Im running my first full game Wednesday! advise?

[flamingbunnys]

I know i have alot of threads out right now. Im sorry, but im just really excited about it! Im running 4e and the campaign is Forgotten Realms. Any advise for a newbie to dungeons and dragons and dungeon mastering?

 

[ExploderWizard]

Are you running a module or your own material?

No matter which one, just be familliar with the material, listen to what your players are saying, relax, and have fun running the game. Be sure to give us an after action report and tell us what happens.

After your session, ask your players how they liked the game and get feedback on both their favorite and least favorite parts of the session.

 

[renau1g]

Roll with the punches. Know the rules as ExploderWizard says, but if something's not covered by the rules, or you have to make a ruling on an amibgiously worded section, try to go with what's best and fun for everyone.

 

[flamingbunnys]

Thanks guys!!! i have a small story created of my own and i have the forgotten realms mini adventure at the back of the book... its up to the players on which one we run... any advise on this?

 

[OnlineDM]

First time, go with something published. As soon as you're comfortable after that, start introducing your own stuff.

Be descriptive as much as you can (this can be tough when you're trying to keep track of a million things!). What do the bad guys look like? What do they say / what sounds or battle cries do they make? What does it look and feel like when they hit (or miss) with an attack? Encourage your players to describe their own attacks as well.

Look for opportunities for cool stuff. Have a bad guy jump out a window to escape and see if the players follow suit. Have an NPC flirt with a PC. Have a monster that gets smacked for a bunch of damage by a striker just flat-out panic (screaming, crying, the whole bit) and run away, provoking opportunity attacks from said striker.

Be prepared as much as you can be. My tips for preparation from my recent first-time in-person session are here - and that session went fantastically well.

Have fun! And keep an eye on your players to see that they're having fun, too.

 

[renau1g]

I might actually disagree with OnlineDM on the first adventure. While published modules may seem easier to start, sometimes they're a lot of work to use. Also, if you know your players at all you can likely whip up a quick adventure in a fairly short amount of time. Even if you've never played D&D with them before (It's a bit unclear from the first post if this is your first time with D&D or just with 4e), but you likely have at least an idea of your friends (I'm assuming friends) tastes in games. If they like to go in swords swinging then have a few combat encounters ready, if they like to get into a character, maybe have some around the town more social encounters, but always gauge the players. If they look engaged, cool, but if their eyes begin to glaze over during some RP or puzzle solving, feel free to drop an encounter on them to shake things up.

 

[Katana_Geldar]

Don't be afraid to ask for fivce minutes to sort things out if you become too overwhelmed. I've found saying "You guys talk in-character for five minutes, I need to work something out".

Encounters can get pretty hectic and awkward. Take it slow and make it easy. Dragons and beholders can wait until you are more experienced.

Make sure you take breaks and can judge when to take them.

Don't look up rules in the book mid-game if you think it will stall play. A rule-look up can be a break point if you are not mid-encounter. If you are in an encounter, wing it and then look it up after.

Make sure your players understand the authority a GM needs to have in terms of rulings. If someone does challenge you, ask them to take it up with you after the game.

Never be afraid to say "Yes" and never say "No" when you can say "Yes". There is a difference in refusing outright and sayingf "no, not right now". If you have to say no, be sure to acknowledge the idea.

Remember to have fun, if you have the goal of making sure your players have fun then you will always succeed.

 

[Stalker0]

1) Keep it simple. Go with the cliches, everyone meets in a bar, or in jail, etc. Don't focus too much on overall story, that takes practice. Just go with simple adventures and let the complexity unfold from their.

2) Keep it low level. Even in 4th, higher levels means more complexity. Start at 1st and go from there. It lets you and the players get used to your game.

3) My golden rule of DMing: When all is said and done, players want to feel cool and special. I've had great plots, good villains, awesome described scenes, the works. But at the end of the day, if even a few times during an adventure each player gets to feel cool and special....I guarantee they will have considered it a great game.

 

[Kzach]

The number one rule of DM'ing:

1) Don't panic.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

1) Keep it simple. Go with the cliches, everyone meets in a bar, or in jail, etc. Don't focus too much on overall story, that takes practice. Just go with simple adventures and let the complexity unfold from their.

2) Keep it low level. Even in 4th, higher levels means more complexity. Start at 1st and go from there. It lets you and the players get used to your game.

3) My golden rule of DMing: When all is said and done, players want to feel cool and special. I've had great plots, good villains, awesome described scenes, the works. But at the end of the day, if even a few times during an adventure each player gets to feel cool and special....I guarantee they will have considered it a great game.

Yeah, all of these. The other week the dwarf jumped off the stairs onto a table and kicked the orc in the teeth, that was all it took, lol. Definitely give the players some hints about doing stunts and such, like the NPC jumping out the window kind of thing.

In terms of story and using your own vs published material the published adventures usually have pretty decent combat encounters, but feel free to pull elements of them apart if you need to.