Learning to DM - Adventures/Modules to help

[MerakSpielman]

Run, screaming away from The Sunless Citadel

Oh, it wasn't THAT bad. OK, sure it was poorly edited (monsters were described as having one weapon, and the stat block in the back had another, for instance), the plot was strange and inconsistent, the encounters ranged from simplistically easy to TPK if played correctly....


OK, maybe you're right.

 

[diaglo]

B1 In Search of the Unknown

also B2 Keep on the Borderlands

or even T1 Village of Hommlet.

 

[GuardianLurker]

I'm a little confused - are you new to GMing? Or just new to 3.5? Are you essentially new to roleplaying? Or did you spend the intervening 15 years RPGing in other systems?

If you answered yes to the last half of each pair, you'll be fine - the basics don't really change from system to system. If it's the other way around, there's all kinds of advice, but it all boils down to "DON'T PANIC".

Your players will do things that *end* the adventure - DON'T PANIC.
Your players will do things so that the adventure never starts - DON'T PANIC.
Your players will go places you never even thought of - DON'T PANIC.

 

[Castellan]

For the "New to DMing" aspect of things, I'm going to point you in the direction of RoleplayingTips.com. There's a weekly email newsletter you can sign up for (no spam, and free!) and the back issues (several years' worth) are available on the web site, along with other articles submitted by readers and DMs/GMs from around the world.

Check it out. While it isn't D&D-centric, nearly everything there will help you do your job better.

 

[diaglo]

don't forget in April:

 

[Mark Hope]

Run, screaming away from The Sunless Citadel

What, no love for Meepo? Shame!

 

[Maximum Fu]

I'm a little confused - are you new to GMing? Or just new to 3.5? Are you essentially new to roleplaying? Or did you spend the intervening 15 years RPGing in other systems?.

Yes. Yes. No. No.

Played D&D out of a boxed set (I have no idea what version without seeing what the various box tops look like - we just called it D&D - *shrug*) almost 20 years ago.

I just never DM'd and have never really played other systems.

Hope that helps!

 

[tec-9-7]

I'll also chime in on behalf of the previously mentioned Wizard's Amulet freebie from Necromancer, and Kenzer's Coin Trilogy has enough material to run with for a good year of real time. Kenzer's Invasion of Arun'kid (sp?) is also a good introductory adventure w/ a nice blend of fighting and roleplaying.

 

[Captain Howdy]

Find a copy of "Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering".
It is a little book with some great tips for becoming good at DMing. It isn't system-specific, so no matter what game you DM, you can benefit from reading it. I highly recommend it.

 

[Henry]

First of all, Welcome to ENWorld!

Second, Welcome to 3.5 D&D (or just "3rd Edition.")

Finally, there are various play aids mentioned above, and a couple more I'd like to add:

Burning Plague from Wizards of the Coast - one of the first freebie adventures, and demonstrates several things unique to 3rd edition. (it's written for 3.0, but again, negligable changes).

OGL-Fantasy Lite: One of the forum members here took the D&D rules and streamlined them for beginners. Inexpensive, and may help your players.

Wizards of the Coast's Adventure Archive: TONS of free adventures, ready to loot and pillage by the new Dungeon Master for his own games.

I hope some of these help, and ALWAYS remember that both this General Forum and our Rules Forum are open for you to ask any and all questions. We've solved many a new player's and DM's problem here. Good Luck and have fun!