyrm Red Dragon should NEVER die - if he does, then the DM did something wrong.

Just my thoughts. Hope that helps, and welcome to the world of rollplaying.
TheChilliGod
07-19-05, 11:20 PM IMO (in my opinion), this is the single most frequent question ever asked on these forums. (aside from generalizations such as "What do I do?")

They even made a sticky thread just to give advice to people such as you. It's big, it's in depth, and it gives info on most everything a new DM needs to know. Found Here. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=139013)

And my own touch: Don't dive into everything at once. You may feel like you want all of your NPC's to have levels in a few prestige classes as well as feats/spells from some non-core boo.k (Such as Complete Warrior) I did too, and so did most of my players. If we all gave into those wants, we'd spend 10 minutes playing and the rest looking up all the info because someone forgot how [feat] worked or which spell gave [effect]. So stick to core stuff until you feel ready to expand your domain of knowledge.
SnowbearK
07-19-05, 11:31 PM http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=464456
da beast
07-20-05, 12:01 AM Don't let yourself get overloaded. A big mistake made by alot of new dms is to try and run a huge amount of things at once when they start out. Don't make the very first adventure you run involve a huge war or other difficult teqniqe. Start with something easier, seeing as these are new players your at an advantage because they know as little as you so all the experiances will be more or less fresh to them.

DMing is an art just as much as music.
Fixxxer
07-20-05, 04:19 PM Don't let yourself get overloaded. A big mistake made by alot of new dms is to try and run a huge amount of things at once when they start out. Don't make the very first adventure you run involve a huge war or other difficult teqniqe. Start with something easier, seeing as these are new players your at an advantage because they know as little as you so all the experiances will be more or less fresh to them.

Along this same line of thought, don't try to create your own adventures early on. The temptation to do so will be there, but try to resist it. Run a published adventure module or two first. This will give you a much better understanding of how an adventure should be put together, which helps your adventure design a lot in the long run.
orionm42
07-20-05, 04:30 PM Along this same line of thought...

WHAT!!!!! Fixxxer...you actually gave constructive comments! Where's the irascible comment referring the OP to the stickied "DM Advice Thread." Where's the vitriol?? Where's the bile??

C'mon, man...you're slippin'. :smirk:

P.S. To the OP...welcome to the ranks! :D
High Octane
07-20-05, 05:24 PM ANOTHER one of these threads. Oh well.

My advice:
1. Make lists of things. Many things. Keep a notebook around for when you think of anything. A bartenders name, a towns name, a good adventure idea, a cool encounter. THEN you have a list whenever you need something. Dont bother having a random table so you have to roll for it, just pick it out of a list.
2. Either everyones drinking or NO ONE is drinking. One drunk player in a sober group leads to pain.
3. Make your adventure. Then think of the single DUMBEST things your PCs could possibly do, no matter how outlandish it may seem. Plan for that scenario. it probably wont happen, but every now and then, player stupidity rears its head.
4. Start your players off first level. You will have to learn how to deal with things as they progress. I doubt you have adventures planned that players cant use a scry spell to mess up or use a fly spell to shorten it to about 1/5 the length. Villains prepare, but you have to learn how they can prepare and what they have to prepare for. You have to LEARN how to be a proper villain :P
5. Read the "1001 Bad DMs" thread. Good way of knowing what Not to do.
6. You didnt fail if the players won. You didnt fail if the players died. You failed if they were slaughtered or won EASY.
7. Every once in a while, its okay to be just a LITTLE evil.
8. Don't fudge rolls unless its ABSOLUTELY necessary.
Fixxxer
07-20-05, 11:11 PM WHAT!!!!! Fixxxer...you actually gave constructive comments! Where's the irascible comment referring the OP to the stickied "DM Advice Thread." Where's the vitriol?? Where's the bile??

