I'm just here looking for a bit of advice or even just a place to type out what's going on in my head!
Let me start with a little bit of context. My son has made a new friend at school and it turns out his father and I get along really well and are both into the same sort of geeky things, and both his and my partner also enjoy these things. He suggested meeting every so often for games nights and I mentioned a few nights I couldn't do as I have D&D games. He got excited as he has always wanted to play it and really wants us to do it.
The issue is obviously one of us would need to DM! Neither he nor his wife have ever played, my partner played one game 3 years ago (Which was the first and only game for both of us until I started to play very recently (like a few weeks) so naturally it seems like I would be the best choice.
So currently I am in two minds as to whether to just say "Actually I think I'm still too inexperienced to take on this responsibility" or to just try it and maybe come up with a quick one-shot to give them a taster and also see how I feel DMing. They're not going to have any expectations of how a DM should be so that is a plus, and we would all be learning together - though my worry is forgetting/not knowing certain rules (though I'm sure some will say as long as everyone has fun then it doesn't matter) or not balancing the difficulty enough (I know there are resources to help with this part at least).
So I guess it all boils down to - should I try it or not? I know at some point especially when D&D came out someone in every friend group that wanted to play had to jump in the deep and and take on the responsibility of being the first DM without prior knowledge of the game and learn as they all went so I guess I can just treat it like that.
I know at some point especially when D&D came out someone in every friend group that wanted to play had to jump in the deep and and take on the responsibility of being the first DM without prior knowledge of the game and learn as they all went so I guess I can just treat it like that.
Every DM has to accept that they don't know all of the everything, and will have to just be confident that they can make a fair ruling that makes the game fun for everyone. You don't need to be some internet personality with a podcast or YouTube channel. You need to be able to learn and have fun with your friends. You might also need a friend-group that is forgiving of mistakes and patient with whomever decides to DM.
If you have all of these things, you have what it takes to DM. No mystical algebraic concoction. A little confidence, and some friends.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
There isn’t much more for me to add to these spectacular posts, but one thing I can say is that the first time is always either the scariest or the one where you have the most confidence. I can say with certainty that if you are afraid then you will do better than the confident new GM. As a player of many RPGs and the one who pushes my group to try new games I understand what it’s like to be pushed into this role with a system you haven’t totally figured out yet. However, the amazing thing is that if you’re afraid then you will want to get it right and will scrutinize to make it good. If you were too confident it would probably end up a mess. I’ve seen it too many times to count. I think that you will do fine as a GM. Give it a shot. All it takes is some decent storytelling and notes. I recommend running “Dragons of Stormwreck Isle” or another very short prewritten module to get the feel of GMing. Stormwreck is great for this. I’ve run it for many groups now, experienced and new, and they’ve all loved it and learned from it. I have too, even as an experienced player and GM.
I recommend running “Dragons of Stormwreck Isle” or another very short prewritten module to get the feel of GMing. Stormwreck is great for this. I’ve run it for many groups now, experienced and new, and they’ve all loved it and learned from it. I have too, even as an experienced player and GM.
Thank you! I'll have a look at that as pre-written would definitely help - I had just assumed that all the modules were quite long things - not that I couldn't have just done part of it to see how we all got on!
Just to add to the voices saying 'you got this', if you've played D&D you can probably DM D&D.
You only really need a basic understanding of how to improvise to run a D&D game. And you'll have that from being a player.
If you want to homebrew, some understanding of worldbuilding is helpful, as are knowing the meaning of the terms McGuffin, Deus Ex Machina and Hero's Journey. Otherwise, again it all just falls back to improvisation.
I actually tend to fall back on Dragon of Icespire Peak as being the best of the kits to start with it took my last group three, 4 hour sessions to get through five of the nine in game quests. Essentials Kit gives you a better taste of what it is to DM than Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver). I've not tried the new starter set, but given that it comes without much of the supportive information that Essentials Kit comes with, I still feel like Essentials Kit is a better start point than Starter Set.
If you are starting out brand new the other piece of advice to start with is that you should limit the sources to just Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual. Do not allow subclasses, races, spells or features from other source material. The reason for this is quite simple, it will help your newer players. D&D is a complex system with loads of options, but that means that the learning curve can be steep without moderation.
Then, during play when referencing the rules you'll need to consult the Dungeon Master's Guide (or rule book if using Essentials Kit), and a little trick is that anytime a player uses a feature or spell for the first time get them to read the description. This will be slow at first but it allows everyone around the table to understand said spell or feature and allows you as a GM to not always be looking in a book. If you run the game with a laptop behind your DM screen you can substitute much of the potential referencing you might need with a quick search here on D&D Beyond. In short, you don't and can't have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules. But the upside is you already know the basics as a player. And anything you can't look up within 30 seconds, make up how it works and tell your players you'll clarify the rules as written (RAW) before your next session.
