| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| #1martusOct 17, 2009 21:32:18 | Ok so I've been playing D&D for some time now in my life and have moved away from my group of friends that I played with for over 10 yrs, finding a new group to RPG with is very hard to do as most groups are people that have grown up togeather. Well after getting to know some of them and hinting at wanting to join in on there D&D campians "should they have room" they have finnally let me in when they where getting ready to draw straws to find out who would be the new DM, load and behold I drew the short straw. I have never been a DM before and am wanting to keep my new found group of friends into the campain I am in need of some ideas. I know the last GM did a hack n slash campain that I was told in privet by several people in the group that they like more of a role playing problem solving campain, so that's what I'm aiming for, yet I don't have a clue where to start? Any ideas for a noobie DM? Any help would be great. Thanks. |
| #2projectonestarOct 17, 2009 21:46:14 | I'm quite new to all of this myself, but in my situation, the only way I could pretty much get a group together was to bite the bullet and play DM. Mind you, I have never DM'd before and the only experience I had with D&D was playing 3.5 for about 2 months. Going into 4th was a bit nerve-wracking, but I focused a lot on battles and it was actually quite simple. However, I know you want to do more of the role playing bit. I've noticed, having bought hundreds of dollars worth of the 4E books, that they do a great job easing you into campaigns that they have written. They're really, really good and my players didn't even realize I was using published material. For example, we love the Forgotten Realms setting. In the 4E FR campaign guide, there is SO much material in it to get you started, and keep you going. They drop hooks, quests, city layouts, everything. It's really very simple to get started. In fact, most of the stuff we do, I whip up in a few hours before it's time to play. I'm actually working on something right now that isn't published and I'm actually taking my time and making nice props and everything, but that's for another thread. Anyhow, thumb through the DM guide or one of the campaign setting guides. It's really fun and filled with bits to keep you going. If you wanna do the published thing, get with your group and find out what level they are and pick up one of the published campaigns that is tailored to that level area. They really are awesome. Hope that helped a bit! =) |
| #3martusOct 17, 2009 22:36:03 | It does thanks, I had hear most of the "pre fab campains" where mainly hack n slash so I was worried about picking any of them up. I guess if all else fails I could always go to my game shop and ask the owner if he knows if any of the "pre fab campains" are close to what I'm wanting for my own campain.
Thanks for the advice. |
| #4projectonestarOct 18, 2009 10:54:29 | I guess I should have been more specific when I posted originally - There is a lot of hack n slash in everything 4E from what I've seen, but they do leave openings for more role playing. I think you could just leave out the majority of the "trash" monster fights and just maybe keep the boss encounters intact. Also, maybe keep the traps in place and have the group deal with mainly those until you get to the boss. "Keep on the Shadowfell" used to be free through WotC website, but that was before the new layout. I can't seem to find it anymore to give you the link. If you can find it, though, you can download the entire 80ish page PDF and have a look for free at the published stuff. See what you think. Good luck! |
| #5inferiaeOct 18, 2009 14:55:29 | If you use a premade adventure series there are some options open to you. I think that it is very feasible to cut out a lot of fights from any of them. Just give the module a careful read over and see what events or fights are actually important to the story, and which are just filler. You may want to change how you give experience if you remove a lot of fights. The modules are designed to take characters from an average level to a higher average level (such as, say 1 to 4). The more fights you remove, the less XP the PCs will have if you do it by the book. This can lead to them being underpowered for encounters towards the end of the module. You can make up for this by either tweaking the encounters themselves, or giving the PCs more XP. You can also change how you give out experience. Some people do it by simply giving out level ups every 3 or 4 encounters, for example. One final word of advice, if you do use a premade module, do a search of the message boards for people's comments about them. Some encounters and areas are much tougher than they need to be, and assume an optimized party with good tactics. If an encounter has a good chance of being a TPK, someone else has probably already had it happen, and posted about it. Good luck, and have fun! |
| #6martusOct 18, 2009 15:15:36 | I had already thought about how I would have to change up the xp that would be handed out, killing monsters would be about 30% of there total XP and 70% would be based on how well they role played and stayed in char. & not using player knowledge. So they would not level up at the same rate. Should any of the fights that they get in be leading to an TPK I could always adjust it on the fly. I have afew months before I will have to be ready with my campain, and I see I am going to really have to knuckledown and do alot of reading and research.
