Hi I'm a new DM and I would like some tips from more experienced DM's I'm going to be playing The Dragon of Icespire Peak with a bunch of new players. I personally have only played one game of D&D but I have read through the rules in the PHB. That is the only rule book I own. Do you have any tips for a better adventure.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" - 1 Timothy 1:17
The first and most important thing before anyone runs a campaign, as a DM or as a player, is to make sure everyone identifies what their expectations are and what they want out of the game.
The first section in Dragon of Icespire Peak states it nicely. You are the DM; Your role is a referee, a storyteller and a roleplayer. Make this role clear with your players in that you are new and to have a degree of patience as you play because there are a number of things you will be keeping track of. Between checking rules, keeping up with your players, facilitating the story and engaging the party, you will have a lot on your plate.
Now that you have set your role with the players, find out what it is they want out of the game! Are they in it for fun? A challenge? Hanging out with friends? Be up front with what kind of game you want to run. With that in mind, your players will let you know what they want out of the game. And if they aren't sure? You will certainly find out in game when they get into their character!
Just as you've set the expectation to be patient with you, make sure to also be patient with them. They are new, and you will all use this as a learning experience while hopefully having a good time. If you're interested in some of the more nuanced details of DMing, hop on youtube and there are PLENTY of resources from great and experienced DMs. Matt Colville is one such individual that I have a great time watching and can always learn something from.
I hope that you have a great time taking your first jump into the DM world! I took the jump back in 2009 and it has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Welcome to DMing! I haven’t DMed or played The Dragon of Icespire Peak, so I can’t address that directly. But I can offer some other tips:
-It’s o.k. To decide you aren’t going to worry about some rules right away. When I started out, I ignored encumbrance, Opportunity attacks, and, if I remember correctly, reactions. Those last two can eventually create balance issues, so I added them back in as my confidence grew.
-When an issue comes up in game that you aren’t sure about, if you can’t find the rule/guidance quickly, make your best guess. Say something like “I’ll look into the rules sometime after the game, and update you for next time, but for now, this is my ruling/decision.”
-If these are new players, they are likely to have problems keeping the dice straight. I found a really helpful and free “dice cheat sheet” on DMs guild that I used regularly with new players, back when I ran open one shot tables. (Then COVID hit and I moved far from any game store) Another option, if you are providing dice and if none of your players are color blind, is to buy dice where each type of die is a different color. (D20s might be yellow, for example, and d4s green). There at least used to be a company that sold color coded dice sets for this reason.
-If you are going to be playing in person, bring highlighters of various colors to the table, and mark up the character sheets with them. Then if players are struggling to find the stat/info you are looking for, you can say things like: “AC is that number in red.” Or “Your attack options are all in yellow.” NOTE: it’s always wise to ask if anyone in the group is colorblind. In that case, you probably need to use symbols or shapes instead. If that is the case, I would encourage you to use shapes or symbols for everyone at the table, not just the person who is colorblind.
-read through the adventure and any other information in Dragon of Icepire Peak thoroughly, and revisit before each session.
-With at least one table of newbies, before the game started, I made some suggestions about their best options for combat…I don’t know that I did that for everyone around the table, but at least a couple were really intimidated, so I gave them some pointers as they started.
-You “win” at D&D if everyone is having fun. That’s more important than getting the rules right. And, truth be told, outside of Adventurer’s League, most tables have house rules that are different than the official rules.
-Be patient with yourself and your players. (See “its more about having fun than being right,” above)
If one of your players comes up with some idea you hadn't anticipated, but seems reasonable, go with it. Let them roll whatever sort of check seems closest, and feel free to make stuff up on the fly. I like to encourage/reward creative play, whether problem solving, combat tactics, role play...whatever.
While I do not have any general DM advice that I can offer at this moment I do have one for DoIP; the starting quest are EXTREMELY deadly even if you do have the recommended 4-5 players.
I have gone through these quests with two different groups as a player — both with only myself and one other player — the first time I played my friend died and the second time we both ended the fight with very little HP.
Small spoiler for one quest
One of the quests (if I remember correctly) has not one but two mimics to fight at first level. Mimics are a CR 2 creatures to remind you.
