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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rechan" data-source="post: 4504914" data-attributes="member: 54846">Oh. Here's some general DM tips:1) Players are sneaky, crafty, or very clutzy. You show them a plot hook, or a clue, and they will turn around and run the other way after a squirrel. So be prepared to deal with that, including dropping a breadcrumb in whatever direction they're headed.Also, realize that you're going to have times where the session goes fast (and thus you need filler), or you need to stall to think of what happens next. To address this, have a few En Route scenarios up your sleeve. These could range from "a wagon sits on the side of the road, where a lone merchant struggles to handle a broken wheel" to "here's some mysterious/creepy circumstance, with me not giving you any explanation." 2) On the topic of plot hooks. The Shotgun Method is sometimes best. The Shotgun Method is to throw out several hooks, and see which one they take. Each hook could lead to a different adventure, or the hooks could all be interwoven (one hook leading to a clue or an aspect of the adventure as a whole, so if they follow one, they would eventually find the rest). If each hook leads to a different adventure, follow up on the ones they didn't follow ("Remember that mention of cows being eaten? Well there's now a shortage of beef, and the farmland is overrun with well fed kuthriks. Uhoh.")3) Never create a scenario where the discovery/realization of one single thing is the key to overcoming the situation. Because if the players doing figure it out, then they're stuck, get frustrated, and start getting disgruntled. 4) Listen to your players. Listen as they talk amongst themselves of what they think is going on. This is some of the best sources of inspiration. If necessary, subtly probe them to see what they think.5) NPCs and your World: Consistency is best. If the players are in a tavern and a window gets broken, the next time they come through, note the broken window (or the newly replaced window). NPCs should retain their mannerisms.6) Here's a big one: Make sure your players talk to one another about what they want to play. Not only with regards to role/class, but their characters. Encourage them to know eachother in character, or have some reason to adventure together (to avoid the "Lone Wolf Syndrom" or the character who just has no reason to adveture with these guys). 7) When building your starting area, start small. Treat it like a bullseye. Flesh out the starting area really well. Then out beyond that, get some ideas going, put some general thoughts in there. Beyond that, just have some vague notions. 8) Betrayal is a spice, not a marinade. Don't use it too often, otherwise your players will think every NPC will betray them.9) Don't be afraid to delegate tasks to players. One tracking initiative, one in charge of looking up rules questions.</blockquote>

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