Hi I know this must be annoying with probably dozens of these a week, but I'm getting ready to start my first campaign with practically no playing experience does anyone have tips literally anything I'm open to it all.
Being kinda new myself what I've found helpful is to just try to be confident if you're feeling like you're not sure how some rule goes. I struggle with this at times but unless you have a Rules Lawyer in the group most players should be ok with you deciding from the top of your head how something is supposed to work in the game.
If you have the time, something that I've enjoyed a lot both as a player and as a dungeon master has been to let the player describe how they kill a monster when they do. And then narrating it out. It apparently makes the whole combat experience feel a lot more rewarding whereas otherwise combat tends to be the most time consuming part of Dungeons and Dragons. Good luck!
Are you using a published adventure or trying to homebrew something? If it’s a first time for everyone I’d go with something published so you can not have to worry so much about the details.
Are you using a published adventure or trying to homebrew something? If it’s a first time for everyone I’d go with something published so you can not have to worry so much about the details.
yes I'm running the first two adventures published (lost mine of phandelver and princes of the apocalypse) then Im going to start my home-brew idea
I highly recommend Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series. First episode is linked below.
You can't do better than his advice. It is excellent and he is interesting to listen to.
BioWizard, you beat me this time!
Poseidon_the_Dungeon_Master2, Listen to BioWizard. They know what their talking about. And I don’t just mean on this video series, but in general. But this vid series is probably the single best place to go for the absolute most information in the easiest to digest format known to the internet.
yeah I might check it out during my free time, does it have references to inappropriate things/bad language I'm just a kid
Absolutely not! He makes 100% sure that this series is youth/workplace appropriate for all viewers. Some of his other series may contain language unsuitable for minors, but this series is specifically designed to be appropriate for all ages.
Are you using a published adventure or trying to homebrew something? If it’s a first time for everyone I’d go with something published so you can not have to worry so much about the details.
yes I'm running the first two adventures published (lost mine of phandelver and princes of the apocalypse) then Im going to start my home-brew idea
That sounds like a great way to get started. And I’d add another vote for this colville videos. Just as a general statement/tip, if everyone is having fun, you’re doing it right. Even if you’re not strictly following the rules. And if you’re unsure of something and can’t figure out the answer in a minute or two, make up an answer and go with it. Just tell everyone you’re not sure and you’ll try to figure it out after, but try to keep things moving. Getting bogged down flipping through books is usually not fun.
Are you using a published adventure or trying to homebrew something? If it’s a first time for everyone I’d go with something published so you can not have to worry so much about the details.
yes I'm running the first two adventures published (lost mine of phandelver and princes of the apocalypse) then Im going to start my home-brew idea
That sounds like a great way to get started. And I’d add another vote for this colville videos. Just as a general statement/tip, if everyone is having fun, you’re doing it right. Even if you’re not strictly following the rules. And if you’re unsure of something and can’t figure out the answer in a minute or two, make up an answer and go with it. Just tell everyone you’re not sure and you’ll try to figure it out after, but try to keep things moving. Getting bogged down flipping through books is usually not fun.
This is all fantastic advice as well.
IMO, these will probably the 3 things you will hear most often from experienced DMs.
If everyone is having fun, you’re doing it right. Even if you’re not strictly following the rules.
And if you’re unsure of something and can’t figure out the answer in a minute or two, make up an answer and go with it. Just tell everyone you’re not sure and you’ll try to figure it out after, but try to keep things moving. Getting bogged down flipping through books is usually not fun.
It’s okay to make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. That’s the best way to learn how not to make mistakes.
Only started Dming during corona to keep my board game group going. So beginner to beginner tips
1. Get it wrong, a lot and be okay with that.
You are going to do it anyway so just be fine with it. Between sessions I just speak to players and say “you know how we did X it should of been Y so it will be Y from no onwards” do what’s right in the moment, note it down and then review post game.
2. speak to your players INDIVIDUALLY about what kind of game they want.
Its okay if they are not all on the same page, if one person wants story the other wants mechanics then focus the story around player 1 until player 2 wants some story. Or flip the book and give the mechanics player a bunch of story to chew on and see how they react.
