my first DM session

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Don't let it get you down. Everyone had to start DMing at some point, and having a player correcting you all the time doesn't help. First thing is to ask him nicely not to jump in with rules corrections unless it will have a major impact on the game (the difference between life and death for a character is about the only time it's really justified). Then, offline, if there is a part you're having trouble with (like grapple, which still gives me trouble), you can work it out later.

Don't forget, too, that you're the DM. What you say goes, and if you have to put your foot down to keep things moving, do it.

 

[Aikuchi]

((hugs))

Several players of mine decided they were better DM's (or wanted to try DM'ing) after my first, and second session. So I passed it along to them to DM from then on.
They oft corrected me and seemed to know the rules a lot better than I did during the course of my virginal sessions.

Several games later the game defaulted back to me.
I've been running games since then.

You never know how well you could be unless given the chance - by others and yourself.
Mistakes and corrections aside, if everyone has fun, ya did a great job

((more hugs))

 

[Stalker0]

I'll echo people's opinions about this guy...because I used to be him. Not as bad, but I had more rules knowledge than the rest of my group, and I would pipe in on rules things all of the time. I realized my mistake and moved to an advisor role only because I realized how undermining that was for the dm.

Tell your friend that if you have a rules a question you'll ask, but otherwise its your game.

Also, the DMG II has an excellent section in it that talks about not taking games too personally. DMs have a tendency to underestimate the fun of the game, because we know everything!! A trap may not seem like fun on your side of the screen, but the party has no idea what's going on. Maybe its a pit trap, maybe there's poison, maybe there's an ambush on the other side!! That tension creates a sense of fun that the DM doesn't often get. And apparantely since its written in the dmg I would say a lot of dm are too hard on themselves

 

[Agback]

It went horribly.

First games often do. In mine, all the PCs decided to commit suicide. All but one of the players abandoned my game and wouldn't come back. It took about a year of practice (running perhaps one three-hour session a month) before I felt really comfortable. And another year before I ran anything that made players say 'wow!'. And then another two years before I expected to make players say 'wow!'.

It's a learning-by-doing thing. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again.

And by the way, the 'friend' hazing you with questions he knew you couldn't answer while you were struggling to GM your first session deserves a 'very funny, you pimple!', a nice smile, and a knee in the junk.

 

[Catavarie]

I have one bit of advise for all DMs, new and old, that is to read a thread on the GMF boards...it has been highly praised by all DMs I know and has been a huge help to me as well, it can be found here:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=125434

Printer friendly PDf version can also be found in my sig

 

[delericho]

Well it's over. I dmed my first game yesterday. I said I'd post about how it went. So...

It went horribly.

It took me six years of running games before I started getting good. Don't worry about it.

Most of it was my fault, like giving them a trap they were unable to disable because I didn't know that only rouges could disable traps,

You know, that's not too bad. Not every trap has to be disabled. At least it wasn't a door that they really had to open, except didn't have anyone who could pick the lock, or the ability to break it down. Or a riddle that they had to answer to proceed, that they just couldn't get.

but also our playing buddy kept asking me questions I had no idea about. He new I didn't have a copy of the DMG, but kept asking me rule questions, that he KNEW I wouldn't know.

I can't tell you what I think about that here. Erik's Grandmother would never forgive me.

You need to get a copy of the DMG, and you need to work on your knowledge of the rules. But then, you knew both of those things.

Or I'd try to make soemthing up and he'd say "That's against the rules..." He's forgets that he's been playing wayyyyyyyy longer then my husband and I, and kept pratically DMing the game himself, looking up rules and correcting me constantly.

Next time you DM a game, don't invite him. That behaviour is just rude. (It's also a common fault in DMs who come to play, and one I'm guilty of myself to an extent.)

I think it was just a horrible game. He said I did ok, but I could tell he was lieing.

You did far better than you think. Trust me.

Now, here's what you do to do better next time:

1) Write down the biggest three mistakes you made.
2) Reread the PHB cover-to-cover.
3) get the DMG, and read it.
4) Put together your next adventure.
5) Gather the group and play. Try very hard to not repeat the mistakes listed in #1.
6) The moment the other DM calls you on a ruling, point out to him that you are running the game, not him. If he wants to continue to play, he needs to let you run the game your way.

 

[Deng]

I'd just like to make one little point. "A good knowledge of the rules does not make a good DM".

I like to think that I am pretty good with the rules (I even think I know the grapple rules and about AoO!!) but the one time I ran it was really, really bad because I just couldn't come up with interesting adventure ideas. I ran a dragon or dungeon adventure but I just couldn't make it fun for the players. If you have good ideas and can make the players have fun then who really cares about the rules when you first start.... they can be picked up easily, it's the inspiration that I've had problems with.... although I am going to give it a go again in a few weeks

 

[Sugarmouse]

Hang in there!

My first attempt at DM'ing was a TPK...

Ran the 'Shattered Circle' (AD&D) - party decided to go where I did not expect them to go... and despite ALL the hints to the party Paladin that ~this was a really bad idea~, they unthawed a twisted version of the gibbering mouther.

Six or seven rounds later, and they provided a week's worth of rations for that twisted monstrosity.

It was fantasticaly bad - and it happened within about two hours.

...and scarred me until I took the bull by the short and smellies, and ran SWD20, many years later. To the critical acclaim of some of the same players.

Hmm. Bad moral to the story...

Ignore it (still a good story) and stick with it!

Remember rule ZERO! You can do it!

 

[The_Gneech]

...also our playing buddy kept asking me questions I had no idea about. He new I didn't have a copy of the DMG, but kept asking me rule questions, that he KNEW I wouldn't know. Or I'd try to make soemthing up and he'd say "That's against the rules..."

Some buddy. Sounds like he could use a could thwack to the earlobe.

We're just going to have him Dm several more games, and I'm going to practice and study in the meantime, then I'll try again in a month or 2.

My suggestion: keep GMing, just don't invite him back to the next session.

-The Gneech

 

[pogre]

Just to echo what others have been saying - keep going! You already have two key ingredients to become an excellent DM - (1) a desire to become better and (2) the ability to reflect upon your performance(s).

As for the player is question - tell him his constant questions are making things tough for you. Ask him to continue to help you with the rules, but refrain from challenging you during the game.