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<blockquote data-quote="cthuluftaghn" data-source="post: 379156" data-attributes="member: 4799">Whether you're a newbie DM, or a 20 + year veteran, there is NOTHING wrong with using pre-fabricated adventures.&nbsp; If this is your first try at DM'ing, I would highly recommend picking up a pre-written adventure and running it.&nbsp; If your players would recognize one of the core modules and groan, then there are tons of independent publishers out there with fantastic adventures for either just a couple of bucks, or even free!This will accomplish a few things... 1. Takes a lot of stress of of you for your first few sessions.&nbsp; The material is there already, so your prep/panic time is greatly reduced.&nbsp; 2.&nbsp; It helps you to see how adventures are laid out from a DM's perspective.Nine players is a HUGE group for a single DM.&nbsp; First, I'd try to break that down into two separate groups.&nbsp; If that's not plausible, use your management skills and dole out responsibilities!!&nbsp; I am a 20+ year veteran that plays with 20+ year veterans... and we still share responsibilities.&nbsp; Have a log-keeper, a map-drawer, a party treasurer, a rules-lawyer, a combat-tracker... every little thing you can get off of your shoulders lets you focus on keeping the plot moving, and not fussing over notepads and sourcebooks.&nbsp; It's also a guaranteed way to keep the players involved.&nbsp; If they have a job, it forces their attention to the game, and they'll be more likely to give and demand more input.&nbsp; If you give a less-than-stellar description of an NPC that leaves the group confused... instead of blank stares and disinterest, Bob the Journalkeeper will pipe up and say something like &quot;can you describe him again for us, please?&quot;&nbsp; If you flounder a dungeon layout, Fred the Mapmaker will be crouched over the table with his dry-erase marker saying &quot;like this?&quot;&nbsp; Same with your other &quot;helpers&quot;.... they'll be staying focused on their job, so they'll help direct you to say what they need to hear.&nbsp; I can't recommend this technique enough!That's enough to chew on for now.... stay calm, keep yourself organized... and the easiest way to do that is by offloading as much responsibility as possible!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="cthuluftaghn, post: 379156, member: 4799"] Whether you're a newbie DM, or a 20 + year veteran, there is NOTHING wrong with using pre-fabricated adventures. If this is your first try at DM'ing, I would highly recommend picking up a pre-written adventure and running it. If your players would recognize one of the core modules and groan, then there are tons of independent publishers out there with fantastic adventures for either just a couple of bucks, or even free! This will accomplish a few things... 1. Takes a lot of stress of of you for your first few sessions. The material is there already, so your prep/panic time is greatly reduced. 2. It helps you to see how adventures are laid out from a DM's perspective. Nine players is a HUGE group for a single DM. First, I'd try to break that down into two separate groups. If that's not plausible, use your management skills and dole out responsibilities!! I am a 20+ year veteran that plays with 20+ year veterans... and we still share responsibilities. Have a log-keeper, a map-drawer, a party treasurer, a rules-lawyer, a combat-tracker... every little thing you can get off of your shoulders lets you focus on keeping the plot moving, and not fussing over notepads and sourcebooks. It's also a guaranteed way to keep the players involved. If they have a job, it forces their attention to the game, and they'll be more likely to give and demand more input. If you give a less-than-stellar description of an NPC that leaves the group confused... instead of blank stares and disinterest, Bob the Journalkeeper will pipe up and say something like "can you describe him again for us, please?" If you flounder a dungeon layout, Fred the Mapmaker will be crouched over the table with his dry-erase marker saying "like this?" Same with your other "helpers".... they'll be staying focused on their job, so they'll help direct you to say what they need to hear. I can't recommend this technique enough! That's enough to chew on for now.... stay calm, keep yourself organized... and the easiest way to do that is by offloading as much responsibility as possible! [/QUOTE]

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