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<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 8517729" data-attributes="member: 6801845">I don't have a ton of advice that hasn't already been given and there's no one style that fits everyone.&nbsp; On the other hand, I've been DMing for a long, long, time and I still feel overwhelmed at times.One thing I didn't see was Random Lists.&nbsp; I rely heavily on improvisation with the aid of a few lists.&nbsp; What kind of lists?&nbsp; Do a google search for &quot;random ____ name&quot; for taverns, people, items, you name it.&nbsp; One site for example is <a href="http://www.behindthename.com/random/" target="_blank">behind the name </a>for when I want somewhat realistic names based on real world cultures.&nbsp; I have a cheat sheet that I can refer to, so if someone wants to talk to the orc guard I can give it a name other than &quot;Grog&quot;.&nbsp; I then make a note on my cheat sheet that the group interacted with &quot;Yolmar, Son of Furbog&quot;, and that Furbog may be upset that they killed his boy.You can also get character descriptions, motivations and so on.&nbsp; There are tavern generators for example that will give you a menu.&nbsp; Play around, find one you like.&nbsp; Generate a handful of entries for whatever you think you may need.&nbsp; This helps a lot when the PCs go left when I never, ever, expected them to do anything but go right.&nbsp; At the same time I don't want to create a whole city ahead of time when 99% of it would go to waste.Just be sure to jot down a few notes for later for you after-session summary.&nbsp; Oh, and relax.&nbsp; Nobody expects you to be a professional DM the first time out.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 8517729, member: 6801845"] I don't have a ton of advice that hasn't already been given and there's no one style that fits everyone. On the other hand, I've been DMing for a long, long, time and I [I]still[/I] feel overwhelmed at times. One thing I didn't see was [B]Random Lists[/B]. I rely heavily on improvisation with the aid of a few lists. What kind of lists? Do a google search for "random ____ name" for taverns, people, items, you name it. One site for example is [URL='http://www.behindthename.com/random/']behind the name [/URL]for when I want somewhat realistic names based on real world cultures. I have a cheat sheet that I can refer to, so if someone wants to talk to the orc guard I can give it a name other than "Grog". I then make a note on my cheat sheet that the group interacted with "Yolmar, Son of Furbog", and that Furbog may be upset that they killed his boy. You can also get character descriptions, motivations and so on. There are tavern generators for example that will give you a menu. Play around, find one you like. Generate a handful of entries for whatever you think you may need. This helps a lot when the PCs go left when I never, ever, expected them to do anything but go right. At the same time I don't want to create a whole city ahead of time when 99% of it would go to waste. Just be sure to jot down a few notes for later for you after-session summary. Oh, and relax. Nobody expects you to be a professional DM the first time out. [/QUOTE]

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