D&D 5E New to D&D and want to DM a game

[GregoryOatmeal]

This is key:
The moments players will remember for years are driven by player choices and not your preparation. Be on the lookout for these moments in game.

For example: the orc warlord has 25 hitpoints left. The PCs happen to be losing to the orcs and are stressing. The raging barbarian rolls a natural twenty to hit the warlord with a warhammer and does 23 damage in the middle of the tense fight.

Tell the barbarian he just flung the head like a baseball homerun out of the park. Talk about the skull-crushing blow, the teeth flying out of the orc's mouth, the way the tribe bows to their new warlord in fear. The moment that die lands on a 20 the orc warlord stops beating his drum. The needle scratches the record and the music stops, everything gets quiet, everyone murmurs in confusion and no one knows what to make of the situation. The key is that you start generating these descriptions the moment the die lands on a 20. Make that 20 count.

Technically the orc had 2 hitpoints left and should still be alive. Maybe the barbarian needed to roll an intimidation check. Screw it, run with it, run hard with it. Make it totally awesome. You probably didn't plan on including orc henchmen in the game.

Make up some quick names. Grunkalunk and Dung the orcs. Give them a few characteristics. Make them awesome. Go with the vibe in the room.

When the druid howls at the moon have other wolves howl back. Make sure they know he is the alpha. When the wizard casts lightning bolt have it shake the castle walls and reverberate with thunder. Have chandeliers collapse. When the party fails make them fail epically (but use this sparingly so they don't get frustrated).

The key to a good game is players act and DMs react. The more interesting and spontaneous the reaction of the DM is, the more empowered and awesome the players feel. You may prep the best ideas ever before the game, but if you force them on the players they feel helpless.

 

[SigmaOne]

Hey, has anyone perchance mentioned the Starter Set, yet?

I've never seen so much agreement on anything in an RPG forum thread.

 

[GregoryOatmeal]

Some other tips

- Keep on the Borderlands and the new starter set are my immediate recommendations for new DMs. I can't stress enough that DMs start with a sandbox adventure.
- If the players (everyone at the table) want to talk with NPCs the whole session, let them. If they want to ally with the kobold tribe to fight the goblin tribe, let them (if it makes sense). Don't force combat - go with what the players want to do.
- Talk in voices and stupid accents whenever possible. A bad actor or cheesy character is still more memorable than a DM that isn't trying.
- If the above is intimidating, take an acting class. Maybe join a community play. That will probably better prepare you for DMing than any book. It won't hurt with romantic relationships, business meetings, sales pitches, teaching skills, or any other number of instances in life where public speaking and communication skills come up.
- (PCs and DMs) Be overly expressive with characters - DO NOT BE SHY. I cannot think of a single instance where a D&D game was made the slightest bit worse by a player or DM talking in character, no matter how badly it was done. Stand up, use hand gestures, if you want dress up in character.
- (PCs and DMs) Don't make names that are "alphabet vomit". Make them memorable.
Eric or Gwendolyn or Arturo are fine for PCs. "Zhadamyr" is awful. "Luna", "Starbreeze"... are great for elves. Grunk is a good orc name, Zeke Dogslicer is a fine goblin name (Zeke sounds twitchy). The shorthand name for your character (what he is called at the table, backstory aside) shouldn't be more than two syllables.
- Ideally the character's name should should sort of reflect his personality (Lord Voldemort). The best NPCs (or PCs) personalities can be understood via their name, what they talk about, and their manor of speaking. IE Darth Vader has a menacing name and a threatening voice. When he speaks he is impatient and threatening.
- PCs should frequently succeed, particularly at things they are good at. If a PC is built to do something (IE rogue being stealthy) and it's reasonably feasible (sneaking past a guard that is unaware of the rogue) don't make the DC harder than a 12 or 13. So a roll of a 6 should be enough. Making things really hard for the PCs is really not fun for the players.
- Talk to players about expectations for missions, team play, conflict, language, sex, etc. My house rule is I always forbid theft and violence within the party at the table. Arguments are acceptable. Whenever a player is stealing from or attacking another player I find the game is no longer fun. If the group unanimously agrees this is acceptable I will allow it.
- Don't get hung up on the rules. If a player thinks you are getting the rules wrong let him make his case but don't focus too much on it. Keep the game moving and keep it fair to the players.
- Don't come to the table with resolutions to conflicts in place in your head. You may have a few vague ideas for how players will solve a conflict, but run with their ideas.
- Feel out the vibe of the group. You can create a truly evil bad guy with themes of rape and molestation. Using a disease inspired by ebola could really disturb the players. Slavery and racial conflict could be intense themes too, for better or worse. Be very very very careful with these things - it has to be fun for everything.

I've heard a lot of women complain about being raped in character in D&D. Don't ever go there. It is your job to ensure everyone is having a good time. If the players can't stomach your story, that is your problem and not the players.


- Place opportunities for players and look for opportunities, but do not force event.

For example a chef is an antagonist and is serving greased up humans to the village for whatever crazy reason. He may have a barrel of grease or oil in a kitchen. Wouldn't it be awesome if he started a grease fire and blocked the exit for the PCs with a grease fire, and then used the flaming grease as a weapon against the PCs? Maybe he's a wizard with fireball. I think it's a kind of cool fight.

Open-ended approach: As a DM you have prepared a bad guy with character and a variable (the grease barrel) that could dramatically alter the fight depending on who uses the barrel and how they use the barrel. You are prepared to generate a number of outcomes that are logical depending on the actions the PCs take. Ideally you haven't spent too much time thinking far ahead.
Railroad approach: As a DM you have prepared an awesome fight with stats and damage numbers prepared for the grease fire. You have a speech set up for the boss, you have one-liners prepared, you have a few pre-determined outcomes. You are attached to this awesome fight and not prepared for the PCs to go off-script.

The best outcome, in my book? The rogue stealths into the lair of the boss chef and finds the grease. He steals it; then the wizard successfully casts sleep on the boss. The party ties the boss up and renders his magic unusable by taking away his verbal and material capacity to cast spells. The party explains his crimes to the town, submits him to trial, and the (vengeful) town decides to burn him alive with his own grease, based on the maniacal suggestion of the charismatic rogue in your party who has a few screws loose himself.

But don't plan it. You didn't plan for the PCs to set the chef on fire with his own grease. Just run with it when they suggest it.

You create the town, the chef, the scenario, the grease that can potentially be lit on fire. You create a playground, but don't tell them how to play on it. The PCs get into your world, and they love that they can shape it.

The formula for fun D&D is:
1. You create a setting, scenario, conflict, variables, objects, open-ended opportunities, and choices before or during the game.
2. The PCs take actions during the game.
3. You react to the PCs actions during the game.