Nice video, Madam. Welcome to the life. I've been doing this since 1977. It's great to see a new generation take up the torch, so that the Grande Olde Game does not Perish. Best of luck to you, and your group.
God, your accent is sublime and your tutorial has helped me...I just got thrown into being a DM because they all believe I'm creative enough. Thank you very much!
Thanks for the video. I am starting to be a DM for my friends. I have a lot to learn. Awesome tips and I will try to plan out my adventure. look forward to the other videos.
Thank you so much, new DM- also never played D&D, planning first game (pre-made campaign) but also planning a home brew. I have 2 (!!!) different groups of players that want to play so I am trying to prepare. I just found your channel, and already subscribed.
I wanted to say the tips are the most I've gotten from anybody about how to set up a dming session. I play 5th edition and I must say it's pretty streamlined to the dm so I hear. My attention is on the changes they have made so far they are for the better, they're both for the player and dm's benefit which is good. Thank you so much, oh yeah before I forget your accent is lovely! Yes I'm from america sorry but accents fascinate me. Anyways I look forward to your next video they should help a lot.
Great first video. Looking forward to your opinions and recaps. Always good to hear how someone has gotten into DnD and how long they have been gaming. Cheers.
Great advice from a young DM. I especially enjoyed your discussion of cohesiveness with party race, class, goals and alignments; I once played in a Dark Sun party and stunned everyone as we were introducing our characters to each other, saying that I was a Defiler who wanted to leave the Dark Sun lands in order to defile new lands. I was joking of course. I'd love to see you in action during a game.
You certainly are correct about homebrew games being a lot more work. I would like to hear more from you on your thoughts about the Forgotten Realms. Lemmy is the man! Great list of drinks & names. Knowing player motivation is really important for sure. Nice first video.
All very good tips. And you are totally right about home brew, it is a lot tougher to do a home brew campaign instead of one of the pre-built ones. I am fairly lucky, in that my town has a table top game club, where we have games going almost every night of the week. The rent on our club is cheap, and is supported by monthly club dues. We just started an annual gaming convention last october, and it was a big hit, so needless to say, It is easy to find a game/players to have a go at a game.
Good tips! I have written my own game system and the world it's in. It has taken me over 3 years, and your tips on allotted time seem pretty on-point, but thats of course if they are using existing game systems ;)
its been 5 months since your last video, PLEASE MAKE MORE! xD im a new DM starting out and this has been a big help, i would love to see more videos like this
Greetings Acreletae, First off, for a newly DM that you are - you are pretty good - for being disorganized as you say, you're pretty damn organized and have pointed out many VERY important factors of being a DM - such as having names for all sorts of things, maps (i love making maps), and the ideas of adventures and encounters. The key aspect of being a DM is, remember the #1 Rule: "You can because you are the DM" - meaning you can use anything to create a fantastic adventure. I've been DMing for over 20 years, since 1st Edition, did 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and now 5th or D&D Next or just D&D - the latest is the best. Anyway, wishing the best and if YOU need any assistance DMing, here i am.
I improvise a lot of my homebrew. I have quite a bit ready up front, of course, but I have just enough to inform my improvisation. I like letting the game world evolve and creating it on the fly is very helpful for this. The stuff I have ready is the overarching concept of the world, The pantheon, the makeup of the planes/multiverse and a few big cities and small villages. Other than that I make the world up in preparation for the next session as I go. I record all of what happens and I keep and integrate everything I come up with each week. It's all culminating into quite a fine tale and a rich and deep world. Most of the things you say here are very true, but I don't think you actually need to have absolutely everything made up beforehand. I feel like that actually restricts access for your story to go places you think of as you are playing. Not only that, but the work is going to be much too much for most people to handle. If you have enough to be consistent and to facilitate a good flow in your sessions, then you're all set really.
impressive kiddo. Back in the day we had city encounters book which was a collection of random charts you rolled on-quick and easy. Keep up the good work.
I always build my adventures around the players, if I can. For instance, one of my players in my D&D Next game is a Dwarf Ranger who would scout out above-ground caves that would be good for mining. After he returned home from a long trip he found all his clans slaughtered, but nothing of value was taken. Since then he's been haunted by the ghosts of his clans and they won't rest until their killers are slain.
There's an idea in role-playing called "the social contract": you agree to give your players a game, and in turn they have to agree to take part in the game as the heroes. If they are going to beat up all the messengers, they are not living up to their end of the contract. You can't realistically give them story hooks if everyone is scared to contact them-- bring this up to them. Make them fulfill their end of the contract.
This video was very helpful I just recently started Dming and even though my creativity is there some things are a little overwhelming thank you so much for this video :)
Video idea. Problems - easy to think about, sometimes hard to forget, and in hindsight you can always find a better solution. Could be problems with prepping or players taking a left turn when you weren't prepared. Maybe just problem players in style of play or life getting in the way of players showing up etc.
I'm choosing to become a DM because it really boils down to whether or not you have one in order to play at all. A few friends of mine have expressed interest in playing but no one ever wants to be DM. I feel that I'm the one who really wants to play the most, and I do enjoy writing stories, so choosing to be DM seems to be the most logical choice.
