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Post by Iakus on Jan 22, 2018 17:42:53 GMT
Didn't see a thread for this, so I thought I'd start one.
After many many years as a player, I've been invited to actually run a game. So I've started reading the adventure in the Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver) and figured I'd use that as a jumping-off point for another adventure.
Any advice for someone who's a newbie at running games?
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mousestalker
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Post by mousestalker on Jan 22, 2018 17:48:49 GMT
Think about the best and worst sessions you've played. What did the DM do and didn't do? Think about the players. If you already know who will be there, tailor the session to their preferences. That does not be a Monty Haul DM, but rather if they prefer combat, then see to it there's plenty of it, or if they like interacting with npc's (without stabbing them), then give them that. If you want to impress them, try memorizing the tables you will use. That tends to throw experienced players who know the DM is a newbie. It will also pay dividends when you are running a PC again.
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Post by mictlantecuhtli on Jan 22, 2018 18:18:52 GMT
I lost interest when they destroyed Lantan. Where the fuck do gnomes call home now? With so many spell plagues it's only natural technology would start being embraced as an alternative to magic.
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Iakus
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Post by Iakus on Jan 22, 2018 18:58:40 GMT
Think about the best and worst sessions you've played. What did the DM do and didn't do? Think about the players. If you already know who will be there, tailor the session to their preferences. That does not be a Monty Haul DM, but rather if they prefer combat, then see to it there's plenty of it, or if they like interacting with npc's (without stabbing them), then give them that. If you want to impress them, try memorizing the tables you will use. That tends to throw experienced players who know the DM is a newbie. It will also pay dividends when you are running a PC again. Heh, I've gamed with these people before, but not in years. We're getting back together and I'll be running a 5E campaign (I've been playing it for a couple of years with a different group, they'll be new at it) I know there's one pretty dedicated combat-focused player, and one dedicated storyteller, which is part of the criteria I'm looking at for an adventure (I'm not creative enough to homebrew my own campaign) I'm definitely going to go through and tweak some encounters before I declare it ready for prime-time
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Post by CrutchCricket on Jan 22, 2018 19:00:53 GMT
Watch Critical Role (if you haven't already).
I've dabbled in the past, including a couple of years ago when I started reading the books more in depth, but a couple of friends and I are about to start a campaign (the DM is already in another group so she's the most experienced out of us all).
Edit:
This should probably be moved to Other Games as we have moved non video games there before. That being said I'm pretty sure there is a Tabletop/Pen&Paper RPG thread. Will see if a merge is in order as well. Fuck it, couldn't find it, thread will just stand on its own.
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Beerfish
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Post by Beerfish on Jan 22, 2018 19:01:31 GMT
Roll a few 20 siders randomly behind the DM screen every so often just to freak out the group.
