D&D 5E Why did I wait so long to DM?

thanson02 · Jan 27, 2017

rgoodbb said:
Wow. Thanks for all the responses. I wasn't expecting any, just saying thanks really.

I do love Perkins as well as Mercer. I know I will be nothing like them, but what they do do is absolutely inspire me. (and bring me hours of fun/escapism/pleasure in my downtime) Playing for all those years, I maybe have a little insight into what DM's I don't want to be like and what individual traits I want to cherry pick from other DM's

Intimidation wise, that was always number crunching and the unknown, but I feel that I have fought that foe head on and have maybe won. I must admit that when the players or indeed myself, went off-script, it excited me greatly because the three of us are just creating this fantastical world between us and I have no idea where that will take us, so in some respects, I'm still playing excitedly.

Mechanics-wise. I had a laptop, a DM screen and a homemade dice tray (previously held 12 cans of cat meat). I also had the core books around as well. I did feel at times cluttered. The laptop prevented me from seeing the Skill DC's on the screen so I ended up just making them up in my head without any idea if they were right.

There were a few times when I thought I might have to fudge some rolls behind the screen but this never actually needed to happen. They loved the two riddles that they had to solve, and actually liked the combat more then I thought they would (future M.Hobo's?) I also gave them a letter each just before play that was tea-stained and red candle-wax sealed. Never had one of them as a player but would have loved to.

Main problem now is that I put so much time, imagination and effort into the first session, I may struggle to compete with that in the future.

First off, congratulations and welcome to the DM seat! You're always nervous when you're first starting out and it sounds like you had a really great time.

I love watching Chris Perkins be a Dungeon Master. Every time I watch him in one of his Acquisitions Incorporated pod sessions, he ends up doing something or handling a particular situation that I never thought about. I also loved his interactions with the other players.

And don't worry so much about the smudging the rules a little bit. The mechanic said there to help facilitate your storytelling and as long as your players are having a phenomenal time, it doesn't matter. If you need a soundboard to bounce ideas off of or to handle particular situations, just let everybody know. There are many, many Dungeon Masters on these forms would be more than happy to help with support.

You're at the beginning of a long and rewarding road. Happy times!!!

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

robus · Jan 27, 2017

rgoodbb said:
Main problem now is that I put so much time, imagination and effort into the first session, I may struggle to compete with that in the future.

Don't sweat it - and learn from your first session. Some prep is essential, some is superfluous. Focus on the bits that you actually used: having a list of available (and interesting) NPCs and an interesting adventure idea (your players don't seem like hard-sell types

)

rgoodbb · Jan 27, 2017

robus said:
What kind of monster are you!?!

struggling to breath right now...

Rhenny · Jan 27, 2017

[MENTION=6801229]rgoodbb[/MENTION] - I just read your DM experience post and it delighted me. Welcome to the brotherhood of DMs!

When the players get into developing the world and roleplaying characters a D&D session is magical. I wish you all the best as you continue to build with your players and enjoy the world you create.

Cheers!

AaronOfBarbaria · Jan 28, 2017

[MENTION=6801229]rgoodbb[/MENTION], I second [MENTION=6801558]robus[/MENTION]'s advice not to sweat it.

You shouldn't worry about making future sessions live up to, or best, the sessions that come prior - you should just focus on having a good time with your players at the session you are currently all having. You'll drive yourself mad and accidentally sabotage yourself if you let thoughts beyond "Let's have fun tonight" weigh on your mind.

And I am glad you shared your initial DMing experience, as it serves as evidence of something I've claimed for a lot of years now - that DMing isn't nearly as hard as the general gamer population believes it to be (I think the "DMing is hard work" thing basically started as propaganda spread by DMs that feared that another of their group sitting in the DM seat for a campaign would mean the group liking the new DM better and not letting the old DM run games anymore, but that's a discussion for another thread).

transtemporal · Jan 28, 2017

rgoodbb said:
I must admit that when the players or indeed myself, went off-script, it excited me greatly because the three of us are just creating this fantastical world between us and I have no idea where that will take us, so in some respects, I'm still playing excitedly.

I think this is one of the most rewarding parts of this hobby. Its adapting to the situation that takes the story in directions you hadn't anticipated that makes it interesting. Computer games can't do this (yet).

I DM our campaign with an idea of where the story will go if it stays on-script, but players have a habit of doing unpredictable things and that's a blast... ok, sometimes it's a PITA too, but mostly it's a blast!

rgoodbb said:
Mechanics-wise. I had a laptop, a DM screen and a homemade dice tray (previously held 12 cans of cat meat). I also had the core books around as well. I did feel at times cluttered. The laptop prevented me from seeing the Skill DC's on the screen so I ended up just making them up in my head without any idea if they were right.

I pretty much have the same set-up. I make sure I have pages bookmarked for tables or monsters or spells or handouts I think I'll need, browser windows open for resources I think I'll need (and shut down anything I don't need). Since we use figures, I try to make sure I have those handy as well. The key is having things at hand you think you'll need and removing (or mentally removing) everything else.

rgoodbb said:
There were a few times when I thought I might have to fudge some rolls behind the screen but this never actually needed to happen.

I used to do this but having seen it from the player side, its actually more fun and exciting if everyone sees the rolls. It kinda feels like there's more on the line because the DM isn't pulling any punches.

rgoodbb said:
Main problem now is that I put so much time, imagination and effort into the first session, I may struggle to compete with that in the future.

Yep, the perennial DM problem. My suggestion is find a sustainable pace you're comfortable with. For me, that's about 3-4 hours a week prep. We only play once every 6 weeks or so which gives me a decent time to get ready. If we played more often, I'd probably shorten the play sessions and spend less time on prep.

ccs · Jan 28, 2017

Welcome to the ranks.

Bawylie · Jan 28, 2017

Way to get it, dude. Get it again!

-Brad

Tallifer · Jan 28, 2017

rgoodbb said:
DM’d my first ever game last night. (Why oh why did I worry all these years?)

I am impressed by the wholeheartedness of your first efforts and happy that they turned out so successfully.

It took me a long time to finally take up the mantle of the dungeon master. Like you I lacked any confidence, although I did make a handful of isolated and rather unsuccessful attempts.

The clarity and consistency of 4th Edition encouraged me to run. I understood it well enough to fudge past any gaps in specific knowledge; and no one else in my extensive circle of players knew hardly anything about it. It was my game.

Since then, I have had the confidence to move on to 5th Edition, although now I rely on other players to explain any rules which I might feel applicable.

Sword of Spirit · Jan 28, 2017

Thanks for the inspiring example!

Since I've been DMing as long as I've been playing, I can't relate to your experience in regards to D&D...but I've had/have opportunities to potentially GM some super heroes games or Star Wars, and I just feel completely inadequate! I feel like every one my players knows more about Marvel, DC, and Star Wars than I do (for all of them, have mostly only seen movies and some of the TV shows). The super hero game wouldn't even be set in any Marvel or DC universe--just its own thing, but I am still afraid I can't properly present the genre conceits. So seeing it work out so well for you gives me hope that maybe I can do it after all.