I've been considering trying out being a DM for a while now, after I read the dungeon master's guide. I know the book doesn't give all the tips though, so I'm wondering, does anyone who's more experienced as a DM have any tips for someone who's just starting out? Also do you have any recommendation for decent one-shot adventures for someone who's new?
Absolutely! First off, good for you for starting off as a DM!
#1 tip: HAVE FUN! Don't focus on running the perfect combat, telling the perfect story, or anything like that. Tell yourself no matter how it goes, you'll have fun. It's a game—it doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to enjoy it!
#2: Think small! The best adventures have quick and easy goals that the heroes can deal with in a single dungeon. Sure, maybe there's an ancient evil tying all the bosses and relics together, but saddling the heroes with a world-saving prophecy or having them get beaten down by a dracolich villain in session one usually makes them feel meaningless. Plus, it takes your focus away from the players, because now you've got to think about how to fit together a whole big story instead of just letting them do their thing. And, frankly, unless you're the next Tolkien, all your worldbuilding and backstory will just sound cheesy and stupid*, because people just want adventure and a story where they're the heroes. So give them something they can accomplish in a single dungeon, like "kill the goblin chieftain," "save the miller's son," "reclaim the wizard's magic hat," or "find the healing herbs."
#3: Set in-game time limits. This sounds silly, but it's so important. You will have at least one player who wants to long rest after every fight, but if you let them, they'll steamroll the monsters and nerf "milage" characters like fighters and warlocks. So give them a reason why this session's story needs to end before a long rest, like "the cultists will sacrifice the captives at midnight," or "the dungeon unseals only on Durin's Day." Trust me, this works wonders. (On a similar note, make sure each adventure has several fights, not just one!)
#4: When you decide to build your own dungeon, try the "five-room-dungeon" technique. This is the theory that every good dungeon has five rooms: a fight, a trap, a roleplaying encounter (like a wounded fellow adventurer or a Gollum-style riddle game), a boss, and a treasure. Realistically it probably shouldn't be exactly five rooms—dungeons should have at least two fights plus the boss even at first level—but make sure you include all those elements for a little diversity and pacing. There's nothing wrong with a totally linear, small dungeon, especially at low levels...if you want to mix it up, try including two separate ways forward with clues that hint of what lies down each, or a sidequest room that the heroes can ignore...or brave in the hopes of finding additional treasure!
#5: Establish expectations. Believe me, this can save you so, so much pain (I'm actually soon to leave my current group because I never had this talk with them). What is the tone of the game—is it silly like Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Is it epic like Lord of the Rings? Is it dark like Game of Thrones? Are characters expected to be heroic? Are evil characters allowed? Are "lol so random funny chaotic" characters allowed? (Yes, it is okay to nicely ask your players to build their characters within certain parameters. You can totally say no to the party-betraying schemer or horny meme bard.)
And...that's about it. Good luck and have fun!
*Honestly I'd go so far as to say "do as little worldbuilding as you can." It's good to have flavor, but put that flavor into giving the barkeep a funny or cool voice and catchphrase, not telling the saga of how the gods made the world. Make it something fun in the moment.
This helps a lot, thank you so much!! I've planned just doing some simple and short one shots before getting into the territory of doing a campaign, just to get used to the territory and all that.
# 2 I'll say, you can't be too prepared. Make sure you have as many NPC, descriptions, monsters stats, etc. ready to go. Have a couple of random encounters (the monster with stats, etc) handy that you don't plan to use. Needing to look that stuff up, or come up with things on the fly is pressure you don't need. You'll have plenty to keep track of and try to listen to your players.
# 3 A crypt is a good one shot. It can be close to, or in, the starting town or city so you don't have to worry about travel. The town offers a good backdrop and resources for the players so they don't get too creative on finding things or information.
#4 take a break somewhere in the session. An hour or two in, stand up, walk around, get a drink (because you will be talking a lot). Give yourself a couple minute to collect your thoughts, clear your head.