Do not penalize the group if they play smart. Make them hand in their inventory of items before they set out so they do not pull a fast one and tell you they have something they do not have. Do not be afraid to wing it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2018 19:05:03 GMT
First choice change systems to something more adaptive. ...I'm assuming you can't so I'll give broad info but I haven't DM'd in a long while. Never did like the DnD system. /shrug Firstly try describing your group. Minmaxer/power gamers? Method actors/RealRPers? Mix of both? Chill guys that just want a few beers? That greatly impacts the GM style. I was lucky and rarely GM'd for any power gamers. Had one outrageously potent troll once that threw a kink in the plans consistently, but that was more happenstance than the player consciously trying to be OP. (And he roleplayed his troll awesomely.) Here's a few really big things when you're leading a group of RPGers in general. *** Some people not only can, but actively want to make a story with you; some people need to be led by the hand. Work with former, be imaginative, and don't get stuck in a box. Let them express their ideas and try to find ways of making it work within the confines of the world/system/setting/difficulty. Input on both sides. Roll with the punches. They'll help move the pace forward. When it comes to the people that need to be led by the hand try and get your "second in command" (Ie. the person working with you to help move the story along) to help them as well. Your time is valuable. Helps when characters start working together as well. *** Don't. I repeat. DON'T let the goddamn mutherfuckers try and start out separately with their own origin stories that they want acted out in front of everyone. This is hard won experience here. The first night is usually character creation and if you are extremely lucky some play time. That first night is a bust gaming-wise 99% of the time. It's also one of my favourite times... But, if you don't want the next three sessions to be bullshit pandering you *tell* them that they start together, and that if they want backstories they can write em together. There will be in-game starting rewards based on their backstories and cooperation between people will see higher rewards. (As parceled out by, you.) They need to work on that before the actual gaming night though. You can flesh out the story on that night during everyone's character creation. Oh, slight tangent but fun, have those origin backstory rewards... come with issues that will effect them later on. - Slow but virulent curse - Is part of a set the player can find out about/collect - Was stolen but the owner is hunting for it Doesn't have to be bad either, the owner that's hunting for their lost item that you started the group out with could be a potential ally NPC you're wanting later down the road. Also on this tangent, the reward doesn't have to be player specific. I started giving out "party items" that were owned by the party as a whole. That makes for some interesting dynamics. I usually tweak it to be actually rather potent, but a one off. See what your party does with it. Who gets to carry it? Do they sell it and split the profit? *** Try taking people behind the scenes to talk to them privately. Sharing private info with certain members can really make things interesting in the game. What info is shared, behind-the-scenes plots, etc. Build your characters with your players by giving them information known *only* to that character. Let them do with it what they wish. Maybe it's info one someone else's character? The options are endless. Be a bit careful with this at the beginning though, you want the group to have some cohesiveness to it. *** Oh, finally. Depending on who you are GMing, suggest that the best sides of a well rope-played character are always the flaws. Me and a few people back on an old wargaming forum called Portent (R.I.P.) made a list we called, "Vantages". It was for a homegrown world/system I was working on. It was a buildpoints list of everything conceivable that was an advantage to the player, or a disadvantage. Less limbs by percentages (I had many multi-limbed creatures). Magic savant. Allergies. Unfortunately I don't have the list anymore, nor was it really compatible to DnD. The list still exists though. The very very rare times I make a character now I will guarantee you I pick from the disadvantages list in my head. From a batshit crazy little girl illusionist/manipulator, to an orc warrior that literally (I mean literally) would stand transfixed by fire, to an old elven mage missing his left foot that had a driftwood crutch that could let him run (momentarily) faster than anyone around.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2018 19:05:45 GMT
Roll a few 20 siders randomly behind the DM screen every so often just to freak out the group. OMG yes this. I do this.
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Iakus
N7
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Iakus on Jan 22, 2018 19:22:52 GMT