O my the background sound near the end lol, thank you for this, its hard to go through the few dm 101 videos i've glanced through, i like yours. mostly just how to get started planning for the unknown :)
In regards to problems like your characters who want to be evil in a good party, I find it's helpful to take them aside sometime prior to the game and plan out a mutiny. If they want to be evil and you can find no reason for them to be in a hero party I find it's best to adhere to their character's alignment. If they are after treasure, perhaps at the end they can move to steal the party from the rest of the campaign and you can give a warning part way through a game. Perhaps they have a chance somewhere on your map to run into a soothsayer who tells them that someone in their party may try to betray them.. Adding a bit of mystery and helping people to get their guard up and really look at each other in a different light. That type of situation is wrought with potential. Or say you are journeying through the Feywild, you could tell them that the wild magic of the land will have different affects of the alignments of your heroes. Perhaps they walk into a mist that changes their alignment temporarily from the opposite of whatever they are or can roll a d10 for a chance alignment. These effects are temporary and whatever part of the game you are afraid will be messed up by extreme oppositional alignment it he group can actually become the force that bands them together as ey try to beat the mist and regain their natural alignment. This is a DMs "slight of hand" tactic in a game. Distract the players with a problem while you set up a situation. Even if they are not allies they can form a temporary alliance to achieve a purpose if the directive is clear. Or you can split the groups. When I do this I just have each group run into fights at the same time and just do the rolls as usual and take turns telling the story for each action. If you have side battles already prepared this is a lot easier than you would think and than just do something at the end to being the groups back together like all roads are a maze with one way out through a portal and they need each other to get through the portal. Perhaps they have to reveal their characters' weaknesses to each other so they suddenly all have the power to destroy each other if they want to. Than they will band together for the sake of being too vulnerable with each other to do anything else,., or they will kill each other off and it won't be your problem. Lmao. See what I mean though? LOTS of potential there.
Thanks for posting this video. You have a lot of good advice and I have learned a lot from people like you who take the time to share what you've learned with the rest of us! :) However, I do have a different point of view on homebrews: Making your own adventure isn't that much work. In fact, if you're putting that much effort into it and trying to be prepared with every fact about your world in case it comes up during play, you're only going to hurt the game and slow down the game play. And you will probably find yourself railroading the players into certain avenues just because you've prepared those avenues. Better to just have a story line in your head, maybe a FEW notes, and make some index cards for monster and NPC stats. All you need are those things and the ability to improvise. Think of it like giving a presentation. If you prepare too much, you end up giving a speech where you are just reading from your notes, head down, or reading from a Power Point, head turned away from the audience, you are not connecting with the audience. Better to prepare a speech with short notes on index cards to prevent you from reading. So rather than a DM who is constantly reading and looking things up, it's better to have a DM who is relaxed and telling a story, able to look at the players and interact with them. Game play goes faster, and it's more fun for everyone, including the DM.
I've been looking to write a book based on my own fantasy thoughts. I even went as far as to make a whole planet, countries, gods (Which I they call Superiors), species, etc.. I've been using it as the setting for my PC's adventures. If I had more time, I'd actually write out more details. If I have a species that has orc-like traits or wolf-like traits, should I give them orc or wolf stats from the book? Or should I create my own stats for them when I have the time. Thanks for the great video.
Fantastic. I just picked up 5th edition, never played before, tried to joing a game recently in Maynooth but I haven't heard from the guy since so I somehow don't think it's still happening so I bought 5e and decided to become the DM for my own game. I'll have to get myself a notebook now so. Good call. 😄
+Acreletae Yeah as I say, never played before and I was told 5e has streamlined a lot of things so I thought it was my best bet. I've made a note on the big things I need to learn and that's; when to stat check, come up with contingency plans in case someone wants to do something out of the ordinary, and the biggest of all, find people who actually want to play haha You may regret offering me help haha 2am messages about how to calculate damage on a lowly goblin.
Stat checks are easy enough - it's whenever a character makes an attack to see if they hit or not; coming up with contingency plans is kind of up to you, I often have random ideas rattling around and often they come into play then (alos never be afraid to call a 15 minute break to plan, because your players can go to the loo and refresh drinks etc); and finding people, all I did was make a first-come-first-served Facebook status :)
+Acreletae Ah right, so out of combat say, I as DM just choose a DC and compare it to the roll? Or is it just like someone rolls a 13 and it succeeds but not as well as they had hoped. Like someone wants to lie to a guard, they roll a 13 with a +1 Deception (I ignore the charisma modifier and use the specific deception one) so theyve got 14 and it succeeds but the guard still keeps his eye on them? OR they get the 14 but ive set a DC of 15 because he's a royal guard not just a street guard, so they automatically fail? These are the little examples that once I know how to react to, I can react to anything. (Told ya youd regret offering help haha) Oh yeah, I never even thought about that actually, I'd say I'll need a bit more time to get more comfortable with the rules before I can handle a full group. I still need to find a game to join as a player myself. I've been all over boards.ie and meetup and the only one I found is the one in maynooth that I haven't heard anything from in weeks.
I played the old school pencil and paper back in the day rpg.. Now I am playing 4e. I am a beginner DM but I have gotten great tips and my imagination is my most powerful ally.
Hey, good stuff. I am an antediluvian (old) D&D gamer. I am please to see a younger crowd getting back into RPG games. Topics or questions that I have are: how do you to setup combat encounters and run them? How do you setup location based encounters that remain dynamic? Do you have any advice on making encounters dramatic and memorable? What would you like to hear from me? I ran D&D starting in 1976, got into it deeply in 80's, took a break in the 90's and ran a weekly game from 2000 to 2010 (when my first daughter arrived).
I have tried out 4th edition, but seems that the customization was stripped unlike the older versions. I myself started with 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons&Dragons...oh the days THAC0. I now have mostly stayed with the revised version of 3.5 D&D and that is Pathfinder. I find it very well put together, but the only thing is in many ways in mirrors our world when you look at the one map of the Inner Sea Region, but like anything a DM can always alter such things.
Welcome to the gaming community! Do you use minis? I recommend Bensrpgplie for gaming advice. I'm a terrain guy and more into the table top aspect. As far as details my best advice is don't get stressed over it. Hope you make a ton of friends here :)!
