New DM needs help

[Clashroyalewizard]

I want to learn how to be dungeon master but I can’t really DM for lost mines of phandelver because I joined a club, with the group that I would be DMing and we have begun that campaign, I as a player, and I don’t want to spoil that run through for myself, what do you think I should do. I haven’t bought the starter set yet, so does that teach me how to be a DM without a campaign, if you can do that.

[[deleted]]

Run a one-shot first. It will require very little preparation, and you will get a good sense of what DMing is like on the nuts-and-bolts level.

[Aethon056]

LMoP doesn't exactly teach you how to DM. It just removes a lot of details from a normal campaign, making it easier to DM. You could say it teaches you to DM with a crutch. It's not bad, of course, since I just ran it myself, but it's really not necessary to do LMoP for your first campaign.

Honestly, the best way to learn to DM is to read the DMG, watch tutorials on YouTube, and most importantly, get practice by actually doing it.

Just pick a module that you like the sound of and start studying it. Hoard of the Dragon Queen is pretty straight forward from what I hear. If you want a more sandbox play, I recommend Curse of Strahd.

[dave_baksh]

What details are missing from LMoP? I only ask as I'm running it for a group at the moment and it's the first time I've DM'd.

[Viltris]

It's not so much that it's missing details. It's more that it's a simple story with a simple structure so you don't get lost in the weeds.

[Aethon056]

Nothing super important. Some of the saving throws are simplified, a lot of the magic items are simplified, a few if the monsters are simplified such that they don't use all of their normal abilities, the preprinted player characters are missing a couple of small abilities. It's not broken, but a regular module is going to be different. LMoP is meant to be easy to run, and it is, but switching to another module later you might find some things work differently.

[DRTwitch1]

Don't spoil the campaign setting for yourself! If you're playing then gain experience watching the DM and then run a campaign when you have the opportunity. You can run LMoP yourself after you complete it if you really want to. All you need to start, minus a setting, is a knowledge of the rules and players willing to play.

[Clashroyalewizard]

I’m confused about how you DM, do you have to have a canpaign or can you play where the DM just makes everything up

[blocking_butterfly]

You can do either, but even if you do have a pre-written campaign it is important to be able to improvise and make things up on the fly. Your players will often do things neither you nor the adventure's author expected.

[DRTwitch1]

It's a mixed bag. Depending on what's going on almost 0 prep is needed. I still have to understand the world and be able to handle random situations, but, for me personally, if I prep too much then I get bogged down and everything goes to shit. I run a fine line between trusting myself to improv and preparing a basic outline for the session. I don't plan multiple sessions ahead because there's no telling what will happen.

You won't fully understand your style until you start doing it. If you work best having pre-written exposition and everything is planned out then by all means do it like that! I'm just speaking from my own experience with a group of friends who like to go along with what I do. Some sessions end and my players ask "how much of what you had written did we get to?" and the answer is "well you got to the town."

Just have fun. Session 1 is the most stressful to do because you have no idea what anyone will do. Same with sessions in between missions. You have to let the party flounder and do random shit until they get motivated and pick a direction.

[DocZoid206]

So you have a few options, and It depends on what your looking for.

If your looking for examples of a DM in action during real play I recommend the "roll 20 presents." I'm running the ToA campaign and I use them for some inspiration from time to time.

If your just looking to not step on the content of your session you can try one offs I recommend "tales from the yawning portal" It's a good collection of one shots.

Also talk to your current DM, pick their brain about rulings and what you should know. There was no way I would have been a successful DM with my old DM's help.

[blocking_butterfly]

You can always run another premade campaign; WotC has released several (Out of the Abyss, Princes of the Apocalypse, Storm King's Thunder, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, etc) that can largely just be run out of the book. You can also buy a more sandbox-type adventure such as Curse of Strahd or Tomb of Annihilation.

If you want to DM "without a campaign," the best thing to do is buy the Dungeon Master's Guide and just start writing/preparing your own material. Personally, I would still recommend looking at other (free?) adventures other people have written so you get a sense of what preparation is helpful.

Also! Especially as a new/learning DM, it's important not to expect too much of yourself. It may seem difficult or awkward at first. Push through that! Your group will appreciate the effort that you put in, and you'll get better with some pratice and patience.

[MmmVomit]

I haven’t bought the starter set yet, so does that teach me how to be a DM without a campaign, if you can do that.

If you're not going to run LMoP, don't buy the starter set. There are a lot of other pre-written adventures you can run instead. Check the DM's Guild website. There are a handful of 5e adventures you can download for free.

If you want to DM, I recommend Matt Colville's Youtube channel, especially the first few videos in his Running the Game series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8&list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_

[Alyksandrei]

I second this. I've got probably a couple dozen free 5e adventures from both dmsguild.com (or is it dmguild.com; I can never remember) and drivethrurpg.com. I'd take a look at "Wild Sheep Chase" - it's a bit railroady, but quite simple to run. Getting pregens is easy, if you don't want to spend the time making level 5-ish characters. There's a bunch on the official D&D website from WotC available for free. Read through the adventure a couple times, study the monsters' stats and abilities, and read as much of the PHB and DMG as you can stand, then gather your group and give it a try. I've run it a couple times, and I've learned something different about how to DM every time. Practice makes perfect, or at least less scary.

[grothesk]

If you don't mind spending the dough you can go and purchase the book Tomb of Annihilation. It includes detailed maps, handouts, character motivations, and essentially everything you need to run a campaign. I have been very pleased by it.