Dungeon Master in Training: Self Pep Talk for Running My First Game
My original topic for this ramble was all about the stress relieving effects of gaming, a fairly vanilla subject, but the slow gaming week (illness and wedding plans) didn't give me much to work with. I liked the topic, because gaming really does have some good relaxing side effects, even in the heat of battle. Even when you're losing your sanity to real life.
That is until you go wild at a local convention meeting and volunteer to run a DnD game, even though you've never been a DM before. Yours truly does not recommend this for the faint of heart and is currently wondering how she went from that neurotic, meek gamer in last week's account to a neurotic, brave fireball of volunteerism.
Several members of our gaming community help host an annual local convention. I volunteered last year to work the $2.00 dice table, which was the perfect speed for me at the time. The con was something that J got me involved in as a way to develop my inner gamer girl. The con is a chance for the community to try out new games or come and play their favorites with new groups. I love the idea behind this, and I love seeing the flavor of other groups and games I might not have known otherwise.
With one year under my belt, I really got into the idea of getting more involved and recruiting new gamers. Originally, I volunteered for things geared towards the “gaming support,” aka the boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives that attend for their significant others but don't get much out of it for themselves. As a former gaming support member turned gamer, I saw it as a way to give them a fun experience and perhaps provide some insight on the appeal of gaming. After all, everyone is a potential gamer, you just have to set their interest in motion.
Then I started batting around the idea of trying out the role of Dungeon Master. It was just a nudge at first, an inner voice saying, “You could probably do this.” I started mentioning it to friends to see if there would be any interest. Feedback was better than expected. Then I ran an impromptu, non-system game that involved a baking smurf, a famous elf known for its cookies, and a Bollywood actress working together to save the White House from an alien invasion. This was a self test to see if I could create things off the top of my head and roll with the players without losing my mojo.
Still, I hadn't planned on actually running a game for awhile, at least not until I got through the Dungeon Master's Guide, several online articles, and a few practice encounters with some very patient and non-judgmental friends. It's probably a good time to point out that one of my more prominent personality traits is my tendency to procrastinate, so I figure with all the planning and prep, I would have been ready to run sometime in the middle of 2013.
The discussion of games at the convention meeting ended up in DnD territory, and it was decided that there was no one to run a 4.0 game, which bummed me out. Though I do play in a 3.5 game as well, I've embraced 4.0 has my first true love. But the regular DMs were already committed to other things. So in a moment of spontaneity, I volunteered.
Did anyone ask me if I had experience? Did anyone say, “Maybe that's not a good idea, honey. After all, it took you forever to figure out what armor class was”? Nope. The coordinator popped me into his database, and like that, I was scheduled for my first DM gig.
Since my lingering idea has been for a “Girl's Only” game, I went that route for this one too. I suppose some people could play the sexist card, but I've been on a kick to try to recruit more women gamers. Coming from a place of feeling intimidated by a table full of guys, I'm hoping this will make them feel more comfortable in trying something new. The two way advantage there is that I'll feel more at ease with the running/teaching process. Of course I could get a group full of hardcore women who show no mercy, but that's a chance I'm now committed to taking.
The convention is in April, which means I still have a few months to prepare, and by prepare, I mean practice and read and do all those things I would have originally spread out over three years. Okay, so maybe it wouldn't have taken me that long, but it feels pretty daredevil to dive into something like this.
But why shouldn't I take a chance? I could put it off forever and never know if it's something I enjoyed doing or was good at. I'd like to think I'm creative and knowledgeable enough to run a simple game with pre-generated characters and a planned end (I only have two and a half hours). Maybe my inexperience will give other newbies something they can relate to and put them more at ease. Wishful thinking on my part to justify a moment of temporary insanity? Perhaps. But I'd like to think there's a coherent thought and plan behind it too. A mutual learning experience can be fun and effective, especially on a battle mat over rolling d20s.
Fears aside, I'm ready to do this. I'm never going to learn if I don't try, and I'll never try if I focus on all the things I don't know. Instead, I'm going to focus on the things I do know and use them to my advantage. I've been told (and tend to agree) that a good DM is the one who gives their group the best experience they can. I'm going to give this an effort of 100%, which means that even if I never run a DnD game again, I'll be able to take pride in my shining two and a half hour moment.
Good Luck!
Submitted by KatoKatonian on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 10:46.I wish you luck with your first DMing session. The first bit of advice I can give is "Don't be afraid to make mistakes". There's a pretty good chance that someplace along the way, something you do will not be 100% in accordance with the rules (you add the wrong modifiers to a roll, or a daily power gets used more than once, or you decide a player can use Intimidate on a door). It's important to remember that it's okay! You won't get everything right, and your players shouldn't expect you to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the gaming system. What's most important is that everyone has fun, and the game feels fair. If you realize part way through a game that you've hindered the PCs through a bad rule interpretation (or omission), you can always make it up to them by tossing them an extra Action Point or giving them some other boon to make up for it.
The second bit of advice is to get a hold of the 4e Dungeon Master's Screen if you can. It has a majority of the important tables (seriously, it's *loaded* with them) and can save you a lot of time when you need to know something like what the "dazed" effect means, or what kind of action drinking a potion is. By far the most useful table on there, in my opinion, is the "Difficulty Class And Damage By Level" table (also on pg 42 of the DMG) as it lets you come up with a fair DC or amount of damage for any crazy thing the PCs want to attempt. Just take note that the numbers on the table were modified in one of the rule updates, so the screen and DMG are out of date.
I guess the final bit I'll throw in is something that is mentioned in the DMG, but I'll word it differently: "Don't be afraid to say, 'Yes'". Players have an amazing ability to do things that the DM would never expect. As a new DM, it's daunting when a player wants to do something that you immediately don't know how to resolve. The instinct is to say "no" to avoid having to deal with something unfamiliar, but if the suggestion is reasonable (and/or awesome) then go with it. Use the table I mentioned above, and just play it out. As long as they aren't trying to do something impossible ("I'm going to flap my arms and fly up to that tower!"), break the game, or manipulate the rules, let them at least try.
End wall of text.
Great Attitude
Submitted by anarkeith on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 11:46.It sounds like you're well on your way to a successful first session. Kato's advice was great. (I'd point out that the table on pg 42 of the DMG has been updated. The current values appear on pg 65 of the DMG2—which is an excellent book for DMs looking for tips beyond the mechanical rules. You can also find the updated info on WotC's website at http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/updates)
For the type of session you're looking at, study some of the published delves (around three encounters each) that are out there. They should give you ideas on how to structure your session. Consider reskinning one or more of them for practicing your flavor creation. Mix and match reskinned encounters from various delves and suddenly you have a whole new delve! Note that published delves will have been played by many experienced players, so your reskinning efforts need to go beyond renaming the monsters.
Look at the monster roles represented in a delve. How do they interact with the terrain? Is there another monster of the same role that would fit?
Bottom line, I think the attitude you're bringing to it is the most important thing, and from your post it sounds great!
Great suggestions!
Submitted by mystressmanda on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 16:35.Thanks for the great suggestions!
In regards to not being afraid to say "yes," I think this may be one of the parts I'm most looking forward to. I get a kick out of doing things in the game to see if the DM will okay them. It gives me a rush when he or she does, and I want the players to feel that rush too. Plus, I want the challenge.
I'll be checking out our local gaming store for a screen (J will appreciate that one as well. I'll ask him to get me one for a wedding present) and I'll research the delves.
Definitely getting more excited about this.