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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 7572112" data-attributes="member: 4937">1) Start small.  Your best bet is to pick up some published module to start.  Don't decide as a new DM that you are going to do everything on your own.  2) Work hard.  If you are running a published adventure read it several times and take notes, just like if you were preparing for a test.  Even if you are running a published module, the amount of preparation you are going to need to do is large.  Often you'll need to make play aids for yourself to keep track of things because the information in a published module isn't that organized.  Often you'll need to flesh out the descriptions of NPCs in order to really bring them to life.  Often the adventurer writer makes assumptions about PC behavior that aren't true and you'll need backup plans if things don't go the way the adventure writer thinks they will.   Often in the interest of space a lot of useful content is left out of an adventure that needs to be put back in.  The really good GMs are the ones that enjoy preparing to play and who take pride in their play.  You'll enjoy yourself more at the table if you are ready to play.3) Let the players play their characters.  It's not your job to decide what they should do.  It's your job for the game to be fun while they are doing it.  There are ways to subtly steer the players back toward where the fun is, but you don't want to get into a contest with your players over the direction of the game.  4) Use your imagination.  Be flexible.  There is a lot of creativity in GMing well.  If something gets skipped, or things don't go the way you plan, there is usually a point later one where you can reintroduce the ideas.  Be patient and be creative.  Don't be afraid of coincidences.  Stories often depend on them.  Anything that is reasonable and somewhat believable, if it is good for the game, can and often should happen.  5) Help your players play.  Encourage them to RP.  Encourage them to use dialogue, both with NPCs and each other.  Help them understand the rules.  Reward them for their creativity when it is really creative, and let them fail when they are really failing.  Don't use so much kid gloves on them that they can never fail, or in the name of challenge never let them succeed and take control of the story.You specifically ask about pacing.  The answer to the question is let the players wander around doing their thing until they start to seem bored, lost, confused or frustrated.  If this happens, it's time to hit them with next *bang* in the story to get the game going again.   As you get more experienced, you'll be able to bring in your bangs in a more timely fashion so that the players have some freedom to act, but don't get bored.   And if the players aren't bored but having fun, there is no need to interrupt them with more story. If players are interrupting you, it means you were hogging too much spot light.  You should only rarely be talking for more than a minute or two.  Expository information dumps don't need to happen often, and when they do, you should find ways to get the information to the PC's in a more elegant fashion.   Have NPC's do question and answer sessions more often than they do speeches.   If you have a bunch of backstory you want to dump on the PC's, do it in a letter, note, or 'book' that you can print out and give to the players as a player aid.   Better yet, give it in the form of a bunch of small player aids so each player can read part of it either outloud or handing the aids around among them.</blockquote>

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