Any tips/tricks for a new D&D DM?

[Imperialus]

Run something small and simple, but with plenty of player choice. Old school dungeons are perfect for this - I recommend Dyson's Delve https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/maps/dysons-delve/ or many of the One Page Dungeon contest entries. These bare bones adventures are good for developing important GM skills such as adding your own ideas to published material, while Dyson's maps give plenty of room for choices in exploration.

The classic & best starting point is a simple 'home base' area such as a village or (for SF) a frontier starport, plus an adventure site nearby such as a dungeon or ruin. This creates a natural play dynamic that is easy to run and can support long term play. The home base can have minimal detail, but a few friendly NPCs with one-line personalities is a good minimum to make it feel alive.

I second this. Keep the 'world' small, at least at first. A small home base with a few named NPC's that the characters can get to know that is no more than a day's travel to and from the dungeon they are starting in is perfect. There is a reason that B2, Keep on the Borderlands remains one of the most iconic Dungeons and Dragons adventures ever written even though it is like 40 years old now. I'm almost totally unfamiliar with the current edition of D&D but I understand that there is a 'basic' version of it upon which you can bolt all kinds of complexity. I'd suggest doing just that. Stick to the basic rules. Expand out as you go.

Whatever you do, try to avoid doing some massive Final Fantasy/Bioware/Wheel of Time "chosen one" epic plotline from the get-go. First of all, it'll be totally overwhelming. You'll be trying to figure out how to infodump all sorts of stuff on your players and they'll be trying to keep your b-list fantasy doorstopper straight in their heads. Second, what happens if the 'chosen one' dies? Keep the goals simple. Kill the Kobold king who's raiding the road, that sort of stuff.

 

[LordEntrails]

All good advice, check out this link for more resources; http://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?36014-GM-Advice

 

[MNblockhead]

The Adventurer's League "In Volo's Wake" series which you can get from the DM's Guild are good adventures to get players started. But the time you are done the players will be around 5th level and you should be more comfortable. Then move to an AP like Curse of Straud. Starting with published adventures makes prep easier. It is easy to focus so much time on building your world and writing adventures that you forget to actually prepare for game day.

Of the APs, I thing Curse of Straud is good because it is more contained. You don't have to worry about the entire Sword Coast. Also, you don't have gaps to be filled like some of the other APs.

 

[edhel]

Lots of good advice here: http://thealexandrian.net/gamemastery-101

I disagree with Critical Role being a good model for GMing - it's more aimed to entertain the audience.

 

[Campbell]

Hold on lightly. Don't try to manage the game. Come up with an interesting scenario or dungeon if you are playing D&D, let the players make decisions for their characters, and let things snowball from there.

 

[CydKnight]

I am a fairly new DM myself having become one by default about 6 months ago. Either no one else wanted to do it or the ones that did were probably not going to do so long term for one reason or another.

Some say the best man for the job is often the one that does not want it. Why? Because they know what the job entails to do it right and they either fear the potential failures or they simply do not want to do the work. For me it was a bit of both. Once I got into it, I embraced it and now love being a DM though I still also sometimes just want to be a player. Here are a few things I have learned so far:

1. Embrace the role. If you do not fully embrace being a DM your game will have shortcomings and the players will notice. If you are going to do it be all in.
2. Preparation is key. Right now I would say that I spend nearly twice as much time preparing for a game session than the time spent actually playing. This may not be true for more experienced DMs but in the beginning you will find yourself having to familiarize yourself with pages of manuals you previously didn't have to know as a player.
3. Be as organized as you can be. This can help your game run smoother. It's no fun for players to wait several minutes between actions while you are sorting through a jumble of paper, manuals, etc. searching for a single rule clarification.
4. Cheat sheets can and will be your friend but only if it is useful information and you are familiar enough with them to access the information quickly.
5. Let the players be the characters they want to play. Set limitations for them if absolutely necessary but allow them to stretch the rules of character creation if they seem highly enthusiastic about their vision of that character.
6. You absolutely must establish ground rules before the first game session begins. This includes how dice rolls are to be made, metagaming, common courtesy, etc. If you think it may be an issue, then address it with the group. It's much easier to establish what's acceptable or not acceptable before an incident occurs.
7. Be flexible. I try to default any 50/50 interpretations to the players. I will almost always give them the benefit of the doubt unless I can make a strong case against it in the rules as written or a pre-established house rule. Some players will not respond well to a DM they feel is being a tyrant and I often see the players police themselves on some things.
8. Know the campaign material. If you don't know the material, then delay or skip the game session. If you buy a campaign module, Do Not open it for the first time at the game table and expect to have a smooth running campaign. You will not. Players often will get very anxious and disengage from the game mentally if they are waiting even a few minutes for you to sort through a page or two of the story. It is also more likely that you will make a mistake like revealing something vital that should be discovered through game play. If you are running a Homebrew (custom created) campaign, don't try to create it as you go at the game table. It's a recipe for uninspired players.
9. Take notes. If you are forgetful like me you will sometimes have a hard time remembering what happened in the last game session and how to proceed with the next one.
10 Have fun. If it's work for you then you shouldn't do it. To many the preparation required to make a game run fun and smooth is tedious work that isn't very fun. I have come to enjoy this aspect and no longer view it as work. It is fun to run through potential scenarios and paths your characters might take and planning accordingly. It is fun for me to plan more challenging encounters tailored to the player's strengths and weakness after becoming familiar with their play style.

 

[Imaculata]

1. A session 0 helps get you and your players get on the same page. It also helps if everyone is together when they make their characters. And ask them not to make evil characters. Be clear about what you expect of them as players.

2. Prepare! Have town names, npc names, and details ready.

3. Learn by running a pre-made module.

4. As said by other posters, start small.

5. Make sure you are familiar with the monsters you are about to run, and don't have to look up their abilities during play. You can print out a copy of the monsters and have them at the ready.

6. Be familiar with the basic rules of combat and ability checks.

7. You don't need miniatures, but often some maps, and simple pawns, can help illustrate certain scenes. Especially when combat is involved.

8. Keep a record of all the characters and places you introduce in your campaign.

9. It is better to say "Yes... and", then to say "No, you can't", when a player wants to do something.

10. A regional map, helps with getting the players into the game. It is a thing that both you and your players will often be able to refer to. I highly encourage it. But don't fall into the trap of making it too big. Start small.

 

[jasper]

If you are doing Adventure League A title card is nice for the group. Ex Tales of Yawning Portal, Sunless Citadeal DCI 1234456789 Jasper. Xp blank Gp black. Renown 1. Order of Ice cream +1 if brings mint chocolate to dm, Story Award Kobolds know your name. Magic item +5 unholy Avenger.
Correct your mistakes ASAP but only do major recons. Ex. Sorry guys you should only taken 5d10 last night instead of 10d10. Jasper you were not killed last week. Here is you gp back.