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<blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 2868339" data-attributes="member: 1757"><p>Or you could simply eliminate the trapfinding ability. There are a few D&D-like games that don't have rogues, and simply allow anyone with the requisite ranks in Search to find traps.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I'd do the following: Have your first session be devoted to nothing but character creation. Talk to the players before they roll up (or build using point buy) their characters, and explain that D&D is a team game in which success often depends on having a properly balanced party. A balanced party is *not* made up of a bunch of sorcerers with a single fighter and a cleric. Also, explain that if *they* haven't played before, spellcasters can be tricky, and have an annoying tendency either to die or to be relatively useless. </p><p></p><p>As for more players: I say go for it! More players make for easier DMing in most cases, since you can often sit back and let player interaction drive your sessions. You may also be able to get one of your players to sit in as an "assistant DM" on occasion to help run complicated fights or handle role-playing NPCs.</p><p></p><p>Some more suggestions:</p><p></p><p>1) Have each player write up (or explain verbally in the character creation session) a detailed background and set of motivations for his or her character, <em>including</em> a piece on how his character knows the other characters in the group. This has several advantages: </p><p></p><p>First, it forces the player to think of his character as something more than a set of stats. Joe isn't merely a 1st-level fighter with a 16 Strength; he's an adopted farmboy from the Western Dales whose parents perished in a plague (rumored to be magically created by priests of the evil Blightlord Zargus), leaving Joe to grow up as a physically strong but socially awkward farmhand who finally broke out of his shell, packed his bags, and left to see the wide world. </p><p></p><p>Second, it gives you fuel for creating adventure subplots. If Joe's parents died in a plague created by Zargus's minions, perhaps they were really the target of some deeper plot, that gets revealed to Joe along the way.</p><p></p><p>Third, it gives the players a chance to think about how their characters might know each other and what their own goals are, allowing for better roleplaying and a more focused gaming experience.</p><p></p><p>Fourth, you don't need to create a coercive beginning for the campaign. If the players have all established how their characters know each other and what they're doing, you can just start running the game!</p><p></p><p>2) Go slow. Sunless Citadel is a good choice for a first adventure, and it has plenty of advice for a novice DM. Try at first to keep the plot linear, without too many branches, subplots, or diversions. Your players will almost certainly want to go on side tangents; if they do, let them feel like they can (this is the advantage of playing a tabletop game rather than a computer RPG), but try to rein them in quickly so that you're not stuck preparing three different adventures at the same time. (Once you're comfortable with the mechanics, you can wing it better.)</p><p></p><p>3) Learn the rules together, and try to avoid arguing with your players about them. D&D has a lot of complicated rules, even when you're just using the core books. At first, you may find play bogged down as everyone flips through the books trying to figure out what x spell does, or whether y action provokes an attack of opportunity. That's okay. Take your time, be reasonable, and if necessary, explain to the players in advance that where there's a difference as to what the rule for a particular situation is, you are the DM and your interpretation controls. If you were wrong, you can make it up to them in some other way later. </p><p></p><p>I know this conflicts with argo's (excellent!) advice about not getting bogged down in the rules, but I think at first you have to do a little bit of pontificating so that everyone can learn and get familiar with the rules.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ruleslawyer, post: 2868339, member: 1757"] Or you could simply eliminate the trapfinding ability. There are a few D&D-like games that don't have rogues, and simply allow anyone with the requisite ranks in Search to find traps. Personally, I'd do the following: Have your first session be devoted to nothing but character creation. Talk to the players before they roll up (or build using point buy) their characters, and explain that D&D is a team game in which success often depends on having a properly balanced party. A balanced party is *not* made up of a bunch of sorcerers with a single fighter and a cleric. Also, explain that if *they* haven't played before, spellcasters can be tricky, and have an annoying tendency either to die or to be relatively useless. As for more players: I say go for it! More players make for easier DMing in most cases, since you can often sit back and let player interaction drive your sessions. You may also be able to get one of your players to sit in as an "assistant DM" on occasion to help run complicated fights or handle role-playing NPCs. Some more suggestions: 1) Have each player write up (or explain verbally in the character creation session) a detailed background and set of motivations for his or her character, [i]including[/i] a piece on how his character knows the other characters in the group. This has several advantages: First, it forces the player to think of his character as something more than a set of stats. Joe isn't merely a 1st-level fighter with a 16 Strength; he's an adopted farmboy from the Western Dales whose parents perished in a plague (rumored to be magically created by priests of the evil Blightlord Zargus), leaving Joe to grow up as a physically strong but socially awkward farmhand who finally broke out of his shell, packed his bags, and left to see the wide world. Second, it gives you fuel for creating adventure subplots. If Joe's parents died in a plague created by Zargus's minions, perhaps they were really the target of some deeper plot, that gets revealed to Joe along the way. Third, it gives the players a chance to think about how their characters might know each other and what their own goals are, allowing for better roleplaying and a more focused gaming experience. Fourth, you don't need to create a coercive beginning for the campaign. If the players have all established how their characters know each other and what they're doing, you can just start running the game! 2) Go slow. Sunless Citadel is a good choice for a first adventure, and it has plenty of advice for a novice DM. Try at first to keep the plot linear, without too many branches, subplots, or diversions. Your players will almost certainly want to go on side tangents; if they do, let them feel like they can (this is the advantage of playing a tabletop game rather than a computer RPG), but try to rein them in quickly so that you're not stuck preparing three different adventures at the same time. (Once you're comfortable with the mechanics, you can wing it better.) 3) Learn the rules together, and try to avoid arguing with your players about them. D&D has a lot of complicated rules, even when you're just using the core books. At first, you may find play bogged down as everyone flips through the books trying to figure out what x spell does, or whether y action provokes an attack of opportunity. That's okay. Take your time, be reasonable, and if necessary, explain to the players in advance that where there's a difference as to what the rule for a particular situation is, you are the DM and your interpretation controls. If you were wrong, you can make it up to them in some other way later. I know this conflicts with argo's (excellent!) advice about not getting bogged down in the rules, but I think at first you have to do a little bit of pontificating so that everyone can learn and get familiar with the rules. [/QUOTE]
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