D&D 2E Tips? Haven't DMed D&D since 2E

[jgsugden]

It is a role playing game. Characters play a role in a story. Make it a good story and it will be a good campaign.

Don't take agency from players. Don't dictate their actions or beliefs. Don't tell them they're scared unless there is a mechanic that makes them frightened, and then couch it as a superatural fear beyond their control.

Set the players up for great lines and heroic actions. They're the stars. Your villians can be flawed, can make mistakes, can be utterly destroyed - and that can be the highest point of a game.

Don't be a slave to the rules, but don't ignore them either. If you do not know a rule in the moment, make a ruling and move on. You can look it up later and correct it in the future if it seems like it will happen again.

 

[Ganders]

Don't do character creation and the first session at the same time.

Either have characters made ahead of time, or use the first meeting to create them and hold off the adventure until the second meeting.

If you can't do that, use pregenerated characters instead.

 

[Dausuul]

Man, I haven't played GURPS in decades. Excuse me while I dust off my copy of GURPS 3E (literally, I had to brush dust off the cover) and refresh my memory. Let's see here...

So. If you haven't played any edition of D&D since the '90s, there are several things that you'll want to keep in mind as you transition to D&D in general and 5E in particular:

D&D is combat-heavy. GURPS treats combat as one element of the game among many; it's not unusual that some PCs will be built for combat and others will focus elsewhere. In D&D, combat is the beating heart of the game. All D&D characters are combat-capable unless players go out of their way to cripple themselves, and the rules are built for adventures in hostile territory where enemies are everywhere and frequent battles are inevitable. You don't have to run it that way, but the game strongly encourages it.

D&D is cinematic. GURPS tries for at least a modicum of realism. D&D (especially 4E and 5E) favors streamlined mechanics and cinematic action. This is necessary both for the characters (so they can sustain the damage of so many battles) and players (so battles can be resolved quickly). Trying to make D&D more realistic is a common pastime, but I've never seen it work out very well; again, you are fighting the game. It will go a lot smoother if you embrace the action. And for the love of Gygax, do not inquire into what exactly is represented by "hit points." That way lies madness.

The D&D power curve is insane. GURPS characters gain power fairly slowly, and face diminishing returns that encourage breadth over depth. D&D characters rocket from peasant to demigod at a blistering pace, faster by far than any other RPG I have ever played. You can adjust this a bit by controlling how much XP you award (milestone XP is your friend), but players get unhappy if they never get to play with new toys, and they only get new toys by climbing the power curve. Especially at high levels, those toys will take your carefully planned adventure and knock it into a cocked hat. I strongly recommend starting at a low level so you can at least get your feet under you.

D&D provides a built-in framework for the campaign. All of the above may sound rather limiting compared to the free-form approach of GURPS. And it is. But it also means a lot of the work is done for you. Players are supplied with prefab archetypes in the form of character classes. They can be embellished with background details and customization, but they also work fine as-is. The DM has a standard narrative ready for any adventure: "Go to this place, explore it, kill the monsters there, and take the treasure." You don't have to follow that formula every time, but it's always available when you need it; you have only to deploy it, and the machinery of the game whirs into motion to help entertain you and your players.

 

[Mookus]

The specific things to watch out for, especially compared to GURPS 3E/4E, are super helpful! I figure the roleplaying part is the same regardless of system, that I'm comfortable with heh.

Thanks for the forecasts on 6E being well in the future - it sure seems like 5E is going gangbusters (oh, a TSR pun! Nice!), I imagine that has a lot to do with why this group wants D&D. The books are, of course, gorgeous.

Kind of scattershotting, but curious if expanding 5E to cover modern or even ultra-tech settings is feasible (or worth doing)?

One of the best things about running D&D again... I get to drag out those beautiful dice. I still have my first d20. It's closer to a marble than a polyhedral at this point (but I still roll it at conventions whenever I'm allowed to).

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Kind of scattershotting, but curious if expanding 5E to cover modern or even ultra-tech settings is feasible (or worth doing)?

Not only is it feasible, but it's been done. Multiple times. The names that come to mind are "Esper Genesis" and "Ultramodern 5", but I may not be remembering those accurately.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Oh, and while I'm here, I might as well give my standard advice about 5E:

Characters beyond level 2 are very tough. Not only can they take a hit and keep coming, but they have free healing (in the form of Hit Dice) which allows them to go from zero to full whenever they take a short rest. Taking a crossbow bolt is not nearly the cause for concern as it is in AD&D or GURPS.

Since you're coming from those games, you may also want to re-consider how you describe the effects of a successful hit. In GURPS, taking damage means you've been seriously injured. In 5E, no amount of HP damage can persist through a long rest, so no amount of injury is ever very serious (unless you're dead).

 

[S'mon]

Don't do character creation and the first session at the same time.

Either have characters made ahead of time, or use the first meeting to create them and hold off the adventure until the second meeting.

If you can't do that, use pregenerated characters instead.

I definitely disagree with this. When players have made their PCs they are all excited and want to play - use that energy. If you have 3 hours, PC creation shouldn't take more than half that. Use the rest to start playing, run at least one moderately challenging encounter and get the players enthusiastic for next time.

 

[S'mon]

Kind of scattershotting, but curious if expanding 5E to cover modern or even ultra-tech settings is feasible (or worth doing)?

There are brief notes in the 5e DMG about renaissance, modern and sf technology.

It will work ok for a magical universe but 5e is a very high magic game and only a few classes & paths lack explicit magic. So you could potentially use it for 'urban fantasy' in the modern world, or futuristic science fantasy a la Starfinder, but it's not very suitable for a low magic (eg Pulp Cthulu) or no magic (eg Action Movie) type setting.

It also assumes a limited skill set so you'd have to decide what to do re computer use, starship navigation et al. Probably best to give everyone a couple more skill proficiencies and have some new skills - drive/pilot/navigate/gunnery/computers et al.

 

[Mort]

One of the best things about running D&D again... I get to drag out those beautiful dice. I still have my first d20. It's closer to a marble than a polyhedral at this point (but I still roll it at conventions whenever I'm allowed to).

Yeah, I have to say, I enjoy GURPS (though I only get to play it about once a year, usually at Gencon), but I just don't find rolling 3d6 all the time nearly as satisfying as rolling all the various sided dice during a D&D session!

 

[pogre]

With the other posts here - you have a good handle on how to approach the 5e rules. You are a GM and those skills from GURPs GMing will carry over very well. Have fun and have some XP.