advice for a newbie DM?

[dreaded_beast]

Thanks for the nod Rel

Here is a link to the a useful thread that I peruse every so often:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?threadid=47525

The thread contains a list of DM question threads that have been brought up in the past.

For myself, I find that preparation is key. I try to read over my notes before the session and think about the adventure whenever I have some free time.

I'm trying to get into the habit of keeping a campaign journal: a short story of all the major events that happened during that session. At the end of the journal, I make a small list of experience points earned.

I discover that once the game has been started, there are certain rules that always come up or that you may be unsure of. For myself, it was rules for overland movement; travelling from place to place. Once I discovered what rules were giving me problems, I focused on learning those rules better.

Some of the best advice that I have been given so far is a rule question comes up, don't worry so much about it in the beginning, just come up with a reasonable roll (ex: think up a reasonable DC and pick a corressponding skill) and then go with it for the time being. I've spent a few game sessions wasting time trying to look up a rule for completing a simple task that has no real bearing on the outcome of the adventure.

Hope this helps and I'll be sure to stop by this thread to get some more advice for myself.

 

[MerakSpielman]

For myself, I find that preparation is key. I try to read over my notes before the session and think about the adventure whenever I have some free time.

Yes, but keep in mind that you don't have to be so well prepared that you've essentially produced a module. My first 3.0 dungeon was like this - ten pages of exquisitely drawn maps (I swear I used a compass to precicely draw the diameter of a Hallow spell), twenty pages of notes, with everything from search DCs to monster stats to possible results of improbable actions...

Preparation IS key, but overpreparation can burn you out like nothing else. My dungeon maps evolved into more streamlined maps with lots of scribbled notes in the margins and a sheaf of monster stats (since I love making stat blocks I rarely use anything stock out of the MM). You have to know the site for the adventure inside and out - but if you create it on your own, a lot of it is just in your head. You know how the place works, how it's put together, and why things are the way they are already. You don't need to write it all down unless it's so complicated you might forget it (which generally means you've put more thought into it than the PCs will ever discover, so you're creating extra work for yourself and only yourself).

Also, keep a map file. If you expect your PCs to explore a temple of Lloth, and they do something else, don't trash it. Stick it in your file as a "evil temple" that you can pull out and use at a moments notice. I'm collecting quite an archive of maps like this, or ones I downloaded, or saw in a book somewhere. Your players think you're uber-prepared when you have a detailed map/adventure lined up when they could have sworn they were going off the beaten path and were forcing you to ad-lib.


Another bit of advice (and this is a matter of personal opinion): Develop a poker face. Don't let the players know they're confusing or surprising you. If you need some time to think, say "Just a moment," roll some dice, take some notes, and take your time to think of what is going to happen. Suspense is your friend, as long as it's not overdone.

Also, learn to use adjectives and adverbs. These can be easily overused in fiction writing, but they add great depth to settings you're describing. Combine them with useless "dungeon dressing." Your empty thirty-by-thirty foot room becomes "A broad, square chamber, the walls of which are lined with the tatters remains of old tapestrys hanging from rusted iron bars set in the stone. A faint draft of fresh air issues from a small hole in the ceiling, where you catch a glimpse of starlight. A small puddle of crystal-clear water has formed directly under the hole." A dungeon with only seven rooms becomes more interesting than a dungeon of thirty rooms, if they're all well-described. With a bit of practice, you can come up with these descriptions on the fly, too.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I second the thread:
http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?threadid=47525

So many helpful tips.

 

[Janx]

Don't make more than you need. If you have no PCs that are religion based (ie. paladin, druid, ranger), don't go beyond naming the gods and having a short paragraph about religion. Invent it when you need it.

We use spare dice to order ourselves for initiative. We just line them up and its your turn when I get to your die.

Miniatures are very handy for combat. Much of the feats rely on them. Just get something simple (coins, blocks of wood, re-used minis, or even paper tokens) and get yourself a battle-mat, be it paper or otherwise. Monte Cook's site has a good article on DMing 3e without minis which is also good to review.

Some Basic DCs are good for adlibbing rules.
DC 10 = really easy
DC15 = tricky
DC 20 = tough
DC 25 = really hard

The above should get you buy with low-levels, until you get more familiar with specific rules. In general, they all follow that scale.

Don't tell the Players what they're fighting. Let them figure it out or guess. Even better, is to change the description on them. Never say "3 orcs attack you." Instead say, "three large brutish men with grey skin rush at you with axes drawn"
The players will never know if they're Orcs, or if you made a new race. In fact, I often make up new races by renaming existing ones. This re-asserts the newness of the world, in that the players don't know what everything is.

In the beginning, stick to the suggested CRs, until you get a feel for the balance. A good rule of thumb is add up the party's total levels, then divide by 4. This gives you the CR of what should use 1/5th of their resources. This is an average. In theory, 5 encounters at that CR in a row will kill the entire party. If you wanted 5 combat encounters total, try 2 <CR, 2 at CR and 1 CR+1 encounter for the big bad guy. Its tough at 1st level, since there are few encounters you can make under CR1.

Good luck!
Janx

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Watch out for other DMs playing in your game. They have a tendency to be the worst players in that they think they know the rules better and are always trying to "help" you and might end up imposing stuff on you that you do not think is appropriate to your game (I have to admit, I am too often guilty of this).

On the other hand, if you are in a group that has been playing with a different DM, make sure everyone understands where you will be doing things differently from the previous DM.