SOS, MAYDAY, New DM in deep s--t, going down... *BOOM*

[GuardianLurker]

1) To quote Hitchhiker's Guide: Don't Panic!

Honestly, that's the #1 rule. If you can manage that, all the rest is easy.

2) *No* plan/story/adventure survives contact with the PCs/players.

Your players WILL do something you don't expect. Sometime's it's stupic, sometimes it's genius, but they *WILL* do something. You *WILL* have to improvise sooner or later. Don't Panic!

3) A good plan now is better than a perfect plan later.

When #2 occurs, don't spend forever looking the rules up; make your best judgement NOW, look up later. It's more important to keep the mood than to get it right the first time.

4) Never be afraid to admit you were wrong.

You are not perfect, neither are your judgements. When you discover you did something wrong, 'fess up and do it right later.

Oh, and
DON'T PANIC!

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

This is good advice. I generally roll nearly all my dice out in the open.

IMO, the only rolls that need to be rolled behind a screen are rolls where:
1. Seeing a GOOD roll or knowing that you were asked for a roll will grant extra information that the result of the roll would not provide (for instance, a good roll on the find traps followed by "you find no traps" says that there probably are none; OTOH, a bad roll followed by "you find no traps" might well be nearly meaningless; similar rolls would be the search roll for secret doors, a spot check opposing a sleight of hand/pickpocket attempt, etc. The same thing is true about the success roll for a divination spell, the success/truth roll for Contact Other Plane, etc).
AND
2. The consequences of the roll will not be immediately immediately apparent anyway. For instance, a spot check to notice an ambush will give extra information but the players will know about the ambush as soon as you start the surprise round going. Knowing that they had to make a spot check doesn't tell them anything new.

One strategy you can use for this is asking players to put four or five rolls of the appropriate type (spot, search, will save, whatever) on their initiative card at the beginning of the session. That way, you don't need to roll anything--just use the rolls in whatever order you choose. It can save a fair amount of time.

To answer your dice rolling question:

I roll all skill checks behind the screen, It's too easy for someone to grimace at a low roll or raise their eyebrows at a high one. When the Rogue fails his Search check to find the trap, you want to be able to say, "You do not detct any traps," without him realizing it's because you rolled a 4 on his check. Essentially any rolls that I want to keep secret get rolled behind the screen (duh?). SR checks, % off target for Plane Shift, Teleport %, et cetera.

Combat and saves I roll in the open.

Keeping track of spell durations can also be tricky. At lower levels it's not a big deal because there's not too much magic, but as the PCs become more powerful it can become confusing. I play in a group where I swap the DM chores with one other guy. When I'm not DMing I keep a round by round tabulation of PC actions. It's very helpful.

If you want to encourage better roleplay be sure to reward them for it (modest XP awards) and penalize them for poor roleplay (higher prices at the market, negative modifiers to Diplomacy or Bluff, -2 or as the situation dictates).

It's good that you're nervous - it means you care. Don't be discouraged after the first few sessions. You will likely feel inadequate. Be flexible, avoid linear adventures and try your damnest to look like it's all part of the plot when you're totally winging it.

Best of luck, man.

F4

p.s. You never master the DMG. You are its bitch now and for all time.......

Cheers

 

[Macbeth]

My rules of DMing:

If you don't know a rule off the top of your head, and won't be able to find it in a matter of seconds, make a rule up. It's amazingly how few players will notice.

Think on your feet. All the preperation in the world will go to waste without a little quick thinking.

Beyond those hints, I'm sure you'll do fine. You sound very prepared, and if nothing else the players should appreciate your effort.

Good luck.

 

[GuardianLurker]

Best advice I ever saw was Merak's non-grandmother-approved analogy. It was humorous, tasteful, simple, and RIGHT!

I wish it was still on the boards. I'd post a link. Or maybe Merak will pretty please repost/repeat it?

 

[Scratched_back]

My rules of DMing:

If you don't know a rule off the top of your head, and won't be able to find it in a matter of seconds, make a rule up. It's amazingly how few players will notice.

Think on your feet. All the preperation in the world will go to waste without a little quick thinking.

Beyond those hints, I'm sure you'll do fine. You sound very prepared, and if nothing else the players should appreciate your effort.

Good luck.

