Required Reading in DMG for Newbie DMs?
- Thread starter dreaded_beast
- Start date
Bendris Noulg
First Post
Pages 8 through 12; learn the rest as you go.
talinthas
First Post
heh. i've been DMing since 3e came out, and i still don't know the rules for dungeons and dragons =)
its not that important. whats most important is keeping the flow of the game going, and making sure that you and your players are enjoying themselves. everything else you'll pick up as you go =)
its not that important. whats most important is keeping the flow of the game going, and making sure that you and your players are enjoying themselves. everything else you'll pick up as you go =)
dreaded_beast
First Post
Wow! Thanks for all the great replies so far, especially your tips Ed Cha!
I read some of your replies in other threads, and will soon be on the lookout for the World of Whitethorn adventures, heh.
I read some of your replies in other threads, and will soon be on the lookout for the World of Whitethorn adventures, heh.
Ferox4
First Post
One of the DM's creeds is the same as the Boy Scouts: BE PREPARED.
Without going into all the details let me just say that nothing irks me more as a PC as when the DM is looking something up that he clearly should have been prepared for. Make lots of crib sheets for yourself. For example, the Detect Magic crib sheet is laminated and taped on the table right in front of me. Be familiar with your NPCs, have a battle plan worked up for 5-10 rounds into an encounter (w/ contingencies - damn PCs are always doing something you'd NEVER expect them too....little bastards ). Go through their attack regiments in your head - make them YOUR guys (don't get too attached though..... 
)
A good grasp of the rules never hurts, but without instilling confidence in your players that you are prepared for a session you will quickly lose their respect in that session. Be confident without being a bully, don't harp too long on any adjudication - these are best resolved out of game.
More to the point of your question: Read the DMG, keep it in the bathroom and randomly open up a section and read through it. I am always finding new stuff in there.
Whoever suggested using tabs in the DMG was right on! Kudos, Woas. I use the index tabs in both the DMG and even moreso in the PHB. They're self-adhesive, durable, and the sticky portions are clear (and rarely cover any relevant text anyway due to their slim design). They have made accessing information much, much easier.
Above all though, I say BE PREPARED!
Without going into all the details let me just say that nothing irks me more as a PC as when the DM is looking something up that he clearly should have been prepared for. Make lots of crib sheets for yourself. For example, the Detect Magic crib sheet is laminated and taped on the table right in front of me. Be familiar with your NPCs, have a battle plan worked up for 5-10 rounds into an encounter (w/ contingencies - damn PCs are always doing something you'd NEVER expect them too....little bastards
). Go through their attack regiments in your head - make them YOUR guys (don't get too attached though..... )A good grasp of the rules never hurts, but without instilling confidence in your players that you are prepared for a session you will quickly lose their respect in that session. Be confident without being a bully, don't harp too long on any adjudication - these are best resolved out of game.
More to the point of your question: Read the DMG, keep it in the bathroom and randomly open up a section and read through it. I am always finding new stuff in there.
Whoever suggested using tabs in the DMG was right on! Kudos, Woas. I use the index tabs in both the DMG and even moreso in the PHB. They're self-adhesive, durable, and the sticky portions are clear (and rarely cover any relevant text anyway due to their slim design). They have made accessing information much, much easier.
Above all though, I say BE PREPARED!
I only have a 3.0 DMG. I read it quite a bit when I first got back into the game. I used to read it for different reasons- 1st time was for general use, then what was good for characters, then what was good for campaign creation. I folded over pages I used all the time during games (then I got plastic tabs designed for marking places in books).
I have these pages dog eared:
beggining of NPC charts on p. 48 so I can have instant NPC statistics.
CR/EL Encounter numbers table for slinging together encounters or for beefing up modules written for lower levels p.101
Experience Point Awards table p. 166
Treasure table p.170
I don't have this dogeared but reffered to these 3 often until the players knew it as well as I did:
special abilities p. 71
p. 83 condition summary (stunned, knockdown, etc.)
Starting Equipment for PC's above 1st for making higher level characters p.43
There are a couple pages I stuck an index card in for a session:
the section on Environment for a couple modules that capitalize on those rules on p.85 (wind, water, temperature).
Encounter distance p. 60 for sessions when I ran random outdoor encounters.
-E
I have these pages dog eared:
beggining of NPC charts on p. 48 so I can have instant NPC statistics.
CR/EL Encounter numbers table for slinging together encounters or for beefing up modules written for lower levels p.101
Experience Point Awards table p. 166
Treasure table p.170
I don't have this dogeared but reffered to these 3 often until the players knew it as well as I did:
special abilities p. 71
p. 83 condition summary (stunned, knockdown, etc.)
Starting Equipment for PC's above 1st for making higher level characters p.43
There are a couple pages I stuck an index card in for a session:
the section on Environment for a couple modules that capitalize on those rules on p.85 (wind, water, temperature).
Encounter distance p. 60 for sessions when I ran random outdoor encounters.
-E
Last edited:
Geoff Watson
First Post
Read what you expect to use.
If you are going to use monsters with Improved Grab, look up the grapple rules; if you are using undead and there's a cleric in the group, look up Turn Undead, etc.
Geoff.
If you are going to use monsters with Improved Grab, look up the grapple rules; if you are using undead and there's a cleric in the group, look up Turn Undead, etc.
Geoff.
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