I think that the advice I would give was already covered on the first page of responses, so I will zoom out and think about this more holistically.
Why does anyone DM (GM)? Why are there more DMs than players?
I would posit that most people just enjoy playing, and don't want to DM. But there are some people ... they have feelings ... preferences ... about the game. About worldbuilding. About campaigns. About having the game run smoothly and "right." And those people? They become DMs.
Over time, and after a lot of mistakes (invariably), they git gud at making games run "the right way" (according to them). But usually, at some point, they look around and think to themself, "Self, I wish I was playing. That was fun!"
Thing is ... when you play, you aren't the DM. You aren't the backseat DM. You don't get to determine "the right way" for the game to run. For some, that can be incredibly frustrating- because what they really want is to play in the exact game that they would run if they were the DM. But that's not how it works. You have to find enjoyment as a player.
If this is a DM's first time through, provide affirmative positive support. Try and remember that you weren't perfect when you started, and that's how people learn. More importantly, the things you think are important may not be the things that she will end up focusing on.
And find joy (if you can) playing and socializing with everyone. Five years from now, you won't care about how effective your character was. But hopefully you'll remember the time you had with friends and family, and the DM will remember (fondly) the first campaign she ran.
Why does anyone DM (GM)? Why are there more DMs than players?
I would posit that most people just enjoy playing, and don't want to DM. But there are some people ... they have feelings ... preferences ... about the game. About worldbuilding. About campaigns. About having the game run smoothly and "right." And those people? They become DMs.
Over time, and after a lot of mistakes (invariably), they git gud at making games run "the right way" (according to them). But usually, at some point, they look around and think to themself, "Self, I wish I was playing. That was fun!"
Thing is ... when you play, you aren't the DM. You aren't the backseat DM. You don't get to determine "the right way" for the game to run. For some, that can be incredibly frustrating- because what they really want is to play in the exact game that they would run if they were the DM. But that's not how it works. You have to find enjoyment as a player.
If this is a DM's first time through, provide affirmative positive support. Try and remember that you weren't perfect when you started, and that's how people learn. More importantly, the things you think are important may not be the things that she will end up focusing on.
And find joy (if you can) playing and socializing with everyone. Five years from now, you won't care about how effective your character was. But hopefully you'll remember the time you had with friends and family, and the DM will remember (fondly) the first campaign she ran.
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