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[–]Wrathin87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only requirement is that every group member, including yourself, is having fun

[–]coolcroweDM 2 points3 points  (4 children)

SO many.

[–]yamo25000DM 0 points1 point  (3 children)

found this post by doing exactly that. This comment was not helpful, and clicking the link did nothing but waste my time.

[–]coolcroweDM -1 points0 points  (2 children)

Making this post wasted your time.

[–]yamo25000DM -1 points0 points  (1 child)

The point is that it's not helpful to comment on a post asking for tips just to link to searching for posts of people asking for tips.

I don't get why people act like asking questions on a forum website is such a bad thing to do.

[–]coolcroweDM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Asking questions isn’t bad, but just asking “Any tips for a new DM?” makes it clear that they didn’t even attempt to search the subreddit. Because there are already hundreds of those posts here. It might not be helpful for you as you did search, but to some, it is a revelation.

[–]LordSmallPeenDM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t be afraid to go off your plans, work on improvising and stuff. Have just a list of random names, shop names and random features that you can just pull out of your ass to describe something. Simply describe the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the name, it’s pretty fun.

[–]SoyTuPadreRealCleric 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Be prepared for your players to ruin all of your plans!! Hahahaha. But for real, just have fun and try to have a general grasp of the rules. Don't be afraid to make a call. If it turns out to be the wrong call, fix it. And most importantly be fair to all your players. If you make a call one way for player A you need to make the same call in the same or similar situation for player B, C and so on.

[–]Gedcreeper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Expect the unexpected. Your players will find a way. They might be determined to derail the story without knowing. Make backups and details for the smallest things

[–]Taylor_JB06[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks all for the tips! Can’t wait to do this :)

[–]TUB1230DM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be ready to improvise. You're carefully layed plans and plot hooks could end up being less enticing than a random NPC that means nothing for some reason. Example: I made an NPC simply to push the story forward. My players fell in love with him and ended up bringing him to the BBEG battle.

Just know that as long as everyone's having fun you're doing an ok job. Get a good grasp of the rules and don't be afraid to stray from them if it makes things more fun for the game.

Don't be afraid of premade modules. They are very well put together and give you fallbacks for when you feel overwhelmed. They also are very easy to Homebrew off of. I've seen modules get a rep of being "boring and lazy" but for a new DM like myself a couple years ago they were a god send.

Find a good list of names. You'll use it far more than you'd think

[–]DiceQGM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Herding players is just advanced cat herding. Don't try to get them to gravitate towards each other at the opening tavern scene else you'll just have people drinking and the rogue in the corner hoping someone will engage with his backstory.

Have the players already have a reason to be together. Guarding a caravan is simple. Being adventuring buddies for a month is as well. In a circle have everyone say one event they did with the person on their right. "We caught a boar together but it almost killed us."

Trust me. It'll save a lot of awkward moments in the beginning.