Never played D&D and taking role as DM

[Aaron L]

Get a good grasp of the rules, but dont get hung up on getting everything exactly right all the time.

Focus on having fun.

 

[delericho]

Im willing to spend up to $100 (my guitar money :'( ) on books and materials for this group...I was thinking about getting Ebberon, but i dont know much about it....

If you don't already have it, pick up the Monster Manual (should be able to get it quite cheap from Amazon, Walmart or similar). Definately get a subscription to Dungeon magazine. And don't buy any more books for a while - at this stage they'll just confuse people. When you're ready, you can branch out from the basics, but don't rush into it.

On the non-book front, I second (third?) the suggestion of getting a battlemat and some pens. You also need some sort of token to represent the combatants, but these can be anything (you can make tokens with Word, an inkjet paper and some thin card, or use Lego, or whatever you have to hand).

When it comes to running the game, I'll follow the advice others have given: keep it simple (for now), don't sweat the small stuff, and have fun. If you run into problems post something here, and people will offer you lots of contradictory advice

The Sunless Citadel is an excellent module, by the way, and particularly good for new DMs.

Oh, and keep saving for that guitar!

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Like everyone else is saying, keep it simple. Stick to the material in the 3 core books, and have your players stick to it in character generation. There are issues with characters generated with input from additional books that give even experienced DMs trouble. Normally I would say start with no more than 3 players, but if you've got 5 lined up already I guess that won't work. Start at 1st level.

Use an introductory model and read it all of the way through before you run your game. As you read it through, imagine what all of the rooms and scenes look like so you can provide vivid descriptions.

For your 1st session, generate the characters together (so you can all help each other) and then go into actual play for just a few hours. This gives you some breathing space to take a break and think about what you're doing fairly quickly.

Try to stick with the rules, but if you can't find one within about 5 minutes, make a ruling and say "we'll figure out how we should do this later, but for now let's keep moving"

Relax. You'll do fine and it will be a fun game for everyone. You won't do everything right the first time, but then again who does? Be happy with what you get right and be aware of what you get wrong so you can work on it.

My start in D&D was pretty close to what you're doing, and I was only 10 at the time. If I did it, so can you.

 

[The_Gneech]

1) Good luck!
2) Keep it fun!
3) Let us know how it turns out.

-The Gneech

 

[jhilahd]

I'd stick with the books you have and take advantage of the free stuff from WotC. They have plenty of low level adventures to help you out. There are plenty of other adventures and tips on these boards as well as the WotC site as well. Take advantage of them.

Know the rules but you don't have to know them all. Have a strong/generalized understanding of the core rules and build from there. If you don't know a rule, either make a ruling on the fly, stating you look it up after the game, or take a moment and look it up then and there. Explain to your group (if they don't know already) that you are, in fact, new and bare with you.

Plan ahead. And what I mean is plan your general adventure, and over-arcing story(if you have one). Don't plan for every situation, because with players, you can't.

Remember, you're playing too, and it should be fun. If its not, think why it isn't.

Heres a link to the old Cliffhanger adventures that Wizards started publishing with 3.0. Start at the bottom one, Unearthing the Past and move up. Most of them are linked, but feel free to embellish your own unique flare to them.

http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/ch

If you really want a set (uh) setting, go to the review sections and read about each of them. The core setting is Greyhawk. Its a good one, plus theres plenty of free content on Wizards with regards to it.
Ebberon is a great setting. Core rule book is awesome.
Forgotten Realms, a classic IMHO, and the price as well.
Other companies have great settings too.
Fantasy Flight games has Midnight a setting where evil has won and the players are working in shadows to win back their world.
Green Ronin has their generic setting(meant the best possible way) of Freeport(awesome setting btw).
Privateer Press has Iron Kingdoms. Steampunk meets Fantasy with a twist of horror. Great setting.

I know theres more. But remember. Pick something you enjoy. Don't be swayed by others. If you don't enjoy it chances are you won't run it.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

[Stone Angel]

My friend you have just entered a world that will stay in your blood for the rest of your life. Everyone has given pretty good advice.

Start small work up as you feel comfortable, keep in mind that you and your players are both new and you will make mistakes and thats ok. My group has nearly 60 years of combined gaming experience and we mess up all the time. But we have fun all the time.

You will want to find a hobby store that caters to gamers, you may want to sit in on a few shop ran games this will help, or if you can find another more experienced group.

Also be sure to stock up on a caffeniated beverage of your choice.

Good luck have fun and keep playing your guitar

 

[Squire James]

OK, so you have the dummies book, the Player's Handbook, and the Sunless Citadel. Your next target should be the other two core books - the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual. They're probably best purchased from amazon.com, since they're only $18.77 each there and the 2 books are enough for free shipping.

If you have a decent game store near you, you should be able to find a vinyl mat with 1-inch squares for $10 to $30. Buy the biggest one you can afford. Get a set of Crayola wet-erase markers - the el cheapo ones might not be wet-erase enough. Do NOT get dry-erase markers, since they are permanent on vinyl mats.

If you can't find a vinyl mat, next try for a pad of huge sheets of graph paper from Wal-mart (if lucky) or an art supply store (if you are not). These should last a while, but try not to make too many mistakes when mapping something (or use a thick pencil with a big eraser...).