In short you can do it if you want to. And there are tons of helpful bits of advice on these forums!
Hello all,
I'm just here looking for a bit of advice or even just a place to type out what's going on in my head!
Let me start with a little bit of context. My son has made a new friend at school and it turns out his father and I get along really well and are both into the same sort of geeky things, and both his and my partner also enjoy these things. He suggested meeting every so often for games nights and I mentioned a few nights I couldn't do as I have D&D games. He got excited as he has always wanted to play it and really wants us to do it.
The issue is obviously one of us would need to DM! Neither he nor his wife have ever played, my partner played one game 3 years ago (Which was the first and only game for both of us until I started to play very recently (like a few weeks) so naturally it seems like I would be the best choice.
So currently I am in two minds as to whether to just say "Actually I think I'm still too inexperienced to take on this responsibility" or to just try it and maybe come up with a quick one-shot to give them a taster and also see how I feel DMing. They're not going to have any expectations of how a DM should be so that is a plus, and we would all be learning together - though my worry is forgetting/not knowing certain rules (though I'm sure some will say as long as everyone has fun then it doesn't matter) or not balancing the difficulty enough (I know there are resources to help with this part at least).
So I guess it all boils down to - should I try it or not?
I know at some point especially when D&D came out someone in every friend group that wanted to play had to jump in the deep and and take on the responsibility of being the first DM without prior knowledge of the game and learn as they all went so I guess I can just treat it like that.
I think it's always worth giving DM-ing a shot. A great article was just posted recently for new DMs:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1452-how-to-be-a-dungeon-master
Side note: the page title for your thread is "Cum boys" for some reason??
[REDACTED]
Every DM has to accept that they don't know all of the everything, and will have to just be confident that they can make a fair ruling that makes the game fun for everyone. You don't need to be some internet personality with a podcast or YouTube channel. You need to be able to learn and have fun with your friends. You might also need a friend-group that is forgiving of mistakes and patient with whomever decides to DM.
If you have all of these things, you have what it takes to DM. No mystical algebraic concoction. A little confidence, and some friends.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
There isn’t much more for me to add to these spectacular posts, but one thing I can say is that the first time is always either the scariest or the one where you have the most confidence. I can say with certainty that if you are afraid then you will do better than the confident new GM. As a player of many RPGs and the one who pushes my group to try new games I understand what it’s like to be pushed into this role with a system you haven’t totally figured out yet. However, the amazing thing is that if you’re afraid then you will want to get it right and will scrutinize to make it good. If you were too confident it would probably end up a mess. I’ve seen it too many times to count. I think that you will do fine as a GM. Give it a shot. All it takes is some decent storytelling and notes. I recommend running “Dragons of Stormwreck Isle” or another very short prewritten module to get the feel of GMing. Stormwreck is great for this. I’ve run it for many groups now, experienced and new, and they’ve all loved it and learned from it. I have too, even as an experienced player and GM.
Thanks, I'll check that link out.
Also I have no idea where this page title shows? I can't see it :\
Thank you! I'll have a look at that as pre-written would definitely help - I had just assumed that all the modules were quite long things - not that I couldn't have just done part of it to see how we all got on!
Just to add to the voices saying 'you got this', if you've played D&D you can probably DM D&D.
You only really need a basic understanding of how to improvise to run a D&D game. And you'll have that from being a player.
If you want to homebrew, some understanding of worldbuilding is helpful, as are knowing the meaning of the terms McGuffin, Deus Ex Machina and Hero's Journey. Otherwise, again it all just falls back to improvisation.
I actually tend to fall back on Dragon of Icespire Peak as being the best of the kits to start with it took my last group three, 4 hour sessions to get through five of the nine in game quests. Essentials Kit gives you a better taste of what it is to DM than Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver). I've not tried the new starter set, but given that it comes without much of the supportive information that Essentials Kit comes with, I still feel like Essentials Kit is a better start point than Starter Set.
If you are starting out brand new the other piece of advice to start with is that you should limit the sources to just Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual. Do not allow subclasses, races, spells or features from other source material. The reason for this is quite simple, it will help your newer players. D&D is a complex system with loads of options, but that means that the learning curve can be steep without moderation.
Then, during play when referencing the rules you'll need to consult the Dungeon Master's Guide (or rule book if using Essentials Kit), and a little trick is that anytime a player uses a feature or spell for the first time get them to read the description. This will be slow at first but it allows everyone around the table to understand said spell or feature and allows you as a GM to not always be looking in a book. If you run the game with a laptop behind your DM screen you can substitute much of the potential referencing you might need with a quick search here on D&D Beyond. In short, you don't and can't have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules. But the upside is you already know the basics as a player. And anything you can't look up within 30 seconds, make up how it works and tell your players you'll clarify the rules as written (RAW) before your next session.
In short you can do it if you want to. And there are tons of helpful bits of advice on these forums!
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.