New D&D Dungeon Master: Any advice?

[Acidpoptart]

I played D&D 3rd ed in high school a few times with some buddies, but have been away from the game since then. I recently picked up the 4th edition core books and have decided to get my roommates together for a weekend of tabletop gaming fun. I have got several sets of dice, a nice DM screen, and a copy of all the core books.

I have never DMed a game, and only one of my roommates has played D&D before, so I expect this weekend to be a learning experience for everyone. Does anyone have any recommendations for someone who is going to be a dungeon master for the first time? Any tips on teaching the game to new players?

Post something good, and I will name an NPC in my campaign after you. :D

[Clark]

I'm playing in a bunch of games with COG'ers online.

One HUGE thing we have found: Use a Map with grids.

There is a lot of shifting, area attacks, cover, etc. rules and powers in 4th edition.

[roboninja]

The main message: Do not let the rules rule you. Make decisions that make the game more enjoyable. Plus, remember this is not a you-against-them situation, you are all there to have fun.

[Lithium Flower]

I'm playing with Clark and also running my own Play by Post campaign and I second what he just said.

If you don't have miniatures and battlegrids, use excel! You can look up a variety of terrain maps online and transparent background icons (or make your own). Load the map as a background in Excel and then copy over the icons for monsters/pcs etc and move them around as necessary.

[Karak]

I played D&D 3rd ed in high school a few times with some buddies, but have been away from the game since then. I recently picked up the 4th edition core books and have decided to get my roommates together for a weekend of tabletop gaming fun. I have got several sets of dice, a nice DM screen, and a copy of all the core books.

I have never DMed a game, and only one of my roommates has played D&D before, so I expect this weekend to be a learning experience for everyone. Does anyone have any recommendations for someone who is going to be a dungeon master for the first time? Any tips on teaching the game to new players?

Post something good, and I will name an NPC in my campaign after you. :D

So if you are stuck with 4th remember that it is basically an MMO. So you may need to really stretch your acting/NPC muscles to make up for some of the metric based combat and game mechanics.
I have DM'ed for 20 years+ now and these are the 4 rules I go by.

1 Hide rolls that matter(nothing is worse that the PC KNOWING they failed a roll for something involving perception). Wonderment, curious players and that little hint of risk is like wildfire.

2 Basic outline of story should always be developed +small group of very intense and developed NPC's + a group of outside NPC's less developed but somewhat interesting NPC's+large group of fairly uninteresting group of NPC's. Nothing ruines a game like confused PC's running around talking to everyone because every PC has a twitch, scar or walks weird. My rule is usually 4+4+8. 4 Very detailed, 4 somewhat detailed, 4 sort of generic placeholders.

3 Well developed escape plans for your buildup, resolution, and climax of the story. If you have a black and white decision remember that people may swing on you. Have a gray decision and don't force players ever...ever.

4 Enjoy yourself. Interesting NPC's, vivid encounters, be cheesy, be outgoing, have no qualms with acting something out.

4.1 Throw away all mini's and grid paper:)

I know I disagree with many but if run right, they is nothing like a game based solely in the mind. Maybe a scetch pad but that is it. Just amazing fun and sometimes, especially with people who are new to DM'ing it can actually be easier. The scientific mind and the artistic mind don't really mesh well and it can be jarring to go back and forth. But again that is just me.

[Karak]

The main message: Do not let the rules rule you. Make decisions that make the game more enjoyable. Plus, remember this is not a you-against-them situation, you are all there to have fun.

EXACTLY. When one of the players surprise you, or do something good, laugh, compliment and extend your story. I could go on for hours about games that we still talk about today 15 years later where players did things amazing, surprising, backhanded, helped the story, unfolded a character trait just amazing stuff. If you go into the game WANTING everyone to have fun they will.
One of my best games was Werewolf right as it came out and I think I fucked up about 100% of the skills and powers. "Scent of Running Water" was the skill and I read it wrong and instead of it concealing the Werewolf's presense I had the power scare vampires somewhat like a genetic fear...ya that was wrong.
But it was so cool, and broken, that we changed the rule and still use it to this day. A mistake that was a blast. Having vampires crawling out windows to get away from this character will stick with me forever.

I wish you the best man.

[Trogdor]

The Wizards of the Coast D&D forum (http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?f=693) can be invaluable, as it's filled with people discussing every aspect of the game.