First choice change systems to something more adaptive. ...I'm assuming you can't so I'll give broad info but I haven't DM'd in a long while. Never did like the DnD system. /shrug Firstly try describing your group. Minmaxer/power gamers? Method actors/RealRPers? Mix of both? Chill guys that just want a few beers? That greatly impacts the GM style. I was lucky and rarely GM'd for any power gamers. Had one outrageously potent troll once that threw a kink in the plans consistently, but that was more happenstance than the player consciously trying to be OP. (And he roleplayed his troll awesomely.) Here's a few really big things when you're leading a group of RPGers in general. *** Some people not only can, but actively want to make a story with you; some people need to be led by the hand. Work with former, be imaginative, and don't get stuck in a box. Let them express their ideas and try to find ways of making it work within the confines of the world/system/setting/difficulty. Input on both sides. Roll with the punches. They'll help move the pace forward. When it comes to the people that need to be led by the hand try and get your "second in command" (Ie. the person working with you to help move the story along) to help them as well. Your time is valuable. Helps when characters start working together as well. *** Don't. I repeat. DON'T let the goddamn mutherfuckers try and start out separately with their own origin stories that they want acted out in front of everyone. This is hard won experience here. The first night is usually character creation and if you are extremely lucky some play time. That first night is a bust gaming-wise 99% of the time. It's also one of my favourite times... But, if you don't want the next three sessions to be bullshit pandering you *tell* them that they start together, and that if they want backstories they can write em together. There will be in-game starting rewards based on their backstories and cooperation between people will see higher rewards. (As parceled out by, you.) They need to work on that before the actual gaming night though. You can flesh out the story on that night during everyone's character creation. Oh, slight tangent but fun, have those origin backstory rewards... come with issues that will effect them later on. - Slow but virulent curse - Is part of a set the player can find out about/collect - Was stolen but the owner is hunting for it Doesn't have to be bad either, the owner that's hunting for their lost item that you started the group out with could be a potential ally NPC you're wanting later down the road. Also on this tangent, the reward doesn't have to be player specific. I started giving out "party items" that were owned by the party as a whole. That makes for some interesting dynamics. I usually tweak it to be actually rather potent, but a one off. See what your party does with it. Who gets to carry it? Do they sell it and split the profit? *** Try taking people behind the scenes to talk to them privately. Sharing private info with certain members can really make things interesting in the game. What info is shared, behind-the-scenes plots, etc. Build your characters with your players by giving them information known *only* to that character. Let them do with it what they wish. Maybe it's info one someone else's character? The options are endless. Be a bit careful with this at the beginning though, you want the group to have some cohesiveness to it. *** Oh, finally. Depending on who you are GMing, suggest that the best sides of a well rope-played character are always the flaws. Me and a few people back on an old wargaming forum called Portent (R.I.P.) made a list we called, "Vantages". It was for a homegrown world/system I was working on. It was a buildpoints list of everything conceivable that was an advantage to the player, or a disadvantages. Less limbs by percentages (I had many multi-limbed creatures). Magic savant. Allergies. Unfortunately I don't have the list anymore, nor was it really compatible to DnD. The list still exists though. The very very rare times I make a character now I will guarantee you I pick from the disadvantages list in my head. From a batshit crazy little girl illusionist/manipulator, to an orc warrior that literally (I mean literally) would stand transfixed by fire, to an old elven mage missing his left foot that had a driftwood crutch that could let him run (momentarily) faster than anyone around. Well, there'll be a mix of players. There'll be at least one "Real RPer", one combat-player, one power gamer (who promised to stay within the spirit of the rules for me) and the rest are "chill guys/gals". I figure if I can at least keep things interesting, fun will be had by all. I figure I'll have encounters and NPCs jotted down on index cards for notes and try to anticipate how they'll react, and just...try to think fast when they inevitably do something unexpected more detailed notes will be in a notebook for quick reference, if needed. I've already decided right out of the gate that the group already knows each other and are traveling together. I will leave HOW they met to their backstories, but this is an adventure, not Avengers: Fantasy style. 5E does have a rule for player rewards called "inspiration" If I think they did something creative or clever, or just did some good role-playing, I can award them with a one-time buff or counter to a debuff they can use when they like. I got some tokens I can use to represent them when I hand 'em out.
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mousestalker
Inactive Moderator
ღ The Untitled
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Post by mousestalker on Jan 22, 2018 19:50:20 GMT
5E does have a rule for player rewards called "inspiration" If I think they did something creative or clever, or just did some good role-playing, I can award them with a one-time buff or counter to a debuff they can use when they like. I got some tokens I can use to represent them when I hand 'em out. If you want to be cruel, don't use coins, use nummy treats such as M&M's. It's amazing how many players wind up eating their inspirations.
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Iakus
N7
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Post by Iakus on Jan 22, 2018 20:04:33 GMT
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Beerfish
N7
Little Pumpkin
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Post by Beerfish on Jan 22, 2018 21:25:08 GMT
Use Bitcoins, then they will be really motivated.