Next, you will need some kind of tokens to represent the characters and monsters on that nice battle map or graph paper. On the low end, you can cut up pieces of paper and write a monster's initial or name on it. The jellybeans idea is good, and there won't be enough Large monsters to break your budget on Reese's cups. I also remember something called Monster Tokens being advertised around here... they are basically pictures of monsters on cardboard chits of appropriate sizes.

Oh the high end, you will eventually want miniatures... lots of them. Start with something like a D&D Miniatures Starter Set (they have some random sets, and I believe a non-random set or two), and grow the collection with Booster Packs slowly over time (one pack a month if you can keep discipline here). Your first goal should be to get a mini for each player character, then a good selection of kobolds, goblins, and dire rats (if I remember my Sunless Citadel properly).

Note that I said nothing about gameplay. I think you'll do fine there. Only play with people you trust, and play somewhere where you don't have to lug all your stuff around all the time! If you can't, don't forget to get a piece of luggage to haul all your stuff!

 

[Mitchbones]

The nearest gameshop that sells anything related to D&D is 40miles away, so that would be kinda hard Im a generous person, and since the store is so far away i was thinking of buying everyone dice...is that a bad idea?

Thanks for all the help guys I really apperciate it. I was having an AIM convo with a friend and talked to him and seeing if maybe he wanted to play "My mom wont let me.....something about a kid killing his parents over it" i replied "I heard this serial killer....ate a sandwich once or twice tell your mom to stay away from sandwiches....they are really bad news" (thought it was funny and I might share)

Would the map in the back of the DMG work, in substitute for a battlemat (how much do battlemats run?)? I have like 3 of those maps already.

Edit: just read Jame's post
Yeah i saw the monster tiles too and was looking at them, they seem pretty cool IMO.
The basic game comes with about 20 minis if im not sure.....
Im getting a job in july (same time as group starting) to fuel this hobby and car

again, thanks guys

 

[argo]

Lots of good advice here, to the above I'll also add that you should learn the Rules of Dungeoncraft. I have these scribbled on the inside cover of my DMG

Never force yourself to create more than you must. (Create only those details that are immediately useful.)

IOW don't overload yourself. The players have no idea what you have and haven't prepared so use that to your advantage. Make it seem like you've done more than you have while doing the minimal work needed to get the game up and running.

Whenever you fill in a major piece of the world, always devise at least one secret related to that piece.

The reason for this is to give a feeling of depth to your world. And because players love uncovering secrets!

Whenever you have no idea what the probability of success in a given situation should be, it is 50%.

And on a related note, see the section in your DMG entitled "The DM's Best Friend"

Always challenge both the players and their characters.

It's a game the payers and their characters both need to have fun.

Once a roll has been made and the check resolved, you should never retcon in order to correct a mistake.

This is another way of saying don't get bogged down in the rules. It is better to keep the game moving forward at a good pace than to be technically correct in every situation.

Simple, easily identifiable characteristics are the best tools for portraying NPC's.

Don't be afraid to resort to cliches; the fat merchant, the pale necromancer in black, the hot female cleric in skin tight chainmail (espically that last cliche ).

Running a good D&D campaign is about building a world, not about building a story.

Do not try to script out the players actions. Instead concentrate on making intresting places for them to go populated with unusual people and cool things for them to do. Let them be heroic bad-asses but let them go about it in their own way.


Another bit of advice that I've not seen yet. Always remember that no plan ever survives contact with the players. Your PC's will always do what you least expect. Roll with it. Dont loose your cool or your focus and don't try to force them back on track (at least don't try to hard). Instead be ready to improvise or, if improv isn't your strong suit, be ready to alter the game world as needed. You prep a session where the players are supposed to explore the Cave of Woe in the Black Hills but they decide to go to the Blue Oasis instead? No problem. When they get to the Blue Oasis the discover a mysterious fissure in the ground that leads to a cave complex ... which just happens to look exactly like the inside of the Cave of Woe, what a coincidence! If you have been playing your cards close to your vest like a GM should then your players will never know what happened.


Good luck!

 

[Squire James]

Wow, I didn't know the "so-and-so killed his hamster over D&D" parents still existed! Your response was pretty good, though unlikely to convince a parent.

Buy everybody dice, but keep them yourself. You'll need them. Loan them out in games as needed.

The map is fine, though I suggest closing up a few walls and making it several adventures rather than one big adventure. Be sure to put some variety in there, and after a while you will want to think about what happens when the characters are on the surface (many adventures can occur in the wilderness, or even within towns!). Don't hesitate to make a few maps of your own - part of the DM's fun is making a map as if he were some sort of demented flying wizard who thinks of "up" and "down" as perfectly valid directions for a corridor!

I see online purchases may be difficult for you. Do your parents know of your newfound passion, and do they approve of it? My parents had reservations about D&D messing up my school work, but things got easier when my grades actually got better after playing D&D! I'm saying this because some books are a lot cheaper if you can give your parents the cash and have them order online for you (and obviously they won't do that unless they approve of your activity).

That being said, see if that game store has active gaming tables, and if so plan to spend a whole day there. See how other people play, and play a bit if you want to. If it's not much more than a place to sell stuff, then you might as well buy online if you can. Some game stores have online sales (you no longer need to limit yourself to 40 miles)... let the stuff come to you rather than the other way around!