One phenomenon I've noticed is that some new DMs (especially former players) try to wing it without spending a whole lot of time going over the DMG, which I think is a big mistake. There is a ton of helpful stuff in there that doesn't necessarily occur to even longtime players. Topics like story pacing, preparation tips, improvising, ways to get new players accustomed to the system, and that's just from glancing at chapter 2.

Also, not to specifically disagree with Karak, but if you're going to bother playing 4th at all, you'll have a tough time without a grid, considering the way powers work. Either way, the roleplaying generally has more to do with the players than the system used, in my experience. 4th has a lot of appeal to people who enjoy roleplaying combined with a tactical combat system. For example, there are a lot more options for teamplay in combat than there used to be. While I'm not a big MMO fan, I am a big tactical RPG fan, so I've been enjoying the combat a lot.

More than anything, you should try to figure out what sort of game you and your friends will most enjoy, and focus on whatever that is. Some people really love dark and gritty stuff, while others tend to go for lighthearted stuff. Some people love to power game, some just like killing things, some prefer to act, and some prefer puzzles/mystery. They're all valid ways to have fun. :)

[Superman's Dead]

4.1 Throw away all mini's and grid paper:)

I know I disagree with many but if run right, they is nothing like a game based solely in the mind. Maybe a scetch pad but that is it. Just amazing fun and sometimes, especially with people who are new to DM'ing it can actually be easier. The scientific mind and the artistic mind don't really mesh well and it can be jarring to go back and forth. But again that is just me.

Your advice is great (I'm trying to get a game of my own off the ground and am always looking for delicious delicious tips)...but with 4E he REALLY needs the grid. Bad.

So many character powers are defined with 'squares' instead of the appropriate 5 foot increments, and the 'bursts' and other definitions of the area of effect are all defined with squares. WotC wants our money for their plastic trinkets.

[Karak]

Your advice is great (I'm trying to get a game of my own off the ground and am always looking for delicious delicious tips)...but with 4E he REALLY needs the grid. Bad.

So many character powers are defined with 'squares' instead of the appropriate 5 foot increments, and the 'bursts' and other definitions of the area of effect are all defined with squares. WotC wants our money for their plastic trinkets.

I can totally see what you mean.
However there are various websites that show how to adjust those measurements in seconds to their proper equals in the real world. But you are right, it is so damn mmo based its sick. They shot for it and hit the nail on the head but...it sort of sucks they got it right:) I do like some of it but not most, even though the main game we play is 4th.

However, it took us about 20 minutes to adjust the rules, because instead of trying to adjust everything we adjusted just what our characters and the NPC's had at the time and moved on.
Our DM for the first game was new and didn't use grid paper at all but again its anyone's guess.

I will have to say that again, the statistical mind and the artistic mind do not always gel and it can and does pull you away from the game to filter through a strange level of realism.
To imagine your characters action, than a mini doing something in the game world, then back to a your character can really suck the life out of a game. Especially when in the game you describe feet and yards, spans, drops and jumps and all manner of randomness that can not be shown on a grid. No mini or paper or made terrain can equal the colors and adventures of the mind.
And the 4th edition does NOT devote as much page space to roleplaying as those before it so those two things combined make it realisticly less roleplaying and more rollplaying.

However, as many of us are gamers, this may not be a problem and may not even be noticed by many. But I started with DND, moved to playing video games, making video games, then back to playing them and though I love a Final Fantasy Tactics type gameplay or even more appropriate, Warcraft, I go to a different place to get that love. Video games for tactical stratagy based on grids and exact stats and roleplaying to get my imagination flowing.
Either way man, go with gusto and have a damn good time. It is different for everyone.

[alienmastermind]

4.1 Throw away all mini's and grid paper:)

I know I disagree with many but if run right, they is nothing like a game based solely in the mind. Maybe a scetch pad but that is it. Just amazing fun and sometimes, especially with people who are new to DM'ing it can actually be easier. The scientific mind and the artistic mind don't really mesh well and it can be jarring to go back and forth. But again that is just me.

Okay.

I only disagree with this point insofar as the guy's playing 4th Edition or the 'Please Buy Our Affiliated Miniatures' edition of D and D.