I'd say maybe think about what you want them to do or be good at, then see if the given stats match up to those roles. If so, use them, if not, tweak them around until it fits.
couple of tips 1. intro/outro music would be better if it were at the same level output level as your main video. Currently too loud in relation to your talking; like going from a 4 to an 11. 2. you have good ideas but they could be presented more logically and more directly. Instead of always saying "you could maybe do this" say rather "try this, or this, or that one" in a preferred ordering. Makes your points more forceful and direct without being limiting, which I think is your main underlying message on many of your ideas. At least that was my take on them. 3. script out your talking points better - all the tips again were good, but seemed unorganized in relation to each other or in starting up a campaign. For example early on you talk about making maps and then near the end, talk about your players making characters. That seems a bit backwards. I realize you want to have some sort of "place" for the characters to explore, I think maybe they need to know a little about the world their characters are going to go into at first. It can change as you go, sometimes quite a bit from where it started, but I think mapmaking is second to what kind of world you want, what you want your players to face. Once you have that starting point defined enough for your players to get started, then you can get move into the mapmaking. 4. practice voice modulation. I know real vocal change takes several months of coaching, but there is one simple thing you can do to improve your verbal sound, which is a little monotone. Imagine that you have 6 platforms your voice can project from: your head at the point right above your nose, your nose, your mouth, your throat, your chest, and your stomach. Basically you a little breath control as your voice comes out. You can put notes by your talking points as to which platform best emphasizes your points (like H, N, M, T, C, and S). Without changing your volume, I think you'll find you enrich your talking points with the simple changes where your voice comes out. apologies if this seems negative or condescending; it isn't meant to be as I enjoyed several of your thoughts and ideas - enough so I felt compelled to offer feedback on ways to make your points even more impactful and more easily followed. Thanks for sharing this video and the work you put into it.
Hey there, I have many years of DM experience, I only run my own homebrew stories, though i ve been out of the game for 2 years. Now i gathered some friends from University, and I m beggining a new party ! I think you have a good perception of D&D ( even though 4th edition sucks, I run 3.5) and I think we could bounce off some ideas for campaigns of each other ! Give me a reply if you are interested. Thanks
I made a campain were it was a dougeon crawl and their were 50 levels and in between each level you would go to the magic tavern and get a quest for what to do in the next level/ turn in the other quest. It was fun and full of inside joke monsters. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRADE?" We had a ton of fun it was a home brew version of 3.5. I call it Tree Point Faith so i don't get it mixed up even made custom rule books.
I have heard of them, yeah. They seem pretty cool, if, you know, tiny.. I can't read or write it very well, but I can speak it. Though in Ireland we call it Gaeilge or just Irish..
Oh sorry! I have played two homebrew systems, one was a d100 system that I played one session in (it was like beta 9.6 version or something, still needed polishing by the creator's standards) and the other wasn't a tabletop but a LARP-style roleplay game. My campaign, if enough people want to know, I could detail in a video come the summer?
character creation would be a great help. As a beginner i can make a decent character for myself, but then i try DM-ing (because we are ALL beginners and i'm the best we got) and i find that as the DM i have to help everyone else make their characters. I've got the handbook and there is a lot of info online, but tips would be awesome. What makes a good long-term character? whats the etiquette for character death? when you introduce or create a new player character do you bump up their level to match the others? your experience with making characters, introducing new characters, and killing characters would be great (even anything about NPCs)
I used to pre-gen a bunch of chars just for fun. All level one, and this would be what new players would start with based of the Race and class they felt like playing. :D
Ah yes, the DM is a man/woman of many hats. One of the things I usually do is have some of the more experienced players help with the character creation of the younger, less experienced players and help as needed. If you don't have any experienced gamers in the group, my best advice is to get some. Barring that, take your smartest, quickest learning player and show them the ropes.
In my games almost all players should have their own Players Handbook. If they don't and you're trying to all share from one book either photocopy or create cheat sheets that will include, stats and bonuses, racial skills and bonuses, class skills and feats with hitpoints saving throws as well, copies of equipment prices are a plau and yopu can then use them as a handout to help them make their characters. Yes it's a lot of work but a lot less than the many hours of trying to watch people wait for one book to finish making their character.What is a good long term character? Easy and simple. One that you enjoy playing that hasn't died yet. Character death.In any game there is a unbelievably good chance of dying. If they can say a prayer over the body thats nice but sometimes they have to run for their lives and he will just be remembered, role play it.When introducing new characters like meeting someone for the first time they can tell you whatever they want. If a rogue comes up dressed as a mage with a staff and telle the party "I'm Merdorf the Mystical Malice" that's what he appears to be. Mind you if he's a smart rogue and has a ring of fireballs it would be VERY believable, You are only limited by your imagination let it free,As for killing characters its a part of the game. If it happens too much you may have to figure out why. Are the creatures too powerful? Did you roll very high a lot on attack and damage, or is the party rolling poorly? And yes Ray had it, in get assistance you don't have to do it alone.
Thanks a lot for this video. Would love an updated version with a better microphone and even more experience. I'm not a very experienced player but I am going to try to learn to be a dungeon master.
+Xovius I think an updated version is a really good idea, seeing as this vid is four years old and I've learned a bit since then :) I'll definitely be putting it on my to-do list! If you've any questions about DMing or the like, drop me a line here or on Twitter: @acreletae
Xovius I do not know how old your comment is but I to am a new DM. I use 5th edition and find it easier to use but the advice here is very helpful. Try educating yourself, not about the rules but how to be a good DM. There are many places to go to educate yourself and this vid is very good!
