I'm currently pulling myself together to become a DM and planning to run Dragons of Stormwreck Isle for some friends. So many questions...and I've got so much to prep for (some new players will be with us, so gotta make sure i'm fundamentally sound). My main question at this time...as a DM...what makes you stand out from other DMs? What is something that really makes the campaign?
I think particularly for new DMs that's not actually a very useful question. If you're worried about standing out you'll be setting yourself up for failure at a time when you've got a hell of a lot of other stuff on your plate. Truth is at the start none of us really stand out, we all stumble through it as best we can and frantically hope no one realises how terrified we are. It's only practice and time that lets you spot what *you* are good at and lets you start running campaigns that cater to that skill set and it's a lot harder to realise what your strengths are if you're constantly beating yourself up for not being as good at certain things as a dozen famous DMs we can all mention
Understood entirely...i know what i have to deal with on the other end of things though. I've been in 3 different campaigns...between Pathfinder and D&D. There are very notable things that these DMs do differently from the others. I thinks it's amazing. Becoming a DM is a big deal for me...also, opens up the opportunity for others i know to play who don't get to. I just want to have that special something like all of y'all do. Lol.
Understood entirely...i know what i have to deal with on the other end of things though. I've been in 3 different campaigns...between Pathfinder and D&D. There are very notable things that these DMs do differently from the others. I thinks it's amazing. Becoming a DM is a big deal for me...also, opens up the opportunity for others i know to play who don't get to. I just want to have that special something like all of y'all do. Lol.
Well you’ve got enthusiasm so that’s half the battle. If you’re looking to figure out what you bring to the role think about what you enjoy when you’re playing because that’s probably it. If you enjoy writing big complex character back stories you’ll probably be great at plotting, if you are a great role player then your NPCs will really come to life, if you’re a fantastic combat tactician then your players will love that every encounter is unique and challenging. I’m terrible at accents and voices but I’ve always been good at the body language side of role play, my characters had facial expressions and postures to bring them to life, and I’ve found particularly in horror campaigns that translated really well to monsters. I’ve made players jump out of their skins with a well timed grin, or scoot away from me as I reveal a jerky set of body movements that look unnatural. It’s also the stuff I enjoy so that’s the stuff I get a kick out of prepping and improving
I too am a new DM in the beginning of my first DM Campaign, playing with entirely new players. I'm wondering if running a Campaign of my own writing, instead of a module first was a mistake... I constantly have no clue what to do, most of my stuff is flavorless, and I have to hard railroad the party sometimes, and I feel bad about it.
I too am a new DM in the beginning of my first DM Campaign, playing with entirely new players. I'm wondering if running a Campaign of my own writing, instead of a module first was a mistake... I constantly have no clue what to do, most of my stuff is flavorless, and I have to hard railroad the party sometimes, and I feel bad about it.
You're braver than I am, I've been DMing for a little over 2 years and have multiple groups and still run exclusively pre-written modules with some heavy home brewing. I know plotting a full campaign is not where my strengths lie so I've avoided doing it. Don't forget, if you're feeling overwhelmed and like you've made a mistake you can just say to your players "Don't know about you but I don't think this is working, does anyone mind if we stop and switch to something else?" Once you've run a couple of prewritten campaigns you might have a better feel for how things like plot hooks and encounters play out and go back to your own story with more confidence
The players have been finding it fun so far, so I'll see how long I can keep my current campaign. Considering RN we're also trying to homebrew up a huge DND rework for a Sonic-Themed Campaign which I think I posted in the Homebrew forums on my alt
I think one of the best things you can do as a DM is to give a small dose of special attention to each PC. This does not have to be cumbersome either. Before you start the campaign, talk to each player on the side and come up with one small detail about their character that they can implement into the story right away.
For example, I started my previous campaign by having every player know a certain piece of information that pertained to the opening quest hook. It was great for immediate roleplay and party bonding.
Or, you can simply check out their backstories and pull out a small tidbit from each and sprinkle it in the first session or two. I've come to find that players really resonate with the narrative when they feel their PC has direct impact on it - aside from just being the adventurer undertaking the quest.
My main question at this time...as a DM...what makes you stand out from other DMs?