This is just a small warning but I would taken it into consideration.
Hi having run the dragon of icespire peak I have a few tips I think that might help. Personally I lIke the module but as an experienced DM it worked for me because it is more open world and less linear. I picked it up and ran it simply because a group of friends wanted to give DND a go and I didn’t have the time to invest in a brand new campaign setting if they where going to be quitting after a couple of sessions of trying it.
Read that article it has some great hints and tips for each individual quest in the adventure and covers some of the gotchas. Even with my experience I found it really useful.
Adding some stuff that I did in addition to that link.
Opening session :- The module kind of drops the characters all in the town and leaves you to it for a story start. I added a little extra in to get the adventure going, first of all I created additional NPCs for the town, just to add some more flavor. I then created an opening to the adventure.
Had the party in the tavern, explaining they had each travelled to Phandelver, The characters didn’t all know each other so I set up a little encounter involving a gang that had recently come into town and where fleecing the locals with a rigged game of cards. One of the players got drawn into the game, lost all there gold and the other players then got to spot what was happening. This meant that session one they experienced 2 of the main pillars, they had lots of social interaction, with the gang ripping the player off, perception rolls, deception rolls, sleight of hand (one player decided to join the game and try and beat the gang at there own game). There where interactions with the inn keeper who had caught wind of the situation, and then the chance to throw the gang out. Player recovered his lost gold and it introduced the characters to the town. This led to a natural conversation about work and, in my campaign room the party to the mayor rather then a jobs board (a personal thing I have always hated jobs boards in game).
Then at the end of the session that gang ambushed the party and had a little fight with them, party won (if they looked like they where losing I had a guard patrol set up ready to intervene, one of the guards would have recognized the party and the gang from the inn)
So end of session one party have had social encounters, got a job and had a fight, rolled dice and understood the basic mechanics. They also understand the world is “living” and actions have consequences. I also then leveled them to level 2 because level 1 characters are squishy. Oh and the gang leader, got away so there is a low level villain for them to contend with later on.
Oh the other thing I did in session 1, introduced the dragon. Session ended with the party leaving the town to head to the first quest (dwarven excavatuons) as they left I described the following.
As you stride out of town under the late afternoon sun the sky clear and the air crisp a gentle wind blows, (nature check showed it seemed strangely cold for this time of year) you look around you as you walk and in the distance you make out the off deer, or livestock, the heather and flowers of this land let’s you see out to the mountains to your left, and forest in the distance to your right. The path is clear, lines with stones. You look up and see the odd bird of prey, after about an hour of walking you see yet another bird in the sky, as you do the temperature drops still further and then, you watch as the shape gets bigger, and bigger, realizing this is something big very far away (father Ted reference there).
I gave the party time to tell me what they wanted to do (find a place to hide and watch in the end).
The shape grows and now in the clear air you see the contrails, forming from Its wing as created by a plane in a clear blue sky (real Life examples are a great way to describe stuff). As it gets closer you make out the cracking of ice falling from Its body with each beat of its wings, moisture from the air seemingly freezing on contact. It turns almost lazily in a circle around you and for a second you fear it has seen you, then, it dives, and the roar reaches your ears a sound like nothing you have heard before as it dips out of sight only to rise up, carrying a deer or cow in its claws, it circles once more before heading (random d8 for direction).
And there we have it end of session the party have seen the dragon and are excited to find out more.
The forms here have a bad habit of adding the nonbreaking space to end of urls if you don't hold your mouth right. (Actually, I'm sure there's a trick to making sure it doesn't happen ,but I haven't sorted out exactly what it is).
If you’re brand new to D&D, then just focus on running the module as-is. As you gain experience, you can add your own personal flair, throw in elements from the PC’s backstories, and even expand the elements of the story you and your players find interesting.
But until you’re ready to do any of that, just go with what’s written. Good luck!
Hi I'm a new DM and I would like some tips from more experienced DM's I'm going to be playing The Dragon of Icespire Peak with a bunch of new players. I personally have only played one game of D&D but I have read through the rules in the PHB. That is the only rule book I own. Do you have any tips for a better adventure.
