D&D 5E please post advice for novice DM like myself

[bigdilf]

I just ran my first dnd one shot campaign last night and caught myself being overwhelmed by the unpredictability of some of my fellow PC’s actions. Is there any advice that can be shared for moments that you didn’t quite prepare for? Advice on other DM topics is much appreciated as well.

 

[not-so-newguy]

You're probably going get some great advice from folks that are better DMs than me. I'll just say this; the players do something unplanned or unexpected in every session I have ever ran. I try to focus on the logical consequences of their actions and let the dice sort things out.

 

[iserith]

What are some examples of what they did that you found unpredictable?

In general, I find a good approach when you're caught off-guard is to make sure you understand what the player is trying to achieve and how the character is going about that so that you're on the same page. Sometimes you may find that they are doing something unusual because they don't understand something about the situation and you can adjust. But also invite the player to imagine what happens if the character fails. If it makes sense, use their suggestion!

If you find that the things they are doing are taking them outside of the framework of the content you created, it helps to let them know upfront what the game is about specifically and make clear their goals. This is particularly true of a one-shot in my view. That way they can make sure they stay on track. If there's a plot they should be following, clearly signposting where to go next is key. But I find it's easier to just present a location to be explored and let them do as they please in that location.

 

[shadowoflameth]

Have a session zero. As an example adding notes for one of mine. Not saying that you have to play my way, but you should have a session where before you play at all, expectations are discussed, rules are laid down etc. Most of the really bad mishaps can be avoided this way.

 

[Charlaquin]

You want to prepare for the unexpected. Think about what tools you need to be able to generate content on the fly when the players inevitably take things in a direction you couldn’t have predicted. Personally, I find random tables great for this, and spend a lot of my prep time creating such tables so I can quickly spin up some encounters, locations, or characters whenever I need. Some folks are less keen on the randomization and prefer to rely on improvisation, which is another valid way to go. Either way, I’d say it’s generally more valuable to spend your time preparing for what to do when things don’t go the way you expect than on what to do when things do go the way you expect.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Crush your enemies
See them driven before you
And hear the lamentation of their women

 

[bigdilf]

Have a session zero. As an example adding notes for one of mine. Not saying that you have to play my way, but you should have a session where before you play at all, expectations are discussed, rules are laid down etc. Most of the really bad mishaps can be avoided this way.

I appreciate the pdf! I will definitely include some of those rules in future campaigns

 

[R_J_K75]

I just ran my first dnd one shot campaign last night

We all started out green DMing at one point and all found ourselves caught off guard by one thing or another. Just keep at it and you'll only get better. If your players give you constructive criticism, take it and learn from your mistakes.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Players are always going to do stuff that is unexpected. The question is does what they are doing make sense in the context of what is supposed to be happening. If not seek clarification, because it is often the case when the players actions do not seem to make sense that there is a misunderstanding between you and them.
If you are running a published adventure and they are going off the published path. Remind them, out of any character that you are new to this, that they agreed to play a published adventure and would they kindly get back on the cho cho train or if they want to continue with this path, what is their goal and you will have something ready next week.
You can do the same thing if you are creating your own materials and they have wandered outside the scope of what you have prepared.
Tell them you will endeavour to do better in the future.
Random table can help as can some precanned encounters that you can plop down to pass the time and cover the fact that you were not ready for this. A couple linked encounters that have no given location or real plot function, It does not have to be a combat encounter. They can meet Farmer Maggot and be invited to tea and he has some gossip that leads them back to the place you want them to be.
I would highly recommend "The Lazy Dungeon Master" and "The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master" by Mike Shea (aka Sly Flourish)

One More thing that I have noticed newbie DMs do is impart information that should be imperatives from local authority figures as something more vague where the party feel that they should be more proactive.
For instance I am playing in the new Dragonlance adventure where the start is a very hard railroad.
The DM gave us the impression that we had to choose a course of action regarding the ambush we encountered on the road to the starting town. When he should have said "Look there are no professional troops available and everyone is out at the funeral, preparing for the festival or keeping order in the town. Why don't you lot attend the reenactment tomorrow and get to know the local militiamen, we can meet up the day after and discuss options."

Don't bury the lead, do not give options if there are none and do not spend too much time describing the furniture if the furniture is not important but the painting over the fireplace is.
The player will pick up on what you appear to give emphasis to and this might lead in directions that you did not intend. With experience you will be able to roll with it.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Read up on improv to get used to reacting quickly to new fiction?