Initial reaction:
The thing that makes you stand out is the fact that you are willing to run a game. Just that by itself is enough to make you great. You don't have to be Chris Perkins or Matt Mercer, or any of that. Just do the best you can. You might even suck at it, and make mistakes but as long as everybody is having a good time, then it's a win.
You only get better by doing it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"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
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I'm currently pulling myself together to become a DM and planning to run Dragons of Stormwreck Isle for some friends. So many questions...and I've got so much to prep for (some new players will be with us, so gotta make sure i'm fundamentally sound). My main question at this time...as a DM...what makes you stand out from other DMs? What is something that really makes the campaign?
I think particularly for new DMs that's not actually a very useful question. If you're worried about standing out you'll be setting yourself up for failure at a time when you've got a hell of a lot of other stuff on your plate. Truth is at the start none of us really stand out, we all stumble through it as best we can and frantically hope no one realises how terrified we are. It's only practice and time that lets you spot what *you* are good at and lets you start running campaigns that cater to that skill set and it's a lot harder to realise what your strengths are if you're constantly beating yourself up for not being as good at certain things as a dozen famous DMs we can all mention
Understood entirely...i know what i have to deal with on the other end of things though. I've been in 3 different campaigns...between Pathfinder and D&D. There are very notable things that these DMs do differently from the others. I thinks it's amazing. Becoming a DM is a big deal for me...also, opens up the opportunity for others i know to play who don't get to. I just want to have that special something like all of y'all do. Lol.
Well you’ve got enthusiasm so that’s half the battle. If you’re looking to figure out what you bring to the role think about what you enjoy when you’re playing because that’s probably it. If you enjoy writing big complex character back stories you’ll probably be great at plotting, if you are a great role player then your NPCs will really come to life, if you’re a fantastic combat tactician then your players will love that every encounter is unique and challenging. I’m terrible at accents and voices but I’ve always been good at the body language side of role play, my characters had facial expressions and postures to bring them to life, and I’ve found particularly in horror campaigns that translated really well to monsters. I’ve made players jump out of their skins with a well timed grin, or scoot away from me as I reveal a jerky set of body movements that look unnatural. It’s also the stuff I enjoy so that’s the stuff I get a kick out of prepping and improving
I too am a new DM in the beginning of my first DM Campaign, playing with entirely new players. I'm wondering if running a Campaign of my own writing, instead of a module first was a mistake... I constantly have no clue what to do, most of my stuff is flavorless, and I have to hard railroad the party sometimes, and I feel bad about it.
You're braver than I am, I've been DMing for a little over 2 years and have multiple groups and still run exclusively pre-written modules with some heavy home brewing. I know plotting a full campaign is not where my strengths lie so I've avoided doing it. Don't forget, if you're feeling overwhelmed and like you've made a mistake you can just say to your players "Don't know about you but I don't think this is working, does anyone mind if we stop and switch to something else?" Once you've run a couple of prewritten campaigns you might have a better feel for how things like plot hooks and encounters play out and go back to your own story with more confidence
The players have been finding it fun so far, so I'll see how long I can keep my current campaign. Considering RN we're also trying to homebrew up a huge DND rework for a Sonic-Themed Campaign which I think I posted in the Homebrew forums on my alt
I think one of the best things you can do as a DM is to give a small dose of special attention to each PC. This does not have to be cumbersome either. Before you start the campaign, talk to each player on the side and come up with one small detail about their character that they can implement into the story right away.
For example, I started my previous campaign by having every player know a certain piece of information that pertained to the opening quest hook. It was great for immediate roleplay and party bonding.
Or, you can simply check out their backstories and pull out a small tidbit from each and sprinkle it in the first session or two. I've come to find that players really resonate with the narrative when they feel their PC has direct impact on it - aside from just being the adventurer undertaking the quest.
Happy gaming!
Initial reaction:
The thing that makes you stand out is the fact that you are willing to run a game. Just that by itself is enough to make you great. You don't have to be Chris Perkins or Matt Mercer, or any of that. Just do the best you can. You might even suck at it, and make mistakes but as long as everybody is having a good time, then it's a win.
You only get better by doing it.
"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