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Post by masterwarderz on Jan 22, 2018 23:58:10 GMT
There is no advice that I can give that will be as valuable as the years and years of that experience that are required to actually do this with any modicum of skill.
The best I can offer you instead is be confident in your style, be confident in your decisions, and finally at the end of the day this is supposed to be a game, it's supposed to be fun. If it isn't Fun for either you or the players then there are problems, it will take awhile to get into the dungeon master mindset.
I can offer advice on how to create NPCs, storyboards, general plot points, how to balance and manage encounters and more but at the end of the day it's on you.
I've been doing this for a long time though I admit I took a near decade-long Hiatus between 3.5 and 5th. But all the same those thought processes and way of doing things more or less came back to me last year when I started doing Dungeons & Dragons again as a dungeon master.
Really all you really need to know is as I said earlier confidence in your own decision and world.
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linksocarina
N5
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Post by linksocarina on Jan 23, 2018 0:02:18 GMT
Didn't see a thread for this, so I thought I'd start one. After many many years as a player, I've been invited to actually run a game. So I've started reading the adventure in the Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver) and figured I'd use that as a jumping-off point for another adventure. Any advice for someone who's a newbie at running games? Best advice I can give you is to simply roll with the punches. Let the players improvise different threads, don't be afraid to do the same back at them. Last session of Pathfinder I GM'ed went from what would have been a short time of preparation before leaving for a month long journey into a two hour odyssey where one character decided to gamble in underground animal fights, winning over 20,000 gold and making enemies because he cheated at a fight or two while there (a Bard who uses poison tried to be sneaky on a few wolves in the pen, if you catch my meaning). Sets up my party with a big purse of money, sets up secondary antagonists chasing after them over the cheating, and provides a bit of urgency to their current objective, because they now have others searching for them so it forces them to move. Makes me also set up future encounters with that as a possible framework or hook to get them involved in, since they have a tangible stake. It is moments like that which sometimes make the session, over planned dungeon crawls...I originally was going to try and steer them to a bandit ambush...now I can make it a different encounter down the road, for example. Gives the session context and flavor, and players agency without deviating too many of your own plans. Also keep a few plans in your back pocket. Following modules and models for dungeons helps and works well, but always have an encounter or two at the ready and if it makes sense as to where the story is going...fit it in for them if you can.
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Post by masterwarderz on Jan 23, 2018 1:10:39 GMT
Didn't see a thread for this, so I thought I'd start one. After many many years as a player, I've been invited to actually run a game. So I've started reading the adventure in the Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver) and figured I'd use that as a jumping-off point for another adventure. Any advice for someone who's a newbie at running games? Also keep a few plans in your back pocket. Following modules and models for dungeons helps and works well, but always have an encounter or two at the ready and if it makes sense as to where the story is going...fit it in for them if you can. Good advice in general and critical for a homebrew campaign. Always have plans within plans, scenarios within scenarios, a enemy for every outcome, a foil for every success, something lurking in the background that keeps the game advancing, it doesn't have to be deliberately hostile or antagonistic, it can as you put merely be the party's own actions catching up with them. Far too many DM's, new and old even fall into the trap of making the entire world, the entire campaign revolve around the player's, yet just as many fall into the trap of having the world not be influenced at all by the players. The trick and the true mark of skill is blending the two together seamlessly.
