New to D&D and becoming a DM

[Jürgen Hubert]

Do i need to use minatures?

Here is what I use instead of miniatures:

I draw all my maps on a square grid paper, with a 5mm grid representing one meter (it's easier to visualize for us metric guys - you can use the 5 feet instead). Then put the plan on a block of styrofoam (a cardboard box will do in a pinch) and stick needles into it to show where all the monsters and NPCs are. PCs get needles with little flags on them (available in most office supply stores) to show which way they are looking.

This has the same effect as miniatures, but is (a) much cheaper and (b) you can use much bigger plans. The only downside is that it won't be as pretty...

 

[johnsemlak]

One thing to remmeber as you play 'The Sunless Citedal" is that it is an adventure compatible with the 3.0 edition, and I'm guessing you're using the 3.5 rules (The Players Handbook, DMG, and MM would all say v. 3.5 on the cover).

The differences between the editions aren't that significant but they could provide some confusion for newcomers. It's mainly the stat-blocks of NPCs and monsters.

 

[MerricB]

No one else has suggested it yet, so I will.... as a new DM, get yourself a subscription to Dungeon magazine. Each issue contains three adventures (a low, mid, and high level one), plus regular columns chock full of ideas and advice useful to DMs.

You're right.

Get the D&D Basic Game.
Get Dungeon Magazine as it comes out.

In fact, if you can find issues #114 and #115, I'd really suggest picking them up - Monte Cook's Dungeoncraft column in those articles is very useful for a new DM.

Cheers!

 

[sir_ollibolli]

First, a big welcome to you and I wish you and your group to have lots of fun and awe inspiring moments during your adventures.

Since it wasn't mentioned yet, I heartily recommend using the Initiantive Cards from The Game Mechanics. This tool helps you to keep track of the players and monsters during combat. You can get these Initiative Card here for free. For better stabilization I have glued these cards unto comic backerboards and I have prepared all monster statictics for the adventure in advance, if combat starts you don't need to switch back and forth between the stats of the critters and the adventure.

My other recommendations:

1) Dungeon magazine (try to get also the back issues starting with 114 because the Dungeoncraft articles from Monte Cook are really helpful)
2) Counter Collection Gold or Digital from Fiery Dragon Productions - if you want to use counters instead of minis.
3) Battle Box from Fiery Dragon Productions if you are going to use a Battlemap or Tact Tiles

 

[Buttercup]

Welcome to EN World, CherryBomb!

I'm a self taught DM, and the first game I ran was an online game using Sunless Citadel. So already we have something in common. Here are my suggestions:

1. Don't buy any other books right now. Instead, concentrate on learning the core rules.
2. Remember it's ok to fudge dice rolls if you have to. I found Sunless Citadel to be lethal for 1st level characters, and I don't think it's good practice to kill your PCs off right away.
3. In addition to learning the rules, challenge yourself to come up with good descriptions of what your players see, hear and smell. "You enter a room, it appears to be about 15x20 feet" is not nearly as attention getting as "The door creeks open and the first thing your mind registers is the smell of dust. You see before you a small room with small piles of debris in the corners, thickly coated with dust. A few spider webs hang here and there. The only sound breaking the silence is your own breathing."
4. Pay attention to what your players *think* is happening. Often they will come up with ideas that don't have anything to do with the plot you had in mind, but which are far more interesting. You'll want to find a way to tie this first adventure in wtih future ones, so these PC theories are worth jotting down. You never know when you can use their own fears against them!
5. Before you start, discuss with your players how to handle differences of opinions about rules. I'd recommend agreeing to go with the DM's decision in-game, and discussing it as a group after the session. Don't be too eager to create house rules, because as a new DM you won't be able to predict the ripple effect one rule change might have on many other aspects of play.
6. Remember that you aren't out to "beat" the players. This isn't a contest, but rather a story you are all telling together.
7. You don't have to buy miniatures, but I would recommend you buy a large (22"x28" or thereabouts) tablet of graph paper with one inch squares, the kind of tablet one uses with an easel. Any office supply store will have one, and they cost about $20. Then, glue some rounds of plain white paper onto pennies and label them for the PCs and the various monsters they will be encountering. Do this ahead of time, so when combat happens, you can plop the labeled pennies down and move right along. You can draw rooms and whatever else you need on the graph paper, and it will help everyone to visualize what is going on, and what their characters can do at any given time. After you have played for a while, you can all decide whether or not you want to invest in minis.
8. Have fun, and don't sweat the details!

 

[The_Gunslinger658]

Hail and well met! Welcome to the best boards on the net.

All I can say is just have fun, listen to the input your players might have. Lastly dont worry about the rules, just tell your story and look up the rules as needed.

Scott

 

[Li Shenron]

Tossing my few spare cents as well

1) prepare yourself as a DM

- don't buy anything else, play for a while with the core books and see if you like the game, there's always time to add stuff later

- read carefully the combat chapter and the magic chapter and write down notes for yourself, be sure you know the basics well before worrying about special actions

- some tables on the PHB and the DMG are very useful, you may want to make a few photocopies and keep them at hand during game (but don't do more than few or they won't be that handy anymore)

- read the adventure a few times and keep markers or notes: you should know the adventure quite well, but don't bother thinking of all the possible implications of the players actions (if you spend a week thinking about 100 players actions, be sure they'll come up with the 101th you haven't thought about )

2) go easy with the players (assuming they are not more experienced than you)

- when you explain races and classes, don't bother mentioning any feature because it's wasted time, just tell them the role of each class/race in the fantasy world and in the typical party; for example, don't try to list down a cleric's abilities or options, just explain that a cleric is a member of religious order who acts as a protecting/healing spellcaster and secondary combatant for the group

- use starting kits from the PHB, eventually accepting variations suggested by the players

- don't explain any specific rule before it actually happens in the game. If you teach them how to combat before there IS a combat, you'll have explain it again later

- don't even mention the possibilties of special attack actions or special casting actions, or special initiative actions; just look for those things only once some player asks to do that (as much as any other conceivable actions). In any case, you won't have to wait very long...

 

[Falstaff]

Hi Im cbomb a.k.a CherryBomb


Im new to ENworld and D&D. I got interested in a couple of months ago and decided I wanted to start a group. I bought the core books and Sunless Citidel. I found 4 people to play but was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on how to run my first meeting, what utilites (online and off) u suggest and extra books u recoommend. Anyther advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your time


Cbomb

I suggest you return your D&D books and exchange them for the HackMaster RPG!

Just kidding (not really), but I hope your campaign turns out well!

 

[Cbomb]

Thanks for the input. There is a local gaming store in a city near hear that sells dungeon would they probly have back issues? The PCs dont have their PHB yet should i wait till they all have them?

EDIT: I dont know anyone that plays this in RL except in Corpus Christi. What if a PC has 3.0 PHB would he be able to use it with our 3.5?

 

[Maliki]

I would echo a couple earlier thoughts, give the D&D Basic game a look, it eases you and your players into the rules of the game, has a nice selection of mini's and the mape tiles are useful also. The good thing about D&D Basic is that the characters you make are fully 3.5 ready when you go the full set of rules. Dungeon Magazine is also a good suggestion that gives excellent advice to DM's as well as 3 adventures per issue.