D&D 5E Help for a new DM!

[Onigokko]

Alright so a little background, ive done SOME DMing before, but it has all been in game stores with a printed out module before me detailing step by step instructions. Thats about as far as my DM experience goes, however a few friends have been wanting to try out D&D and i decided to offer my services as DM. I went out and got the DM Manual, Monster Manual and the Princes of the Apoc campaign book.

Im going to start them off with the 'Trouble in Red Larch' module, but my problem is, Its a lot of information to take in and im not yet sure how to shape it into a cohesive whole! I want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, but im worried that my inexperience will prove detrimental.

Is there anyone that can offer me some help setting it up in an orderly fashion, or someone that knows where i can find a printout that lumps it together for me? or just any advice in general at this point! I have 5ish days to prep for this, so i have enough time to get it down pat, im just confused and worried!

Thanks ahead of time!

EDIT: I also want to ask. Do you think its worth it sitting down with them and helping them all create characters, or should i just bring some premade ones with us and let them use those and THEN if they still want to keep playing we can go through the process of making everyone new characters?

 

[KahlessNestor]

Nothing to be too worried over. I haven't run Red Larch, but recently did the same with Lost Mines. Read the adventure through at least twice. First time to give you a sense of story, plot, characters , and where information is. The second time read and mark. Underline any skill checks and DCs. Underline NPC descriptions and motivations. Underline anything the text presumes you will give to the players. Underline tactical notes in combat encounters, loke everyone flees if the boss goes down (very important! )

Before the session, arrive about an hour early. This allows time to set up and the reread the upcoming parts of the adventure to refamiliarize yourself.

As for character creation, if it's just a one shot, then just use pregens. Character creation can be a session in itself. Just give them a standard fighter, wizard, rogue, cleric set up and be done. No time wasted.

If it's a longer period, then sure, make a Session 0 for character creation and start the adventure if there's time. Character creation is fun and allows characters to get tied together and make interactions more fun.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

[Onigokko]

Nothing to be too worried over. I haven't run Red Larch, but recently did the same with Lost Mines. Read the adventure through at least twice. First time to give you a sense of story, plot, characters , and where information is. The second time read and mark. Underline any skill checks and DCs. Underline NPC descriptions and motivations. Underline anything the text presumes you will give to the players. Underline tactical notes in combat encounters, loke everyone flees if the boss goes down (very important! )

Before the session, arrive about an hour early. This allows time to set up and the reread the upcoming parts of the adventure to refamiliarize yourself.

As for character creation, if it's just a one shot, then just use pregens. Character creation can be a session in itself. Just give them a standard fighter, wizard, rogue, cleric set up and be done. No time wasted.

If it's a longer period, then sure, make a Session 0 for character creation and start the adventure if there's time. Character creation is fun and allows characters to get tied together and make interactions more fun.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

Thank you! Its kind of a one-time thing, and if they like it i want to set up something every other week, or once a month. I think ill bring some premade classes with omitted races and such so they have some customization and then give them the option of using those or making their own!

 

[Imaculata]

-Print out more character sheets than you expect to need, and be familiar with character creation.
-Thoroughly read through the adventure at least twice, and take notes if needed.
-Print out some of the maps, or have some paper at the ready to draw a map for the players.
-Make sure you know the names of important characters in the adventure and/or write them down.
-Write down the name of the player characters, so you can call them by their character name.
-Be familiar with the enemies that appear in the adventure, and print them out if you need to. You don't want to be searching through the Monster Manual or the campaign module every time you get into combat.
-Optionally, have some colored plastic paws on hand (or miniatures), in case you want to illustrate a strategic battle.
-Optionally, think about simple ways to get the players back on track in case they stray off the beaten path.
-Optionally, have some random encounters ready, in case you need to make traveling more interesting, or in case you run out of ideas. Remember, not all encounters are combat encounters!

 

[Onigokko]

-Print out more character sheets than you expect to need, and be familiar with character creation.
-Thoroughly read through the adventure at least twice, and take notes if needed.
-Print out some of the maps, or have some paper at the ready to draw a map for the players.
-Make sure you know the names of important characters in the adventure and/or write them down.
-Write down the name of the player characters, so you can call them by their character name.
-Be familiar with the enemies that appear in the adventure, and print them out if you need to. You don't want to be searching through the Monster Manual or the campaign module every time you get into combat.
-Optionally, have some colored plastic paws on hand (or miniatures), in case you want to illustrate a strategic battle.
-Optionally, think about simple ways to get the players back on track in case they stray off the beaten path.
-Optionally, have some random encounters ready, in case you need to make traveling more interesting, or in case you run out of ideas. Remember, not all encounters are combat encounters!

Thanks for the ideas! I didnt even think of having random encounters not detailed ready!

 

[Jester David]

Take it session by session. Read the first few and get a feel for those adventures and the town. Then read the next bit. End each session asking where your players plan on going, and read that section.
Don't reread everything, just what comes next.

 

[Imaculata]

Take it session by session. Read the first few and get a feel for those adventures and the town. Then read the next bit. End each session asking where your players plan on going, and read that section.
Don't reread everything, just what comes next.

I would advise to at least read the entire adventure from start to finish once. You don't need to memorize the whole thing. But at least be aware where it is going, and what the overall narrative is.

But when you prepare for a session, reread only what you expect to be needing this session a few minutes before starting it, and perhaps also read the part that comes afterwards (just in case your players speed through the adventure faster than expected). At the end of the session, make sure you know where the players will be going next.

 

[Oofta]

In addition to the tips above, remember that this is your game. If you don't remember something feel free to improvise (just take notes after the game).

In addition even when running a pre-written mod I always keep a small list of randomly generated names for NPCs and businesses (there are several sites that will do this for you) and a list of random descriptions. That way if the group wants to talk to the bartender he has a name something other than "Bob".

Other than that there are tons of blogs with hints and tips. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Jediking]

I'd suggest running a separate one-shot adventure before starting the campaign. It will help you and your players to learn the basics and if it is a shaky start, it's only one session. Your players might see what they like and dislike, which can help their character choices. Or someone might not like D&D at all (some people are weird) and can opt out of joining a long-running campaign s/he won't enjoy.

 

[Quickleaf]

Alright so a little background, ive done SOME DMing before, but it has all been in game stores with a printed out module before me detailing step by step instructions. Thats about as far as my DM experience goes, however a few friends have been wanting to try out D&D and i decided to offer my services as DM. I went out and got the DM Manual, Monster Manual and the Princes of the Apoc campaign book.

Welcome to ENWorld And three cheers for being a new DM!

Im going to start them off with the 'Trouble in Red Larch' module, but my problem is, Its a lot of information to take in and im not yet sure how to shape it into a cohesive whole! I want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, but im worried that my inexperience will prove detrimental

I haven't run Princes of the Apocalypse, but I have seen people running it refer to two resources online:

There's a Red Larch reference sheet, and there's a list of online resources for Princes o the Apocalypse.

Good luck!