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Iakus
N7
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Posts: 20,879 Likes: 49,335
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Iakus on Jan 23, 2018 15:20:11 GMT
Didn't see a thread for this, so I thought I'd start one. After many many years as a player, I've been invited to actually run a game. So I've started reading the adventure in the Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver) and figured I'd use that as a jumping-off point for another adventure. Any advice for someone who's a newbie at running games? Best advice I can give you is to simply roll with the punches. Let the players improvise different threads, don't be afraid to do the same back at them. Last session of Pathfinder I GM'ed went from what would have been a short time of preparation before leaving for a month long journey into a two hour odyssey where one character decided to gamble in underground animal fights, winning over 20,000 gold and making enemies because he cheated at a fight or two while there (a Bard who uses poison tried to be sneaky on a few wolves in the pen, if you catch my meaning). Sets up my party with a big purse of money, sets up secondary antagonists chasing after them over the cheating, and provides a bit of urgency to their current objective, because they now have others searching for them so it forces them to move. Makes me also set up future encounters with that as a possible framework or hook to get them involved in, since they have a tangible stake. It is moments like that which sometimes make the session, over planned dungeon crawls...I originally was going to try and steer them to a bandit ambush...now I can make it a different encounter down the road, for example. Gives the session context and flavor, and players agency without deviating too many of your own plans. Also keep a few plans in your back pocket. Following modules and models for dungeons helps and works well, but always have an encounter or two at the ready and if it makes sense as to where the story is going...fit it in for them if you can. I'm definitely going to keep that in mind. I've been told I can think pretty quick on my feet, though this group has proven surprising in the past. As an example, the DM of their last major campaign asked me to design an antagonist for him: a cleric of some sort of death god. I ended up designing a demon-worshiping priest-necromancer and built him (within certain pre-specified limits) to be a major threat to the party, especially if caught in his lair. If they weren't careful, there was a real chance for one or more character deaths. The party ended up...befriending him. They sympathized with his long, sad story, and let him go on his merry way! I'm definitely going to have to modify these adventures to some degree. For one thing this group will be a little larger than the standard adventuring party, so fights will have to be tweaked to be more challenging (I'll also need to know group compositionas well). I'll also have to mess with some of the side quests, at least, to keep players from getting bored, confused, or overly scattered I figure after doing Lost Mines of Phandelver, I'm going to run with Storm King's Thunder. They should be at the right level for it without doing the pre-quests, and I hear it's a very well-laid out adventure, complete with flowcharts on how the main story should progress based on major decisions. I'll drop a couple of hooks into the Lost Mines. I already see a couple of places where I could do that...
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linksocarina
N5
Always teacher, sometimes writer
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Always teacher, sometimes writer
370
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4,063
linksocarina
Teaching Mode Activated
3,179
August 2016
linksocarina
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Post by linksocarina on Jan 24, 2018 15:22:39 GMT
Best advice I can give you is to simply roll with the punches. Let the players improvise different threads, don't be afraid to do the same back at them. Last session of Pathfinder I GM'ed went from what would have been a short time of preparation before leaving for a month long journey into a two hour odyssey where one character decided to gamble in underground animal fights, winning over 20,000 gold and making enemies because he cheated at a fight or two while there (a Bard who uses poison tried to be sneaky on a few wolves in the pen, if you catch my meaning). Sets up my party with a big purse of money, sets up secondary antagonists chasing after them over the cheating, and provides a bit of urgency to their current objective, because they now have others searching for them so it forces them to move. Makes me also set up future encounters with that as a possible framework or hook to get them involved in, since they have a tangible stake. It is moments like that which sometimes make the session, over planned dungeon crawls...I originally was going to try and steer them to a bandit ambush...now I can make it a different encounter down the road, for example. Gives the session context and flavor, and players agency without deviating too many of your own plans. Also keep a few plans in your back pocket. Following modules and models for dungeons helps and works well, but always have an encounter or two at the ready and if it makes sense as to where the story is going...fit it in for them if you can. I'm definitely going to keep that in mind. I've been told I can think pretty quick on my feet, though this group has proven surprising in the past. As an example, the DM of their last major campaign asked me to design an antagonist for him: a cleric of some sort of death god. I ended up designing a demon-worshiping