So I'm running my first game ever in a few weeks--The Wolves of Welton--to cap off my friend's bachelor party after a pub crawl earlier in the day.
There'll be 5-6 people including myself, two of whom are experienced DMs and players, two of whom have never played before.
Obviously, since this is a one-shot campaign after a bar crawl, everyone will be at least a little sauced. But I still wanna show everyone a good time.
Problem is, while I know some of the differences, I've never played 5e before.
So does anyone have any general first-time DM tips? Any advice for this particular type of game or for this module?
Probably the best advice anyone can give you is to just relax. Given the circumstances it is highly likely that your players are going to spend more time joking, laughing, and carrying on. With that in mind read up on the module so you have a better than average idea of what is going on and trust your gut. It is better to just make a decision and roll with it than waste time looking up rules and such in the books.
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As for me, I choose to believe that an extinct thunder lizard is running a game of Dungeons & Dragons via Twitter!
Can you run the game first, and THEN do the pub crawl?
If everyone is a bit sauced, then you'll probably want to just run a very comic game with lots of dice rolling (people like rolling dice and making fun of boozy maths).
If it is after a pub crawl, I'd say keep it light, more interaction heavy, and a fight or two against something big and obvious.
Just my $.02
For more flavor... you could start the session with a drinking game....
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"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
I'm a pretty new DM myself and completed a one-shot. I reccomend to relax and have fun as others have said, as that's all that matters. But also to plan out a vague plan on how you think the adventure will go. This can be VERY vague, just a general idea. No matter how much planning, you will never predict what your players will choose to do, especially after a pub crawl xd
Some of the best advice I've gotten is, "Be prepared to be unprepared." I myself had to improvise my one-shot once they took a path I thought they wouldn't. All you got to do is run it naturally. Think of the most logical outcome- what would happen with the player's actions. Then, try to bring it back home to the adventure you have laid out. Just keep the flow going and allow the players to do what they wish.
I do want to say congrats on taking the role as DM. It's a lot of fun watching your players create a unique story with you. You view Dnd differently as the DM, but you're there for the same reason as the players: No matter what happens in your one-shot, (no matter how messed up the plot gets) you are all there to have fun. Go in with that and you can't fail. :D
I've been a GM for a whole two sessions now. I've played as a character one time over 35yrs ago.
Players I have.. are just great people and very patient. In really enjoy my time with them in the world I'm creating.
et them do crazy things. Don't force a roll on something that's impossible anyways. Take notes! Know their story and incorporate that into the game. Have traps and things that each player is needed to let their characters shine.
You're running a premade. Don't be afraid to go off and make things up on the spot to change everything about it. If the rolls go bad and a player is going to die. Then they die. Don't flub a situation to save the players at the last second.
I always keep in mind that I lay out the world to the players. But the players decide what happens there and their decisions determine where the story goes.
Don't be afraid to say no to a player. Don't stick to the rules. If a player wants to shoot themselves from a catapult? Let them. Let the dice roll. The results can be hilarious even if they die.
Hello all,
So I'm running my first game ever in a few weeks--The Wolves of Welton--to cap off my friend's bachelor party after a pub crawl earlier in the day.
There'll be 5-6 people including myself, two of whom are experienced DMs and players, two of whom have never played before.
Obviously, since this is a one-shot campaign after a bar crawl, everyone will be at least a little sauced. But I still wanna show everyone a good time.
Problem is, while I know some of the differences, I've never played 5e before.
So does anyone have any general first-time DM tips? Any advice for this particular type of game or for this module?
Probably the best advice anyone can give you is to just relax. Given the circumstances it is highly likely that your players are going to spend more time joking, laughing, and carrying on. With that in mind read up on the module so you have a better than average idea of what is going on and trust your gut. It is better to just make a decision and roll with it than waste time looking up rules and such in the books.
As for me, I choose to believe that an extinct thunder lizard is running a game of Dungeons & Dragons via Twitter!
Thanks! Will do.
Can you run the game first, and THEN do the pub crawl?
If everyone is a bit sauced, then you'll probably want to just run a very comic game with lots of dice rolling (people like rolling dice and making fun of boozy maths).
If it is after a pub crawl, I'd say keep it light, more interaction heavy, and a fight or two against something big and obvious.
Just my $.02
For more flavor... you could start the session with a drinking game....
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
I'm a pretty new DM myself and completed a one-shot. I reccomend to relax and have fun as others have said, as that's all that matters. But also to plan out a vague plan on how you think the adventure will go. This can be VERY vague, just a general idea. No matter how much planning, you will never predict what your players will choose to do, especially after a pub crawl xd
Some of the best advice I've gotten is, "Be prepared to be unprepared." I myself had to improvise my one-shot once they took a path I thought they wouldn't. All you got to do is run it naturally. Think of the most logical outcome- what would happen with the player's actions. Then, try to bring it back home to the adventure you have laid out. Just keep the flow going and allow the players to do what they wish.
I do want to say congrats on taking the role as DM. It's a lot of fun watching your players create a unique story with you. You view Dnd differently as the DM, but you're there for the same reason as the players: No matter what happens in your one-shot, (no matter how messed up the plot gets) you are all there to have fun. Go in with that and you can't fail. :D
I've been a GM for a whole two sessions now. I've played as a character one time over 35yrs ago.
Players I have.. are just great people and very patient. In really enjoy my time with them in the world I'm creating.
et them do crazy things. Don't force a roll on something that's impossible anyways. Take notes! Know their story and incorporate that into the game. Have traps and things that each player is needed to let their characters shine.
You're running a premade. Don't be afraid to go off and make things up on the spot to change everything about it. If the rolls go bad and a player is going to die. Then they die. Don't flub a situation to save the players at the last second.
I always keep in mind that I lay out the world to the players. But the players decide what happens there and their decisions determine where the story goes.
Don't be afraid to say no to a player. Don't stick to the rules. If a player wants to shoot themselves from a catapult? Let them. Let the dice roll. The results can be hilarious even if they die.
Above all. Just have fun.
Plan some basic stuff but mostly be ready to improvise