Think I'm in over my head.

[Fad3]

Hey,

Not sure if this is the right thread, But I've been playing DnD for a little while.. only about six months.. I REALLY like it.. But now, due to work and Stress and well his wife, Or DM wont continue to play. The Group elected me to try to DM Next. (The Last one who tried... well i think we got him to cry on the inside.)

I've never Dmed.. I'm barely a real player, thats how new I am. I got a simple story line, and Simple Characters, But I was wondering if anyone could spare some time to go over DMing with me.

I know for a fact that my group is Evil (Trust me... I play with them). There sole objective is to break the game. I also know that Two out of three like combat more, while the other is more into the intrigue and plot.

The more I try to get the game ready, the more I seem to have to add, At first it was, "Here is the bad guy and this is how to get to him". That turned into "here is the bad guy, this is how you get to him, But you have to gather these clues and oh.. here's an item for your troubles." NOW, I've got five maps, Towns, citys and places of interests on each map. I've got side quests cause i know that group have baaaad ADD. I've got the Good guys lined up with the bad Guys. I've got the names the spells and backstory. And All of it is lined in a binder with Dividers.

And I'm stuck. I made a world. And Now i can't push the world forward. I mean.. I got points A and B, And Everything in between, But now I don't know how to get the ball rolling. How to go from What on my paper, To presenting to my Group in a way that not boring and well.. Stupid.

 

[Odhanan]

You've got your world and everything. That's cool.

Now, set all that pile of stuff aside for a moment. You'll come back to it gradually, when needed.

Think of how you'd want to start the game. What is the first thing you're going to describe to your players? Where are they? What's going on? Are they in the middle of a fight? Or are they travelling and seeing something that prompts them to act, one way or another?

Try to visualize this first situation, the game's opening. From there, there is a problem, something happens, a trigger to adventure. Try to think of ways in which the PCs might deal with it (all the while knowing that it's probably not what they're going to do, but these possibilities you are thinking of right now are there to help you improvise the options in-between during the game). Where do these different possibilities lead the game? What would happen next? Where do they go to?

Try to think in terms of maybes. Not "PCs must" or "have to".

Go on like this until you have a first adventure, with two or three set pieces, a handful of encounters, with a satisfying resolution.

Then, go back to your pile of stuff and fit this first adventure in the setting, adding color, origins, etc to the NPCs, monsters, etc. Don't over do it. Just add what the PCs might come to know by playing the game. Not any further (it's important, because that leaves you room to imagine further developments down the road, after the first adventure is played).

Then play the darn thing.

Once the game is played, lots of stuff will have happened. You will have improvised a bit, maybe came up with stuff that wasn't in your notes in the process. All this stuff will set the PCs' career in motion. Build on it by having an NPC from this first adventure later contact the PCs about another problem this person has, or maybe a friend, or relative. Try to expand on what actually happened at the game table like this. Or maybe the PCs have a mind of their own and want to do stuff, like open a store, or be part of an organization, or maybe get to know more about that orc with the red hand they met in the dungeon during the first game?

Expand like this bit by bit. You'll have a humongous campaign in no time, with none of the headache of dealing with everything at once.

Good luck to you!

 

[HoboGod]

Well, my bit of advice for you, first off, is that the best way to deal with players who like breaking games is through vicious paranoia. If you think they are trying to slip one past you due to your inexperience, ask that they show you in book where they're allowed to do whatever their trying to do or you're not allowing it. Soon, they'll stop trying to break the game in their way and start breaking the game in YOUR way. At that point, the ball is in your court, everything they can do, you can do too. If they try to do something you never intended with one of your custom items, threaten that it wouldn't be fair if their enemies used it that way, too.

As for your question, however, getting the ball rolling is easier than you think. Just think up a way to get all the players in the one place and the group will naturally roleplay themselves into your story. Play off what they're doing and it will flow into your storyline. If that fails, start off with a premade adventure and tie in your storyline that way.