priest-necromancer and built him (within certain pre-specified limits) to be a major threat to the party, especially if caught in his lair. If they weren't careful, there was a real chance for one or more character deaths. The party ended up...befriending him. They sympathized with his long, sad story, and let him go on his merry way! I'm definitely going to have to modify these adventures to some degree. For one thing this group will be a little larger than the standard adventuring party, so fights will have to be tweaked to be more challenging (I'll also need to know group compositionas well). I'll also have to mess with some of the side quests, at least, to keep players from getting bored, confused, or overly scattered I figure after doing Lost Mines of Phandelver, I'm going to run with Storm King's Thunder. They should be at the right level for it without doing the pre-quests, and I hear it's a very well-laid out adventure, complete with flowcharts on how the main story should progress based on major decisions. I'll drop a couple of hooks into the Lost Mines. I already see a couple of places where I could do that... One thing I sometimes do is to help spice up the world a bit when it comes to hooks. So for example, one of the outside plots going on right now for that aforementioned game im running is a war between two empires far west from where the players are. But it has increased smuggling activities elsewhere because a lot of criminals are trying to make money drug and weapon running. So every so often they see a "marked crate" here and there in certain caravans or trading posts, which is giving them a clue that the smugglers are working in tandem well beyond the current scope of what they are doing. It sets up a possible long-term conflict without throwing it in their face, gives the world context because you got a group that may or may not be helpful to their goals, and a plot hook that can be a long-term investigation here and there for players who take interest. It's also presented without showcasing allegiance or not; so the players can choose to help, stop, investigate, what they see fit as it's not integral to the main plot, unless they act upon it. It's a subtle hook; kind of like how the Nashkel Mines were being poisoned and you have no idea who or why, minus Mulahney to give them quick exposition.
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Iakus
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Post by Iakus on Jan 24, 2018 15:35:09 GMT
I'm definitely going to keep that in mind. I've been told I can think pretty quick on my feet, though this group has proven surprising in the past. As an example, the DM of their last major campaign asked me to design an antagonist for him: a cleric of some sort of death god. I ended up designing a demon-worshiping priest-necromancer and built him (within certain pre-specified limits) to be a major threat to the party, especially if caught in his lair. If they weren't careful, there was a real chance for one or more character deaths. The party ended up...befriending him. They sympathized with his long, sad story, and let him go on his merry way! I'm definitely going to have to modify these adventures to some degree. For one thing this group will be a little larger than the standard adventuring party, so fights will have to be tweaked to be more challenging (I'll also need to know group compositionas well). I'll also have to mess with some of the side quests, at least, to keep players from getting bored, confused, or overly scattered I figure after doing Lost Mines of Phandelver, I'm going to run with Storm King's Thunder. They should be at the right level for it without doing the pre-quests, and I hear it's a very well-laid out adventure, complete with flowcharts on how the main story should progress based on major decisions. I'll drop a couple of hooks into the Lost Mines. I already see a couple of places where I could do that... One thing I sometimes do is to help spice up the world a bit when it comes to hooks. So for example, one of the outside plots going on right now for that aforementioned game im running is a war between two empires far west from where the players are. But it has increased smuggling activities elsewhere because a lot of criminals are trying to make money drug and weapon running. So every so often they see a "marked crate" here and there in certain caravans or trading posts, which is giving them a not so subtle hint that the smugglers are working in tandem well beyond the current scope of what they are doing. It sets up a possible long-term conflict without throwing it in their face, gives the world context because you got a group that may or may not be helpful to their goals, and a plot hook that can be a long-term investigation here and there for players who take interest. It's a subtle hook; kind of like how the Nakshel Mines were poisoned and you have no idea who they are, minus Mulahney to give them quick exposition. I'm thinking exactly along those lines. Some of the creatures in LMoF are the same type also used as canon fodder in Storm Giant's Thunder. I can always craft some "random" encounters so they can be scouts or an advance element of what's going on there. Or at least they're in contact with those forces. Heck there are agents of various factions (legal and not) in the area that could be keeping tabs on things as well. Harpers, Black Network, Emerald Enclave, etc. By the end, one of them might be looking to hire some mercs to check things out... There's even a point in Lost mines where the DM can insert a "map to a dungeon of your own design" which I will probably rework to be notes concerning a buried artifact in a city which, SUPRISE! the Bad Guys are also after. And something will happen to kick off the next adventure.
