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<blockquote data-quote="Pbartender" data-source="post: 5221029" data-attributes="member: 7533"><p>Hrm... That can can make it easier or more difficult, depending on him.</p><p></p><p>Here's the thing to remember...</p><p></p><p>The DM of a group, like it or not, is the de facto leader. You need the respect, confidence and trust of your players in order to have the authority to make judgments and rulings over what their characters and the NPCs do, and not have the players challenge you over it. That's a lot of responsibility and a lot of work, and often takes a lot of practice if you don't naturally have those sorts of leadership talents.</p><p></p><p>To use the analogy of the wolf pack, the DM must step up into the role of "Alpha Male". If the DM doesn't, one of the players will, and the DM will lose control of his game.</p><p></p><p>Now, even in ignorance of the game (you are still learning ropes, there's nothing wrong with that), you can still show the sort of confidence that's needed. Don't be snarky about it, but be firm with him. As a friend, tell your problem player, privately and outside the game, to lay off. Tell him that your doing your best to learn how to DM a good game, that you've never done it before, and that instead of being a jerk, you could really use his help to that end.</p><p></p><p>Then, if he doesn't play ball, go ahead and call him out in front of the other players when he pulls his tricks in-game. Again, don't throw a hissy fit, be as polite and respectful as you possibly can, but be firm. "Knock it off, you're not helping," in a simply stern voice will often do the trick.</p><p></p><p>On top of the that, you want to be clear with the group in general that you're new to DMing. If they're good players they'll understand. If there's a rule you're unsure about, make a quick temporary judgment call (and try to make these rulings in favor of the player, whenever reasonable) to keep the game moving, and have one of the unoccupied players look it up for you. If make a mistake about something, there's nothing wrong with admitting it and finding the solution for future situations.</p><p></p><p>More Later...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pbartender, post: 5221029, member: 7533"] Hrm... That can can make it easier or more difficult, depending on him. Here's the thing to remember... The DM of a group, like it or not, is the de facto leader. You need the respect, confidence and trust of your players in order to have the authority to make judgments and rulings over what their characters and the NPCs do, and not have the players challenge you over it. That's a lot of responsibility and a lot of work, and often takes a lot of practice if you don't naturally have those sorts of leadership talents. To use the analogy of the wolf pack, the DM must step up into the role of "Alpha Male". If the DM doesn't, one of the players will, and the DM will lose control of his game. Now, even in ignorance of the game (you are still learning ropes, there's nothing wrong with that), you can still show the sort of confidence that's needed. Don't be snarky about it, but be firm with him. As a friend, tell your problem player, privately and outside the game, to lay off. Tell him that your doing your best to learn how to DM a good game, that you've never done it before, and that instead of being a jerk, you could really use his help to that end. Then, if he doesn't play ball, go ahead and call him out in front of the other players when he pulls his tricks in-game. Again, don't throw a hissy fit, be as polite and respectful as you possibly can, but be firm. "Knock it off, you're not helping," in a simply stern voice will often do the trick. On top of the that, you want to be clear with the group in general that you're new to DMing. If they're good players they'll understand. If there's a rule you're unsure about, make a quick temporary judgment call (and try to make these rulings in favor of the player, whenever reasonable) to keep the game moving, and have one of the unoccupied players look it up for you. If make a mistake about something, there's nothing wrong with admitting it and finding the solution for future situations. More Later... [/QUOTE]
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