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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Look_a_Unicorn" data-source="post: 1803021" data-attributes="member: 11886">All of these replies are great! And as expected, they've reminded me of obvious things I'd forgotten <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />.If I had to pick out the ones that I'd make absolutely certainly sure a new DM was aware of (other than mine, because I am smrt), I think I'd go with:"4) Don't let it get personal: Too often, DM's start to see their relationship with the players as adversarial. You are the DM -- you can always defeat the party. There's no challenge in that.""6) Don't play favorites. Nothing can kill a game faster than a DM who capriciously favors one player over the others""9) Let the players play. Don't say no to their cool ideas, say yes but just make it difficult if its a difficult manuveur. Reward creativity and enthuisism. It can be contagious and bring the other players into the game even more.""12) Figure out the major story of the campaign, then break it down into workable chunks. Try writing your campaign like a TV series. All this can help keep the campaign cohesive, make writing it much easier, and keep the action flowing at a good pace."-- And in case your thinking "how can I write sequential scenes like a series, but also not railroad?" my answer would be-- the NEXT scene is a "level-up" above from the area the PC's are currently investigating. They can solve the current "scene" in whatever manner takes their fancy... but they also hear the townsfolk talking about rumours of a dire prophecy spoken mid-sermon, or they see that the Prince has mapped an enemy strike force on a map that he gruffly tells them "Is not today's problem"... ie hints for the next 3 possible scenes in the current one, and clues divulged that show links to one of the other things going on in the campaign world."13) Don't get bogged down by over using miniatures... Miniatures should not become a burden or take the place of good roleplaying or having an imagination.""Never PLAN to capture the party"-- Oh GOD YES. One DM made it literally impossible to not be captured by a bunch of guards. They were uber-knockout-ninjas... as 1st level town guards."Never strip-search or violate the PCs after you capture them"!!! Definitely! Remember, the threat of what "The Master" will do to them can be lewdly divulged by an ugly guard... but like all good fantasy, the heroes will escape before The Master arrives.. or if he does, he'll only have time to gloat a bit before being called away on urgent business.Just accept your NPC's will have to display possibly uncharacteristic stupidity whenever the PC's are captured, if you can't find an alternative manner to help them "realistically" free themselves (like an unknown ally on the inside...) accept that if the game was wholely realistic the PC's wouldn't get beyond 1st level. Ever. Similarly, how is it that the fighter who does nothing but kill things is a better Armourer than the guy who's spent the last 200 years doing nothing but Armouring (he's a Dwarf)."2) Cheaply won victories do nothing for the game. ...They may think they want a vorpal sword and that is what will make the game fun. But if you just hand that over it will not be appreciated and ultimately cause dissatisfaction. The same can be said about all aspects of the game. It is the toughest victories that will stay with the characters and, more importantly, the players.""3) Less is more. If every encounter is tooth and nail down to the wire, they will become boring and lose their significance."Yeah! Send some fodder the PC's way once in a while. Maybe to slow them down, maybe to distract them. But let them be proud of their funky new abilities!"Having necromancy use a series of named bells was a huge ripoff in a short game I ran, but it certainly made things a lot more interesting."Is this referring to the Abhortion Trilogy?And ALWAYS Remember these 3 principles!!"1) Remember, it's you versus the players. If you kill them, you win; if they kill every creature in the Monster Manual, they win. I prefer to go through the book alphabetically.""2) It's your story, make sure you tell it your way. Don't let the players get sidetracked -- after all, do you really think a spur-of-the-moment voyage with the pirates you threw in for flavor is really going to play better than the dungeon you spent all yesterday afternoon planning? When in doubt, use cutscenes: Everybody loves movies!""3) Sex sells, so use it early, and often. Should one of your players refuse to act out the striptease that your mind flayer has suggested, respond with accusations of bad roleplaying and throw dice at them.Aim for the eyes; they are soft and easily injured."Sidenote: If underneath a table, groins can be easily kicked if you think the halfling player's voice should be a bit higher.but seriously, there's more good stuff <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />"2. Don't be afraid to steal ideas. There are few original ideas left in the world. The DM should focus more weaving the different ideas into a compelling whole rather than trying to come up with everything alone.""3. Be fair. Don't arbitrarily hurt or kill the PCs. Fudge the dice only when really necessary."Cheers to everyone who put their thoughts down! Though I think a lot of it might be for those DM's who have leveled up beyond "newbie" <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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