Don't know where to put this so I guess I'll put it here. Have some questions would like help on and open to advice. I used to collect DnD a long time ago and have only played Rifts and GURPS. That said, I want to get into DnD 5 and particularly like the Eberron setting. Need to get up to speed. So, starting with the basics, as a player, what dice do I need, especially as for multiples? What else would be good to get(?); I am getting the core books. What online resources (websites and TH-cam) are good for DnD in general and Eberron in particular? What do you recommend as for 3rd party sites and product lines? How does one get into online groups such as you do here? What events are good to attend? Anything else you would like to have known as a beginner? You know: If only I had known. . .
I guess that's more of an idea of GMing style. I'm a story-teller, so I like having the setting well fleshed-out. Patterns within patterns, I like to know the reasons for everything instead of the battle-GM's kobolds because I said so attitude. I'm not saying that style is wrong or bad, quite the opposite - it can be really fun for GM and player, it just doesn't suit my style of GMing is all :D
Hmmm... You know, I've never considered what I'd name a castle. I'm fairly new to DnD. As the DM teacher and future owner of castle, what do you think it should be called?
ok i'm having a massive problem with getting my characters to follow a specific theme with there character and role playing properly (they see a messenger and they beat the crap out of him if he says something other than "you get money if you do this" one day then the next it's "whatever") and i try to have them run from a horde of enemas for a skill challenge and they fight them instead and there's literally hundreds of guys. how do i get them to take it in a slightly more serious+logical way?
How about a video on your favourite RPG? I'd be interested to see it. If you want adding to the TH-cam RPG Brigade video (it's somewhere on my channel) do let me know.
My boyfriend and his friends want me to be their DM.. something about being bossy and animated. I am finding taking in all this info soooo hard. where to start. I loved this video
You get +200 awesome points for liking Turisas, enjoy them! (These points are unfortunately not redeemable at any stores, nor are they recognized by the mainstream media... but they look good on a resumé. Lol) You ever tried Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Roleplay?
I knew there was another spelling for it (though I hadn't ever heard it called "Irish"). Is there anywhere I can hear Gaeilge? I've seen it written (when I wanted to learn it I was translating all sorts of phrases) but I've never heard it spoken. I'd like to hear the personality of the language.
By the power of Grey Skull! As the castle will be yours, I don't suppose my ability to pronounce is particularly relevant. I have no real experience with Gaelic. (I did want to learn when I was younger due to a voracious drive to capture some of my long bred out heritage). You know, I was thinking... How authentic do you want your castle? 'Cause if you skip things like electricity and other modern conveniences, having a castle built might financially be pretty easy.
hi there ive recently been asked to be a dungeon master for my house mates i have an idea for storie but have no idea on dice rolls. how do i set scores for a history test or if they try to hit a goblin what dice they need to roll the book is very confusing on the subject. thanks for any help given stig
success for anything (hit chance, bribe attempt, lock picking, etc. ) is usually a D20 roll, not always the case but that is usually. For example say the fighter is trying to hit something with an AC of 12, he rolls the D20 (he rolls a 4), then adds his strength modifier (lets say +4) so he basically just rolled an 8, in this particular case he misses.
My advice is try to keep it as realistic as possible. If they try to fight a hundred guys, they WILL die. Give them with everything you have: they'll notice the damage they take (and not deal) and get the idea. As for rp, it can take a while. Focus on consequences: if they're really erratic, they could get a reputation for being unpredictable and a little scary. People won't want to give them shelter, buy their loot, etc. If they behave evilly have them treated as evil, and vice versa. Helpful?
homebrew is things you come up with on your own, so homebrew rule is a rule you and your group came up with and is not apart of the normal rules. same with campaign and such
I would find it terribly awkward to DM a game with strangers. I tried it once with friends and was overwhelmed with balancing rules and the trying to come up with a plot.
Nice video, Madam. Welcome to the life. I've been doing this since 1977. It's great to see a new generation take up the torch, so that the Grande Olde Game does not Perish. Best of luck to you, and your group.
God, your accent is sublime and your tutorial has helped me...I just got thrown into being a DM because they all believe I'm creative enough. Thank you very much!
Thanks for the video. I am starting to be a DM for my friends. I have a lot to learn. Awesome tips and I will try to plan out my adventure. look forward to the other videos.
Thank you! I love hearing you speak! I'm from the States but I enjoy English spoken by people from Ireland & England.
You sound like a fun DM! Logical and creative, putting the world at your players' fingertips.
You have an exceptional grasp of DMing for someone who's only ever played 4th ed.
just wanted to say i liked your vido and to give some words of encouragement keep posting. the more people discussing the hobby the better.
Thank you so much, new DM- also never played D&D, planning first game (pre-made campaign) but also planning a home brew. I have 2 (!!!) different groups of players that want to play so I am trying to prepare. I just found your channel, and already subscribed.
I wanted to say the tips are the most I've gotten from anybody about how to set up a dming session. I play 5th edition and I must say it's pretty streamlined to the dm so I hear. My attention is on the changes they have made so far they are for the better, they're both for the player and dm's benefit which is good. Thank you so much, oh yeah before I forget your accent is lovely! Yes I'm from america sorry but accents fascinate me. Anyways I look forward to your next video they should help a lot.
Great first video. Looking forward to your opinions and recaps. Always good to hear how someone has gotten into DnD and how long they have been gaming. Cheers.
Great advice from a young DM. I especially enjoyed your discussion of cohesiveness with party race, class, goals and alignments; I once played in a Dark Sun party and stunned everyone as we were introducing our characters to each other, saying that I was a Defiler who wanted to leave the Dark Sun lands in order to defile new lands. I was joking of course. I'd love to see you in action during a game.
You certainly are correct about homebrew games being a lot more work. I would like to hear more from you on your thoughts about the Forgotten Realms. Lemmy is the man!
