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Any advice for a first time DM?
I started playing D&D a few months ago at adventure league, and I've had a ton of fun. The problem, however, is that more of my friends want to come with me than there is room for at my AL table. The solution is obviously to host my own game, so I got the starter pack and DM guide on amazon(D&D stuff is heavily discounted right now!). We decided not to use the premades, and I've already helped most of them build their own characters.
Anyway, this will be my first time playing as the game master, and many of my friends first times playing D&D at all. Any advice to make it a smooth and fun experience?
Note: I've been DMing about 20 years (help me I want to be a PC again), so I have a lot more to add. Feel free to ask anything D&D related, I probably have an opinion on it!
My general advice to new DMs is to run a test adventure that has a fixed end-point at the end of the mission. When that mission ends, the campaign is over, characters are scrapped, and the players and the DM set up the PROPER campaign and characters from there.
This allows the players and DM to experiment, with the knowledge that they're not going to mess up the game for good, and it makes it a lot easier on everyone that's involved. It's important to not carry the PCs and such over to the new game, so that nobody who didn't carry the character over feels like they're being left out, and to allow that sense of "Ok, that was the test run. Now for the REAL campaign." This is what the premade characters are really good for in the starter pack.
I always do it for new players as well, run one of these demo test sessions, before inviting them to the real game, as it were.
Another piece of...often backwards sounding advice is not to ask the players for advice on how they thought the game was run after a session. You can ask if they had fun or not, and that's what matters, but the player side of the table is very different from the DM side, and player feedback is generally very unhelpful when it comes to improving how you run a game, and it can get confusing if you try to work with it.
The best way to tailor a game for your players is, at the start the campaign, cycle through a few different mission types. Do a dungeon crawl. Do an urban exploration. Do a political mystery. Focus on combat, then RP. See what your players engage with the most, and use that knowledge to help you target the games feel for them.
Take notes on everything the players do and interact with, if possible. If they bump into an NPC named Jim who the players are rude to, make a note of that. Bring him back. It builds the world into something more whole and realistic. I personally go overboard and quickly plan out entire NPC profiles in the few seconds before a player starts to talk to an NPC, but that's excessive. Just making things up on the fly should do, as long as you make notes of them.
Don't be afraid to fudge the dice rolls behind your screen. Your objective isn't to kill all the players, it's to let them have fun. If a giant monster just rolled a critical hit on the wizard on turn one of combat that would kill the wizard...maybe...don't let that happen. Obviously the players need to be able to be hurt, but sometimes a player death just isn't fun for anyone, especially not at the very start of a campaign. Remember, it's not you vs the players, it's a collaborative story effort.
On that note, the rules are more like guidelines, and as the DM you have total control over the rules. I personally discourage rulebooks at the table, but if you do allow them, remind your players that what you say goes, regardless. If you accidentally fluff a rule and they correct you on it, say something like "Okay, we'll do that next time, but it'll hold for now" or even "Ah okay, let's fix that", but don't allow them to dictate the game.
While on the subject of rules, an excellent (maybe even official) guide is that players can choose one D&D supplement to use, so a character can be made using the Players Handbook and one other book of the players choice. This helps keep things simple, and stops people flicking through a ton of books at the table, at least for new players. Obviously experienced players can negotiate this with you, the DM, at a later date!
And don't be afraid to tell them to get off their phones!
Pay attention to this one. My DM is a rules stickler so he leans into the debate, but every other session there's a point where I want to cut in and just tell him to make a decision.
Or implement this as a pre-game rule: no phones unless it's an emergency.
Fantastic advice!
My only addition is that I try to describe to new players that they are the ones that are telling the story and driving it, I just tell them what's permissible and help create the world around them. But I also generally allow more sandboxing in my campaigns over having a strict adventure. All the more reason to be in control over the rules, though.
I do actually have a no-electronics rule at my tables, but a lot of new DMs and players don't like that particular bit of advice, so I toned it down a little!
My electronics are likely where I've got my books, character sheet, and dice roller. ;)
The books I can understand, but the character sheet and dice? You're missing out!
I keep a dice roller as a backup. I still have the requisite pound o' dice. As for the character sheet... it's useful to be able to edit without using a
paper destroyereraser.My DM had the same rule and at first I thought it was weird but I came to like it. Electronics really kill the fantasy vibe, which is really weird considering that I have no problem playing fantasy videogames. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of the paper and the game mat and then the computers? When it's all digital you can forget about the technology but when you're switching back and forth it's a constant reminder.
Every single thing, place, or NPC you name becomes a potential point of interest for your group. Have a rando NPC named Bob turn up to give them a missive? Well now Bob is important and they love him and you have to take that into account.