Have a list of names you can apply to NPCs your players randomly decide to talk to(only so many people in a village of 50 can be named Steve, don't ask how I know ;-) )
What the other people said. Simple dungeon, simple descriptions, a few traps. It might also be nice to set up a battle. draw out your setting and start PC and enemies on different sides of the field. Or have your monsters hidden and tell your party they have to cross the field. Pit traps, snakes, Orcs throwing Hobbits, and ambush, etc..
I recommend this tip all the time. At the end of each session ask your players this: "What specific thing did you like about this session? What specific thing could be changed or improved?"
The important thing is to make sure they are SPECIFIC.
What this does is makes sure you are doing the right things. These are the things your players like and you can keep doing them without second guessing yourself.
This also gives you an insight on what you can improve on. It also grants you an insight on what your players are looking for.
I think the first post are pretty spot on. The only thing I would add is:
Don't get bogged down by the rules. Try to get the session rolling rather than spending a lot of time checking rules. Rules are best checked between sessions, and then introduced to the group. For instance I would have completely forgotten about encumbrance on the first session.
Create a couple of memorable NPC's you can use.
Be ready for adjusting the adventure as you play. If the first fight almost kill them, remove some monsters from the next or let them at least have a long rest.
If you don't have the time to prep a completely homebrew one shot I cannot recommend a Wild Sheep Chase enough.
This is the one shot I ran for my first time DMing for a few of my normal group. It's balanced for a party of 4th or 5th level but I know the author has another one or two free ones for lower level parties if you want to run a lower level encounter. Everything you need is in the PDF and it leaves enough room to improvise and put your own spin on things. My one mistake was letting my party choose their own magic items since we had a someone bail last minute and one guy chose Winged Boots which was a challenge for the initial combat encounter.
With the amount of work I'm doing for a published module, I'd suggest against trying to homebrew your first campaign. Yawning Portal adventures are quick and easy to start (ignoring the seven months it took my players to get through Sunless Citadel), and you can take notes in each chapter to create a campaign after you've finished.
Carrion
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I've been considering trying out being a DM for a while now, after I read the dungeon master's guide. I know the book doesn't give all the tips though, so I'm wondering, does anyone who's more experienced as a DM have any tips for someone who's just starting out? Also do you have any recommendation for decent one-shot adventures for someone who's new?
Absolutely! First off, good for you for starting off as a DM!
#1 tip: HAVE FUN! Don't focus on running the perfect combat, telling the perfect story, or anything like that. Tell yourself no matter how it goes, you'll have fun. It's a game—it doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to enjoy it!
#2: Think small! The best adventures have quick and easy goals that the heroes can deal with in a single dungeon. Sure, maybe there's an ancient evil tying all the bosses and relics together, but saddling the heroes with a world-saving prophecy or having them get beaten down by a dracolich villain in session one usually makes them feel meaningless. Plus, it takes your focus away from the players, because now you've got to think about how to fit together a whole big story instead of just letting them do their thing. And, frankly, unless you're the next Tolkien, all your worldbuilding and backstory will just sound cheesy and stupid*, because people just want adventure and a story where they're the heroes. So give them something they can accomplish in a single dungeon, like "kill the goblin chieftain," "save the miller's son," "reclaim the wizard's magic hat," or "find the healing herbs."
#3: Set in-game time limits. This sounds silly, but it's so important. You will have at least one player who wants to long rest after every fight, but if you let them, they'll steamroll the monsters and nerf "milage" characters like fighters and warlocks. So give them a reason why this session's story needs to end before a long rest, like "the cultists will sacrifice the captives at midnight," or "the dungeon unseals only on Durin's Day." Trust me, this works wonders. (On a similar note, make sure each adventure has several fights, not just one!)
#4: When you decide to build your own dungeon, try the "five-room-dungeon" technique. This is the theory that every good dungeon has five rooms: a fight, a trap, a roleplaying encounter (like a wounded fellow adventurer or a Gollum-style riddle game), a boss, and a treasure. Realistically it probably shouldn't be exactly five rooms—dungeons should have at least two fights plus the boss even at first level—but make sure you include all those elements for a little diversity and pacing. There's nothing wrong with a totally linear, small dungeon, especially at low levels...if you want to mix it up, try including two separate ways forward with clues that hint of what lies down each, or a sidequest room that the heroes can ignore...or brave in the hopes of finding additional treasure!