 

[radmod]

They've got bad ADD (boy, we've never heard that, have we?) then consider a sandbox approach. That is, have your first adventure ready, but be prepared (slightly) for them going off and doing their own thing.

Basic new DM stuff:
Don't let your players browbeat you. When you say something happens or you rule something be firm and be fair but what you say goes (see rule #1 below).

Don't concern yourself with not knowing everything. I've DM'd for over 30 years and I constantly find out that there are things I didn't know, did wrong, or simply could not remember. So don't be afraid to say "Stop. Let's look that up." Even if everyone thinks that's the way it supposed to be, if you're unsure, look it up.

Don't be afraid to kill. Like piles of dung, kill happens.

Start small and work your way up. New DMs often presume they can't play the monsters as well as the players play their PCs so they overcompensate. This results in too big monsters. Don't be afraid to throw a few easy kills their way to gain confidence in the rules. (I'm guessing your players will love that.)

Don't start with high level PCs. The rules and the abilities of high levels are hard enough to track for experienced DMs let alone new ones. If this means they have to roll up new characters, so be it.

And finally:
RULE #1: The DM is GOD. What GOD says GOES.

Oh, BTW, everything said here works for all types of RPGs, but if you're looking for specific 3.5, or earlier, advice this is the place. If you want 4.0 then this is where you go.

 

[Deset Gled]

I've never Dmed.. I'm barely a real player, thats how new I am. ...

There sole objective is to break the game. ...

I've got side quests cause i know that group have baaaad ADD. .

You're right, you are in over your head.

If you enjoy trial by fire, and are okay with the fact that you might fail hard, feel free to continue your current world and see how things go. You never know, it may force you to learn the system better, turn into an epic campaign, and be a great time for all.

But if you want to take a load off of yourself and not feel so pressured, force the group to tone things down. Start a new campaign that is very basic. Make the players be core-only, start play at a low level, and use pre-published adventures. Learn as the players level. Once you're comfortable, slowing add in splat books and your own adventures to the mix. Doing this may not sound uber-kewl, but it's a perfectly cromulent way to play D+D that can be just as rewarding. Don't sacrifice your happiness for a bunch of players that want to "break the system" if it also means "breaking the DM".

 

[Verdande]

Let me tell you what I do. When introducing a new group to D&D, I start just like in B/X D&D and slap them in a dungeon. It's easy, it gets everybody familiar with the mechanics and the group interaction and the way the game feels and plays. By the time they're done in the dungeon, the real world looms, and they're ready for it.

For example, the first adventure in 4e we had was clearing out a goblin cave. There was no more motivation than "You've been hired, as you're all mercenaries. They want you to flush out the goblins and slay their wizard-king guy."

They did so, getting used to the game. When they were done, they emerged for their reward, where they met the Mercenary Leader, the Sub-Commander, and then the disbursing officer who gave them their reward. They then met the head chef in the mess hall, and then a couple of other guys.

By the time their first session was over, they'd earned a good chunk of experience, and met 5+ important, flavorful, adventure-hook laden people. Painlessly.

The key is to start loose and stay flexible. Trying to over-complicate the story in the beginning will only confuse your players. Think about how movies do it. They introduce you to a hero, let's say, by having him wake up in the middle of the night in his pajamas. He goes to get a glass of water, where there's a spider, which he is afraid of. He stomps it, only to notice that there's a bigger spider above him. Etc, etc.

Draw them in slowly. Don't give them too much at once- it's the surest way to lose them.

 

[aboyd]

Deset Gled is pretty grim in his assessment, and while I'm on a more positive-thinking side of things, I do fully agree with his "take charge" advice. If you are going to be the DM, your first games ever probably should only use books that you are at least passingly familiar with. So, tell 'em: PHB only. Or, "core books only" (PHB, DMG, MM). Or "core + complete series" (adds Complete Champion, Complete Adventurer, and all the other "Complete ____" books).