Thanks for the input it was helpful. |
| #7inconsistentdmOct 18, 2009 15:37:58 | So the 4E modules that I have run/played through were very unengaging. The stories were very bland and didn't leave room for player decisions; they railroaded a lot. Now this wasn't so true for the 3/3.5 modules that the same company put out. I suggest using the old modules but whipping up fights and Skill DCs under the 4E rule set if your running 4E. The writing I just think was much better for some reason back in 3.5. also the scales of war adventure path I hear is ok. |
| #8dulsiOct 20, 2009 9:49:45 | The Expert Dungeon Master Competitions are designed to create material DMs can use in their campaigns without too much work. I'd suggest looking at the open a campaign contest in particular. Not as easy to read anymore with the forum change but what can you do. |
| #9martusOct 20, 2009 20:30:46 | Oh ok kewl, thanks for the info and the links to them. I'm sure I'll find it very useful. |
| #10nowiwantmydmgOct 21, 2009 10:32:59 | Make your NPCs interesting. Interesting, engaging NPCs are what make a story centric game tick, if the NPCs are bland and vanilla, the game will be too. They should have goals, plots, objectives, dreams, etc. Not to say everyone should be this drawn out, just some of the more prominant ones, commoner #7 isn't important enough to get that much detail. |
| #11greygrendelOct 21, 2009 16:23:45 | I've always found the best ways to make a campaign memorable are to find one thing, one single thing that really and truly sets your game apart from others the players may have played. Things I've done... 1) All orc game. The PCs were orcs, the elves and dwarves were foreign invaders who had enslaved the orcs thousands of years ago until one orc freed his people and led them to a holy land (sort of a Moses/Spartacus thing) where they were free. Now the orc people want to reclaim their lands. Best part of the game was the players playing not-to-bright orcs to the hilt. 2) Using the typical "big evil bad guy/war" scenario, only instead of building to the war (or its prevention) or even during the war, the campaign was set in the aftermath and the "good guys" didn't win. Sort of a post apocalyptic D&D, but still firmly fantasy oriented. 3) Adventuring groups in a boom town, the last outpost of civilization for hundreds of miles. Like a wild west sort of place. Good groups, the really good ones, pay to have a charter drawn up and get a discount in the town. They also hire local "fixers" who keep tabs on ruins, cults, dragon sightings etc. Essentially the really successful groups have "agents" who set up adventures for them in exchange for a percentage of the loot. Just find something that will make it different for the players, make the NPCs interesting and non-generic and you're most of the way there. |
| #12boethius61Oct 23, 2009 17:39:22 | Whether you opt for homebrew or published campaign, the keys to good DMing are the same. Here are some tips that helped me out when I was starting to DM. 1) Details, details, details. The real world is rich with sights, sounds, etc. If you want your players to feel immersed in their world give them the details. Don't bog them down with a description of every blade of grass mind you, just let them know that there is a rich world around them. Instead of, "You are walking through a desert and a group of desert creatures attack you." Go with, "You are crossing the Valley of Flames. You understand how it got its name. It is hot, damn hot, fry an egg on your shield hot. In the distance, cacti are are being warped by heat waves so that they look like they are moving, or is there something over there . . ." 2) As said before, make the NPC's and opponents interesting. 2a) Give a little thought to motives. Why are the bandits attacking on this road? Are they displaced soldiers, forgotten heroes of a war that no one cares about anymore? Or are they the thieves driven out of the city by the recent, very effective, anti-guild legislation? This will help guide you when suddenly the PCs decide to talk instead of fight. 2b) Voices. Seriously, I know it sounds silly but voices add depth to NPCs. My players know important NPCs by the sound of their voices. They love it. It is also helpful when the PCs are talking to more than one NPC at a time. You don't have to always be saying, "The noble woman says this. The guard says this." Just switch from a feminine voice to a masculine. 2c) Habits. If you describe the cap'n of the guard as having a long mustache have him stroke it. And, by have him stroke it I mean you stroke as if you had a mustache. If the dwarf smokes a pipe go ahead an hold an imaginary pipe in your hand, and remember to puff it from time to time. 2d) Make them imperfect, conflicted, unsure. Real people mull over the simplest decisions but all too often D&D npcs make world altering decisions in the blink of an all-knowing eye. Rub your hand through your hair and say things like, "I don't know, maybe we should . . . (insert plot devices/adventure hook). 3) Attach emotions. When describing places, situations, and locations use emotional terms. Instead of, "you go to the town hall and get a meeting with the mayor." try, "Your frustration slowly builds as you try to cut the red tape in order to see the mayor." When you give them emotional terms they will feel them. "You crest the hill and below you is the town you love." Just don't dictate everything their characters feel. Use this when you want to guide the PCs to a certain emotion. For instance, if you want the PCs to get attached to the town or you want them to be annoyed by the bureaucratic mayor. 4) Wing it. If the PCs do something unexpected and completely mess up your plans resist the urge to grab them by the nose ring. Revel in their crazy ingenuity. You can be honest, go ahead and tell your players you need a couple of moments to think something through because they did something that was unexpected. 5) Water their seeds. Use the stuff the PCs give you. If a PC gives you a background of "my guy was a blacksmith." Come up with a situation where it matters. I don't mean a skill challenge or an encounter, they will expect that. I mean a role-playing situation like the former mentor suddenly shows up needing the PC's help. Well, I got so much more but the kids just walked in the door from school. Gotta go. |