C'mon, man...your slippin'. :smirk:

Oh yeah. :doh:
Ummm...you suck. Hard.
Moblin
07-21-05, 06:43 AM I'll give you the same advice I give everyone that asks for advice for a new DM:<snip>
What no credit card scam :eek:

Fixxxer's getting old :P
Dragonchild
07-21-05, 08:56 AM Speaking of Fixxxer, phishhead1991, there's the "What's a DM to Do? FAQ" permanent thread, second forum down the list. Maybe you should've dropped by there, first.

Step 1: Read the Player's Handbook (PHB). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.
Step 2: Read the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.
Step 3: Read the Monster Manual (MM). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.
Step 4: Read the PHB again. All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.Gee, Fixxxer, that's the way to encourage 'em. I believe every aspiring DM needs to read all the books at some point, but not necessarily right away. The Spells section of the Player's Handbook and the Monster Manual are cumbersome reads that can wait until after a new DM has built up some confidence. I'd rather have DM's learn the inevitable pitfalls early on: Scripting, vindictive/sadistic DM'ing, metagaming (including using D&D to deal with personal issues), etc. Most campaigns fail because the DM exercises either too much or too little control.
hatorihonzo1
07-21-05, 09:01 AM Fixxxer huh? Do you like Metallica by chance?

Anyways, I was in your exact situation not so long ago. I still don't know everything about the game, some of the rules are just hard to learn. I picked up a copy of D&D for Dummies, and it helped a lot. Also check out the Basic Game or the Adventure game too.
mike_beavers
07-21-05, 11:43 AM I will agree with everything said above and I would add make sure that you are having fun doing this, otherwise it becomes boring and tedious
Fixxxer
07-21-05, 04:59 PM Fixxxer huh? Do you like Metallica by chance?

Yes, but the handle being the same as one of their tunes is pure coincidence.

Gee, Fixxxer, that's the way to encourage 'em.

If a person isn't willing to shoulder the burden of a heap of extra work, he shouldn't step up to the plate to begin with.