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" - 1 Timothy 1:17
The first and most important thing before anyone runs a campaign, as a DM or as a player, is to make sure everyone identifies what their expectations are and what they want out of the game.
The first section in Dragon of Icespire Peak states it nicely. You are the DM; Your role is a referee, a storyteller and a roleplayer. Make this role clear with your players in that you are new and to have a degree of patience as you play because there are a number of things you will be keeping track of. Between checking rules, keeping up with your players, facilitating the story and engaging the party, you will have a lot on your plate.
Now that you have set your role with the players, find out what it is they want out of the game! Are they in it for fun? A challenge? Hanging out with friends? Be up front with what kind of game you want to run. With that in mind, your players will let you know what they want out of the game. And if they aren't sure? You will certainly find out in game when they get into their character!
Just as you've set the expectation to be patient with you, make sure to also be patient with them. They are new, and you will all use this as a learning experience while hopefully having a good time. If you're interested in some of the more nuanced details of DMing, hop on youtube and there are PLENTY of resources from great and experienced DMs. Matt Colville is one such individual that I have a great time watching and can always learn something from.
I hope that you have a great time taking your first jump into the DM world! I took the jump back in 2009 and it has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Good luck, and have fun!
Thank you
Do you have any tips for running the game
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" - 1 Timothy 1:17
Welcome to DMing! I haven’t DMed or played The Dragon of Icespire Peak, so I can’t address that directly. But I can offer some other tips:
-It’s o.k. To decide you aren’t going to worry about some rules right away. When I started out, I ignored encumbrance, Opportunity attacks, and, if I remember correctly, reactions. Those last two can eventually create balance issues, so I added them back in as my confidence grew.
-When an issue comes up in game that you aren’t sure about, if you can’t find the rule/guidance quickly, make your best guess. Say something like “I’ll look into the rules sometime after the game, and update you for next time, but for now, this is my ruling/decision.”
-If these are new players, they are likely to have problems keeping the dice straight. I found a really helpful and free “dice cheat sheet” on DMs guild that I used regularly with new players, back when I ran open one shot tables. (Then COVID hit and I moved far from any game store) Another option, if you are providing dice and if none of your players are color blind, is to buy dice where each type of die is a different color. (D20s might be yellow, for example, and d4s green). There at least used to be a company that sold color coded dice sets for this reason.
-If you are going to be playing in person, bring highlighters of various colors to the table, and mark up the character sheets with them. Then if players are struggling to find the stat/info you are looking for, you can say things like: “AC is that number in red.” Or “Your attack options are all in yellow.” NOTE: it’s always wise to ask if anyone in the group is colorblind. In that case, you probably need to use symbols or shapes instead. If that is the case, I would encourage you to use shapes or symbols for everyone at the table, not just the person who is colorblind.
-read through the adventure and any other information in Dragon of Icepire Peak thoroughly, and revisit before each session.
-With at least one table of newbies, before the game started, I made some suggestions about their best options for combat…I don’t know that I did that for everyone around the table, but at least a couple were really intimidated, so I gave them some pointers as they started.
-You “win” at D&D if everyone is having fun. That’s more important than getting the rules right. And, truth be told, outside of Adventurer’s League, most tables have house rules that are different than the official rules.
-Be patient with yourself and your players. (See “its more about having fun than being right,” above)
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
If one of your players comes up with some idea you hadn't anticipated, but seems reasonable, go with it. Let them roll whatever sort of check seems closest, and feel free to make stuff up on the fly. I like to encourage/reward creative play, whether problem solving, combat tactics, role play...whatever.
Thanks for the tips I'll keep it in mind
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" - 1 Timothy 1:17
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I’m glad someone finally did that. If it went on another day I would’ve.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
While I do not have any general DM advice that I can offer at this moment I do have one for DoIP; the starting quest are EXTREMELY deadly even if you do have the recommended 4-5 players.
I have gone through these quests with two different groups as a player — both with only myself and one other player — the first time I played my friend died and the second time we both ended the fight with very little HP.
Small spoiler for one quest
One of the quests (if I remember correctly) has not one but two mimics to fight at first level. Mimics are a CR 2 creatures to remind you.
