how to measure time

[shilsen]

OK thanx, shilsen. I'm still the veriest beginner.

Don't worry about it. And I mean that very seriously. In my experience, the more one worries about problems and getting things wrong as a DM, the more likely one is to experience them. DMing is very much a hands-on learning process, and the more you do it, the more easily you'll find yourself adapting to different situations and questions.

I also recommend telling your players explicitly, "Look, guys - I'm new to this, so you should be prepared for me to make a few mistakes and sometimes make rulings which I'll change later. But just know that I'll be doing whatever I do to try and make the game as enjoyable as I can."

And ask questions here whenever you need to.

 

[Blackrat]

Yeah shilsen's right. The most useful thing to a DM is plain common sense.

 

[shilsen]

Yeah shilsen's right. The most useful thing to a DM is plain common sense.

It's interesting that you put those two sentences together, considering that I don't believe in common sense. I don't think it's very common and I also don't think it's always sensible.

Or, more precisely, I don't think that what one person considers common sense is necessarily what someone else does. So I prefer to be very explicit to my players about anything I expect in the game and why, rather than assuming that they understand it because it's common sense. I generally find it makes life much easier for me.

 

[Blackrat]

Sorry shilsen. I can't put a sentece together in english that would explain what I meant but I agree with you on those points you just made. I think what I'm trying to say is that the DM needs some common sense (whatever it means to himself) to make rulings on things that don't have clear rules. It doesn't mean he doesn't need to explain those rules very clearly to others though, since their view of the thing might be very different.

 

[Mistwell]

I have always felt that a video of a really good D&D session, with a very experienced and entertaining DM, would be useful for this game. Some things that us old-timers take for granted are not nearly as obvious to someone just starting out.

I can see why this poster was confused about how time is measured, for example. It's one of those events that happen between encounters, and the rules don't generally help much with those non-encounter events, even though they come up every game. I felt the DMG II did help a bit with some of that.

 

[shilsen]

Sorry shilsen. I can't put a sentece together in english that would explain what I meant but I agree with you on those points you just made. I think what I'm trying to say is that the DM needs some common sense (whatever it means to himself) to make rulings on things that don't have clear rules. It doesn't mean he doesn't need to explain those rules very clearly to others though, since their view of the thing might be very different.

In that case, I think we're in complete agreement

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Totally off topic, but I'm surprised that no-one has taken the SRD username before now, especially since it is quoted so often around here!

On topic, don't worry too much about making mistakes SRD. It's all part of the learning experience. If your players are also new to the game they'll be making mistakes too. Just try and learn from them as you go.

And if you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask, no matter how simple or silly they may seem. Someone here should be able to help you out.

Olaf the Stout