What no credit card scam

Yeah, the judge said I wasn't allowed to do that anymore. Or that other thing, either. Y'know...to flesh.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
phishhead1991 07-19-05, 10:46 PM	i am a new to D&D and me and my friends are starting a group.we have only done a couple of adventures all of which i was DM.Baiscly ive been appointed Dm and i seek any friendly advice for a beginer.
phishhead1991 07-19-05, 10:47 PM	i dont no why this thred posted twice sorry
Fixxxer 07-19-05, 10:59 PM	i dont no why this thred posted twice sorry It happens. The other one will fall off the page and be lost. No harm, no foul. I'll give you the same advice I give everyone that asks for advice for a new DM: Step 1: Read the Player's Handbook (PHB). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. Step 2: Read the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. Step 3: Read the Monster Manual (MM). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. Step 4: Read the PHB again. All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. After you've done this, then you're probably ready to start working with other people in a gaming environment. Additionally, it often helps if you spend some time with your players rolling up throw-away PCs and running them through combats before actually beginning your real game. I just started a new gaming group this past week and I have two players that don't know the 3rd edition rules very well. This past session, we rolled up throw-away PCs and I ran them through a few combats, trying my best to utilize non-standard combat options, such as trips and bull rushes. Additionally, I placed some of the combats in areas where cover could be used and used opponents with reach. This helps new players to realize that there's more to combat than "I swing my sword at it." On a related side note, I also killed a PC during this mock combat. I didn't intentionally do it, but I'm glad it happened, since it shows the players that the DM doesn't have any problems killing the PCs when the situation warrants it. I think the point was especially driven home with this example, since it was my wife's PC. :D Also, I highly recommend coming back to this forum frequently. There's a lot of good stuff here and you can have any questions you might think of answered by a number of individuals instead of just one guy, so you have a much better chance of getting the right answer. Welcome to the world, Dungeon Master. Now get to work! :D
chrisnd 07-19-05, 11:12 PM	i am a new to D&D and me and my friends are starting a group.we have only done a couple of adventures all of which i was DM.Baiscly ive been appointed Dm and i seek any friendly advice for a beginer. Wow, this is a mighty task indeed for those of us on these boards. What to say, what to say? Um...see if you can join another group and watch how the DM runs a game. Don't be a player (PC), just be an observer. You can learn a lot that way. Try some previously published works (i.e. modules) from WotC, Mongoose, or other such D20 authorized products. You can even download free adventures from this very D&D website. Even if you only use them as ideas to run your own campaign, it should give you a good start. You may even want to consider purchasing the D&D "starter" box - it comes with dice, an adventure booklet, a few miniatures, and some other good materials. Talk to the players and find out what they like? Lots of rollplaying, or do they prefer dungeon crawling? Would they like to play in a forested area, or does the frosty highlands of the arctic tickle their fancy? Work with the players to find out what they like. Read. Read lots of books. In fact, read obscure fantasy books that you know that no one else in your group has read before. There was a book I read a long time ago called "Elvenbane" (part of the Halfblood Chronicles by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey). I remember the plot vaguely, but there is not a single person in my entire gaming sphere that has ever heard of the book, let alone read it. You might be able to get some great ideas and thoughts for a campaign based on a book or two, and if you read stuff that no one else has, you will even appear to be "creative"...Ooooohhh, how cool is that? Write. Anything you can possibly think of that could be fun or adventerous, write it down. Even if they are just scribbles. Thomas Edison discovered many of his inventions by merely writing scribbles on paper. Tolkien was notorious for the sheer volume of paper napkins that contained his Middle Earth notes. Invest in a good computer with a word processor program - heck, the "notebook" text editor that comes standard with Windows should do the trick. Practice, practice, practice. Run an adventure. Keep track of what works and what doesn't. Watch how the players react to certain things, and build on those good and bad things that happen. And finally, under all circumstances, avoid being a munchkin (or letting the PC's be munchkins). You won't get any respect from fellow DM'ers, and it will lose it's luster pretty quickly. The DMG has some great guidelines on player wealth and power for each level. If the PC's hit 8th level while cavorting around the in the 124th layer of the Abyss, then you know something is not going right... And always, always, always remember - A properly played Great Wyrm Red Dragon should NEVER die - if he does, then the DM did something wrong. Just my thoughts. Hope that helps, and welcome to the world of rollplaying.
TheChilliGod 07-19-05, 11:20 PM	IMO (in my opinion), this is the single most frequent question ever asked on these forums. (aside from generalizations such as "What do I do?") They even made a sticky thread just to give advice to people such as you. It's big, it's in depth, and it gives info on most everything a new DM needs to know. Found Here. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=139013) And my own touch: Don't dive into everything at once. You may feel like you want all of your NPC's to have levels in a few prestige classes as well as feats/spells from some non-core boo.k (Such as Complete Warrior) I did too, and so did most of my players. If we all gave into those wants, we'd spend 10 minutes playing and the rest looking up all the info because someone forgot how [feat] worked or which spell gave [effect]. So stick to core stuff until you feel ready to expand your domain of knowledge.
