Suggestions for a New DM

[LivesForPain]

Hello everybody.

Since the introduction of the new D&D core rule books I've been collecting everything that comes out almost obsessively with the intent to someday sit down and play. Well me and a couple of friends have finally decided to give it a go. We are all in our early 30's and complete beginners aside from CRPG's.

We've talked a bit about what we'd like to do and we've all decided we would prefer to go lite on the role playing and heavy on adventuring and combat. We would like to play through a couple of small modules to give us a taste of how things work and to figure out what we like and don't like.

As I said I've been collecting the stuff like crazy, and have the introduction box set and the complete set of modules that Wizards of the Coast released, that we want to try playing through once everyone is comfortable with rules and playing works.

Since I'm going to be the DM, I'm looking for other modules in other game world that would be easy for a complete newbie to use and still be fun for the players. The easier to use the better. Any kind of setting is fine for us since we are just looking to get some experience with the game rules and mechanics.

Thanks a lot for any help, suggestions or tips.

 

[Mark]

May I suggest the Questus - The Whispering Woodwind adventure from my own Creative Mountain Games. I think you will find it is just as easily geared toward one style of gaming as another, and the tips I add in the notes should make it very easy for a newer DM to jump right in.

For some further DMing assistance, help yourself to the information collected in this thread-

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?threadid=47525

Hope that helps!

 

[Umbran]

So it doesn't look like Mark is tooting his own horn, I too will suggest "Whispering Woodwind". It is a good adventure.

 

[jgbrowning]

Hello everybody.

Since the introduction of the new D&D core rule books I've been collecting everything that comes out almost obsessively with the intent to someday sit down and play. Well me and a couple of friends have finally decided to give it a go. We are all in our early 30's and complete beginners aside from CRPG's.

We've talked a bit about what we'd like to do and we've all decided we would prefer to go lite on the role playing and heavy on adventuring and combat. We would like to play through a couple of small modules to give us a taste of how things work and to figure out what we like and don't like.

As I said I've been collecting the stuff like crazy, and have the introduction box set and the complete set of modules that Wizards of the Coast released, that we want to try playing through once everyone is comfortable with rules and playing works.

Since I'm going to be the DM, I'm looking for other modules in other game world that would be easy for a complete newbie to use and still be fun for the players. The easier to use the better. Any kind of setting is fine for us since we are just looking to get some experience with the game rules and mechanics.

Thanks a lot for any help, suggestions or tips.

First off....

WOW. This is the first instance I've heard of a bunch of 30 year olds starting out as noobies to RPG.

And you know what? That is fricken great! It makes the gamer in me smile, because you guys (and gals) are going to have such a blast doing all this stuff for the first time. And you get the added bonus of avoiding a lot of the typical adolescent problems most of us went through with our first gaming experiences.

I'd also toot Mark's horn and say Whispering Woodwind. Excellent.

The only really advice I have to give is have fun, make mistakes, laugh about them, and enjoy. This is a great hobby. Glad your getting into it.

Don't forget that there isn't a "wrong" way to play the game. If you all are playing and having fun, don't worry to much about how the rules are supposed to work, because they're obviously working well enough.

joe b.

 

[Privateer]

I highly reccomend www.roleplayingtips.com -- it's got hundreds of great articles with everything from DMing and playing tips to ettiquite to villain ideas to plot twists to... I'm getting a bit repetitive, now, aren't I?

 

[Buttercup]

Welcome to ENWorld!

Yah, roleplaying tips is excellent. For starting modules, you might consider Three Days to Kill by Atlas Games under the Penumbra label. I think it lends itself to hack n' slash, and it will give you a good feel for the game. I also like Wizard's Amulet and Crucible of Freya from Necromancer Games. I'm ashamed to say I haven't looked at Whispering Woodwind, but I hear it's excellent. Unlike many folks around here, I'm not so fond of Sunless Citadel, especially for a bunch of newbies. I ran it online for a group of 6, two of whom were experienced roleplayers, and the only reason it didn't end up a TPK on three different occasions is because I fudged it. (Easier to do online than in person!) I think a party with an experienced DM and players might be ok, but that isn't your situation.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have fun! And make sure to keep us posted on your progress. We'll be waiting for your report.

 

[LivesForPain]

Thanks for the links, tips, and suggestions everyone. It sounds like Whispering Woodwind might be a good place to start.

WOW. This is the first instance I've heard of a bunch of 30 year olds starting out as noobies to RPG.

Yeah, we've got a couple of wives and a girlfriend giving us funny looks, like maybe e should be thinking about mowing the yard or something instead. But the four of us are pretty excited about diving in and getting our feet wet.

That brings me to another question, since there are only four of us, and I'm going to be running the game, that only leave's three guys to actually play. All the modules I have at the moment recommend 4-6 players, so one guy has agreed to play two characters. Is this a bad thing or something we should avoid for any reason not obvious to a new guy? Thanks.

 

[jgbrowning]

Yeah, we've got a couple of wives and a girlfriend giving us funny looks, like maybe e should be thinking about mowing the yard or something instead. But the four of us are pretty excited about diving in and getting our feet wet.

Hehe, me and the wife are laughing out loud now... Trust us, this is much more productive than mowing the lawn.

That brings me to another question, since there are only four of us, and I'm going to be running the game, that only leave's three guys to actually play. All the modules I have at the moment recommend 4-6 players, so one guy has agreed to play two characters. Is this a bad thing or something we should avoid for any reason not obvious to a new guy? Thanks.

I imagine that your group has known each other for a while? If so, it shouldn't be a problem. Just view the first few sessions as exploring the game to get a hold of how it works. You may want to make the 4th character an "group PC" and let a different person play him or her every gaming session. This lets the players play a different class and often prevents conflicts based upon "this is my character..."

joe b.

 

[Dinkeldog]

My advice is to watch the group and tailor things to them. This'll be easiest with things like magic items. If you have a monk player, you're probably going to have to swap a sword or axe or something to a weapon he can use. That's something a lot of the CRPGs do behind the scenes.

 

[LivesForPain]

Since everyone's being so helpful, I'm gonna go ahead and ask another question. Hell I might as well be honest and admit I'll probably be around asking endless newbie questions in the weeks and months to come.

I've noticed that some modules start you out at a much higher level. One of the module's I have is the City of the Spider Queen (I told you I collected obsessively ) where you are supposed to start at Lvl 10. Anyway, do you have to have a character run thru a campaign to get to that level or can you just start one out that high? I

f you do start the characters out that high how do you account for things such as equipment and gold and spells and anything else I'm not thinkling of.

Thanks some more.