Also, keeping track of the battlefield and distance in this edition is pretty important. Easiest way to do it is on a grid, and easiest way to represent characters is a miniature. Now, I would suggest paper miniatures, as they're cheap, effective and save on buying bunches of crap you don't need.

But, YMMV.

AM

[LordDon]

Now, I would suggest paper miniatures, as they're cheap, effective and save on buying bunches of crap you don't need.

But, YMMV.

AM

And you can print as many as you need without having to paint dozens, especially nice for monsters. This guy has by far the best paper minis I've seen available.

http://www.onemonk.com/Home.html

[Karak]

Okay.

I only disagree with this point insofar as the guy's playing 4th Edition or the 'Please Buy Our Affiliated Miniatures' edition of D and D.

Also, keeping track of the battlefield and distance in this edition is pretty important. Easiest way to do it is on a grid, and easiest way to represent characters is a miniature. Now, I would suggest paper miniatures, as they're cheap, effective and save on buying bunches of crap you don't need.

But, YMMV.

AM
Too true:)

[rifter]

Get some 3x5 cards, to take notes, track HPs, stuff like that.

I would buy the first module for D&D 4th ed. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/217187400. It has quick-start rules (additional rules to let others to use). It also frees you up to learn the mechanics, while the story runs itself, basically.

I would get a double sided battlemat (http://www.chessex.com/mats/Battlemats_MegamatsReversible.htm)

These are great for initiative - http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/o/openMindGames/v5748btpy7uvm&source=search

I buy specific miniatures for important NPCs and CHEAP large number of commons off of Ebay.

I would aim for getting the mechanics down at first, and go light on the role playing.

Have fun. That is the important thing. Don't let the rules get in the way of fun.

I agree about rolling important roles secretly. I know that I will fudge roles (good and bad) a bit to keep things exciting.

[Karak]

I agree about rolling important roles secretly. I know that I will fudge roles (good and bad) a bit to keep things exciting.
Luckily I never have had to fudge any rolls as of yet.
Secret rolls are SOOOO important. Nothing returns mystery and excitement to a game then doing this. I can not count the times a new player has explained to me that he just rolled and yelled out numbers to a DM, knowing the difficulty and the roll he needed. How wasteful of a good moment. Mystery rolls also return the focus to the character and not the player. No longer can the player just keep clubbing an idea to death or keep guessing because he knows he had the wrong idea. Just so many things.
And that doesn't even include the physical aspects.
Just so sad people do not even think about this.

[BigJonno]

Most of what I'd say has been covered and I'm definitely in the "If you're playing 4th, use a grid and minis" camp. It's too late to tell you to go and play something else. :D

One thing that I find helps, especially with new players, is to sit down and watch an appropriate movie beforehand. If you want some old skool, swords 'n' sorcery shit, watch Conan. If you want an epic vibe, watch LotR. It helps get everyone in the right mood and it provides new players with some material for combat instead of "I attack the kobold" over and over again.

[pomeroy]

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w53/pomeroy_bucket/pa.jpg

I heard you need a cape.

[Shrinn]

Throw away 4th edition DnD and find a copy of the Serenity RPG. =D

[Panthera]

Don't bother with miniatures for the reasons mentioned above - it's all about imagination. I use old-style triangular Risk pieces with sharpie marks on them to denote important characters, and print off my own custom grids with thicker lines for 5x5 squares so that counting goes faster.

I've been running games for ages, and here's my #1 epiphany for adventure planning:

Plan the dilemma. Don't plan the solution. The players will not do what you expect them to, so give them the freedom they need.

[rifter]

Don't bother with miniatures for the reasons mentioned above - it's all about imagination.

Completely disagree. I have never understood how having a mini, that you paint, and convert to look LIKE your character... stunts imagination. It makes your character more concrete in other people's minds. A few props go a LONG way. Ultimately, even if you can "SEE" everything, most of the action takes place in your mind. That is what an RPG is all about. Using playaids, gives your imagination context to move in. It makes for a much more involving narration.


Plan the dilemma. Don't plan the solution. The players will not do what you expect them to, so give them the freedom they need.

It is good to have some outcomes planned out, and hope for the best, but 90% of the time, your PCs go completely off the map, so to speak.