Great list of drinks & names. Knowing player motivation is really important for sure. Nice first video.
All very good tips. And you are totally right about home brew, it is a lot tougher to do a home brew campaign instead of one of the pre-built ones.
I am fairly lucky, in that my town has a table top game club, where we have games going almost every night of the week. The rent on our club is cheap, and is supported by monthly club dues. We just started an annual gaming convention last october, and it was a big hit, so needless to say, It is easy to find a game/players to have a go at a game.
Ahhhh, i've never played but this little 8 min video gets me excited to start!
Good tips! I have written my own game system and the world it's in. It has taken me over 3 years, and your tips on allotted time seem pretty on-point, but thats of course if they are using existing game systems ;)
its been 5 months since your last video, PLEASE MAKE MORE! xD im a new DM starting out and this has been a big help, i would love to see more videos like this
Greetings Acreletae,
First off, for a newly DM that you are - you are pretty good - for being disorganized as you say, you're pretty damn organized and have pointed out many VERY important factors of being a DM - such as having names for all sorts of things, maps (i love making maps), and the ideas of adventures and encounters. The key aspect of being a DM is, remember the #1 Rule: "You can because you are the DM" - meaning you can use anything to create a fantastic adventure. I've been DMing for over 20 years, since 1st Edition, did 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and now 5th or D&D Next or just D&D - the latest is the best. Anyway, wishing the best and if YOU need any assistance DMing, here i am.
34 years here but we all started somewhere.
I improvise a lot of my homebrew. I have quite a bit ready up front, of course, but I have just enough to inform my improvisation. I like letting the game world evolve and creating it on the fly is very helpful for this. The stuff I have ready is the overarching concept of the world, The pantheon, the makeup of the planes/multiverse and a few big cities and small villages. Other than that I make the world up in preparation for the next session as I go. I record all of what happens and I keep and integrate everything I come up with each week. It's all culminating into quite a fine tale and a rich and deep world.
Most of the things you say here are very true, but I don't think you actually need to have absolutely everything made up beforehand. I feel like that actually restricts access for your story to go places you think of as you are playing. Not only that, but the work is going to be much too much for most people to handle. If you have enough to be consistent and to facilitate a good flow in your sessions, then you're all set really.
impressive kiddo. Back in the day we had city encounters book which was a collection of random charts you rolled on-quick and easy. Keep up the good work.
I always build my adventures around the players, if I can. For instance, one of my players in my D&D Next game is a Dwarf Ranger who would scout out above-ground caves that would be good for mining. After he returned home from a long trip he found all his clans slaughtered, but nothing of value was taken. Since then he's been haunted by the ghosts of his clans and they won't rest until their killers are slain.
There's an idea in role-playing called "the social contract": you agree to give your players a game, and in turn they have to agree to take part in the game as the heroes. If they are going to beat up all the messengers, they are not living up to their end of the contract. You can't realistically give them story hooks if everyone is scared to contact them-- bring this up to them. Make them fulfill their end of the contract.
Very good tips for any DM not just beginners. Also it's nice to see another 4e player.
This video was very helpful I just recently started Dming and even though my creativity is there some things are a little overwhelming thank you so much for this video :)
Really nice video. Keep them coming!
I have literally only played D&D 4th edition. And I'm talking about that all the time, so I've already fulfilled your request!
Video idea.
Problems - easy to think about, sometimes hard to forget, and in hindsight you can always find a better solution. Could be problems with prepping or players taking a left turn when you weren't prepared. Maybe just problem players in style of play or life getting in the way of players showing up etc.
Great video :D And awesome intro music too!
I'm choosing to become a DM because it really boils down to whether or not you have one in order to play at all. A few friends of mine have expressed interest in playing but no one ever wants to be DM. I feel that I'm the one who really wants to play the most, and I do enjoy writing stories, so choosing to be DM seems to be the most logical choice.
Thank god for this video! I'm starting a game soon in Dublin and I've never played as a DM before. First up, get more players :L
So I've never played DnD and I'm on a quest to go be a Dungeon Master despite that fact. This really gave me a jumping off point. Thanks :)
+Sprititually Nerdy You're very welcome!
No worries! I've been really swamped lately, but I'm hoping to have a new video up soon!
great first video, hope to see more!
O my the background sound near the end lol, thank you for this, its hard to go through the few dm 101 videos i've glanced through, i like yours. mostly just how to get started planning for the unknown :)
I'll teach you, don't worry. I need a modern kitchen and bathroom, and everything else can be medieval. Girl's gotta have her comforts!
In regards to problems like your characters who want to be evil in a good party, I find it's helpful to take them aside sometime prior to the game and plan out a mutiny. If they want to be evil and you can find no reason for them to be in a hero party I find it's best to adhere to their character's alignment. If they are after treasure, perhaps at the end they can move to steal the party from the rest of the campaign and you can give a warning part way through a game. Perhaps they have a chance somewhere on your map to run into a soothsayer who tells them that someone in their party may try to betray them.. Adding a bit of mystery and helping people to get their guard up and really look at each other in a different light. That type of situation is wrought with potential. Or say you are journeying through the Feywild, you could tell them that the wild magic of the land will have different affects of the alignments of your heroes. Perhaps they walk into a mist that changes their alignment temporarily from the opposite of whatever they are or can roll a d10 for a chance alignment. These effects are temporary and whatever part of the game you are afraid will be messed up by extreme oppositional alignment it he group can actually become the force that bands them together as ey try to beat the mist and regain their natural alignment. This is a DMs "slight of hand" tactic in a game. Distract the players with a problem while you set up a situation. Even if they are not allies they can form a temporary alliance to achieve a purpose if the directive is clear. Or you can split the groups. When I do this I just have each group run into fights at the same time and just do the rolls as usual and take turns telling the story for each action. If you have side battles already prepared this is a lot easier than you would think and than just do something at the end to being the groups back together like all roads are a maze with one way out through a portal and they need each other to get through the portal. Perhaps they have to reveal their characters' weaknesses to each other so they suddenly all have the power to destroy each other if they want to. Than they will band together for the sake of being too vulnerable with each other to do anything else,., or they will kill each other off and it won't be your problem. Lmao. See what I mean though? LOTS of potential there.
