What are some tips you'd give to a first-time DM, specifically for D&D 5e?

I have 2 characters in different campaings, both CN
What's the deal? I thought I just don't take side unless there's a personaly motivation or some reward, while I am not tied to follow the rules but that doesn't mean I don't know that what I do is wrong or right.

Stop, then run something else.

You replying OP? Honestly thisAlos D&D 5th ed isn't that rules heavy and that combined with the fact that your a first time GM means I don't think the fact that you're running 5th matters in this context.

Maybe check out Spoony's vids? he generally gives good advice, just take it all with a grain of salt.

Pic related.

>perpetually triggered user

Why are you on a D&D board if you can't stand D&D?

While I agree that guy is a faggot, your picture actually makes you ten times more of a faggot.

It's like an auto-lose in any discussion, even if it's not an actual argument.

another persons here, while I have no problem with D&D, tell me where the fuck it says "D&D board"

TABLETOP GAMES
for fuck sake

No I haven't replied yet. I think a big for me is that I worry I'll end up planning too much for the campaign or not planning enough. How do you know you have enough material to start a game? What are your option on random tables for encounters/loot/etc?

The way I see it is:

> I don't care if the good guys win, I'm here for the loot.
Not exactly groundbreaking, but I can work with that. I would ask myself why your character is even on a quest in the first place, but he/she would be given the benefit of the doubt, maybe
bonds would be formed later in order to make him/her care. Does it work well with the other PC? Does it add to the other player's fun? I'm on board.

> Lol I stab the guard in the neck in front of the king, then I slather myself in marmalade and sing the song of my people and ask for a reward, am I randumb yet?
Surprisingly common CN depiction. I don't care for it at all. Nor do I care about the "lol I wanna do a Henderson", btw.

>Read the books
>Explain the core mechanics of the game to your players before you start
>Make the characters all use the same attribute array (I recommend 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, as does the book).
>Recommend the Fighter and Rogue classes for novices to tabletop RPGs, and the Cleric and Wizard classes to the more advanced players
>Start them off at level 1, level them up to 2 halfway through the first session, level them up to 3 at the end of the first session
>When a player wants to do something, let them do it if it's relatively simple or easy to do, make them roll an attribute check if it's risky or complicated, and only say 'No' if it's impossible for them to do.
>Don't worry about distance and movement too much in combat, let players move and attack who they want to, at least until you all learn the ropes
>Make the first encounter very easy, then the next one a bit harder, and so on until you figure out what really challenges them
>Don't throw TOO many enemies at your players, they'll lose track of them and mobs are very deadly in this edition. Try throwing one or two different creatures at them instead, so they can tell them apart easier
>Let players find potions of healing or other useful stuff, especially after a tough fight, and don't be afraid to throw some coins their way. If the party has no Cleric, definitely give them potions of healing between fights, otherwise they'll run out of steam and die.
>Cheat!

Plan a lot, be prepared to scrap it all because your players want to start a logging company.

Or start a revolution in order to legalize gay marriage and ignore the lich.

Are you running an already built campaing, are you using one as a base or are you doing something new?
Are your players actually interesting in role play?

Aside for those, the general recommendation is have fun and don't stop your players from doing something wrong, but make sure that they learn everything has a concecuence (world building)

in that case the PC either gets executed or imprisioned for life.
The only wrong thing a player can do is not accepting the concecuences of their actions

>It's like an auto-lose in any discussion, even if it's not an actual argument.
...No. Not it's not. Why do you think it is? It's a reaction image that highlights why this person is an idiot perfectly. What, would you prefer I used the one of the crying girl instead? I mean that's just semantics man.

I would say you don't generally let new players play CN unless you know they're not playing randumb and actually have an interesting character that make the game more fun.

This is sorta true. I person make loose plans and let the players walk through those plans in the way that they choose. You need to be good at improvisation I'd say or get good at it.

Know that if you run D&D you are perpetuating a cancer and you will never be able to enjoy roleplaying. D&D is a wargame, not an RPG. If you convince people to play it under the auspices of roleplaying, you are deceiving them.

Whatever you are wanting to roleplay, there is an actual RPG suited for it. Do not play D&D and especially do not ruin other players with it.

oh right, I forgot about this Pretty much be prepared to improvise a lot. Players tend to break the game more often than not, and don't always follow the main quest, so learn to reuse dungeon maps, a prepared list of names for random npcs, etc.

or you can take D&D as a "learning the ropes" game, and with time and experience go to other games that are more heavy in role play like WoTC

anyway, you are a faggot

>or you can take D&D as a "poisoning the well" game
Indeed.

