Subtlepanic
First Post
Try not to nerf powers. Let monsters provoke Opportunity so the fighter can use combat superiority. If creatures are marked, make them trigger those marks. Basically, know your players' roles. Give minions to the controller, etc. It's easy to challenge the party - not so easy to ensure they have a good time.
If characters have crazy powers that shift giant opponents, pull clever bad guys towards them, or lay oozes prone - roll with it. Try to think of a good description for why, but if not, just roll with it. That's 4E.
Know your characters' backstories. In each session, try to give each player a share of the spotlight. A plot development just for them, or a moment for them to shine, however small. Minor quests tailored for each character in your group are great, especially if they have ongoing duties, e.g. "record one or more traits of each monster you encounter so you can sell your bestiary to the beastmaster in town".
Good tip from the 4E DMG: when a player asks whether or not they can do something, condition yourself to think "yes" or "yes, but..." before thinking "no". This was actually a bit of an epiphany for me, and I've found my games improving hugely as a result.
Play at a low level if you're new. If you're playing at level 5+, 4E can get very tricky with conditions and ongoing effects. I use filing cards, folded in half so they stand upright, with the names of each character/monster group scribbled as headers on the cards. Then, when initiative is rolled, I arrange the cards in a line so everyone can see them and move a marker along the line to show whose turn it is. On the marker I note down what round it is.
If someone gets hit by a condition, I grab the appropriate card and jot down "5 FR D/2" (Ongoing 5 fire damage until the end of Devlin's turn in round 2). Takes a while to get used to - I have a lot of codes - but it's dead quick once you're used to it.
Above all, make it seem like you're having a great time. If so, they should do too.
If characters have crazy powers that shift giant opponents, pull clever bad guys towards them, or lay oozes prone - roll with it. Try to think of a good description for why, but if not, just roll with it. That's 4E.
Know your characters' backstories. In each session, try to give each player a share of the spotlight. A plot development just for them, or a moment for them to shine, however small. Minor quests tailored for each character in your group are great, especially if they have ongoing duties, e.g. "record one or more traits of each monster you encounter so you can sell your bestiary to the beastmaster in town".
Good tip from the 4E DMG: when a player asks whether or not they can do something, condition yourself to think "yes" or "yes, but..." before thinking "no". This was actually a bit of an epiphany for me, and I've found my games improving hugely as a result.
Play at a low level if you're new. If you're playing at level 5+, 4E can get very tricky with conditions and ongoing effects. I use filing cards, folded in half so they stand upright, with the names of each character/monster group scribbled as headers on the cards. Then, when initiative is rolled, I arrange the cards in a line so everyone can see them and move a marker along the line to show whose turn it is. On the marker I note down what round it is.
If someone gets hit by a condition, I grab the appropriate card and jot down "5 FR D/2" (Ongoing 5 fire damage until the end of Devlin's turn in round 2). Takes a while to get used to - I have a lot of codes - but it's dead quick once you're used to it.
Above all, make it seem like you're having a great time. If so, they should do too.