New DM here ... thanks for the video.
A kerfuffle? This has now become part of my vocabulary.
Good lord, another one of us! Get involved in the TH-cam RPG Brigade!
VERY nice vids! IMO it's good to have things like this for people starting out. Pity TH-cam wasn't around in the 80s when I started >_
Thanks for posting this video. You have a lot of good advice and I have learned a lot from people like you who take the time to share what you've learned with the rest of us! :)
However, I do have a different point of view on homebrews:
Making your own adventure isn't that much work. In fact, if you're putting that much effort into it and trying to be prepared with every fact about your world in case it comes up during play, you're only going to hurt the game and slow down the game play. And you will probably find yourself railroading the players into certain avenues just because you've prepared those avenues. Better to just have a story line in your head, maybe a FEW notes, and make some index cards for monster and NPC stats. All you need are those things and the ability to improvise.
Think of it like giving a presentation. If you prepare too much, you end up giving a speech where you are just reading from your notes, head down, or reading from a Power Point, head turned away from the audience, you are not connecting with the audience. Better to prepare a speech with short notes on index cards to prevent you from reading.
So rather than a DM who is constantly reading and looking things up, it's better to have a DM who is relaxed and telling a story, able to look at the players and interact with them. Game play goes faster, and it's more fun for everyone, including the DM.
great video, very helpful
Nice maps! You look like you have you're stuff together. Good on ya!"
Please make more videos!!! I want to see more estrogen talking about Role-playing! Great video btw ^ ^
Great tips!
I've been looking to write a book based on my own fantasy thoughts. I even went as far as to make a whole planet, countries, gods (Which I they call Superiors), species, etc.. I've been using it as the setting for my PC's adventures. If I had more time, I'd actually write out more details. If I have a species that has orc-like traits or wolf-like traits, should I give them orc or wolf stats from the book? Or should I create my own stats for them when I have the time. Thanks for the great video.
Fantastic. I just picked up 5th edition, never played before, tried to joing a game recently in Maynooth but I haven't heard from the guy since so I somehow don't think it's still happening so I bought 5e and decided to become the DM for my own game. I'll have to get myself a notebook now so. Good call. 😄
+MrSteeTV Good call on 5th, I recently tried the starter kit and I love it so much harder than 4th! Give us a shout if you need any pointers :)
+Acreletae Yeah as I say, never played before and I was told 5e has streamlined a lot of things so I thought it was my best bet.
I've made a note on the big things I need to learn and that's; when to stat check, come up with contingency plans in case someone wants to do something out of the ordinary, and the biggest of all, find people who actually want to play haha
You may regret offering me help haha 2am messages about how to calculate damage on a lowly goblin.
Stat checks are easy enough - it's whenever a character makes an attack to see if they hit or not; coming up with contingency plans is kind of up to you, I often have random ideas rattling around and often they come into play then (alos never be afraid to call a 15 minute break to plan, because your players can go to the loo and refresh drinks etc); and finding people, all I did was make a first-come-first-served Facebook status :)
+Acreletae Ah right, so out of combat say, I as DM just choose a DC and compare it to the roll? Or is it just like someone rolls a 13 and it succeeds but not as well as they had hoped. Like someone wants to lie to a guard, they roll a 13 with a +1 Deception (I ignore the charisma modifier and use the specific deception one) so theyve got 14 and it succeeds but the guard still keeps his eye on them? OR they get the 14 but ive set a DC of 15 because he's a royal guard not just a street guard, so they automatically fail? These are the little examples that once I know how to react to, I can react to anything. (Told ya youd regret offering help haha)
Oh yeah, I never even thought about that actually, I'd say I'll need a bit more time to get more comfortable with the rules before I can handle a full group. I still need to find a game to join as a player myself. I've been all over boards.ie and meetup and the only one I found is the one in maynooth that I haven't heard anything from in weeks.
I played the old school pencil and paper back in the day rpg.. Now I am playing 4e. I am a beginner DM but I have gotten great tips and my imagination is my most powerful ally.
Hey, good stuff. I am an antediluvian (old) D&D gamer. I am please to see a younger crowd getting back into RPG games.
Topics or questions that I have are: how do you to setup combat encounters and run them? How do you setup location based encounters that remain dynamic? Do you have any advice on making encounters dramatic and memorable?
What would you like to hear from me? I ran D&D starting in 1976, got into it deeply in 80's, took a break in the 90's and ran a weekly game from 2000 to 2010 (when my first daughter arrived).
I like the music at the beginning :)
Yep, I'm a member on the FB group!
That would surely be riveting to watch, possibly a bit more than nuclear physics or group theory. Just possibly ;)
Hurrah for that!
I have tried out 4th edition, but seems that the customization was stripped unlike the older versions. I myself started with 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons&Dragons...oh the days THAC0. I now have mostly stayed with the revised version of 3.5 D&D and that is Pathfinder. I find it very well put together, but the only thing is in many ways in mirrors our world when you look at the one map of the Inner Sea Region, but like anything a DM can always alter such things.
Welcome to the gaming community! Do you use minis? I recommend Bensrpgplie for gaming advice. I'm a terrain guy and more into the table top aspect. As far as details my best advice is don't get stressed over it. Hope you make a ton of friends here :)!
