Yes, because starting a new campaign is much like your first day in prison. Gotta shiv someone and show them you aren't a punk.
D&D 5E Your one best piece of GM/DM advice?
Yes, because starting a new campaign is much like your first day in prison. Gotta shiv someone and show them you aren't a punk.
BrynnMawr347
First Post
The game has to be fun for you too.
Also, get feedback from your players. Maybe not necessarily every session, but often enough that you know whether or not they are enjoying the game, and what they want to see in your game and get out of it.
Also, get feedback from your players. Maybe not necessarily every session, but often enough that you know whether or not they are enjoying the game, and what they want to see in your game and get out of it.
Brandegoris
First Post
Story and ROLEPLAYING trumps Rules... The end
I think mine would be this.
Never fudge dice. Roll them in public ALWAYS! Nothing builds tension like seeing the BBEG roll a 20 on an attack or roll high for spell damage. On the other hand nothing brings hope like seeing the BBEG roll a one against a save or suck spell.
Another would be
Even with a "Solo" monster give him friends to help. Action economy is the BBEGs enemy as much as the PCs are so don't be afraid to give him a bit of help. Just don't go over board.
Never fudge dice. Roll them in public ALWAYS! Nothing builds tension like seeing the BBEG roll a 20 on an attack or roll high for spell damage. On the other hand nothing brings hope like seeing the BBEG roll a one against a save or suck spell.
Another would be
Even with a "Solo" monster give him friends to help. Action economy is the BBEGs enemy as much as the PCs are so don't be afraid to give him a bit of help. Just don't go over board.
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MxBaticeer
Villager
Study how other DMs do things and take that on to your own games.
You can do this through watching actual plays, reading advice, etc., but the best way to do it is to be a player in other people's games. Play and make a note of the things that your DM did or didn't do that you liked. Then try it out for yourself.
I really think this is what helped me more than anything else.
You can do this through watching actual plays, reading advice, etc., but the best way to do it is to be a player in other people's games. Play and make a note of the things that your DM did or didn't do that you liked. Then try it out for yourself.
I really think this is what helped me more than anything else.
ArchfiendBobbie
First Post
Repeat this mantra to yourself: "Overcoming a challenge doesn't have to mean winning a battle."
A challenge can be a social interaction. Exploration. Traps in a dungeon. And sometimes it's simply getting out of overwhelming odds alive, even if that means running away.
One of the great traps in DMing is getting trapped in binary thinking when it comes to encounters. "Do they do X, or do they suffer Y?" should never be the only options you consider. Plan for W, Z, A, B, and Octopus. And by that, I mean plan for options you didn't consider that are perfectly logical, and have a few ideas for what to do in case they do something utterly bizarre that you could have never planned for.
And don't be afraid to, sometimes, just toss your plans in the air and roll with whatever insanity the PCs have done this time. Have they decided the evil sorcerer makes more sense than the good king they were hired to back? Go ahead and have him be the greater good. Maybe even have the entire campaign be his path toward redemption.
Also, be prepared for when the dice decide to do strange things with how they interact with the rules and your house rules. Do you have a house rule that rolling a 20, then another 20 to confirm, then a third 20 to confirm that is an instant kill? Ask yourself what will happen the first time that comes up while fighting a god. My first character, way back in 3E, killed Vecna by kicking him the crotch this way.
Most of all, try to be flexible. It's entertainment. Not a recreation of history.
A challenge can be a social interaction. Exploration. Traps in a dungeon. And sometimes it's simply getting out of overwhelming odds alive, even if that means running away.
One of the great traps in DMing is getting trapped in binary thinking when it comes to encounters. "Do they do X, or do they suffer Y?" should never be the only options you consider. Plan for W, Z, A, B, and Octopus. And by that, I mean plan for options you didn't consider that are perfectly logical, and have a few ideas for what to do in case they do something utterly bizarre that you could have never planned for.
And don't be afraid to, sometimes, just toss your plans in the air and roll with whatever insanity the PCs have done this time. Have they decided the evil sorcerer makes more sense than the good king they were hired to back? Go ahead and have him be the greater good. Maybe even have the entire campaign be his path toward redemption.
Also, be prepared for when the dice decide to do strange things with how they interact with the rules and your house rules. Do you have a house rule that rolling a 20, then another 20 to confirm, then a third 20 to confirm that is an instant kill? Ask yourself what will happen the first time that comes up while fighting a god. My first character, way back in 3E, killed Vecna by kicking him the crotch this way.
Most of all, try to be flexible. It's entertainment. Not a recreation of history.
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