SnowbearK 07-19-05, 11:31 PM	http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=464456
da beast 07-20-05, 12:01 AM	Don't let yourself get overloaded. A big mistake made by alot of new dms is to try and run a huge amount of things at once when they start out. Don't make the very first adventure you run involve a huge war or other difficult teqniqe. Start with something easier, seeing as these are new players your at an advantage because they know as little as you so all the experiances will be more or less fresh to them. DMing is an art just as much as music.
Fixxxer 07-20-05, 04:19 PM	Don't let yourself get overloaded. A big mistake made by alot of new dms is to try and run a huge amount of things at once when they start out. Don't make the very first adventure you run involve a huge war or other difficult teqniqe. Start with something easier, seeing as these are new players your at an advantage because they know as little as you so all the experiances will be more or less fresh to them. Along this same line of thought, don't try to create your own adventures early on. The temptation to do so will be there, but try to resist it. Run a published adventure module or two first. This will give you a much better understanding of how an adventure should be put together, which helps your adventure design a lot in the long run.
orionm42 07-20-05, 04:30 PM	Along this same line of thought... WHAT!!!!! Fixxxer...you actually gave constructive comments! Where's the irascible comment referring the OP to the stickied "DM Advice Thread." Where's the vitriol?? Where's the bile?? C'mon, man...you're slippin'. :smirk: P.S. To the OP...welcome to the ranks! :D
High Octane 07-20-05, 05:24 PM	ANOTHER one of these threads. Oh well. My advice: 1. Make lists of things. Many things. Keep a notebook around for when you think of anything. A bartenders name, a towns name, a good adventure idea, a cool encounter. THEN you have a list whenever you need something. Dont bother having a random table so you have to roll for it, just pick it out of a list. 2. Either everyones drinking or NO ONE is drinking. One drunk player in a sober group leads to pain. 3. Make your adventure. Then think of the single DUMBEST things your PCs could possibly do, no matter how outlandish it may seem. Plan for that scenario. it probably wont happen, but every now and then, player stupidity rears its head. 4. Start your players off first level. You will have to learn how to deal with things as they progress. I doubt you have adventures planned that players cant use a scry spell to mess up or use a fly spell to shorten it to about 1/5 the length. Villains prepare, but you have to learn how they can prepare and what they have to prepare for. You have to LEARN how to be a proper villain :P 5. Read the "1001 Bad DMs" thread. Good way of knowing what Not to do. 6. You didnt fail if the players won. You didnt fail if the players died. You failed if they were slaughtered or won EASY. 7. Every once in a while, its okay to be just a LITTLE evil. 8. Don't fudge rolls unless its ABSOLUTELY necessary.
Fixxxer 07-20-05, 11:11 PM	WHAT!!!!! Fixxxer...you actually gave constructive comments! Where's the irascible comment referring the OP to the stickied "DM Advice Thread." Where's the vitriol?? Where's the bile?? C'mon, man...your slippin'. :smirk: Oh yeah. :doh: Ummm...you suck. Hard.
Moblin 07-21-05, 06:43 AM	I'll give you the same advice I give everyone that asks for advice for a new DM:<snip> What no credit card scam :eek: Fixxxer's getting old :P
Dragonchild 07-21-05, 08:56 AM	Speaking of Fixxxer, phishhead1991, there's the "What's a DM to Do? FAQ" permanent thread, second forum down the list. Maybe you should've dropped by there, first. Step 1: Read the Player's Handbook (PHB). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. Step 2: Read the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. Step 3: Read the Monster Manual (MM). All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything. Step 4: Read the PHB again. All the way through. Word for word. Don't skip anything.Gee, Fixxxer, that's the way to encourage 'em. I believe every aspiring DM needs to read all the books at some point, but not necessarily right away. The Spells section of the Player's Handbook and the Monster Manual are cumbersome reads that can wait until after a new DM has built up some confidence. I'd rather have DM's learn the inevitable pitfalls early on: Scripting, vindictive/sadistic DM'ing, metagaming (including using D&D to deal with personal issues), etc. Most campaigns fail because the DM exercises either too much or too little control.
hatorihonzo1 07-21-05, 09:01 AM	Fixxxer huh? Do you like Metallica by chance? Anyways, I was in your exact situation not so long ago. I still don't know everything about the game, some of the rules are just hard to learn. I picked up a copy of D&D for Dummies, and it helped a lot. Also check out the Basic Game or the Adventure game too.
mike_beavers 07-21-05, 11:43 AM	I will agree with everything said above and I would add make sure that you are having fun doing this, otherwise it becomes boring and tedious
Fixxxer 07-21-05, 04:59 PM	Fixxxer huh? Do you like Metallica by chance? Yes, but the handle being the same as one of their tunes is pure coincidence. Gee, Fixxxer, that's the way to encourage 'em. If a person isn't willing to shoulder the burden of a heap of extra work, he shouldn't step up to the plate to begin with. What no credit card scam Yeah, the judge said I wasn't allowed to do that anymore. Or that other thing, either. Y'know...to flesh.