3. Plan a lot but not so much it’s not fun.
being the DM is like being the player but also doing everyone else’s homework, know the players characters better than they do, offer advice on levelling paths and attack strategies
4. make your players feel awesome
Make a big deal when they get kills, make them do cool things, get them excited about interacting with the game
5. reward play you want to see
its your game to, If they only get rewards for kills they will only want to kill things, think about the kind of thing you want to be DMing and reward the players for letting you
The thing about D&D is, it's very hard to picture how it plays until you actually play it. So you can and should read the rules, but there are many of them and you often will not understand exactly what they are talking about until you see the situation in live game-play. Only then will you start to understand how all the pieces fit together, and it will happen gradually. The first couple of times the rogue tries to do a sneak attack, you have to read the rules and figure it out. By the thirteenth time, it's old hat. Same with the first time each spell is cast, first time each combat situation arises, etc. You will have to look things up, and it may slow play down.
DO NOT feel responsible for knowing all the rules by heart. That will happen over time. And even people who have played for years still have to look things up.
There are some streams and videos of people playing D&D but I would be extremely careful when you watch these, not to get unrealistic expectations of how your game will go. The popular streamed videos have a production staff, and are played by people who, for lack of a better term, are "professional" D&D players. You and your players will not, and should not, play the game like that. To that end, although (or perhaps because) production quality is not at the "pro" level, I recommend the videos called "D&D with high school students." This is a high school teacher who takes a bunch of teenagers who have never played D&D before, and he teaches them the rules and they play an adventure together. This is a lot more like what a normal D&D session with new players is like, and the sessions are very realistic for what you should be aiming for as a new DM with new players.
You can watch the others with higher production quality (Crit Role, Chain of Acheron, etc.), but DO NOT expect your game to be anything like that. The people playing in those sessions are literally making a living playing D&D, and have been doing it for years, decades, etc. They have thousands of dollars worth of miniatures, table-top equipment, etc. Your table will not be like theirs, and you should not seek to emulate them.
You really shouldn't seek to emulate anyone, but rather, find your own style with your fellow players. But... it can help to watch some of these just to see how things work, like running a combat round, rolling and tracking initiative, how hit points work, how spellcasting works, etc. Again, best example of this is D&D with high school students. Here's a link to the first video of his series:
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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.
Be prepared to do a Temp Rule of Cool. Better to house rule quickly then to spend 10 minutes arguing. Say "This is what is happening now, but I will research the Rules later and update you next game." I suggest when doing a Temp Rule of Cool to have them make some kind of role and be prepared to let them win on a natural 20 and fail on a nat.1
Prep before hand for more things to do than you have time. Players skip things all the time. Don't just read the parts of the modules you expect them to complete today. But do not be disapointed if they get much less done than you expected.
DO A SESSION 0.
A Session 0 is when you just build the characters with the PCs. You can do each one individually if you have more time, and over zoom is fine. The idea is that you understand what all the PC's are capable of and are not surprised when the Druid says "I cast Faerie Fire", because it is one kick ass spell.
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Hi I know this must be annoying with probably dozens of these a week, but I'm getting ready to start my first campaign with practically no playing experience does anyone have tips literally anything I'm open to it all.
Thanks guys
Mythology Master
Being kinda new myself what I've found helpful is to just try to be confident if you're feeling like you're not sure how some rule goes. I struggle with this at times but unless you have a Rules Lawyer in the group most players should be ok with you deciding from the top of your head how something is supposed to work in the game.
If you have the time, something that I've enjoyed a lot both as a player and as a dungeon master has been to let the player describe how they kill a monster when they do. And then narrating it out. It apparently makes the whole combat experience feel a lot more rewarding whereas otherwise combat tends to be the most time consuming part of Dungeons and Dragons. Good luck!
Thank you I shouldn't have any rules lawyers because my players are also all new and they are either role-players or people who just want to have fun
Mythology Master
Are you using a published adventure or trying to homebrew something? If it’s a first time for everyone I’d go with something published so you can not have to worry so much about the details.
I highly recommend Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series. First episode is linked below.
You can't do better than his advice. It is excellent and he is interesting to listen to.
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.
Thanks everyone,
yes I'm running the first two adventures published (lost mine of phandelver and princes of the apocalypse) then Im going to start my home-brew idea
Mythology Master
BioWizard, you beat me this time!