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Iakus
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Post by Iakus on Jan 24, 2018 19:09:49 GMT
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Post by henkiedepost on Jan 25, 2018 19:33:00 GMT
I play Pathfinder instead of D&D and I have never been a GM myself so I can't give you any advice on the rules and such, but I can give you some tips about what me and my friends think is important for a fun campaign/adventure.
- Focus on the interesting details, especially during combat. Either through your own input or through giving the players the opportunity to fill in the blanks themselves you can really make things interesting to follow and explore, even when the books do not give you explicit examples themselves. So you can basically add on the structure which is already present, or use that structure to make an interesting setting. Letting the players decide can be problematic of course, because when a player states that he shot an arm or leg off means that there are practical implications for the rest of the combat and the game, so it will be best if most of the creative imput comes from yourself. Instead of keeping things technical 'like you hit the goblin for 2 damage' it is more interesting to point out how the damage was dealt. Eg: 'Marius shot the goblin in his shoulder with the blunderbuss for 2 damage', or 'Thygrim's acidic bomb exploded next to the goblin, tearing away at his legs and arms for two damage'.
- This example adds to the other tip I wanted to give you: don't be too strict on the rules. When my GM was new to the job he often had to look up the rules for specific effects or situations, whereas with a little bit of imagination an easy solution could be found without pausing the game. This is of course dependent on how your group wants to play because some are real sticklers for rules, but we instead favoured a more natural approach. Sometimes it is better to come up with an effect yourself to fill in the gaps so you can keep the pace, and the immersion, going, instead of being strict. So in the case of Thygrim his bomb, you can point out that the goblin has reduced speed or went prone because of the effects and go from there. Something directly from my campaign was that we were fighting in the sewers, which were very small, and that my friend, whom played a dwarf, was officially blocking my line of sight for an attack. I'm a gunslinger, so I asked if I could use his head/shoulders as a bipod and shoot over him. There are of course no rules for this, but the GM decided that I would get a small accuracy buff and the dwarf would be deafened for a couple of turns. Those things add a layer of fun to the experience and make it more memorable. I guess the bottom line is to don't be afraid to get creative. Good luck!
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Iakus
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Post by Iakus on Jan 27, 2018 21:51:13 GMT
Reading through Storm King's Thunder...
This looks like something the players will really enjoy. Combat, diplomacy, mystery and intrigue, exploration...
But I'm gonna need clear indications from them on where they're going to go and what threads to follow. This adventure covers hundreds of square miles, numerous towns and cities, and all sorts of terrain! There's enough content in here for two or three adventures!
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Post by wickedcool on Jan 29, 2018 13:29:06 GMT
Stick with mines of phandelver or try the free ravenloft intro adventure.
Words of advice Don’t be over controlling-let the players have fun
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Post by Iakus on Jan 29, 2018 16:04:41 GMT
Stick with mines of phandelver or try the free ravenloft intro adventure. Words of advice Don’t be over controlling-let the players have fun Definitely starting with Lost Mines of Phandelver. This group is new to Fifth Edition and I'm new to DMing On a different topic, has anyone tried online tabletops? Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds or anything like that? If so, what was it like, similar or different from a group around a gaming table?
