first time as a DM HELP ME!!!!

[Devanshi84]

i've only played D&D a handful of times, and recently my brother asked me to DM a game for him and his friends... anyway... we're playing in a week, i have the books that i need to reveiw, but any advice.... i'm panicing about this....

[Rath_Dawg]

http://www.aarg.net/~minam/dungeon.cgi

That will create your dungeon for you. Then you need to figure out some reason they should be going through this dungeon...or castle...whichever you'd like to call it. Figure what the party level will be and only throw CR appropriate creatures at them...2 higher than the average party level if you really want to challenge them, 1 higher to give them a little bigger nudge than if it was one that was higher than their own level. There is a chart in the DMG that will tell you what CR's to throw at your group according to level...so it isn't overkill.

How good at you at coming up with stories?

Rath_Dawg: Stories are a big part of being a DM.

[Devanshi84]

thank you... i'm alright with stories, though my brother and his friends have their own storyline, that they think i'm going to follow... which of course i'm paying no attention to....i'm listening to them creating characters... and the conversation is something like "well first i'm going to kidnap you, then teach you to be a theif..."

[Rath_Dawg]

Well, your brother and friends should know that you aren't them...and other DMs aren't going to follow whatever story is happening.

BTW, with the dungeon creator...you'll want to replace the many dragons it loves putting into the thing. I swear it loves putting dragons in there.

Rath_Dawg: At least they are getting a background together...that's something.

[Rath_Dawg]

Another suggestion is to put post its hanging out of the top or side of the DMG in places where you'll need them. I have them for the XP chart for the encounters and that other chart to figure what number of monsters will make it a certain CR. Page 101 for the second one...and 166 for the XP chart.

Rath_Dawg: Keeping things moving is key in a game...the players don't get too happy when a lot of time is spent flipping through a book.

[Devanshi84]

thank you, i'm just waiting to play, i know these guys are going to try and kill what's supposed to help them, the problem with DMing for my little brother's friends (all of them are 15-16 years old)

[Rath_Dawg]

When you have that problem with people...you give one of the people that'll help something that'll kick their butts. It gets them to pay attention...and why Joram never attacks bartenders...they always open a can of whoopass.

Rath_Dawg: Don't let them get too crazy...make sure the characters know the results of breaking laws. Jail time is a good deterrant against certain behavior...taught other party members to behave while in town.

[Kozmic Blues]

Excellent advice from rath_dawg, but I still wanted to add my 0.02 :)

*Remind your gaming buddies that as DM, your word is law. :)

*Also remind them that you're a first timer, and that you're still developing your style; make sure they cut ya some slack!

*Always, always: Just have fun! Break out the Cheetos and the Mountain Dew and remind yourself and everyone else that it's just a game, and that killing stuff (within reason, or course,) is *good.*

Hope you have a great game, let us know how it all goes!!! :-D

[Devanshi84]

thank you guys... i had the first game last night, and my brother's friends are a bit of a problem... they don't like to let anyone finish their sentences, and they communicate by screaming over eachother, so they come to a conclusion, and i have no clue what it is....i'm thinking about if they cut me off, just let what they think is going to happen, happen. that or make a table rule based on a native american tradition... the talking stick, who ever has the stick can talk, who ever talks while not in posession of the stick gets bopped on the head by the person with the stick... simple yet i believe it may be effective....who ever abuses the stick, (hitting hard enough to cause harm, or for no reason,) gets kicked out of the game...

[Rath_Dawg]

Well, there's the tactic that got my older brother's group to shut up..."There is a large black cloud up in the sky with blue electrical energy crackling throughout." That one is the blue bolt that erases people from existance, people forget they encountered said person and it always gets people to pay attention or at least shut up long enough for you to make your point. I knew about the blue bolt, so I always paid attention when it was flavor text time.

Then there's the tactic with this one..."There is a orange light in the sky and all you can figure out is that it is getting very warm and this light is heading right for you. You can't move, and the heat is getting unbearable...until it hits you and the rest of the party sees a long white tower connected to the light that has been extinguished." Gotta love it when the gods put their cigs out on unruly people.

Rath_Dawg: Maybe I'm just evil, but I enjoy stuff like that when I have unruly players.

[Devanshi84]

rawth, i love those ideas...there are going to be used....at least the lightnig cloud is (i'm not sure if they'll get the cig of the gods)...and it early enough in the game that i won't get physically harmed if i do it...