Advice for 1st time DM... post your dming anecdotes

[Raduin_Nimblegrund]

May be DM'ing for the fist time i a few months. Haven't done much to prepare for it other than come up with several campaign ideas that I cannot decide between. =] Where do you start? What do you do to prepare? what sort of campaign should a beginning dm run. Thanks.

 

[Nellisir]

Run something that interests you, and is simple. Just worry about the first adventure or two, not the whole campaign. Likewise, don't detail continents and planets; presumably the party will start in a town, and perhaps venture in to the countryside. Identify a few key NPCs (priests, alchemists, rogues) and make a note of their personalities and quirks (don't waste alot of time on NPCs that won't interact with the PCs -- if the high priest doesn't take visitors and doesn't talk to anyone, you don't need stats for him right away...).

I've run a number of campaigns, and always start things off with a simple dungeoncrawl "shakedown" adventure. Put in a variety of challenges to allow the various classes to shine (undead, locks, traps, brute force monsters, magical scrolls & writing), but be ready to modify it if the party ends up differently than you expect it (no clerics; all rangers, druids, & barbarians; two bards and no wizards or sorcerers...). IT IS OK to tell players they can't play drow, or druids, or use rapiers if it doesn't suit the mood you want (but be prepared for whining, particularly on behalf of the rapier...)

Good Luck!
Nell.

 

[qstor]

Download the 3e converted adventure from Eric Noah's Wb site, use an adventure from Dungeon or a free adventure from the WOTC site. Those should be a good start for adventures. There are at least 6 free adventures on the WOTC site so you should be good for a while!

Mike

 

[RavenSinger]

I just started running a campaign for the first time as well. And I can say for sure that Nelli's advice is quite good. The main thing is to spend time making things that you will use. Don't try to create the whole world at once. Start with where the PC's meet. I started my PC's in a rural farming community, and I would reccomend something small. If you really want to start in a large city, you only have to have a general idea of the various neighborhoods in the beginning--and more specific ideas about the neighborhood in which the adventure starts.

Another piece of advice is to definately start with some sort of dungeon (or location-based) adventure. This allows you to control your PC's a lot more easily. And if you are short on time, buy a module that appeals to you and run it. When I started, I went out and bought "The Sunless Citadel" from WOTC. I never used the adventure, but reading it showed me how a well crafted dungeon should work. A variety of encounters centered around a theme. Mix it up so all players have a chance to shine.

The final piece of advice is more for world building and campaign building than just starting out. That is *use your players' good ideas*. Listen too your players, and hear what they think is going on. It may be way better than what you had originally planned. Another way to do this is require all players to submit some sort of background. Not only does it help the player solidify the character-idea in their mind (and yours), you can also use any plot hooks that are supplied there. Your fighter has a wealthy uncle? What if his wife gets kidnapped by hobgoblins. Your cleric is an orphan? What if his parents come back as undead.

Anyway, the main thing is to have fun--always. If it's not fun then stop. It's not worth all the work.

--RavenSinger

 

[Raduin_Nimblegrund]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone. I've had some more grandiose campaign ideas, but perhaps it would be better to start off with an adventure or two to get things rolling, and see where I can take it from there. =]

Ill be sure to look into some of those downloads too. Thanks!

 

[Old One]

Start Small...

Raduin -

I have been DMing for 20+ years and I agree with the comments made so far. To these, I would add:

(1) Read Dungeoncraft: Particularly the first 10 installments. Excellent advice for the beginning DM. You can find it Here

(2) Start Small: Pick a small, out-of-the way village that is geographically seperated from the closest larger city or town. Use winter floods, a deadly swamp or dangerous forest to isolate the town and keep the PCs from wandering too far afield until you have a chance to work on other areas. Populate the village with the bare essentials - tavern, church, general store - and 10 or so interesting NPCs that can be mentors, political figures or even rivals of the PCs.

(3) Let the Players Help You: Give the players 2-3 paragraphs briefly describing the area and its history before they create their PCs. Ask them to include 2-3 plot hooks or ideas in their backgrounds (feel free to disallow any that are too crazy). These hooks can be great for helping your campaign to breath and grow.

(4) It's OK to Say "No": Feel free to restrict classes, races, spells or alignments. Players will often want to play something exotic or bring in spells, equipment or magic items from sources you don't have or don't plan to use. It's fine to limit the campaign to just the Core Rules initially, then bring other elements in when you feel comfortable. Likewise, it is OK to disallow prestige classes or only use those you feel comfortable with. In fact, too many choices can quickly lead to an out-of-control game, especially for a beginning DM.

(5) Allow the Players 2-3 Sessions to "Finalize" their PCs: If most of your players are new, they might not have a good grasp of game mechanics when you start playing. Allow them to swap out feats, skills and/or spells (for wizards, bards and sorcerers) - subject to your approval - after the first session or two. Make it clear the the PCs are "finalized" at the end of the 3rd session.

(6) Run a "Practice Session": Before actually starting play, have a session where you run "arena" type combats where you pit the party against a variety of enemies and against each other. This will allow them to get comfortable with thier PCs skills and abilities without it being "Do or Die"!

(7) Have a Secret or Two for Everything: Put a secret or two in place for each of your major campaign elements...some kind of little twist in the plot!

Have fun!

~ Old One

 

[Raduin_Nimblegrund]

Thanks for the link. I'm looking through Dungeoncraft as well.

The players are all more experienced than I am, though they seem to think I'll do well.

 

[adndgamer]

Just have to say: Old One, you kick serious ass and take names!