Wow, you guys know it all. There may be little tiny descrepencies here and there, but the biggest things I've learned so far I believe are:

a) Have a contingency plan for those "deviant" players, be it via stupidity or genius, they may not follow your plans.

b) The mood and flow of a game are more important than picking at rules. Keep it going, adlib it if it's gonna save time.

c) DON'T PANIC! ;0)

Heheh, you lot would be amazed how much of this I've jotted down... I've seriously gone through a bloody pad of paper! I thought this was the paperless age?!

I think I'm gonna roll the majority of rolls BEHIND my screen for now, seems best, especially for the early (Read: Deadly) levels where one hit can kill. I'll take the pc's spot, hide, listen etc and roll that for them too, seems best. Monster saving throws I imagine I'll roll in the open though... sure, let them know their mage ain't sending the goblins all to sleep in the first encounter, right? ;0p

Thanks guys, you've been amazing, keep it going though, I'm sure I'm not the first newbie DM to ask these questions! Well... I hope not anyway... *starts to sweat*

 

[Bloodstone Press]

My advice to new DMs is always "don't plan the game. Prepare it." This is very similar to other advice I've seen here already:

Don't plot stories, set up situations.

I learned, after a few years of DMing, that players are always going to think of things that I didn't. No matter how much you *plan,* they will come up with something you didn't anticipate. So, rather than keep trying to anticipate their ideas, or reducing the game to rail road, I learned to rely on the fact that they will think of things I didn't. Now, when I plan games I set up difficult situations that I can't think of a way out of. As the game progresses I look for ways to twist and complicate the plot, always relying on the fact that the heroes will do something heroic and unexpected to save the day.

I would also suggest paying close attention to the tides of combat. If you are worried about encounters being too tough or too easy, the best way to control that is with hidden die rolls and a feel for the tides of combat.

Personally, I do all my rolls in the open, and the players roll all their saves and skill checks themselves. There is a certain amount of real intimidation that happens when they see me roll a natural "2" and I still say "It hits you!" or "It saves!"

Take a pause or assault them with ogres.

That's some great advice too. It got me through a game I hadn't planned at all this weekend. It changed the course of the game and led to a whole session of uexpected events.

Lastly, *always* go with the flow, rather than sticking to the plot. If the players stray too far from the plot, look for ways to tie it back in without railroadnig them. Usually, the improvised plots that develope around the table are better than anything one person can come up with by themselves.

 

[deltadave]

Step 1 - Don't Panic
Step 2 - keep your towel handy (for erasing battlemats of course)
Step 3 - communicate with your players.

If you just talk to your players, formally or informally, they will let you know what they think. encourage honesty and don't retaliate for an opinion honestly given.

Step 4 - Just start Playing.

Deltadave
The only easy day
is yesterday.

 

[Macbeth]

Glad I could be of service. Be sure to let us know how the game turns out. And, if you need more advice, ENworlders will always be happy to give it.

 

[Whitey]

D&D, at least how Whitey plays it, is a tale of heroes doing their heroism thang. Instead of tweaking out on what you must prepare, learn what they've prepared in terms of personalites and goals, and see what kind of heroes it looks like they'd become.

Say one of them is a rogue. Write down their character name, and a few traits they exhibit. Most important are those ones that get them adventuring. For this example rogue, traits might be:

Insatiable curiosity - they just can't keep out of mysterious dungeons or someone else's pockets.

Pragmatism - it's heroic to beat the villain. Backstabbing, robbing, and so on are workable shortcuts to accomplish a just end.

Ambition - to be reknowned as brave and mighty, and rich and handsome and brilliant, and generally to be reknowned.

Figure out how these traits interact within the group. It may well take several sessions for them to settle on a party dynamic.
Then chart out your hostiles. You don't need stat blocks just yet, particularly not for the long-term villain honcho they won't be seeing. Figure out how the designs of various sleazebags will bring them into conflict with the party, or even with each other. You've got villain style society shaping vs. PC style society shaping, for example. Decide how this translates into game terms, which can be the hard part. But then you're set. That's about all the planning you'll need.

Make sure each player and each NPC, baron or barkeep, has at least one interesting tale to tell. It could be tragic, comedic, epic, or petty - they just have to live it.

 

[Greyhawk_DM]

Now, start the game. When a player says something you don't like, shoot him with the rifle. Everyone else will fall in line quickly.

Just wound him though...It still gets your point across and your not short one player.