Offhandedly mention that there's a Stuffer Shack right next to the motel complex your group is supposed to investigate? They're going to walk right in there and start harassing the cashier for 15 minutes before realizing they're wasting their time. This happened when I first DM'd a game of Shadowrun, they ended up loving the interaction so it was all good but just be aware that it happens, a lot.
Took me about 5 years and one homebrew Pathfinder campaign played from level 3 to 20 to discover my DMing golden rule.
Don't spend more time prepping than playing. I play three hours a week, which means I force myself to never prep for more than three hours each week. Usually that means I only have time to draw the map, get some key details for the relevant NPCs, and read/bookmark the monster stat blocks the players will be fighting that session.
Overprepping can be tempting if you get really sucked into your characters and worldbuilding but it never pays off:
This goes hand-in-hand with the advice that you should let your players do stuff even if you haven't prepared for it. "Yes, but..." is more fun than "no." Your players will think you prepped more than you actually did if you lean into their suggestions during play, even if you didn't expect them to make those suggestions. When they do something unexpected, just wing it and take notes, because then you can build on what you improvised later. Players love that and it's less work for you. It creates a sense of continuity, it makes them feel like they influenced the campaign. (Because they did!)
One more small bit of advice: have a name generator on hand. You'll need to create NPCs out of thin air when your players are off the rails and you are improvising. Giving new NPCs a name is half the battle.
I'm a very inexperienced DM but I can offer a few tips that I've heard repeated often and which helped me.
-You are playing the game WITH the players, not against them. It's your job to make sure everyone has fun, not to defeat them. This is the number one rule. The game should be fun.
-It's okay to fudge rolls. Sometimes the dice fall in a way that would just be straight-up no fun. As the supreme overlord, you have final say in what happens. Use this power wisely and sparingly. It also only works if they can't see your rolls. If they start to suspect that you're taking liberties with the dice, you may lose their trust, and this will rob them of a lot of satisfaction and also cause resentment: "Whatever, I knew the DM was going to let me do that," "Wow, this DM is such a dick, I can't do anything."
-If someone at the table is uncomfortable with a situation in-game, it's your responsibility to put an end to it. There's too many stories on Reddit of messed up stuff (think rape or worse) being perpetrated by the PCs. If it seems necessary, discuss what sorts of scenarios the group is comfortable with, and if the line is crossed, shut it down. Again, the game should be fun.
-Work on your storytelling. One of the best DM traits is to be a good storyteller. Describe things with many different senses to draw the players in. Show, don't tell (e.g. "The troll is confused" vs "The troll blinks at you slowly, barely reacting to your absurd behavior."). If you can do voices, that's even better. I don't/can't but I really wish I could. Every bit helps to create a more immersive experience for the players.
-The rule of cool is pretty good, but don't let it get out of hand. If there's a situation that's called into question, weigh the benefits of just letting the "cooler" result pass for the sake of fun.
-If you're designing your own world/campaign, think about what you would enjoy as a PLAYER, not just what is cool to you as a worldbuilder. Often, the players may not care about a large infodump about the 10,000-year history of the region they're in. However, you can find ways to make them care that will be more fun for everyone involved. Maybe the secret to unlocking the dragon tomb is found in a tale from the descendants of the ancient tribe that has lived around it for generations.
That's a few of the things I can think of off the top of my head. I'm always down to talk DnD stuff, though like I said I'm not the most experienced DM. I hope some of that helped!
This seems obvious, but be a nice person. And reasonable about the world. My current DM keeps giving us this mocking tone when we're paranoid about exploring a seemingly empty room, but then will say things like "no, you can't read that text" when I have Eyes of the Rune Keeper ("You can read all writing. You can comprehend any written word or symbol, should it hold any linguistic meaning").
The big one: the game is not about you. You're the referee and that means you've got to stick to a neutral mindset. This is what separates great GMs from the rest of the pack. It also takes a lot of practice.
Don't get hung up on the rules, especially when the game is full of novice players. You'll get more familiar with them as you play, and you'll make mistakes - that's fine, just move on to the next part of the game and remember for next time.
Make sure to involve each of the players somehow. As your group size grows it gets easier for some of the more quiet people to get sidelined in the game because they aren't as comfortable butting into the conversation as others are. Look for opportunities to draw them in.
Get them using their skills. A lot of the knowledge skills are essentially 'free' use to let the players read the environment and gather information before taking actions. These tend to get overlooked by new players. For example, when fighting a new creature for the first time, a good knowledge check can reveal information about weaknesses, ecology, behavior, intelligence level, etc. Feel free to make skills up on the fly and let them use related skills (with a disadvantage penalty) as well.
Get them to describe actions and talk around the table in-character as much as possible. Getting good at this takes time/practice so be patient. You can incentivize this with small (+2) bonuses added to their rolls. When one of the players learns something important to the rest of the group, don't tell them in front of the group. Pull them into the next room and fill them in or hand it to them on a piece of paper, or DM them over slack. That way they get to tell the group what's up in character instead of you explaining it to the entire table and wiping out that opportunity for RP.
