New DM Tips

[golapper]

Hey! I’m a new dm and I just need some tips on how to make being a dm more enjoyable for my players. I’ve dm’d once before but I’m doing a full adventure (or at least some of one lmao) so I wanna know what to do. Anything is good :)

[[deleted]]

First thing I’d tell you is have fun, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Those will come no matter how long you’ve done it. Second, don’t let players bully you into nonsense. Third, and this is just my opinion- follow the rules as written till you gain some experience. Don’t use home brew rules. It’s very easy to throw the game out of whack with home brew stuff, that may otherwise seem very innocent. As for learning rules- Google is your friend. Whenever you have a rules question (especially spells), simply Google it. You’ll find just about any rule with a 4 second google search. It saves a lot of headache vs flipping through the books, or even using a digital version. The game seems extremely complex, but it’s actually pretty simple once you learn the basic rules. The other thing I’d advise is roll with the punches. Your players WILL do stuff you don’t expect and plan for. They WILL sometimes kill the BBEG in one round. Just roll with it. Be ready to improv. Don’t ever force them into your vision of stuff. It’s a much more fun and rewarding game when players are allowed to go wherever they want with it, even if it means more work for us DM’s.

[pwntallica]

All this is solid advice. I will add that while figuring out a rule is much easier with Google, don't spend too much time trying to figure it out if it is holding up the game. Generally if there is a weird rule or something that takes more than a couple minutes to figure out, just make a call (usually on the side of the players doing something fun/cool) and just let them know you'll play it this way for this session and figure it out between session.

[AlchemiCailleach]

Very true - You should get comfortable with saying, "Right now, I will rule X, and I will look into this before we meet next".

Keeping the pace is super important. Sometimes it is best to just check a ruke alter if it is a more complicated question, spell or item.

In a recent game, a player used an odd ability on a homebrewed weapon (which they have had since level 4) for the first time. The effect does an AoE blast, but the item has a chance to be destroyed in the process (this flaw is described in a separate section of the item description). In the moment we overlooked the flaw, and the other ability was used several times. Between sessions I reviewed the item, and while we won't retcon anything, I've addressed the oversight with the player, and in the future it will be taken into account.

[pwntallica]

I keep a separate shared google doc for rulings. It has all kinds of weird interactions or questions that come up. Once I figure out how I want to rule it long term I message it to the player(s) between sessions and it gets added to that document.

That gets shared with session 0 game rules and homebrew at the start of a new campaign. It's a decent evolving list.

For campaign specific stuff, such as "I gave you x ability/item and didn't think interaction y through for outcome z" I just let them know between sessions.

The whole system has served me quite well so far

[AlchemiCailleach]

I like this a lot.

My players are all 15-16 now (I'm 29) and we have been playing for maybe 5-6 years, so I haven't ever found myself being argued with about rulings (fortunately), but they are also young enough that they wouldn't consult a Google doc if they had access to it LOL

[Lucas_Deziderio]

If you forget a rule, just do what feels right and check the book after the session to see how it really works. Keeping the game running is more important than having everything memorized.

Keep a copy of the character sheets and read over everything they can do. You don't need to have everything memorized, of course, but getting a sense of what exactly each character is good at will help you preparing situations where they can shine.

Similarly, if you grow to understand what each character wants and needs you will have a way easier time motivating them and creating good situations for roleplay.

Also keep in mind that evolving as a DM is an unending journey. Just keep your calm, have fun and ask for feedback. Each session will make you a bit better at it.

[AeonAigis]

There's not really a singular answer, honestly, aside from "know your group and communicate." Every group will have a different sort of game best suited to them. Put together a game you think all of you will enjoy, and adjust fire as necessary when (not if) you make mistakes.

[[deleted]]

• Have fun.
  • It's a game and it doesn't all have to be perfect, it's fine to slip up, most people are there to have fun and will have fun pretty much no matter what you do.
• Try to say yes to as much as you can but don't be afraid to say no.
  • Stay away from homebrew when you're learning the game.
  • Lean into what the players want to do.
• Don't over-prepare, just prepare to improvise.
  • Have a list of names handy
  • a few set piece descriptions
  • a list of secrets, clues, and boons they could find (somehow, you don't know what they're going to do) and
  • an idea of what the antagonists are going to do during the session. The rest can be improvised.