I'd say maybe think about what you want them to do or be good at, then see if the given stats match up to those roles. If so, use them, if not, tweak them around until it fits.
Could you make a video on creating worlds? I'd like to see how you handle that?
Yeah, I'm currently running a homebrew setting :)
couple of tips
1. intro/outro music would be better if it were at the same level output level as your main video. Currently too loud in relation to your talking; like going from a 4 to an 11.
2. you have good ideas but they could be presented more logically and more directly. Instead of always saying "you could maybe do this" say rather "try this, or this, or that one" in a preferred ordering.
Makes your points more forceful and direct without being limiting, which I think is your main underlying message on many of your ideas. At least that was my take on them.
3. script out your talking points better - all the tips again were good, but seemed unorganized in relation to each other or in starting up a campaign. For example early on you talk about making maps and then near the end, talk about your players making characters. That seems a bit backwards. I realize you want to have some sort of "place" for the characters to explore, I think maybe they need to know a little about the world their characters are going to go into at first. It can change as you go, sometimes quite a bit from where it started, but I think mapmaking is second to what kind of world you want, what you want your players to face. Once you have that starting point defined enough for your players to get started, then you can get move into the mapmaking.
4. practice voice modulation. I know real vocal change takes several months of coaching, but there is one simple thing you can do to improve your verbal sound, which is a little monotone. Imagine that you have 6 platforms your voice can project from: your head at the point right above your nose, your nose, your mouth, your throat, your chest, and your stomach. Basically you a little breath control as your voice comes out. You can put notes by your talking points as to which platform best emphasizes your points (like H, N, M, T, C, and S). Without changing your volume, I think you'll find you enrich your talking points with the simple changes where your voice comes out.
apologies if this seems negative or condescending; it isn't meant to be as I enjoyed several of your thoughts and ideas - enough so I felt compelled to offer feedback on ways to make your points even more impactful and more easily followed. Thanks for sharing this video and the work you put into it.
Hey there, I have many years of DM experience, I only run my own homebrew stories, though i ve been out of the game for 2 years. Now i gathered some friends from University, and I m beggining a new party ! I think you have a good perception of D&D ( even though 4th edition sucks, I run 3.5) and I think we could bounce off some ideas for campaigns of each other ! Give me a reply if you are interested. Thanks
I made a campain were it was a dougeon crawl and their were 50 levels and in between each level you would go to the magic tavern and get a quest for what to do in the next level/ turn in the other quest. It was fun and full of inside joke monsters.
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRADE?"
We had a ton of fun it was a home brew version of 3.5. I call it Tree Point Faith so i don't get it mixed up even made custom rule books.
Lloyd Nix this is beautiful (I'm probably gonna steal this for a couple of quests)
wiiplayers19
Heh, tell me how it goes.
i'll try this. thanks
Irish and a gamer = epic
Great! More videos!
I have heard of them, yeah. They seem pretty cool, if, you know, tiny.. I can't read or write it very well, but I can speak it. Though in Ireland we call it Gaeilge or just Irish..
Oh sorry! I have played two homebrew systems, one was a d100 system that I played one session in (it was like beta 9.6 version or something, still needed polishing by the creator's standards) and the other wasn't a tabletop but a LARP-style roleplay game. My campaign, if enough people want to know, I could detail in a video come the summer?
character creation would be a great help. As a beginner i can make a decent character for myself, but then i try DM-ing (because we are ALL beginners and i'm the best we got) and i find that as the DM i have to help everyone else make their characters. I've got the handbook and there is a lot of info online, but tips would be awesome. What makes a good long-term character? whats the etiquette for character death? when you introduce or create a new player character do you bump up their level to match the others? your experience with making characters, introducing new characters, and killing characters would be great (even anything about NPCs)
I used to pre-gen a bunch of chars just for fun. All level one, and this would be what new players would start with based of the Race and class they felt like playing. :D
Ah yes, the DM is a man/woman of many hats. One of the things I usually do is have some of the more experienced players help with the character creation of the younger, less experienced players and help as needed. If you don't have any experienced gamers in the group, my best advice is to get some. Barring that, take your smartest, quickest learning player and show them the ropes.
In my games almost all players should have their own Players Handbook. If they don't and you're trying to all share from one book either photocopy or create cheat sheets that will include, stats and bonuses, racial skills and bonuses, class skills and feats with hitpoints saving throws as well, copies of equipment prices are a plau and yopu can then use them as a handout to help them make their characters. Yes it's a lot of work but a lot less than the many hours of trying to watch people wait for one book to finish making their character.What is a good long term character? Easy and simple. One that you enjoy playing that hasn't died yet. Character death.In any game there is a unbelievably good chance of dying. If they can say a prayer over the body thats nice but sometimes they have to run for their lives and he will just be remembered, role play it.When introducing new characters like meeting someone for the first time they can tell you whatever they want. If a rogue comes up dressed as a mage with a staff and telle the party "I'm Merdorf the Mystical Malice" that's what he appears to be. Mind you if he's a smart rogue and has a ring of fireballs it would be VERY believable, You are only limited by your imagination let it free,As for killing characters its a part of the game. If it happens too much you may have to figure out why. Are the creatures too powerful? Did you roll very high a lot on attack and damage, or is the party rolling poorly? And yes Ray had it, in get assistance you don't have to do it alone.
Thanks a lot for this video. Would love an updated version with a better microphone and even more experience. I'm not a very experienced player but I am going to try to learn to be a dungeon master.
+Xovius I think an updated version is a really good idea, seeing as this vid is four years old and I've learned a bit since then :) I'll definitely be putting it on my to-do list! If you've any questions about DMing or the like, drop me a line here or on Twitter: @acreletae
Xovius I do not know how old your comment is but I to am a new DM. I use 5th edition and find it easier to use but the advice here is very helpful. Try educating yourself, not about the rules but how to be a good DM. There are many places to go to educate yourself and this vid is very good!
