D&D 5E Need some help gm'ing

[pming]

Hiya!

...Though that might be because my wife and daughter don't quite grasp how open the game, how you can pretty much try anything...

Ahhh...got it. Why don't you go search around on YouTube for "role-playing game session D&D", or hell, pretty much any example of folks playing together. I'd find one where actual people are in the same room playing together; in other words, not a game run via Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds or whatever. Hmmm. Oh! What about the fine folks that Will (Wheaton) is/was running for his "Titansgrave: Ruins of Valcana"? It doesn't use D&D (it uses the AGE system), but good RP'ers and presents a nice comfortable atmosphere where each Player (and the GM, Will) sort of 'play off of each other' to create a rather nice story. Let me find it for you...hold on a sec...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8HbkYV5ZaY

There ya go. This might help them sort of grasp the amount of imagination and freedom they actually have with a table top RPG.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Reapernazara]

Hiya!



Ahhh...got it. Why don't you go search around on YouTube for "role-playing game session D&D", or hell, pretty much any example of folks playing together. I'd find one where actual people are in the same room playing together; in other words, not a game run via Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds or whatever. Hmmm. Oh! What about the fine folks that Will (Wheaton) is/was running for his "Titansgrave: Ruins of Valcana"? It doesn't use D&D (it uses the AGE system), but good RP'ers and presents a nice comfortable atmosphere where each Player (and the GM, Will) sort of 'play off of each other' to create a rather nice story. Let me find it for you...hold on a sec...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8HbkYV5ZaY

There ya go. This might help them sort of grasp the amount of imagination and freedom they actually have with a table top RPG.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

That would probably be a good suggestion IF I could get them to watch that. I have a hard time getting them to watch a 10 minute board game review to see if they'd be interested. We'll just have to tough it out and learn through playing I think.

 

[Uller]

So I've GM'd a few times, we're all new to it. I think I'm doing ok for a beginner, definitely not spectacular. Anyhow, my wife pointed out last time by asking "where's the people?" They in a fort in tomb of annihilation. I described the buildings, and the surroundings and just completely forgot about describing the people.

What do you guys do to help remember the details? What will help me to remember to make it more immersive, or just plain help it be more immersive? It's easy to forget, when I know the details, that they won't just inherently think there's people there, or some other detail that helps immersion. And I know I'm bad about omitting details like that because I subconsciously assume they'll fill in those details. I think it will help if the world is of my own creation, which I'm working on, but I need more time Gm'ing to get me there. Idk if it will matter but I play with my wife and daughter, so the only urgency there is to help them get into it better, I don't fear being made fun even though it happens lol, and I doubt I'll get kicked out.

Let your players know that they have agency. Ask them what they want to do (not what they do....what they WANT to do) and then fill in the details that make doing that thing possible and interesting.

Example from your OP... (assuming this is Camp Vengence or Fort Belurian)

You described the buildings they see and they ask about the people...clearly they want to interact with someone...

Describe some soldiers and camp followers milling about, maybe someone that looks more "in charge" eyeing them suspiciously and maybe someone else that might look like they could provide info about available services and then ask the players if there is anyone in particular they want to talk to or anything in partucular they want to do.

Player: "I need to find a place to buy some lighter armor because adventuring in the jungle in chainmail isnt working out"

You: "You do hear the ringing of a hammer on an anvil on the other side of the camp and you see a large tent with some guards and an older chap with a heavy blacksmiths apron handing some freshly sharpened weapons to a soldier."

Basically...dont go for immersion by over describing things. Let your players fill in the details with their imaginations. If you over describe the details then you risk painting yourself into a corner such that something your players want to do cant be done or you have to twist the details you already laid out. Worse, the players start to miss details because they are overwhelmed with info. Give just the barest hint of details...let your players fill in the rest. A sound, a smell, a color, a trait on an NPC can go a long way...that blacksmith I mentioned above...all I said was he was older and wearing an apron...but I bet you filled in what he looks like in you own mind. When the PCs talk to him add another trait...balding grey hair...a gold tooth...scars from a wicked burn...an accent. They'll remember him.

I ran a game for my daughter and she met a gnome NPC...she asked if he knew any jokes...I have no idea why she did this...but I said sure and he told her a knock knock joke about an interrupting dragon...she spent the next two sessions exchanging jokes with him...he had to leave the party to return home and she was visibly sad...before she met him he was just a stat block and a source of info.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

 

[redrick]

I can't bring myself to destroy a book like that lol, however I gave copied it. I think I'd do better with some notes rather than highlights anyways, thanks for the suggestion though! One day I may try it.

Haha, I hear you. I'm the same way. That's why I love things I can print out (preferably on my work printer!) so much.

Honestly, notes at the table are constantly evolving for me, and so much depends on the needs of a particular adventure, and my circumstances during prep. Not to mention the space I'm playing in — a couple of weeks ago we ran a game standing around a 1 foot high coffee table in somebody's living room, so the only notes I could have were the ones I could hold in my hands.

As you run more sessions, more aspects of the game will feel more routine, freeing you up mentally to focus on other details. You'll get to learn more of your strengths, as Quickleaf says, which will help you know what you don't need to worry about putting into your notes, saving you prep time and making stuff easier to find at the table.

 

[Reapernazara]

I wanted to thank everybody for your help and suggestions and just let you know how it went. I wrote out sticky notes for each section, firefinger this time, and stuck them on the book. When it was time I just took them out and stuck them on my ToA screen( the screen is a massive help too, which I didn't have last time). It went pretty well, my daughter had a lot of fun, and didn't want to stop. We didn't get to quite finish firefinger, they just got through the 3rd level, but it was a school night so bedtime had come. Since they really like finding money/treasure I threw out more than it said, but as long as theyre having fun. I did WAAAAY better this time with the descriptions.

My wife didn't have so much fun, but she's really got her heart set on an evil campaign. I'm thinking up ideas for one, and have told them PvP is off the table and that they need to finish this one first so they can get the hang of the game. But this a topic for a new thread. Again thanks guys, it helped a lot.

 

[76512390ag12]

I wanted to thank everybody for your help and suggestions and just let you know how it went. I wrote out sticky notes for each section, firefinger this time, and stuck them on the book. When it was time I just took them out and stuck them on my ToA screen( the screen is a massive help too, which I didn't have last time). It went pretty well, my daughter had a lot of fun, and didn't want to stop. We didn't get to quite finish firefinger, they just got through the 3rd level, but it was a school night so bedtime had come. Since they really like finding money/treasure I threw out more than it said, but as long as theyre having fun. I did WAAAAY better this time with the descriptions.

My wife didn't have so much fun, but she's really got her heart set on an evil campaign. I'm thinking up ideas for one, and have told them PvP is off the table and that they need to finish this one first so they can get the hang of the game. But this a topic for a new thread. Again thanks guys, it helped a lot.

Having seen what happens between friends due to PvP, I would head off mother-daughter murder

 

[Uller]

Also consider one shots...an evil campaign is pretty tough to keep together but a one shot where you play monsters doing a "town or castle crawl" can be fun for a change of pace.

 

[iserith]

My wife didn't have so much fun, but she's really got her heart set on an evil campaign.

While I do believe it's very important for people to understand and integrate their shadow (and this can be explored to some extent in an "evil campaign"), I can't advise this sort of thing for children. Maybe you can arrange an adults only game, online if you have to.