First and foremost, be kind to yourself. D&D is a game, and should be fun for everyone including the GM.
Don't stress. Normal people will be understanding that you're new to GMing. And they will appreciate someone willing to take that roll.
On the practical side, I always read through the...
Well, of course they aren't going to say that it's about the money.
But, in business, money is always the primary consideration.
Even people with a YT channel are concerned about money (if it's their primary source of income), right?
About 10 years ago, I joined a game where the DM literally dropped the Players Handbook in front of a newbie and stood there with his arms crossed as the newbie read it.
That's definitely an issue. I can't believe they stuffed a large monster in a 3x3 room on the second level (trying to avoid spoilers).
That really limits tactics.
There are abilities though that depend on the battlefield conditions, or other factors that may occur infrequently.
And if you don't see those conditions, after a while, people get into the "roll to hit" mode instead of being on constant alert for that one occasion when the planets are aligned...
People who are disengaged are likely disengaged regardless of the game.
There is a lot to remember in DS, and adults with limited time are not going to pick it up right away. That doesn't mean that they are disengaged.
If it's not tied to skills, then you just roll 2d10 without any adjustments?
OK, the way it was explained to me is that the Patience score started at 4, and the success started at one, and we had to roll successfully to increase the success rating (to 4) before the patience rating dropped to 1...
I suggested using intimidate and presence (the only ones that I could justify), but the Directors said it would default to a negative outcome without a roll. Two other players had ideas, and I forget what they used, but after that, no one could figure out what to do.
There were no walls, no...