Don't know where to put this so I guess I'll put it here.
Have some questions would like help on and open to advice.
I used to collect DnD a long time ago and have only played Rifts and GURPS. That said, I want to get into DnD 5 and particularly like the Eberron setting. Need to get up to speed.
So, starting with the basics, as a player, what dice do I need, especially as for multiples?
What else would be good to get(?); I am getting the core books.
What online resources (websites and TH-cam) are good for DnD in general and Eberron in particular? What do you recommend as for 3rd party sites and product lines?
How does one get into online groups such as you do here?
What events are good to attend?
Anything else you would like to have known as a beginner? You know: If only I had known. . .
Video was very helpful despite being published pre-5th edition
Thank you, going to be the new DM soon
+Jyn Falcon "despite being published pre-5th edition"... no matter how much they change it in the future, 3.5 will always be the best
I personally feel that the editions aren't nearly as important as the plot and the storytelling.
Good Stuff, I do believe I will subscribe.
im so late but this is sooo helpful .. glad i found ur vid ... your awesome :p
***** You're awesome too
I guess that's more of an idea of GMing style. I'm a story-teller, so I like having the setting well fleshed-out. Patterns within patterns, I like to know the reasons for everything instead of the battle-GM's kobolds because I said so attitude. I'm not saying that style is wrong or bad, quite the opposite - it can be really fun for GM and player, it just doesn't suit my style of GMing is all :D
What song did you use in the beginning sounds familiar but can't tell? I listen to a lot of odd music
Hmmm...
You know, I've never considered what I'd name a castle. I'm fairly new to DnD. As the DM teacher and future owner of castle, what do you think it should be called?
Funny you should say that, I just bought the 3 core books of 4.0 after 10+ years absence of pen and paper rpgs!
Yay. awesome hat btw.
ok i'm having a massive problem with getting my characters to follow a specific theme with there character and role playing properly (they see a messenger and they beat the crap out of him if he says something other than "you get money if you do this" one day then the next it's "whatever") and i try to have them run from a horde of enemas for a skill challenge and they fight them instead and there's literally hundreds of guys. how do i get them to take it in a slightly more serious+logical way?
How about a video on your favourite RPG? I'd be interested to see it. If you want adding to the TH-cam RPG Brigade video (it's somewhere on my channel) do let me know.
My boyfriend and his friends want me to be their DM.. something about being bossy and animated. I am finding taking in all this info soooo hard. where to start. I loved this video
It's sahti waari by Turisas :)
You get +200 awesome points for liking Turisas, enjoy them! (These points are unfortunately not redeemable at any stores, nor are they recognized by the mainstream media... but they look good on a resumé. Lol)
You ever tried Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Roleplay?
Well that was worth a subscribe
I'm working on it.
I knew there was another spelling for it (though I hadn't ever heard it called "Irish").
Is there anywhere I can hear Gaeilge?
I've seen it written (when I wanted to learn it I was translating all sorts of phrases) but I've never heard it spoken. I'd like to hear the personality of the language.
@tons0spud Thanks a million! Hoping to make this a regular thing, so if you've anything you'd like me to talk about, let me know! :)
By the power of Grey Skull!
As the castle will be yours, I don't suppose my ability to pronounce is particularly relevant. I have no real experience with Gaelic. (I did want to learn when I was younger due to a voracious drive to capture some of my long bred out heritage).
You know, I was thinking... How authentic do you want your castle? 'Cause if you skip things like electricity and other modern conveniences, having a castle built might financially be pretty easy.
In America at least, Meetups is a goid way to find players.
Have you tried homebrew systems?
hi there ive recently been asked to be a dungeon master for my house mates i have an idea for storie but have no idea on dice rolls. how do i set scores for a history test or if they try to hit a goblin what dice they need to roll the book is very confusing on the subject. thanks for any help given
stig
success for anything (hit chance, bribe attempt, lock picking, etc. ) is usually a D20 roll, not always the case but that is usually. For example say the fighter is trying to hit something with an AC of 12, he rolls the D20 (he rolls a 4), then adds his strength modifier (lets say +4) so he basically just rolled an 8, in this particular case he misses.
I will convert you to the Pathfinder side!
Sure, I'm currently thinking about what my next vid is gonna be about. If you've anything you'd like to hear my thoughts on, PLEASE let me know!! :D
My advice is try to keep it as realistic as possible. If they try to fight a hundred guys, they WILL die. Give them with everything you have: they'll notice the damage they take (and not deal) and get the idea. As for rp, it can take a while. Focus on consequences: if they're really erratic, they could get a reputation for being unpredictable and a little scary. People won't want to give them shelter, buy their loot, etc. If they behave evilly have them treated as evil, and vice versa. Helpful?
Also, what is the song at the end?
ok she used Lemmy as an npc...love this lady dm
Good video btw
I did mean homebrew system, as in gaming systems, not a campaign setting though tell me more regardless.
That's all good edition-free info you've got there. I think you should improve your audio a bit, but otherwise a good vid.
Hmmm... Kilfane, Sliabh Árd, or maybe Caisleán Cloigeann Liath?
It may sound stupid, but what is homebrew?
homebrew is things you come up with on your own, so homebrew rule is a rule you and your group came up with and is not apart of the normal rules.
same with campaign and such
crikk23 Thanks :)
I would find it terribly awkward to DM a game with strangers. I tried it once with friends and was overwhelmed with balancing rules and the trying to come up with a plot.
Preparation, preparation, preparation.
Doritos, doritos, doritos.