Find the videos from the above that are pertinent to you.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"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!"
Also if I can pass one tip along: You don't need to know everything. You don't even need to know half the things. Be ok looking stuff up or making stuff up, focus on having fun. The rest will be fine.
Start small. Don't try to build a Lord of the Rings size plot or huge maze of a dungeon, and don't throw your Level 1 hobbits into a crazy mix of gods and demons and overwritten backstory. Just give the characters a simple objective that they can complete in a session, like "find the dwarf lord's axe in the orc-infested mine." I'm an experienced DM and I still find this helpful!
Also, give your adventures a time-sensitive goal so players don't abuse long rests.
First and foremost try to relax and have fun with the experience. I'm sure your players will be understanding and if everyone is having fun who cares if you don't know every rule or don't have a highly intricate plot. Colville's Running the Game series I think is very useful and interesting but for your first few sessions start small like Naivana said. Other than that don't be afraid to make a ruling at the table, you can always look up something later and adjust going forward.
First and foremost try to relax and have fun with the experience. I'm sure your players will be understanding and if everyone is having fun who cares if you don't know every rule or don't have a highly intricate plot. Colville's Running the Game series I think is very useful and interesting but for your first few sessions start small like Naivana said. Other than that don't be afraid to make a ruling at the table, you can always look up something later and adjust going forward.
Aha! A new member.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
To answer the OP's question, you don't need to have everything planned out. All you need to know is what will probably happen in an upcoming session, and maybe a bit about the session after that. But you don't need to create a super-extensive plotline. That will come into shape as you play.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Don't worry about making mistakes. If you run into something mid play, you can make a ruling on the fly and then look it up when you aren't in session. If you were wrong and want to follow the rules afterwards, just announce that in the next session. You could even announce that the rules say other than your ruling but you'll follow your ruling if you prefer it (called a home rule). That's probably in Colville's videos (or something like it), but it's worth noting since every DM will inevitably make a ruling that doesn't follow the rules (by accident or on purpose) if they DM long enough.
My #1 piece of advice is to watch that Colville series that Koradgee linked for you. It really is that darned good.
While everything is about DMing and D&D, it isn’t just about those things. One of the videos in particular is the single greatest pieces of education I have ever seen in regards to a few specific events that essentially shaped the last 100 years of IRL global history, and how that can be applied to our campaigns. No lie, it’s so freaking good they should show it in schools as it was likely a better education than many Americans actually get in schools. And he is highly entertaining without needing a gimmick, so the info is very easy to both absorb and retain.
After that, here are my personal top tips:
If everyone at the table is having fun, even if you’re not strictly following the rules, you did it right.
It’s okay to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. It turns out that’s the best way to learn how to avoid that mistake again in future. Making mistakes is not a failing, not learning from them is.
If something comes up at the table, and you cannot find the rule for it in about a minute, just make a decision, let everyone know that’s what you are doing, and that you will look up an official answer before the next session.
Reread chapters 7, 9, and 10 of the PHB, because the vast majority of all the rules that get used just about every session are in those three chapters.
Run a Session 0.
Welcome to the other side of the DM’s screen!
For anyone who might have just asked the universe what the heck a session 0 is, click this spoiler.
Session 0 is a session before the official start of the game where you get to discuss with them how you plan to do things so the players will have an idea what to expect and can have an opportunity to give you feedback. Then, if they need it, you can also help them build their characters with the specifics of your campaign in mind. (It isn’t necessarily your job to help with character building, but they will likely have questions, and will be expecting their DM to know stuff they don’t. If you don’t know it either, see #3 above. 😉)
Some comment topics that I always find helpful to bring up during Session 0 include (but not limited to) discussions about:
The theme (geopolitical, post apocalyptic, etc.), tone (light, serious, etc.), genre (mystery, action, horror, comedy, morality play, etc.), environment (urban, wilderness, high seas, etc.), and setting (high fantasy, grimdark, etc.) of the campaign.
Everyone’s expectations about potential PC deaths.
Subject matter best avoided for that group like potential triggers or otherwise sensitive topics.
How focused things will be around the “three pillars” (combat/exploration/social).
How prevalent magic is in the campaign.
What your plan is for handling occasional player absences.
If you plan to run an R rated, serious, post apocalyptic action/horror campaign in the virgin jungles of a grimdark setting, where magic is rare, life is cheap and heroes die every day; but the players are expecting a light PG13 action/comedy in a hith fantasy setting and that their PCs have a degree of plot armor, it’s much better for everyone get on the same page right away. Basically if you’re envisioning Apocalypse Now on Faerûn, but they’re expecting Your Highness, find out before the game actually starts....
It's OK to fudge die rolls and DCs in service of story over adherence to the rules
This is especially true when players are stumped or when an encounter is a little more dangerous than anticipated. This doesn't mean make everything a success for the players (there needs to be stakes and a sense of danger at appropriate times), it just means be willing to fudge the rules to ensure the group is having fun. Remember, you are playing WITH the players, not AGAINST them, I know many a DM (including myself) who learned this the hard way via a first session TPK.