This is just a small warning but I would taken it into consideration.
Hi having run the dragon of icespire peak I have a few tips I think that might help. Personally I lIke the module but as an experienced DM it worked for me because it is more open world and less linear. I picked it up and ran it simply because a group of friends wanted to give DND a go and I didn’t have the time to invest in a brand new campaign setting if they where going to be quitting after a couple of sessions of trying it.
First of all
https://slyflourish.com/running_icespire_peak.html
Read that article it has some great hints and tips for each individual quest in the adventure and covers some of the gotchas. Even with my experience I found it really useful.
Adding some stuff that I did in addition to that link.
Opening session :- The module kind of drops the characters all in the town and leaves you to it for a story start. I added a little extra in to get the adventure going, first of all I created additional NPCs for the town, just to add some more flavor. I then created an opening to the adventure.
Had the party in the tavern, explaining they had each travelled to Phandelver, The characters didn’t all know each other so I set up a little encounter involving a gang that had recently come into town and where fleecing the locals with a rigged game of cards. One of the players got drawn into the game, lost all there gold and the other players then got to spot what was happening. This meant that session one they experienced 2 of the main pillars, they had lots of social interaction, with the gang ripping the player off, perception rolls, deception rolls, sleight of hand (one player decided to join the game and try and beat the gang at there own game). There where interactions with the inn keeper who had caught wind of the situation, and then the chance to throw the gang out. Player recovered his lost gold and it introduced the characters to the town. This led to a natural conversation about work and, in my campaign room the party to the mayor rather then a jobs board (a personal thing I have always hated jobs boards in game).
Then at the end of the session that gang ambushed the party and had a little fight with them, party won (if they looked like they where losing I had a guard patrol set up ready to intervene, one of the guards would have recognized the party and the gang from the inn)
So end of session one party have had social encounters, got a job and had a fight, rolled dice and understood the basic mechanics. They also understand the world is “living” and actions have consequences. I also then leveled them to level 2 because level 1 characters are squishy. Oh and the gang leader, got away so there is a low level villain for them to contend with later on.
Oh the other thing I did in session 1, introduced the dragon. Session ended with the party leaving the town to head to the first quest (dwarven excavatuons) as they left I described the following.
As you stride out of town under the late afternoon sun the sky clear and the air crisp a gentle wind blows, (nature check showed it seemed strangely cold for this time of year) you look around you as you walk and in the distance you make out the off deer, or livestock, the heather and flowers of this land let’s you see out to the mountains to your left, and forest in the distance to your right. The path is clear, lines with stones. You look up and see the odd bird of prey, after about an hour of walking you see yet another bird in the sky, as you do the temperature drops still further and then, you watch as the shape gets bigger, and bigger, realizing this is something big very far away (father Ted reference there).
I gave the party time to tell me what they wanted to do (find a place to hide and watch in the end).
The shape grows and now in the clear air you see the contrails, forming from Its wing as created by a plane in a clear blue sky (real Life examples are a great way to describe stuff). As it gets closer you make out the cracking of ice falling from Its body with each beat of its wings, moisture from the air seemingly freezing on contact. It turns almost lazily in a circle around you and for a second you fear it has seen you, then, it dives, and the roar reaches your ears a sound like nothing you have heard before as it dips out of sight only to rise up, carrying a deer or cow in its claws, it circles once more before heading (random d8 for direction).
And there we have it end of session the party have seen the dragon and are excited to find out more.
Your link doesn't work because of the non-breaking space you've included.
https://slyflourish.com/running_icespire_peak.html
The forms here have a bad habit of adding the nonbreaking space to end of urls if you don't hold your mouth right. (Actually, I'm sure there's a trick to making sure it doesn't happen ,but I haven't sorted out exactly what it is).
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
If you’re brand new to D&D, then just focus on running the module as-is. As you gain experience, you can add your own personal flair, throw in elements from the PC’s backstories, and even expand the elements of the story you and your players find interesting.
But until you’re ready to do any of that, just go with what’s written. Good luck!
Thanks that would probably be my I phone :)