Poseidon_the_Dungeon_Master2, Listen to BioWizard. They know what their talking about. And I don’t just mean on this video series, but in general. But this vid series is probably the single best place to go for the absolute most information in the easiest to digest format known to the internet.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
yeah I might check it out during my free time, does it have references to inappropriate things/bad language I'm just a kid
Mythology Master
Absolutely not! He makes 100% sure that this series is youth/workplace appropriate for all viewers. Some of his other series may contain language unsuitable for minors, but this series is specifically designed to be appropriate for all ages.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
That sounds like a great way to get started. And I’d add another vote for this colville videos.
Just as a general statement/tip, if everyone is having fun, you’re doing it right. Even if you’re not strictly following the rules.
And if you’re unsure of something and can’t figure out the answer in a minute or two, make up an answer and go with it. Just tell everyone you’re not sure and you’ll try to figure it out after, but try to keep things moving. Getting bogged down flipping through books is usually not fun.
This is all fantastic advice as well.
IMO, these will probably the 3 things you will hear most often from experienced DMs.
PS- Welcome to the other side of the screen!
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
ok my players are all really close friends of mine and we all know how we don't know how everything works yet
Mythology Master
Only started Dming during corona to keep my board game group going. So beginner to beginner tips
1. Get it wrong, a lot and be okay with that.
You are going to do it anyway so just be fine with it. Between sessions I just speak to players and say “you know how we did X it should of been Y so it will be Y from no onwards” do what’s right in the moment, note it down and then review post game.
2. speak to your players INDIVIDUALLY about what kind of game they want.
Its okay if they are not all on the same page, if one person wants story the other wants mechanics then focus the story around player 1 until player 2 wants some story. Or flip the book and give the mechanics player a bunch of story to chew on and see how they react.
3. Plan a lot but not so much it’s not fun.
being the DM is like being the player but also doing everyone else’s homework, know the players characters better than they do, offer advice on levelling paths and attack strategies
4. make your players feel awesome
Make a big deal when they get kills, make them do cool things, get them excited about interacting with the game
5. reward play you want to see
its your game to, If they only get rewards for kills they will only want to kill things, think about the kind of thing you want to be DMing and reward the players for letting you
The thing about D&D is, it's very hard to picture how it plays until you actually play it. So you can and should read the rules, but there are many of them and you often will not understand exactly what they are talking about until you see the situation in live game-play. Only then will you start to understand how all the pieces fit together, and it will happen gradually. The first couple of times the rogue tries to do a sneak attack, you have to read the rules and figure it out. By the thirteenth time, it's old hat. Same with the first time each spell is cast, first time each combat situation arises, etc. You will have to look things up, and it may slow play down.
DO NOT feel responsible for knowing all the rules by heart. That will happen over time. And even people who have played for years still have to look things up.
There are some streams and videos of people playing D&D but I would be extremely careful when you watch these, not to get unrealistic expectations of how your game will go. The popular streamed videos have a production staff, and are played by people who, for lack of a better term, are "professional" D&D players. You and your players will not, and should not, play the game like that. To that end, although (or perhaps because) production quality is not at the "pro" level, I recommend the videos called "D&D with high school students." This is a high school teacher who takes a bunch of teenagers who have never played D&D before, and he teaches them the rules and they play an adventure together. This is a lot more like what a normal D&D session with new players is like, and the sessions are very realistic for what you should be aiming for as a new DM with new players.
You can watch the others with higher production quality (Crit Role, Chain of Acheron, etc.), but DO NOT expect your game to be anything like that. The people playing in those sessions are literally making a living playing D&D, and have been doing it for years, decades, etc. They have thousands of dollars worth of miniatures, table-top equipment, etc. Your table will not be like theirs, and you should not seek to emulate them.
You really shouldn't seek to emulate anyone, but rather, find your own style with your fellow players. But... it can help to watch some of these just to see how things work, like running a combat round, rolling and tracking initiative, how hit points work, how spellcasting works, etc. Again, best example of this is D&D with high school students. Here's a link to the first video of his series:
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.
A Session 0 is when you just build the characters with the PCs. You can do each one individually if you have more time, and over zoom is fine. The idea is that you understand what all the PC's are capable of and are not surprised when the Druid says "I cast Faerie Fire", because it is one kick ass spell.