| #13ordrusOct 26, 2009 1:09:46 | There are a lot of tips and tricks that help make you a better DM. I've learned a few myself, but I think you're wanting more general advice. I'd say ask all of them to sit down together and discuss what they want for a campaign. If general concensus points to an RP campaign then the players have a chance to opt out or stick with it. The DMG 2 is a fantastic source of info. It says it's based more for paragon tier campaigns and beyond but it has tons of info on roleplaying, skill challenges, story hooks, companion characters and so on that can apply to any tier. I'd highly suggest buying it and reading it cover to cover. One thing I've done that I took from the DMG 2 is handing out surveys during the campaign to ask the players what they like so far, what they dislike, and what they'd like to see. The most important thing is gather as much information from your would be party as to what would interest them most, then go from there. My party wants challenging combat but also wants focused RP that develops their characters. It's a lot of work (I'm a fairly new DM myself), but already my players are reacting positively to the things I'm doing because I listened to them and gathered information. Also, most players I've played with and DMed for tend to be fairly forgiving when I make mistakes. I bet, when it comes down to it, your players will be forgiving as well. |
| #14garner_adamOct 26, 2009 1:29:39 | If you got iTunes I'd recommend listening to this Podcast thegamemastershow.com/ . Their general shows cover a variety of different subjects to improve your understanding. Plus it's actually enertaining to boot. |
| #15panickeddiceOct 26, 2009 9:40:31 | A great source of inspiration, heck I'll be honest blatant plagerism, is to use non-fantasy novels or films that I really liked and transform them into a D&D adventure. I mixed the stories of LA Confidential & The Usual Suspects into a campaign for a role-play loving 3.5 group several years ago. I played the NPC's with the same quirks as the movie characters and had the PC's take the roll of investigators hired by a wealthy merchant. It worked out well and it was only at the climactic battle on a large ship that on of the PC's recognized the hobled NPC to be Verbal Kint. |
| #16martusOct 27, 2009 10:17:35 | First let me say thank you to you all for your input and advice, as far as knowing what the group wants in there campain, I already know. There into the problem solving aspect of the game and less of the hack n slash aspect. We all know that there will always be some hack n slash in what ever campain is ran and I am looking at trying to do 70% problem solving and 30% the hack n slash...lol, I think I got my work cut out for me, But what I have done at this point is gone out to my local game store and bought three 3E campain books, I plan to go threw them and pick out things I like and trash what I don't then convert it over into a 4E campain. What do you all think?
Now that 4E has been out for alittl more than a yr I am hopping that there will be some pre-fab campains make with alot more problem solving and a little less hack n slash. |
| #17lordxcaliburOct 27, 2009 15:21:03 | I'm new to DMing fourth edition, but one thing I've learned through years of playing and dabbling in DMing - players often have a much different motivation than they think they do. I used to think I wanted a lot more roleplaying and less combat. I got that once and was completely surprised how much I missed a little more hack-and-slash I once thought boring. It turns out I was really looking for ways to roleplay the combats better, and ways to draw my characters more into the setting and story, instead of "less hack and slash". Likewise, my group kept saying how they wanted Roleplay first and less hack&/ but lo and behold when I ran them through a part of a quest that was nearly entirely RP and investigation they kept trying to get into combat. So with my latest campaign what I did was weave a somewhat unique story hook, add in a lot of description into the combat, got their characters into it and let them go. They seemed to have a great time, and were raring to go for the next session. This of course may not apply to your group, but I've often found (and there's research to support it) that players of videogame and tabletop RPGs alike are pretty terrible about what they "really want" out of a game. |
| #18greygrendelOct 27, 2009 16:23:18 |
That's been my experience as well. I have a good group, excellent role-players all and we can (and have) done sessions of nothing but RP but everyone just seems way more into it and excited when the dice come out and the bad guys get a whupping. I'm prepared for all RP sessions of D&D but I'm doing my best to make sure each session and every adventure has a healthy dose of both. I think some of them are almost ashamed to admit they like the crunchy bits, like its beneath them or something. |
| #19martusOct 27, 2009 19:54:04 |
I have seen that im most groups that I have been in also, but I am hopping to be like one of my past DM, he ran a campain where we were all dragons hatchlings and did not have battle one on his campain and I thought of it as a really kewl experince. |
| #20martusNov 19, 2009 20:15:24 | Thank you all for helping me in this matter I found your input extremely useful. |