Keenberg
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I second this!Pregens would be my suggestion.
The DC chart for difficulty by level, and the "average damage" numbers - which is 8+level for standard damage, +25% to 50% for big effects, and similar reductions for lesser or multi-target effects.what are some "important need to know's" I should look over before we begin?
Pregens would be my suggestion. If they don't care enough to "do the work", then they shouldn't complain about a pregen. Once they've learned how to play and they get over the hump, then offer to help them.
My favorite DM'ing advice came from a Dragon column awhile back (don't remember the name), which was to invent two secrets about any noun (character, item, location) that you add to the game. They can be big or small -- up to you. Write each secret on a card and draw one before your adventure. Throw a reference (hint) to that secret in the adventure that night. Even if it doesn't have anything to do with anything, it adds interesting little details to the world that make it feel alive.
For a similar shortcut with character backgrounds, just ask "why" twice to get a workable sketch of a character for the evening. Joe is a bartender. Why? He won the bar in a bet. Why? He took a big gamble when he had nothing left. He since resists gambling but has made some enemies. That last stuff just flowed.
BTW, I just checked Google Maps. [MENTION=55066]Dice4Hire[/MENTION] is like 2 hours from you.
It is not all directed toward a DM with your specific problems (more for the DM with very little time to prep), but much of the advice is stuff I would recommend for any DM (especially one running 4e). It all emphasizes a style of DMing that I call "streamlined sandbox."
Nice! I'll go over this as well as all the other information given. There's a lot of great suggestions here and has certainly given a lot of ideas, thanks!!
Ok, here's another question. Some of us really want to get this game going. There's 5 people altogether but we're having some schedule conflicts at the moment. Would it be wrong of me to start with 3 players and the other 2 can join the next session? They could either be a little behind in xp or I could bump them up to lvl 2... I guess it's something I'd have to discuss with all the players.
First: Is the 4E caracter creation more complicated than I remember?
There also seems to be huge debate over whether 4E is any good or not, and is this complication one of the reasons or am I just a newb and it will get easier once I get use to it? (honestly I think 4E is neat so far)
Second: I'm totally new to DM'ing (aside from a few rocky attempts in the past where I guest DM'd).
Third: Two of the group members aren't as committed as the others.
What [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION] said. Nothing wrong with it, and limiting XP is likely going to make things worse.Ok, here's another question. Some of us really want to get this game going. There's 5 people altogether but we're having some schedule conflicts at the moment. Would it be wrong of me to start with 3 players and the other 2 can join the next session? They could either be a little behind in xp or I could bump them up to lvl 2... I guess it's something I'd have to discuss with all the players.
The only thing I will say is this: 4e can be ran with 3 players. It just takes a little prep on your part, and understanding how to do it. Advice on how to do it also depends on what classes (or really, what roles) you have among the PCs.
So what are their classes?
Yeah... I'm also hopping this isn't going to be an issue.
Three serious PC's are: Dwarven Cleric, Dragonborn Fighter, and probably a Eladrin Rogue.
While the two others are: Elven Ranger and Human Wizard.
It's should probably be ok, but my concern is if the 2 unserious players drop we don't have a controller in the group. The Rogue isn't set in stone (but I think he really wants to be a rogue) so I might suggest him to be something else? Dunno, feel weird making him do something like that.
Maybe if the two drop I can find someone else to join and suggest they be a warlok or something.
So, I really hope to get this game rolling none the less. If things go well we might have a session this weekend so wish me luck!
Yeah... I'm also hopping this isn't going to be an issue.
Three serious PC's are: Dwarven Cleric, Dragonborn Fighter, and probably a Eladrin Rogue.
While the two others are: Elven Ranger and Human Wizard.
It's should probably be ok, but my concern is if the 2 unserious players drop we don't have a controller in the group. The Rogue isn't set in stone (but I think he really wants to be a rogue) so I might suggest him to be something else? Dunno, feel weird making him do something like that.
Maybe if the two drop I can find someone else to join and suggest they be a warlok or something.
So, I really hope to get this game rolling none the less. If things go well we might have a session this weekend so wish me luck!