d20 Modern - First time DMing - Any tips?

[thud13x]

Good Day,

After playing for 14 years, I have finally decided to try my hand at DMing. Since my wife is trying to get into gaming more, and for some bizarre reason, wants to play in a more modern game, we both decided to give d20 Modern a try.

I have the read the book backwards and forwards and have some good ideas down. However, I just feel a bit unprepared. Is the DM section in the d20 Modern book enough or is there something else I could use to help me out?

Thanks,

Nik

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think the GM section is mostly adequate. It does miss out on a few things, such as NPC design and encounter design (some parts of that).

IME the hardest part is teaching players how to create characters. The classes are very flexible but they don't hold your hand, so they'll need your help.

Do yourself a favor and make sure the players know each other beforehand, and of course you need to make sure they're not scared of everything plus the cops. (I would suggest starting at 3rd-level so they're not totally afraid of combat and making the police force a bit inept.)

And finally, don't run a pretentious game (one that your players would consider pretentious). In DnD, combat is very common and a big part of the storyline. However, a lot of D20 Modern GMs seem to think D20 Modern is the anti-DnD, and try to remove combat or any other DnDisms from it. I'm sort of that way - I'm glad D20 Modern isn't bloated, inflexible and over-dependent on equipment like in DnD, but that doesn't mean I'll throw out DnD's fun side, too.

If you're running a game with FX, I strongly suggest you toss Shadow out the window.

I don't know what else to tell you. You'll have to tell us what you specifically feel unprepared about.

 

[takyris]

Is this your first game as a GM/DM, period, or your first d20 Modern experience?

If it's your first time period, just try to have fun. Set up a decent problem and, if you have time and ability, try to imagine (and allow for) three different ways the players might try to solve it. For example, your big problem could be a drug lord who wants to kill a friend of the PCs before said friend could testify. The PCs have to keep the friend alive, dodging hit men and assassination attempts, and figure out what to do about the drug lord. The three solutions could be:

1) Storm the drug lord's place and take him down before he can kill the friend -- the combat-heavy approach, although they'll use skills to plan, investigate the area beforehand, and so forth. It coudl be a stealthy ninja attack on him, or it could be a kick-in-the-door gunfest.

2) Run away with the friend and play Hide and Seek until the trial -- this would be the skills-heavy approach. Of course, with this approach, you'd have to counter their plans with secret informants giving the drug lord the friend's new location, mischance revealing the friend publically in new locations, and so forth. Otherwise, things get dull. And dull is bad.

3) Negotiate with the police and the drug lord. This option might pop up in new gamers, who don't know the "rule" that you're supposed to do everything on your own and solve all problems through violence. But if you're flexible, it's possible that the drug lord could be talked out of putting the hit on their friend if the PCs can prove that the drug lord isn't guilty with other evidence (and hey, maybe he's not guilty, and it's actually a corrupt cop or rival gang leader trying to set the drug lord up on the charges they do have on him -- he is a drug lord, but he never killed those kids, and killing the kids is what the friend thought he saw, and what he's being charged with). Or, in another scenario, the PCs might agree to stop their friend from testifying while secretly working to convict the drug lord with other evidence of their own -- a double cross from the other side.

These are pretty involved. It can be simpler, of course, like "Get into this room and get this file," which can be done by fighting the guards, sneaking past the guards, or talking your way past the guards -- and those are the three options.

If you've DMed before and this is your first Modern experience, my advice is to use the real world. You're not in a hotel -- you're in a Motel 6, and your players will be suggesting things like going to the ice maker or taking cover from gunfire behind those little indentations they put in the walls so as to break the monotony of the hallway... Real-world touches make the Modern games fun in a different way for players.

Good luck!

 

[ragboy]

An approach I took with a new Modern group (d20 Modern with a side of Spycraft) was to just drop them in a situation that seemed pretty freakin' hopeless and let them figure their way out of it with the skills/equipment they have.

The adventure starts with their helicopter getting shot down in a remote area by a rebel group that mistakes them for someone else. With just the equipment they brought with them, they had to make it to a friendly area, evading/defeating their attackers. That gives the players the opportunity to 'craft the game' the way they want to play it. They can use skills to escape and evade with a couple of 'hot encounters' to keep them moving, or they can track down and destroy their attackers, or some happy medium.

After the initial shock, the scenario went off nicely and everyone was 'into' the Modern ideal after that.

This is also one of the things I really like about Modern games. It's easier to create an 'episodic' campaign, for some reason. Maybe people tend to accept a more TV series mentality with the Modern genre...

 

[thud13x]

takyris,

Thank you for the suggestion. This is my first time DMing period.

