First Time you Gm'd/Dm'd

[Fsuphilosophy09]

So this weekend i Dm//Gm for the first time it wasn't as bad as i thought i had a good group of guys who were eager to play and eager to help me as well it was fun. We decided to start a d20 modern camp.. (feel free to join if you wish) but neway this thread is for everyone to discuss the first time they tried dming or gming in particular give a pro and a con

Pro: Learned a lot from a group of patient people...

Con: Had a player quit mid game because i was "a terrible dm" i was attempting to use the fog feature in the camp and apparently they were not pleased with their viewing distance in thick forest

[jade von delioch]

you will always get that as a GM. no matter what there will always be players that think that your trying to screw them over or something. Don't take any offense from it.

I remember i first time i GM.... ya... lets just say that i had alot to learn, but i had good friends who offered alot of advice over the years so that each time i took the GM spot, i got better and better..
My only suggestion to new GM's is to watch what you would call the best gamemasters as they run games and how they do it. You can learn alot by seeing how they do pacing, tempo, suspense, balance, and drama.

[pawsplay]

My first few turns were very adversarial games with older kids.

I held my own. :)

[Moritz]

Yeah, players are generally a bunch of whiners and doomsayers. Always complaining about this or that. But at the end of the evening they tell you, "Great game." and mean it.

[jade von delioch]

inless they are from the west coast where they whine and moan ever more

[Moritz]

Totally agree, "Sam/Clay" is from the west coast.... he was the biggest whiner, EVAH!

[Fsuphilosophy09]

thanks guys you helped me get over it and try again :) hehehe

[shilar]

The first time I GM'd it was supposed to be a V:tM one shot for Halloween that I had to beg for. They loved it so much that it ended up being weekly for 2 years.

[RealmsDM]

I couldn't begin to try to remember my 1st DM'ing session. Definitely some old basic D&D module though. Probably Keep on the Borderlands. Hmmm??? Anyway, I can tell you this- you'll never please everyone 100%. All you can hope for the best.
And you'll get much better. Good DM'ing is getting into your groove. You'll know your strengths as a DM (I'm good at ad libbing when the PCs throw me a curve, and I'm a decent enough storyteller, who's famous for his combat descriptions)
Just keep truckin' man!

[starfalconkd]

Man, that was a long time ago. Back then I always wanted my players to win and have fun. Now I want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, but winning is a silly idea.

[Grinnen Baeritt]

I ran my first game never having heard of what a roleplaying game was all about... having purchased the Basic game and the AD&D DMG at the same time...thinking them as an alternative to wargaming, and having a little spare cash at the time.

It was the last day of the summer holidays and I started college the next day.

I don't think the shopkeeper knew what he was selling either.:rolleyes:.

My greatest mistake was confusing HD for hit points.... those 8hp Orcs are a bit hard when they attack as 8HD monsters!!!

Anyway, I visited a friend later the same afternoon and ran the first part of "Caves of Chaos" as a solo game. A lot of his characters died. But he had fun and is still Roleplaying with me 25 years later...

Anyway, I never did get round to reading the "What is roleplaying bit."

The following day, as I hadn't read them comepletely I took the rules to college.. where coinciendtley the person in front of me in class also played. From there I got introduced to a group that played at lunchtimes.

[jade von delioch]

finding your strengths is a strange creature some times.. like i, as a player, hate long dungeons.. i know what i'm there for and just head straight for the end to get the item. I think that they slow the plot down some what. But one of my strengths is my ability to build well thought out dungeons. i don't even put the goal at the end.. mi mean if your a bad guy and had the option would you hide your secret lab at the end of a dangerous dungeon or just hide it at the begining of one behind a secret passage or something like that?

[rabkala]

The first time I tried to DM was in the switch between Expert and Advanced. Our DM had returned to college, leaving us youngsters to our own devices. It was very much by the seat of my pants cooperative storytelling with little knowledge of the rules. It was great for a few weeks. Everyone loved my wild visions of a new world. I learned that DMing isn't adversarial. I also discovered the joy of creation and writing for my audience. My older brother, who knew most of the rules, eventually started his own more concrete game which we played. While it was better in many ways, we lost a lot of freedom by paying attention to the rules.

[rabkala]

My greatest mistake was confusing HD for hit points.... those 8hp Orcs are a bit hard when they attack as 8HD monsters!!!


