1st-Time DM Advice.

[zalgar07]

Hey guys...my friends are having a mini-convention at our college and I volunteered to run a few dungeon crawls (everyone else is running more roleplaying-heavy stuff). I'm really excited, but since this is my 1st time I'm not entirely sure how to go about things.

Fortunately I've some good role models so I'll try to GM a bit like them with my own brand of humor inserted. Beyond that, anyone know any good free online low-level dungeons? I'm especially looking for ones with particularly creative obstacles for the PCs that could require more than simple combat - some dangerous things that require creativity and cooperation to overcome...suggestions?

 

[Mark]

Chcek the wizrds.com website and also look into the RPGA as a source for free adventures.

 

[Ulrick]

1st: At what college? ISU?

2nd: You might want to try the WotC website.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
There's a few low-level ones on there. But I've never played through one.

Since it's your first time, chose something that has a simple plot/storyline.

I also recommend that you write up a dungeon of your own. That way, you don't run the risk of players at the convention knowing the adventure.

 

[Stormborn]

1st: At what college? ISU?

2nd: You might want to try the WotC website.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
There's a few low-level ones on there. But I've never played through one.

Since it's your first time, chose something that has a simple plot/storyline.

I also recommend that you write up a dungeon of your own. That way, you don't run the risk of players at the convention knowing the adventure.

Let me add another reason you might want to make your own: you will know it. When i first started DMing i had trouble keeping everything in a module straight. I foudn it easier to take the time to make my own rather than try and learn someone elses' adventure.

Dungeon crawls are fairly easy in that regard once you understnad EL and CR you can just find 4-5 appropriate challanges for the party of a level you want and and stick them in a map. WotC has lots of those on their site as well.

Take a look at some of the free adventures or some from Dungeon and steal the parts you like. Even when I have rigged together pieces of other adventures i found it easier to run than a whole one doen by someone else. But that may just be me, YMMV.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Follow the KISS method - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Do not go for big twists and turns and mulitple layers of plot in your adventure. Keep things simple and spice it up with some cool/fun NPCs.

For DMing - be prepared and be organized. Have all your monster & NPC info readily available. If it is a dungeon crawl, try to come up with an initial reaction for each room of monsters.

 

[focallength]

I agree do not go for something over your head (dont try to copy lord of the rings for your first adventure) Keep it simple, a homlet routinely attacked by goblins and the pcs come just after their last attack. Something simple like that. As for the players tell them its your first time (aawww..... ) and that you most likely will be fairly nervous and will make a few mistakes, so to have a little patience.

 

[Fieari]

I definitely reccomend making your own, esspecially for a convention game, ESSPECIALLY for a first time DM. Here's a recipe book for you to use. It's cliched, but that's what makes it so great for a first time game, actually.

Think of a cool toy. A magic item. A McGuffin. Something that PCs would want.

Think of a guardian for that magic item. This guardian should be more powerful than the PCs, but still defeatable. Something that will give the PCs a good challenge.

Think of a puzzle. For puzzle making, don't concentrate on the puzzle aspect, make up the solution. Say the solution is "Go to point A, then point B, then point C". Now giving the PCs a reason to do that is simple. Could be anything. Perhaps you need three keys (the DooM route) or perhaps you're tracking something, or maybe you need three mini-McGuffins that will give you a fighting chance against BBEG (maybe make the BBEG a largish red dragon, then have the mini-McGuffin give you fire resistance and immunity to fear and some bonuses to get through all that armor). Something. Just come up with the solution to the puzzle before you come up with the puzzle.

Now draw a map. Since you've already thought up a puzzle, you probably already have a good idea how your map should look.

Now put monsters in. Monsters should probably guard all the key locations of your map... the puzzle answers, crossroads, that sort of thing.

Think of a finale. This could be the recovery of the big McGuffin... or it could be what happens afterwards.

Now you have a nice little dungeon you made yourself! You know everything about this dungeon, you can modify it on the fly, it is YOURS and yours to command.


Here's an example I came up with in these few moments...

Party ECL: 5
McGuffin: Ring of Three Wishes (cliche'd, but thats what we're going for)
Guardian: Clay Guardian (CR10, ouch!)

Puzzle Reward: Amulet of Magic Penetration (made up item that enables the bearer to ignore spell resistance/immunity) and an Adamantine Sword (maybe more than one)

Puzzle Solution: Talk to NPC1, Go to location A and retrieve thing Z, give thing Z to NPC2, go to location B and meet NPC3, goto location C and kill Monster D

Finale: On touching the ring, the dungeon starts to collapse as Animate Object is cast on all the carved support pillars of the dungeons. (The support pillars are carved to look like people... ancient kings perhaps. They come to life (use animated object stats) and the roof starts caving in, AND THEY START FIGHTING THE PCs!)

You can use that as a starting point if you like. If not, I'm sure you can come up with something that suits your needs just fine. It isn't hard at all, and it's very rewarding.

 

[Timeboxer]

For a first-time GM, I have to admit that the best advice I can offer is to read the Player's Handbook from cover to cover, if you haven't done it already. Really.

One of the mistakes I made as a first-time GM was not having a good grasp on what my players could and couldn't do, and I look back on my older games and cringe.

 

[Jdvn1]

At the same time, try not to get bogged down by rules. Your primary objective is to make sure you and your players have fun. When you make rulings think, "What would be really cool, right here, if I were a player?"

Enjoy the story.

 

[Timeboxer]

I have to admit that I agree with -- Piratecat, I think? Who said that the job of the GM is to determine the answer to the question, "What is the coolest thing that can possibly happen at this very moment?"