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Oh, Man, Do I Need Some DM Tips. . .
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<blockquote data-quote="Shiroiken" data-source="post: 7036882" data-attributes="member: 6775477"><p>First of all, don't beat yourself up unless the players have said they weren't having a good time. They may have enjoyed it, but you thought they didn't.</p><p> if the battle is all but over (1 bad guy with lots of HP against the whole party), you should probably call the fight and either say they win or have the bad guy surrender/flee. Unless you really need to wear down the resources, it saves a lot of boring time. Now, on to your issues...</p><p></p><p> Dialog some of the events of combat, but obviously they don't care. Don't waste your time on that part of it, but focus on RP during the exploration and social pillars.</p><p></p><p> There are tons of trackers and tools that can be used to help you with this. Something else that may help is if you only play 3 hours, you'll probably only have 3 or 4 combats at most. Spend some time before the session reviewing each combat to figure out tactics you should use and what abilities are important to remember. If need be, write a crib note for each combat.</p><p></p><p> Dynamic combats are minimal in 5E (at least compared to 4E). In general, use more weaker monsters with a mix of range and melee. This should force the players to move between kills, even if the bad guys don't move much. </p><p></p><p> NEVER use a BBEG by itself, even if it's a Legendary Creature (unless it's higher than the party's CR). Crits happen at the worst possiple time for DMs, and you need to have minions to take the heat off the BBEG (they may need to Disengage for a round, then heal while the party has to get past the minions). There's a reason for the phrase "meat shields" when referring to minions.</p><p></p><p> Cliffhangers are overrated. You should only use them occasionally, otherwise they lose a lot of meaning. After killing the BBEG, there isn't a point for a cliffhanger; it's better to let them start off fresh at the beginning of the next session. Focus on resolving issues or setting up new ones, but make sure to mix it up.</p><p></p><p>Are you new to DMing? Experience is the best teacher, so long as you learn from your screw ups. Something that helps me, is I think about the next session every weekday as I drive to work and on the way home. I think about what should happen (what's in the adventure), what could happen (what the players may do), and what hopefully won't happen (but probably will because my players hate me). Constant thought about the adventure will help you remember important aspects, and considering multiple possibilities (especially those annoying ones players always seem to choose) will help you at least have an idea of how to respond. Hope this helps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shiroiken, post: 7036882, member: 6775477"] First of all, don't beat yourself up unless the players have said they weren't having a good time. They may have enjoyed it, but you thought they didn't. if the battle is all but over (1 bad guy with lots of HP against the whole party), you should probably call the fight and either say they win or have the bad guy surrender/flee. Unless you really need to wear down the resources, it saves a lot of boring time. Now, on to your issues... Dialog some of the events of combat, but obviously they don't care. Don't waste your time on that part of it, but focus on RP during the exploration and social pillars. There are tons of trackers and tools that can be used to help you with this. Something else that may help is if you only play 3 hours, you'll probably only have 3 or 4 combats at most. Spend some time before the session reviewing each combat to figure out tactics you should use and what abilities are important to remember. If need be, write a crib note for each combat. Dynamic combats are minimal in 5E (at least compared to 4E). In general, use more weaker monsters with a mix of range and melee. This should force the players to move between kills, even if the bad guys don't move much. NEVER use a BBEG by itself, even if it's a Legendary Creature (unless it's higher than the party's CR). Crits happen at the worst possiple time for DMs, and you need to have minions to take the heat off the BBEG (they may need to Disengage for a round, then heal while the party has to get past the minions). There's a reason for the phrase "meat shields" when referring to minions. Cliffhangers are overrated. You should only use them occasionally, otherwise they lose a lot of meaning. After killing the BBEG, there isn't a point for a cliffhanger; it's better to let them start off fresh at the beginning of the next session. Focus on resolving issues or setting up new ones, but make sure to mix it up. Are you new to DMing? Experience is the best teacher, so long as you learn from your screw ups. Something that helps me, is I think about the next session every weekday as I drive to work and on the way home. I think about what should happen (what's in the adventure), what could happen (what the players may do), and what hopefully won't happen (but probably will because my players hate me). Constant thought about the adventure will help you remember important aspects, and considering multiple possibilities (especially those annoying ones players always seem to choose) will help you at least have an idea of how to respond. Hope this helps. [/QUOTE]
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