Session-to-session planning is more important than you'd think. If one of your characters decides to palm a bunch of papers (notes, telegrams/letters, whatever) wait until next session to find out what's in them. That gives you more time to plan and make some printouts, and the results will be a lot better than if you're just making up the contents on the fly. Whenever there's a worldbuilding opportunity push it to between-session time like this if you can.
In lieu of doing a shit-ton of planning work that rarely plays out as you'd like (as pointed out by other replies) search around and find some modules - and they don't even have to be for the game system you're playing. You can riff on these modules, bring in people/places/plots from any game system and adapt them on the fly to your campaign. This will save you a lot of time. You can find acres of them at the trove. It's down at the moment (new management) but there's also a mirror at this link. That's about 700GB of RPG resources spanning almost half a century of publication. Also get familiar with the donjon tools. They can whip up a massive detailed treasure hoard or fifteen level dungeon fully populated with loot and bad guys in no time at all.
Rule of Cool: If one of the players comes up with something awesome/dramatic, you should find a way to make it happen. Nobody likes having cool stuff shot down on a technicality. This can translate into a bonus in game for those actions, in 5e this is easily handled by the 'advantage' mechanic. You'll have to set limits on this eventually, but for new players it's better to let them explore the possibilities.
Rule of Three: Whenever you're calculating something, only worry about the three strongest effects. If you've got ten spells buffing defense on a character for example and they all boost armor class, just do the math for the the three most powerful spells and ignore the rest. This is a roleplaying game, not a maths final.
Avoid making magic items (other than potions) into 'generic' things. They should remain rare, powerful, and usually have a drawback/limitation of some kind. Each one has a history and is different from other items of its kind. Unlocking their full power means taking the time to learn that history. There are no magic item shops, either - that's a recipe for overpowered play (unless you go in for that sort of thing).
Flavor the monsters. Look at what's presented to you as a baseline and mutate/tweak everything they ever fight. There should be no such thing as a 'generic kobold' or 'average dragon'. This keeps them on their toes and using those knowledge skills.
Avoid bringing NPCs along to 'help' the group, as this is simply hogging the action for your own NPC characters. If you bring NPCs along with the group on a regular basis they should be tied to the plot (escort quest etc) and generally more trouble for the group than they are worth.
Group size is also a factor. The comfortable range for a single GM is 3-6 players. With some practice you can get up to nine before things start to fall apart. If you plan to have larger groups than that you'll have to deputize a few co-GMs for large-scale play. Most I've seen handled well was 46 players at once - it can be done, there is a proven method. ;)
You might also find these two threads educational and amusing. It'll give you a taste of what you're in for.
Look at it this way: you're a game show host. It's better to be Pat Sajak than Alex Trebek. And never be Monty Hall.
Wow. I could barely handle 40 player raids where the computer's doing all the heavy lifting. I can't imagine being the GM for that many people.
You have to do it in tiers.
This was at a large state university with the local gaming group. We had a truly epic game master who was heavy into the old school Palladium 'Rifts' universe. He had every player come up with a large multi-page character history (and had several great pregens ready for pickup players). He wove all of this into one massive story with the help of six other deputy GMs. The game ran for 6-8 hours every Sunday afternoon-evening.
The secret is dealing with the fragmentation. Groups tend to split up, reform, swap characters, and chase after different objectives, so you need enough deputy GMs for each group of players working on each objective to have their own. That keeps things running. The deputies share information with the head GM who spends more time coordinating the plot than running the game, except when most of the players get back to the same place/time. We'd occasionally get massive combat where we had six tables covered in game mats, with each GM running a map/section of the battle separately. A large group like that is strangely tolerant of players not being able to make sessions - someone else would just take over the character. That game ran for years with plenty of player turnover, and it was always a blast.
Having multiple groups like that really kicked the roleplay into overdrive. It was simply impossible for any one player to follow everything, so there was always a ton of in-character stuff to talk about when groups got back together or traded members.
To add to the other excellent posts here- I have found this tool to be useful:
It's a short questionnaire for your players that helps you get an idea what they will be looking for.
I've found it to be very helpful in getting everyone on the same page before the first session.
For example, the first question is:
The group I DM for is composed of about half story and role-play lovers, and half for whom the fun is in the rules and min-maxing stats and combat effectiveness.
That's a bit tricky when designing sessions, but is invaluable to know. A session where the players only talk to villagers to gather intel may bore the stat-lovers, unless you think to work in a framework for intimidation roles and knowledge checks for them to focus on. Conversely, a session that is combat heavy may put your story-focused players to sleep unless you give a little time to the antagonist to express his motives, or flesh out the minions with some simple dialog to help them dig into your setting.