When the party does something unexpected, or handles an encounter way easier than expected (so basically every game session ever) roll with it
The party has no idea that they missed the main plot hook when they didn't talk to the brooding cloaked figure in the corner of the bar, they are equally clueless that the group of squishy bandits they destroyed with out breaking a sweat was supposed to be the Big Bad bandit king terrorizing the region. When this happens you can improvise on the fly and LITERALLY NOBODY WILL KNOW BUT YOU. Maybe the party gets jumped when they leave the tavern and the cloaked figure comes to their aid, maybe when they investigate the remains of the bandits they discover its not the leader but some underlings carrying an important message from the true Bandit King. Just make something up, keep the story moving, and if what happens has larger ramifications for the world y'all are building together you can fix how it all fits together between sessions.
Start small, and be ready and willing to kill your darlings
This is sort of a continuation of the first two points, but don't get so stuck on how you think the story SHOULD unfold that you miss how it WANTS to unfold through collaboration at the table. You might have the best idea for a story full of twists and turns, devious villains, and ancient kingdoms in dire need of heroes, which is all well and good, but if you force the action upon the players with out listening to the desires of their characters it will fall flat every single time. Doing that is like trying to write a book instead of making up a story with friends.
This doesn't mean throw out your ideas! They are ultimately a big part of what will make the game special, but you need to be ready to change them in service of the characters at the table, the actions that they take, and the desires that drive them. When starting a new campaign start with a few small adventures, spend those early sessions feeling out who the characters are and how the players playing them respond to challenges, and let that inform (or even create) the larger meta-plots in the world. IMHO this point goes doubly so for pre-written campaigns, don't be afraid to change NPCs and plot hooks in published adventures to better fit the characters at the table and the world you are building together.
I apologize, since I just added a Matt Colville link and didn't actually add content.
Don't try to plan for everything, players will almost always choose the path least prepared.
Understand your villains and their motivations -- then improv from there.
Evaluate your table (group), not all will interact with your setting the same way. This is similar to "learning styles" from education. Create the content your group is interested in and will interact with.
As DM you have final say, but its ok to talk through some processes and decisions so you get other points of view. Make your ruling, but be open to changing it in the future.
Cheers!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"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!"
DMs have a lot to balance all at once. If any of your players are willing or volunteer, give them tasks to help you. Tracking initiative order, looking up rules...sometimes in combat especially, looking up a rule can stop the flow of play, just make your best judgement call and move on, have a player look up the rule while you continue to dm to keep things moving then you’ll know the rule for the future or might be able to change the ruling then depending on what it is. Or just anything else that comes up during the session that players can assist you with to lighten your load.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
title says it all.
A New DM up against the World
I'm going to beat Biowizard and Sposta to this, but
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8
Find the videos from the above that are pertinent to you.
"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!"
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
InsiderI'll offer a few options:
Here's all of our DM tips articles!
A Todd Talks all about getting started in D&D as either a player or a DM!
Also if I can pass one tip along: You don't need to know everything. You don't even need to know half the things. Be ok looking stuff up or making stuff up, focus on having fun. The rest will be fine.
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
Start small. Don't try to build a Lord of the Rings size plot or huge maze of a dungeon, and don't throw your Level 1 hobbits into a crazy mix of gods and demons and overwritten backstory. Just give the characters a simple objective that they can complete in a session, like "find the dwarf lord's axe in the orc-infested mine." I'm an experienced DM and I still find this helpful!
Also, give your adventures a time-sensitive goal so players don't abuse long rests.
Have fun!
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Sooner or later et they’re all going to end up being pertinent if one DMs long enough.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Uh oh... We have created a Cult of Colville here....
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
My tip?
Have fun, if you aren’t having fun, examine why and fix it. If that means learning, prepping or removing a problem player, so be it.
First and foremost try to relax and have fun with the experience. I'm sure your players will be understanding and if everyone is having fun who cares if you don't know every rule or don't have a highly intricate plot. Colville's Running the Game series I think is very useful and interesting but for your first few sessions start small like Naivana said. Other than that don't be afraid to make a ruling at the table, you can always look up something later and adjust going forward.
Yep, you probably have.
Aha! A new member.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
To answer the OP's question, you don't need to have everything planned out. All you need to know is what will probably happen in an upcoming session, and maybe a bit about the session after that. But you don't need to create a super-extensive plotline. That will come into shape as you play.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Don't worry about making mistakes. If you run into something mid play, you can make a ruling on the fly and then look it up when you aren't in session. If you were wrong and want to follow the rules afterwards, just announce that in the next session. You could even announce that the rules say other than your ruling but you'll follow your ruling if you prefer it (called a home rule). That's probably in Colville's videos (or something like it), but it's worth noting since every DM will inevitably make a ruling that doesn't follow the rules (by accident or on purpose) if they DM long enough.
