Last week I was lamenting our AL community's lack of DMs. I decided to help be part of the solution and give DMing a shot.
I'm already sweating thinkin about it, cuz PSA makes me all sorts of self conscious. But i figure the worse that can happen is I do a terrible job and everyone dies. At least i will be able to say I tried and maybe it'll get the ball rolling for some other volunteers.
So wish me luck! Feel free to share any tips that might not be obvious for a noob.
Good luck! The most obvious tip, but one that's overlooked by a lot of new DMs, is HAVE FUN WITH IT.
- Do your best, but don't sweat it.
- Make sure the players are having fun.
- You'll be talking a LOT, so make sure you have something to drink.
- Don't apologize for being new at this.
- Don't worry about rules lawyers; just muddle through.
And once again, HAVE FUN. (DM'ing can be a lot of fun, especially if you develop a good 'evil laugh.')
Im actually going to take a different tack than TheBreen above. I dont know what it is but being told to 'Have Fun' is kinda well redundant. If I didnt have Fun with gaming then I wouldnt be gaming, and If I didnt have Fun dming I wouldnt be dming. Its a given.
A few things I can offer:
Stand when DMing. May seem really awkward, but in a tight enclosed space your voice will travel further if you stand. You dont need to stand all the time, but not only cant you better see the grid if you are using one but it just helps with voice.
If possible, dont use a dms screen. I very rarely use one and roll my dice out in the open. Sure it does mean that you cant 'fudge' a result, but it also creates a deeper level of trust with your players. You wont get anyone saying 'Well he was taking it easy on john by hiding his rolls!'
Try and let everyone in on the talking part. If someone is being particuarly quiet, get one of your dm characters to ask that character a direct question. It works wonders!
Wriite down their character names. When addressing a player use their character name not their real name. Again it helps with the immersion.
Just remember all of us DM's started with our first ever game. I started to run games because... nobody else would. People thought because I did creative writing in school that I would be a good dm. The 2nd time I dmed it felt a bit easier and so on.
Let us know how it goes!
Good luck...
My advice:
- Make sure you and your players are having fun.
- Be flexible
- Use your resources; even if that means listening to evil rules lawyers. Just keep in mind that some of them aren't that good at lawyering. The head organizer is also a resource.
- Make a ruling and be consistent with your rulings. If you're not certain about a rule and don't have time to look it up; make a ruling and stick with it. Don't change the rules halfway through the adventure without discussing it with the group.
- Don't be afraid to state that you're continuing on to the next leg of the adventure to keep things moving. In the AL, you do have an ideal time table that you should try to keep.
- Start weak and work your way up; players don't always play the smartest in a pick up group; it seems like every random group has that one player... Consequently, you don't have to play master chess with the first encounter. Use it to gauge the player's skill. I'm not necessarily saying to weaken the encounter statistically, but allow the monsters, within reason, to make a tactical mistake(s), especially if you are running a group of brand new players.
- Communicate!
- Slow down, collect yourself and then make a ruling if you're unsure about something. Calm decisions are generally better than a frazzled decision.
- Don't take things personally; it's not you against the players. One of the biggest crimes I've noticed. You're running fictional characters; you're not being an advocate for fictional characters being abused by evil players!
- Liquids... You are going to have to keep your voice going after all. Sometimes it gets loud, and that can strain your voice.
- Prepare as best as you can! I usually have cards with the monster stats, a map, counters, scratchpad with key notes on stuff I'm likely to forget in the heat of DMing, etc...
- Don't judge DMing based on a single experience. DMing is skill; you have to do it to get better at it.
Byakugan01 wrote:
more good stuff to be found at: http://www.encodeddesigns.com/mastering-dungeons/
The best advice I've ever gotten about DMing is simply this: remember the best DMs you've had and try to emulate them as much as possible.
Break a leg! (Hopefully a druid's leg!)
--
Pauper
Break a leg.
First session is tonight! Super nervous, but I think I can do it. The first few missions seem written pretty well. Although it seems pretty deadly for 1st level characters.
I'll have to tone down my normal player instinct to use maximum tactics.
Also, maybe not make it all about the combats.. 
*PRINCES OF THE APOC SPOILERS* Go away if you shouldn't be here!
My first night as a DM went pretty well! I think everyone had fun.
7 players with a couple of new players.
We got started a bit late cuz I wanted to make sure the newbies got a good walkthrough on proficiencies and their attack rolls/options.
The PCs finished the Bears and Bows section and managed to calm the black bear down and set it free. The boon from the emerald enclave mission helped them speedily return one unconscious bandit back to constable Hauburk for arrest. They drew a bit of a crowd as they arrived back in town with the criminal, and I had the woman from the bakery reward them with some sweet pastries(lunch) and she dropped the hook about dangerous critters at the haunted tomb.
The party took a short rest and enjoyed lunch then speedily followed her directions to the haunted tomb. The ranger looked around and noticed some tracks leading away from the tomb, and the party decided to split up and both scout around and go into the tomb, setting off the noisy alarm just before the sneaky ones discovered the goblin and half ogre. The hidden archer got to take a free shot at the unprepared duo, while the rest of the party rushed towards the combat. The party took several shots at the half ogre but he was a formidable foe and wouldn't die easily. He nearly hewed the druid in half with 1 slice, knocking him out bleeding. Then the party managed to fell him just before his next turn. The cleric Commanded the goblin to grovel which he might have done anyways, but he failed his save by 1 and the party easily finished him. Thats where we left off, so next week they get to explore the Tomb of Horrors. wait no, the Haunted Tomb ;)
The players seemed to have fun and nobody left early, so I call it a success. *pats self on back*. I popped my DM cherry and it went well, yay! 
*edited to add spoiler warning
Congratulations on a job well done sir.
One thing I like to do after games is a quick post mortum. I have the players tell me what they liked and what they didn't like. Most of the time you'll get "It was a good game. I had fun." But if you press them for more information and get some constructive criticism or praise.
- Eck