I had a DM do the same thing. I think we went through about 100 characters trying to beat Bone Hill before his error was discovered. :confused:

[Fsuphilosophy09]

i ran my seonc game today a d20 modern game this time i actually prepared instead of winging it.. it went much better the pc's enjoyed themselves everyone had a good time i would say 10000% improvement so much so they decided to make it a weekly game :) thanks for advice friends

[Inquisitor Tremayne]

The first "REAL" time I GM'd was for the Star Wars OCR. I say first real time because up till that point I just basically was forcing my friends to play and was always killing their characters. No long term adventures or campaigns.

But this was different. I was sooooo freakin stressed out. I was Gming for a group of guys that had been playing for like 20+ years. I was shaking and sweating from nervousness.

It went well and now I really enjoy being behind the screen and can handle things quite well.

Although I still managed a TPK in that Star Wars game!

[grimwell]

The clouds parted and lo, light did shine down upon my table. This was the day when it would happen. I rolled my d20 lightly between the palms of my hands, checked over my notes, ensured that my dry erase pens were ready... all was good.

It was time.

Soon the halls ran red with the players blood... finally I was sated.

Er, I don't remember that first time. I kno the circumstances and all, bu it was well more than 20 years ago and I was making up a system based on what I'd seen and heard of D&D.

Now that work is slowing down, I get to start up again soon. Just a week or two away actually. When you hear the wailing of dead players from the West Coast in December... it's not me. I swear. It's the dice, they are evil.

[PhishStyx]

What do you use dry erase pens for?

[Digital Arcanist]

I use them for the mats to draw dungeons and stuff on. I imagine that's what Grimwell uses them for as well.

These days I usually draw stuff out in AutoCAD or by hand on butcher paper. I have a clear grid to place over the butcher paper for movement rules. Its made by Crystal Keep.

[Digital Arcanist]

I've blocked out my memories of my first experience DM'ing. I am also advised by my attorney not to discuss the events of that night or the subsequent trial.

[rabkala]

What do you use dry erase pens for?

They smell so nice! I just sit in the corner all night sniffing away...

[grimwell]

I use them less for sniffing, and more for drawing on the Chessex grid mats. :)

[Fsuphilosophy09]

hehe sniffing markers cant be good for you... would that be a will save or fort save?:D;)

[Digital Arcanist]

Chessex Grid Mats are one of life's necessities in my opinion. I was fortunate to find an assortment of used one in good shape at DunDraCon two years back. I paid almost 100 smackers for them but I have one that covers the dining room table and a even bigger hex mat for Champions games.

I'm getting excited just thinking about it!!!

[PhishStyx]

Don't even own one, myself.

[grimwell]

They are wonderful aids for miniatures based combat. I buy mine at Gen Con direct from Chessex. They sell factory 'seconds' at a good markdown and I usually can't find out what's even wrong with it by looking.

[jade von delioch]

just recently picked one up, myself..
I mostly got it for shadowrun, whenever your in a warehouse and theres a fight you need a map.

As for markers i went cheap. i went to wal-mart and picked up some wet erase markers for like a dollar.

[Digital Arcanist]

Careful with what kind of markers you use. Some of the really expensive ones will ruin your mat just as some of the cheapos will. I like to use toothpaste to clean the mat as well as the solution that comes in the marker/eraser kits.

If you accidentally use a permanent marker on the mat just go over the marks with a dry erase marker and then clean the mat. This method has yet to fail me.

[jade von delioch]

good to know

[PhishStyx]

Well, I don't recall the very first time I DM'ed, but basically, I was 11, the game was Basic D&D, and it was a very simplistic dungeon crawl. The only thing I can really recall about that character was that he ended up with five different magical swords that I didn't know what to do with (as an 11 year old).

[Drohem]

If you accidentally use a permanent marker on the mat just go over the marks with a dry erase marker and then clean the mat. This method has yet to fail me.

Wish I had known that before I threw away that $30+ mat.

Yeah, I screwed up and used the wrong type of dry erase marker on it. I then tried nail polish to remove it- it took everything off :o.

Anyway, my group has always been gritty and combat orientated, so the battle map is a tremendeous play aid. I wholeheartedly recommend it for a group; especially with 3.5 D&D.

I had one with squares when we played 1st and 2nd AD&D, and then bought a hex one when we played GURPS.

[Digital Arcanist]

Nail Polish remover is acetone and not a far cry from paint remover so no wonder it took all the ink off and the coating.