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Post by Pounce de León on Jan 29, 2018 16:27:52 GMT
First choice change systems to something more adaptive. ...I'm assuming you can't so I'll give broad info but I haven't DM'd in a long while. Never did like the DnD system. /shrug Firstly try describing your group. Minmaxer/power gamers? Method actors/RealRPers? Mix of both? Chill guys that just want a few beers? That greatly impacts the GM style. I was lucky and rarely GM'd for any power gamers. Had one outrageously potent troll once that threw a kink in the plans consistently, but that was more happenstance than the player consciously trying to be OP. (And he roleplayed his troll awesomely.) Here's a few really big things when you're leading a group of RPGers in general. *** Some people not only can, but actively want to make a story with you; some people need to be led by the hand. Work with former, be imaginative, and don't get stuck in a box. Let them express their ideas and try to find ways of making it work within the confines of the world/system/setting/difficulty. Input on both sides. Roll with the punches. They'll help move the pace forward. When it comes to the people that need to be led by the hand try and get your "second in command" (Ie. the person working with you to help move the story along) to help them as well. Your time is valuable. Helps when characters start working together as well. *** Don't. I repeat. DON'T let the goddamn mutherfuckers try and start out separately with their own origin stories that they want acted out in front of everyone. This is hard won experience here. The first night is usually character creation and if you are extremely lucky some play time. That first night is a bust gaming-wise 99% of the time. It's also one of my favourite times... But, if you don't want the next three sessions to be bullshit pandering you *tell* them that they start together, and that if they want backstories they can write em together. There will be in-game starting rewards based on their backstories and cooperation between people will see higher rewards. (As parceled out by, you.) They need to work on that before the actual gaming night though. You can flesh out the story on that night during everyone's character creation. Oh, slight tangent but fun, have those origin backstory rewards... come with issues that will effect them later on. - Slow but virulent curse - Is part of a set the player can find out about/collect - Was stolen but the owner is hunting for it Doesn't have to be bad either, the owner that's hunting for their lost item that you started the group out with could be a potential ally NPC you're wanting later down the road. Also on this tangent, the reward doesn't have to be player specific. I started giving out "party items" that were owned by the party as a whole. That makes for some interesting dynamics. I usually tweak it to be actually rather potent, but a one off. See what your party does with it. Who gets to carry it? Do they sell it and split the profit? *** Try taking people behind the scenes to talk to them privately. Sharing private info with certain members can really make things interesting in the game. What info is shared, behind-the-scenes plots, etc. Build your characters with your players by giving them information known *only* to that character. Let them do with it what they wish. Maybe it's info one someone else's character? The options are endless. Be a bit careful with this at the beginning though, you want the group to have some cohesiveness to it. *** Oh, finally. Depending on who you are GMing, suggest that the best sides of a well rope-played character are always the flaws. Me and a few people back on an old wargaming forum called Portent (R.I.P.) made a list we called, "Vantages". It was for a homegrown world/system I was working on. It was a buildpoints list of everything conceivable that was an advantage to the player, or a disadvantage. Less limbs by percentages (I had many multi-limbed creatures). Magic savant. Allergies. Unfortunately I don't have the list anymore, nor was it really compatible to DnD. The list still exists though. The very very rare times I make a character now I will guarantee you I pick from the disadvantages list in my head. From a batshit crazy little girl illusionist/manipulator, to an orc warrior that literally (I mean literally) would stand transfixed by fire, to an old elven mage missing his left foot that had a driftwood crutch that could let him run (momentarily) faster than anyone around. Amen to that backstory thing. We sometimes did short solo sessions to flesh out characters, but who has time for that? I literally have made stories up just on the go. Just inventing a very rough theme and tossing ominous bits at them. They'd pick up stuff and argue what that might be about and when they seemed keen on following some particular theory of theirs I let them go there and made it possible. And if they started being silly, I'd just start rolling the dice behind the screen randomly and grin. And sometimes they challenged that as a bluff, but it never was. I don't need random encounter rolls, I'd let them run into some really freaky stuff if they started getting ideas. Sometimes they just don't want to follow the story, I'd give them the freaky stuff but let them persist when they were good players and did good acting and such. After all - it's just about everyone having a good time.
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linksocarina
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Always teacher, sometimes writer
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Post by linksocarina on Jan 29, 2018 16:46:27 GMT
When is your first session?
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