Note that even seasoned DMs do this stuff. It isn't bad. I began DMing 27 years ago, had a big break, and re-started about 3 years ago. My opening email to attendees *always* has a list of books allowed, along with other info. For example:

Hey guys, here's the info for the game. 32 point buy, starts at level 3, use the standard DMG table for determining your PCs wealth. No more than half your gold can be spent on any item. Any gold not spent is lost. Books allowed: core, complete series, PHB2, Spell Compendium, Magic Item Compendium. I will use extra books (such as monster books) that nope, you don't get to see. Deal.

Due to the high number of participants, if your turn takes longer than a couple of minutes, we'll set a 1-minute timer on you. If you can't get done, then your character delays.

The theme involves necromany that goes too far, so prep characters that in some way might be suited for this.

Oh, and due to heavy vomiting at the last game, there is a 1 drink maximum.

Note that regarding the theme, I usually keep it real general (just as a hint for character creation). However, my girlfriend goes *very* specific when she runs her campaigns -- she will mention that only certain alignments will work in the game, that there must be at least 1 paladin (or whatever), etc. Like this: "Rogues-only game of stealth & intrigue, must be any alignment but good, and at least 1 player should be a diplomacy build. That particular character might be allowed to optionally be a bard if his/her skills in stealth are also very high."

Try to avoid shoving the adventure down the player's throat. If they don't bite the theme or hook, don't railroad it if you can avoid it. But also, don't forget that you can reuse stuff -- if your players talk to the blacksmith as expected but then also unexpectedly talk to some random dude walking down the street, nothing stops you from grabbing the blacksmith character sheet/card, and hastily copying it, and scrawling in the name of the random dude. You don't have to have everything be perfect.

Also, it was good advice to require players to have to show you the rules for things that are unfamiliar to you, but don't let it bog you down. If you find people getting bored while you & 1 other player have a supposedly fascinating discussion of the grapple mechanics, maybe just make a temporary ruling and move on for the night. You can always revisit things later. Good luck.

 

[Grand Poobah]

What a fortuitous coincidence. I too was going to ask for advice as I'm about to start DMing for the first time since... ... basic D&D!

 

[the Jester]

First, I'd figure out whether the pcs start off knowing each other or have to meet up in their first session. If it's a 'meet up' session, start with each pc's class and race and figure out where they are at the start. Then look for ways to connect the pcs into various groups until they're all involved. Then figure out how to wrap an adventure around it. Bearing in mind that your group is evil (I assume, among other things, that means selfish), you need to make sure they have appropriate motivations for teaming up on this first adventure, too.

For example, let's say you have the following pcs in the group:

Dwarf fighter
Elf ranger
Gnome bard
Eladrin wizard
Human warden

You decide that the dwarf starts off in his family's home fortress in the nearby mountains. He has to go to the human city as part of a trade expedition his father is leading.

The ranger is a guide that the dwarf's father can hire to lead them safely to the city. This connects the dwarf fighter and the elf ranger.

The gnome bard is an entertainer hired by a wealthy merchant for a big meeting that includes the dwarf fighter's father. The eladrin wizard is with another of these groups; this connects these two to the dwarf and elf.

You could do the same with the human warden, but instead, it might be cool to tie him to the villains of the first adventure. Maybe he's an expert on the local bandits or something, and the others seek him out to track the villains down.

Speaking of the first adventure- it's obviously got to have something to do with the trade meeting. Maybe it is disrupted, or while the meeting is underway important documents are stolen. Whatever it is, it shouldn't pit the pcs against each other, and the reward for success should be enough to make the pcs want to succeed. Also, things should move quickly enough that the poor warden doesn't spend hours sitting around waiting for the party to get to him. If need be, run a short scene or two for him- maybe he can fight a couple of bandit minions and you can show him (rather than tell him) that the bandits are his hated enemies.

Anyway, good luck to you both!