Here is a good example of minis:

http://www.reapermini.com/graphics/gallery/4/02645_lt.jpg (http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Dark Heaven Legends/latest/02645)
The original mini. (click mini for art, and other pictures)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/3161653035_1a28ae79fe_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryfter/3161653035/)
Here is the final, converted mini. (Click mini for larger version)


A few minor tweaks, and you go from rogue/fighter/swashbuckler, to an artificer.

[Panthera]

Completely disagree. I have never understood how having a mini, that you paint, and convert to look LIKE your character... stunts imagination. It makes your character more concrete in other people's minds. A few props go a LONG way. Ultimately, even if you can "SEE" everything, most of the action takes place in your mind. That is what an RPG is all about. Using playaids, gives your imagination context to move in. It makes for a much more involving narration.

You should know from the other thread that I'm a fan of miniatures, but I think they're a hindrance in D&D for a couple reasons:

1) It doesn't mesh well with the usually nonexistent terrain.
2) You end up using tons of proxies for monsters, or spend a ton of money.

Really, it's a matter of practicality. Using representative blocks and hand-drawn terrain lets you have both the tactical system and a pleasant layer of abstraction.

I've nothing against converting miniatures for your characters in general; that can be fun and interesting, just like having drawings or other artwork made.

[ShivaX]

Why bother with minis when you can just use a piece of graph paper and some pencils with erasers?

Thats what we used to do. O is an ogre. That box with a W is a wyvern.

Worked perfectly for years and was basically free.

[phoenyx]

Panthera made mention of using pieces from the game "Risk". But as I think about it, you could do the same with checkers (and paper letters) or even chess pieces. That even gives you a grid that you can play on. Go and Pente have smaller squares and pieces, but could still work.

What other games might be good?

[Nuggsy]

There is a lot of good advice here. My contribution would be this: make it interesting. From time to time when I'm noticing that my players are getting bored I will throw them a ridiculous curve ball.

For example, on my first 4th edition campaign, whilst the adventurers were in town at a pub asking some questions and having a brew, they grew noticeably bored. So I made up an impromptu event. A song started within the bar with each patron singing a verse. They had a few minutes while I scrambled up a jaunty tune about "Victor the Vicar" and how much he could drink. I made them create their own verses to join in the bar tune (as their characters got drunk with the rest of the rabble), and after they sang in the tune they had garnered the trust of a few locals. It was enough trust to get one of the patrons to divulge some pertinent information.

I also gave them each an action point.

[Rune_74]

I have no probs using mini`s and dungeon tiles...it can really add to the game. That with imagination.

[rifter]

Awesome Nuggsy.

[Khrymsyn]

I know this is a little bit of a thread-jack, but hopefully by telling, it'll give Acid an idea of what to prepare for...

This goes back a few years, but the "adventuring party" I was playing with stumbled across this very small town. We had just finished clearing out some Kobolds at the edges of town for the Mayor in the hopes that he would tell us... well... I forget that detail. At any rate, the Mayor not only backed out on payment, but didn't give us the information we needed, instead telling us of another town to go to and person to get it from (This is where we went waaaaay "off script"). Our primary fighter in the group, Chief Mojo Risen (and his trusty Camel Sven), decided the Mayor was a complete jackass, and killed him, announcing the town was now ours, and renamed it to Mojeria (yes, after Chief Mojo). Instead of going on an adventure, we stuck in town and built battlements and trained some of the villagers in how to guard against attacks, then hired a couple of guys to act as the sherrif and duty collector (our party had a bit of gold at this point).

THEN we decided to go find something to do, but never did get back to the entire adventure that our DM wrote up.

One of best things about us going so far off script was that our DM wound up writing an entire campagin based around the fact that we now had our own land, and suddenly instead of having to go out and find things to do, things sometimes found us, like a competing adventuring party (NPCs) sent to find out what happened to the town we took, that we had to fight to keep it.

[Panthera]

Khrymsyn, great story!

I found that transition interesting, myself. In my current Dark Sun campaign, the players have joined on with a tiny, growing trading house that owns a fortress in the middle of a massive salt flat. They've built their dwellings there, and report directly to the lord of the house. The water cleric established the town's only temple by carving it into the rock one dungeon square at a time with laborers and stoneshape - I played that out with inspiration from Dwarf Fortress. They have a monthly stipend from the lord, from which they pay twenty soldiers that follow them around.

This gives me no end of possible plot hooks as they work to protect the fortress and its allies.

[Shrinn]

So how did it go anyway?