JUMBO PALACE said:
Hey everyone!
So I will be acting as the Dungeon Master for the first time tomorrow. I'll be shepherding my girlfriend and two of our friends through the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure that comes with the 5e Starter Kit. I have participated as a player in a pair of campaigns over the past few months and have a relatively firm grasp on the rules and mechanics our group of relatively novice players are likely to run into. Never the less, this being my first time as DM I'm a little nervous improvising on the fly and keeping things engaging. I do have a dry-erase board for drawing maps and depicting battles and have gathered some music for different environments, but for the most part have focused on familiarizing myself with the module and getting ideas for characterizing the various NPCs (which there are a lot of in Mines of Phandelver)
Long story shot, any tips from the veterans for a fledgling DM who is running his first game?
1) Know the rules as best as you possibly can. I don't mean that you should be able to cite page, paragraph and line on how Dim Light affects hit chance; but you should be aware that it does, and you should be able to quickly know where to look it up if it ever comes up. Possessing system mastery as a GM is essential to swiftly and fairly resolve disputes, answer questions, and overall keep the game moving at a good clip. It also allows you to better judge when and how to ignore rules if it suits the story.
2) Keep notes. Of your PCs, of your NPCs, of the places they have visited, what they have done, etc. This will help you keep information much easier, and allow you to craft a better experience by reinforcing elements that your players have liked (such as particular characters). Also, so you don't forget which player has the Great Severed Hand of Khu-Ptah so you can hit him with a curse when they enter a tomb. Classic!
3) Be fair, but most importantly, be consistent. If a rules argument comes up, rule on it and move on. Write down what your ruling was. After the session, look up the rule when you have time. If it's like you ruled, no biggie. If it isn't, make sure your players know what the rule actually is. If you have house rules, always keep them at hand. If you make a ruling on something vague, write it down and always rule that way if (or when) it comes up again. Players will appreciate consistency.
4) The players are not your enemies. You do not win by killing them, this isn't Descent. You win when everyone is having fun. Challenge them, but don't be a dick about it.
And, since you're using a premade module, here's a few more:
5) Know the module back to back. This, like system mastery, is essential, but it's also important for the following point. You are doing this, which is excellent! Keep it up.
6) This is more complicated, but you will have to tailor the module to your party a bit. In general, a d20 derivative module is written with the idea that the party is:
- Composed of 4 players
- They possess: A martial tank, a skill specialist, an arcane caster and a divine caster (whose main purpose is to heal).
In general this means Fighter/Rogue/Wizard/Cleric. And a party like that is great, and well balanced. But your players may not do that. If they don't, look at their characters. Look at what they lack. Then read the encounters, and try to see which ones would be much harder, and try to change them a bit. If they don't have a healer, put more potions in whatever treasure they find. If they have no wizard you will probably have to give them access to magic weapons earlier. Stuff of that sort.
But most importantly: remember to have fun! If you're not having fun running it, or they're not having fun playing, take a break. Talk about why it is they aren't enjoying themselves. Let them know why you find it boring to run. Communication is key to a healthy game.