#5: Establish expectations. Believe me, this can save you so, so much pain (I'm actually soon to leave my current group because I never had this talk with them). What is the tone of the game—is it silly like Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Is it epic like Lord of the Rings? Is it dark like Game of Thrones? Are characters expected to be heroic? Are evil characters allowed? Are "lol so random funny chaotic" characters allowed? (Yes, it is okay to nicely ask your players to build their characters within certain parameters. You can totally say no to the party-betraying schemer or horny meme bard.)
And...that's about it. Good luck and have fun!
*Honestly I'd go so far as to say "do as little worldbuilding as you can." It's good to have flavor, but put that flavor into giving the barkeep a funny or cool voice and catchphrase, not telling the saga of how the gods made the world. Make it something fun in the moment.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
This helps a lot, thank you so much!! I've planned just doing some simple and short one shots before getting into the territory of doing a campaign, just to get used to the territory and all that.
Good suggestions up there.
#1 Have fun is the biggest.
# 2 I'll say, you can't be too prepared. Make sure you have as many NPC, descriptions, monsters stats, etc. ready to go. Have a couple of random encounters (the monster with stats, etc) handy that you don't plan to use. Needing to look that stuff up, or come up with things on the fly is pressure you don't need. You'll have plenty to keep track of and try to listen to your players.
# 3 A crypt is a good one shot. It can be close to, or in, the starting town or city so you don't have to worry about travel. The town offers a good backdrop and resources for the players so they don't get too creative on finding things or information.
#4 take a break somewhere in the session. An hour or two in, stand up, walk around, get a drink (because you will be talking a lot). Give yourself a couple minute to collect your thoughts, clear your head.
Everyone is the main character of their story
Have a list of names you can apply to NPCs your players randomly decide to talk to(only so many people in a village of 50 can be named Steve, don't ask how I know ;-) )
What the other people said. Simple dungeon, simple descriptions, a few traps. It might also be nice to set up a battle. draw out your setting and start PC and enemies on different sides of the field. Or have your monsters hidden and tell your party they have to cross the field. Pit traps, snakes, Orcs throwing Hobbits, and ambush, etc..
Kill them! KILL THEM ALL... Ahem!
I recommend this tip all the time. At the end of each session ask your players this:
"What specific thing did you like about this session? What specific thing could be changed or improved?"
The important thing is to make sure they are SPECIFIC.
What this does is makes sure you are doing the right things. These are the things your players like and you can keep doing them without second guessing yourself.
This also gives you an insight on what you can improve on. It also grants you an insight on what your players are looking for.
Afterwards KILL THEM ALL!!!
I think the first post are pretty spot on. The only thing I would add is:
Don't get bogged down by the rules. Try to get the session rolling rather than spending a lot of time checking rules. Rules are best checked between sessions, and then introduced to the group. For instance I would have completely forgotten about encumbrance on the first session.
Create a couple of memorable NPC's you can use.
Be ready for adjusting the adventure as you play. If the first fight almost kill them, remove some monsters from the next or let them at least have a long rest.
Best of luck, and yes: HAVE FUN!
Ludo ergo sum!
If you don't have the time to prep a completely homebrew one shot I cannot recommend a Wild Sheep Chase enough.
This is the one shot I ran for my first time DMing for a few of my normal group. It's balanced for a party of 4th or 5th level but I know the author has another one or two free ones for lower level parties if you want to run a lower level encounter. Everything you need is in the PDF and it leaves enough room to improvise and put your own spin on things. My one mistake was letting my party choose their own magic items since we had a someone bail last minute and one guy chose Winged Boots which was a challenge for the initial combat encounter.
https://winghornpress.com/adventures/a-wild-sheep-chase/
With the amount of work I'm doing for a published module, I'd suggest against trying to homebrew your first campaign. Yawning Portal adventures are quick and easy to start (ignoring the seven months it took my players to get through Sunless Citadel), and you can take notes in each chapter to create a campaign after you've finished.
Carrion