Could you help a noob DM to be build a world.

[CubicPaladin]

Hi everyone my name is Cubic and I am a DM to be.


A few weeks ago I started watching live streams of D&D and they woke my interest for the game a whole lot more. I had previously found the concept quite amusing, a game where you can either play god or do whatever comes to your mind but after seeing who fun it can be to play I made up my mind.


I decided that I will buy a D&D 5e book and set but as it is of today I have no idea were or who but that is not important. What I want help for is to build a good and vibrant world and I would greatly appreciate any tips. My players to be are not as of yet completely sure if they want to play so I would like to have everything prepared for them so they have as much of a blast as possible when they start playing. One of the things I want to make sure is good is the world I'm gonna trow them onto as of now I only have rough ideas and would like suggestions and tips.


Thank you very much.

 

[Morrus]

Your best bet is to start small. Design a village and its environs. Don't stress too much about what else is out there yet. Let your players explore that area, and you can expand it as needed. A world is a big project, and it can be frustrating designing tons of content your players won't even know exists for months or years!

 

[ccs]

Well, let's start by seeing what rough ideas you have....

 

[Celebrim]

As a novice DM, you should never start out with a project as big as building a world. At this point in time, you probably have no clear idea what features of a world would suit your story telling skills.

I would begin by finding a suitable introductory adventure to get started with. Read through the adventure and think about how you might incorporate the ideas presented in it, into your own larger world. What details are missing that you feel should be there? What things are adjacent to this adventure setting just off the edge of the map? What things could you add to the setting that would personalize it, not only for your taste, but the taste and interests of your players.

Fleshing out someone else's borrowed ideas with your own is a consummate DMing skill.

Good DMs have many many skills:

a) Creating and characterizing interesting NPCs
b) Creating tactical challenges and utilizing monsters in a skillful manner to make the most of those challenges.
c) Drawing interesting maps
d) Creating immersive and evocative environments.
e) Building coherent and meaningful worlds in which to explore ideas, themes, and stories
f) Creating interesting plots filled with mystery, twists, and powerful reveals.
g) Piecing together investigations and stories with layers of organic clues that keep drawing the players along
h) Acting as repositories of every manner of trivia and basic knowledge about just about everything, because believe me, no matter how obscure, your players will ask about it.
i) Resolving table conflict, maintaining neutrality, and being the sort of referee that the players trust.
j) Staying organized, knowing the rules, and remembering all the details of the situation, so as to be able to adjudicate player actions quickly, accurately, and fairly.

No DM is equally good at all that, and much of that requires practice to get good at. At this point, unless you've got a burning white hot flame inside you to get some ideas down on paper, I'd not start by doing a lot of world building.

 

[Rune]

First, absorb as much as you can from other DMs. Figure out what works for you.

Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Some people talk about bad DMing as if it's the worst thing that can possibly happen, but I assure you, there are precisely 0 truly good DMs out there who didn't get there the hard way. Keep it all in perspective. If you try something that doesn't work out, remember it's all just a game; you can adjust for the next time.

With all that said, you may find at least some of the tips in this thread to be helpful not only in creating a campaign, but also in running it. It espouses a style I call "streamlined sandbox," but much of it could be incorporated into any style.

And since I see that [MENTION=4937]Celebrim[/MENTION] has posted before me, I'll say that, from what I've read, he tends to approach DMing from the exact opposite direction that I do*, but his games read like they'd be loads of fun to play in. My point being that there's no single style that will be right for you - until you figure out your own. So don't be afraid to try lots of things.


* Which is not meant to imply that I disagree with everything he says on the subject, because I certainly do not.


Edit = Also, welcome to EN World. Have some XP.

 

[delericho]

I decided that I will buy a D&D 5e book and set but as it is of today I have no idea were or who but that is not important. What I want help for is to build a good and vibrant world and I would greatly appreciate any tips. My players to be are not as of yet completely sure if they want to play so I would like to have everything prepared for them so they have as much of a blast as possible when they start playing.

My honest advice at this point is don't. Don't start making your world right away, and especially before you're even sure your group wants to play!

At this point, I would strongly recommend picking up the D&D Starter Set and starting by running the adventure "Lost Mine of Phandelver" that is contained therein. That should give you and your players a chance to get to know the game and to get a handle on how it's all done.

After that, if you still want to create your own world, then my best advice is to pick up an old book called the "Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide", which goes through the process in some detail. It's the best book on the subject that I've ever read, though I certainly haven't read everything!

One more thing: the first world you create will suck. (Also the first adventure you create, the first campaign you create, and so on.) That's just a consequence of being a newcomer and having a whole load of mistakes to get out of your system, and we've basically all gone through it. Because of that, I recommend two further things: (1) stick at it; the next time will be better, and (2) keep to a fairly small, modest setting/adventure/campaign for the first one, and leave your masterpiece until the second time out.

I hope some of that help!

 

[jaysprecious0917]

What I've found to be effective is to look at random items...it sparked an interest in my world... An amulet that turns a specific color around an elemental...what can I do with that? One thing led to another and I've got the basis of my campaign. A demon is trying to open a gateway into his world and the only means is to locate the legendary elemental rings of control to harness the gates power...that gives me 5-8 dungeons to design, one for each type of elemental... And it's a decent start. The rest falls into place.

 

[CubicPaladin]

Thank you all so much you were all extremely helpful and well fast at responding. I understood what you said and will not start working on my world yet. I'll give my player a taste of the game in that adventure "Lost mines of Phandelver" and from there one make a few short stories that adapt from there own. When I'm satisfied with it I will start small on my own world on slowly expand it.

P.S: As my first post here I am amazed at who helpful and fast your responses where. Thank you every one, you have a lovely community here.

 

[Aenghus]

Some excellent replies here.

Another reason not to emphasise worldbuilding initially is that the game should be about the PCs and the choices of the players. And a fairly typical response to an idyllic little village with wonderful NPCs is for the PCs to burn it down and loot it. You can't predict how the players will react to any particular detail in the gameworld, and trying to force a particular reaction is fraught with issues, it's a really strong type of railroading a lot of players hate that often inspires exactly the opposite reaction.

The gameworld you use for a rpg is no longer entirely your own, it's to some extent a shared world and the players will make changes in it, some of which you may not understand or agree with.

So it makes sense to find out your players likes and dislikes in actual play before fleshing out the gameworld, so you can arrive at a workable compromise between your own tastes and theirs.

 

[jaysprecious0917]

I agree with Aenghus, but that said, it's a large world, and there are consequences for what the players do. If a village is destroyed, for instance, it could result in a bounty for the players and neighboring villages may become hostile towards them where they were a peaceful people. Use what your players do and keep them thinking.