Well that saves me having to click on the link to see if it was a Colville video ;-)
Oh, and for a time-planning sort of thing which I heard a long time ago. Expect to take as long as the session to prepare for a gaming session.
You will make mistakes, even seasoned DM's do. So do not get too worked up when it happens. The most important thing is that you're all having fun.
Thank you all! This has been very helpful.
A New DM up against the World
I can take no credit. He is a river to his people, I simply point thirsty people towards the water.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
My #1 piece of advice is to watch that Colville series that Koradgee linked for you. It really is that darned good.
While everything is about DMing and D&D, it isn’t just about those things. One of the videos in particular is the single greatest pieces of education I have ever seen in regards to a few specific events that essentially shaped the last 100 years of IRL global history, and how that can be applied to our campaigns. No lie, it’s so freaking good they should show it in schools as it was likely a better education than many Americans actually get in schools. And he is highly entertaining without needing a gimmick, so the info is very easy to both absorb and retain.
After that, here are my personal top tips:
Welcome to the other side of the DM’s screen!
For anyone who might have just asked the universe what the heck a session 0 is, click this spoiler.
Session 0 is a session before the official start of the game where you get to discuss with them how you plan to do things so the players will have an idea what to expect and can have an opportunity to give you feedback. Then, if they need it, you can also help them build their characters with the specifics of your campaign in mind. (It isn’t necessarily your job to help with character building, but they will likely have questions, and will be expecting their DM to know stuff they don’t. If you don’t know it either, see #3 above. 😉)
Some comment topics that I always find helpful to bring up during Session 0 include (but not limited to) discussions about:
If you plan to run an R rated, serious, post apocalyptic action/horror campaign in the virgin jungles of a grimdark setting, where magic is rare, life is cheap and heroes die every day; but the players are expecting a light PG13 action/comedy in a hith fantasy setting and that their PCs have a degree of plot armor, it’s much better for everyone get on the same page right away. Basically if you’re envisioning Apocalypse Now on Faerûn, but they’re expecting Your Highness, find out before the game actually starts....
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
It's OK to fudge die rolls and DCs in service of story over adherence to the rules
This is especially true when players are stumped or when an encounter is a little more dangerous than anticipated. This doesn't mean make everything a success for the players (there needs to be stakes and a sense of danger at appropriate times), it just means be willing to fudge the rules to ensure the group is having fun. Remember, you are playing WITH the players, not AGAINST them, I know many a DM (including myself) who learned this the hard way via a first session TPK.
When the party does something unexpected, or handles an encounter way easier than expected (so basically every game session ever) roll with it
The party has no idea that they missed the main plot hook when they didn't talk to the brooding cloaked figure in the corner of the bar, they are equally clueless that the group of squishy bandits they destroyed with out breaking a sweat was supposed to be the Big Bad bandit king terrorizing the region. When this happens you can improvise on the fly and LITERALLY NOBODY WILL KNOW BUT YOU. Maybe the party gets jumped when they leave the tavern and the cloaked figure comes to their aid, maybe when they investigate the remains of the bandits they discover its not the leader but some underlings carrying an important message from the true Bandit King. Just make something up, keep the story moving, and if what happens has larger ramifications for the world y'all are building together you can fix how it all fits together between sessions.
Start small, and be ready and willing to kill your darlings
This is sort of a continuation of the first two points, but don't get so stuck on how you think the story SHOULD unfold that you miss how it WANTS to unfold through collaboration at the table. You might have the best idea for a story full of twists and turns, devious villains, and ancient kingdoms in dire need of heroes, which is all well and good, but if you force the action upon the players with out listening to the desires of their characters it will fall flat every single time. Doing that is like trying to write a book instead of making up a story with friends.
This doesn't mean throw out your ideas! They are ultimately a big part of what will make the game special, but you need to be ready to change them in service of the characters at the table, the actions that they take, and the desires that drive them. When starting a new campaign start with a few small adventures, spend those early sessions feeling out who the characters are and how the players playing them respond to challenges, and let that inform (or even create) the larger meta-plots in the world. IMHO this point goes doubly so for pre-written campaigns, don't be afraid to change NPCs and plot hooks in published adventures to better fit the characters at the table and the world you are building together.
I apologize, since I just added a Matt Colville link and didn't actually add content.
Cheers!
"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!"
You know what, I gotta say this one bit about being a DM is that you should just do your best to be a river to your people.
DMs have a lot to balance all at once. If any of your players are willing or volunteer, give them tasks to help you. Tracking initiative order, looking up rules...sometimes in combat especially, looking up a rule can stop the flow of play, just make your best judgement call and move on, have a player look up the rule while you continue to dm to keep things moving then you’ll know the rule for the future or might be able to change the ruling then depending on what it is. Or just anything else that comes up during the session that players can assist you with to lighten your load.