(Psi)SeveredHead,

Like most gamers, I have imagination out the ying-yang. But like with my writing (or attempted writing), I just have a hard time putting it all down. That and getting ready to keep track of all the rules, etc., is just a tad intimidating.

I have wanted to DM for a while now, so I relish the opportunity. I only have the core d20 Modern book. Are there any other resources that could be recommended? I know where to find all the D&D ones but have not seen many adventures, modules, etc. for d20 Modern.

Nik

 

[barsoomcore]

The d20 Modern site on Wizards' website has lots of great material -- free adventures and stuff to help you out.

My online Modern SRD might come in handy, too:

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/modern/roarerbull/Home.php

RPG Objects has lots of great d20 Modern stuff:

http://www.rpgobjects.com

Including Modern Dispatch, which provides all kinds of wee little items for a very reasonable price:

http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?page=dispatch

And if you're looking to run a chase scene or three, let me humbly suggest my hot-off-the-presses Hot Pursuit: The Definitive d20 Guide to Chases -- chock full of chase scene goodness.

Character creation can be a pain especially with inexperienced players. I'd recommend setting aside a "pre-game" get-together just for putting together characters.

 

[Prest0]

The d20 Modern section at RPG Now has a ton of stuff-- from GM / Player aids to adventures in just about any genre.

http://www.rpgnow.com/default.php?cPath=1_293&src=EnWorld

If you're into modern horror, check us out: 12 to Midnight

 

[deltadave]

Here is the list that I tape up behind my DM screen:

Conflict moves the story forward.

*Pace - keep the game moving
*Time - be aware of passing time
*Don't give the roll if you don't want it to happen
*When in doubt - Throw Orcs. (generic for some small monster or bandit)

1) Physically plausible and consistent
2) Discipline at the table - no negativity, no meta-gaming
3) Reward and Punish
4) Don't talk players to death - less is more
5) Difference in Levels - 7th is better than 5th
6) NPCs are people too
7) Don't buy players
8) Speed is better
9) Make it like a movie - eliminate the unimportant.
Doesn't move the plot? it doesn't belong
10) Monsters are fell
11) Details matter - give the world texture
12) Stop with the DM control
13) Story - invest in the players
14) Entertain
15) Self contained game world - leave the real world at the door
16) Countdown clock - to stress players, force them to act quickly
17) Go against expectations often
18) Use twists and turns

Start campaign small and work larger.
Remember the little things, small details that add depth
weatherbeaten, careworn face
ship needs paint
equipment is well worn

DONT’s
dwell on one player - spread DM time around.
forget the NPC’s.
Be predictable


To get better -
Consistently DM
Don’t get discouraged if you flop at first
Enjoy the game - Have fun.
Stick with it - Don’t quit.


This is my cheatsheet, I look at it every time I look down behind the screen. Just a quick glance and ask myself it I'm meeting a particular point. After a while it becomes habit.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

takyris,

Thank you for the suggestion. This is my first time DMing period.

(Psi)SeveredHead,

Like most gamers, I have imagination out the ying-yang. But like with my writing (or attempted writing), I just have a hard time putting it all down. That and getting ready to keep track of all the rules, etc., is just a tad intimidating.

I have wanted to DM for a while now, so I relish the opportunity. I only have the core d20 Modern book. Are there any other resources that could be recommended? I know where to find all the D&D ones but have not seen many adventures, modules, etc. for d20 Modern.

Nik

Other resources have been mentioned.

Are you having trouble writing non-FX adventures? They're not so easy Check RPGNow, and apparently Modern Dispatch has a ton of miniadventures now.

I wouldn't sweat the rules, however. As long as you're familiar with the feats and the Intuition talent, it should be fine. It's like DnD with the magic rules filed off.

 

[The Shaman]

One thing that I always find bears repeating is that d20 Modern tends to be REALLY deadly. First, ranged weapons do a lot of damage and can do it consistently from a goodly distance - I find it's important to drill the idea of using cover and concealment into Modern players' heads, even giving them a little cheatsheet of ideas as a reminder for the first couple of adventures. There's little armor and Defense scores increase slowly, so using dumpsters, cars, pillars, mailboxes, &c. for cover from gunfire and explosives should become second-nature early on.

Second, healing is harder to come by in an FX-lite game - this makes adventure pacing quite important to the GM, as it's much less likely that the players will be able to take out something tough, then go down the hall and face something else just as tough.

I've found that these two points are really important to stress to D&D players in particular attempting something in the Modern genre, but it's no less true for new RPGers as well.

BTW, my wife never had any interest at all in my D&D campaign, but she's a huge X-Files/Alias/Lost fan and loves action movies, so when I described d20 Modern to her she got really excited about the idea of learning to play.