I'm so glad you asked.

You see, several years ago, there were a fair number of D&D threads being made in /v/ and /b/, to the point where people were starting to take notice. There were other games, but chiefly D&D, just as it is now and has been for quite some time.

"But, D&D is not a video game!" the people said, and there was much confusion, since there were so few boards back then and D&D did not fit in any such category.

After pondering the issue, the simplest solution came to mind. A new board, not for video games, but for Traditional games, a place for all those D&D threads, as well as the scatterings of other games like Magic and even those 40k threads that appeared in /b/, alongside any other game that was not video in nature.

And, that was the genesis of the board. It's why Veeky Forums is the /dnd/ board. Why it's the /40k/ board. The /mtg/ board. The /exalted/, the /gurps/, the /chess/, the /catan/, the /tickettoride/ board.

To come to the /dnd/ board when you are triggered to the point that you can't help but shitpost at the mere mention of the game is the sign of a person of distinct mental deficiency, and he should seek treatment before he induces a stroke in himself.

>D&D is a wargame, not an RPG.
lel
K then, please explain why you think that.

>D&D is a wargame
No it's not, you're thinking of Chainmail/Battlesystem/The War Machine/D&D Minis Handbook. D&D is a 'floundering about looking for gold while trying not to get stabbed in the asshole by goblins' game.

Some players don't accept them. In trying to be "cool", they create PC that in no circumstance could work in a group, as the thief I mentioned. So, unless you trust the player in question not to be a total idiot, you're way safer vetoing CN (and CE, for that matter).
Red flag extraordinarie:
> PC's backstory mentions rape

When I have a new player that's learning the system, or an entire party of new players, I always ask them to play good PC. Even then, sometimes you have to remind them that they aren't playing videogames, and actions have consequences.

No, it's a image that basically says "Look, I'm liking what you dislike, and somehow miss the hypocrisy." It's being ten times the faggot of the person you believe is being a faggot, because you don't even recognize how big of a faggot you are being.

It's better to just not post at all, since it undermines anything you ever hoped to say.

Make up random encounter tables, have a rough outline of what you want to accomplish for a particular story arc, flesh out notable NPCs and that's the most amount of planning you'll need.
When coming up with larger encounters, try to design "set pieces" that can be dropped into various locations in case your players behave like human beings and do their own thing.
The final fight with a bandit lord, for example, should be fleshed out, but also be able to occur in a variety of locations, just in case the PCs set fire to his hideout, thus nullifying the multi-level stronghold you spent the last two weeks designing.

>> Chaotic Neutral anything, especially rogue
>No, just no.

Ehhh... See this is both good advice, and also over reacting. Its true CN is the typical murderhobo style, but it really depends on the player. One can be CN and not necessarily be That Guy.

Take pic related.
Damon Salvatore is a self centered asshat most of the time causing problems for everyone around him. Not purposely, but indirectly. But when something threatens a part of his life that he actually cares about he will go to any length to stop it. Not because its the right thing to do, his motivation is his own self-interest.

>btw don't judge me on my TV choices, TVD was part of my gf's vampire fetish when she first moved in. Eventually it rubbed off on me.

All editions of D&D are fundamentally designed around combat encounters. Player characters are defined by their classes, which are their combat roles, and progression is equivalent to becoming more competent at killing. Most versions of the game directly tie character progression to killing. Several editions, including 5e, have next to no mechanics for anything unrelated to combat. Nearly all mechanics, "noncombat" or no, function on principles associated with play in combat.

Of course this is all expected, given that D&D was originally created as a small scale wargame and had nothing to do with roleplaying.

>I always ask them to play good PC. Even then, sometimes you have to remind them that they aren't playing videogames, and actions have consequences.
Oh yes I know exactly what you mean. I had a good experience with my GF's first time playing though since she doesn't play video games too much so she wasn't too 'kill the thing, get the loot minded.' Played true neutral, (driven by money) quite well actually.

Yeah, no. I'm not the one who cares about what other people do or don't like; he is. Hence the image highlights how silly he is being. It doesn't imply anything about my own opinions.

good thing there is something called "house rules" and "having fun is the most important"

>D&D was originally created as a small scale wargame and had nothing to do with roleplaying.
No, D&D was created as a dungeon exploration and RP expansion to Chainmail.

Chainmail was the wargame, D&D was the bits that were not the wargame.

Try to plan stuff out, especially combat encounters beforehand as you may not be that great at improvising starting out. At the same time don't get upset if players muck up your plan it's inevitable and part of the fun

Blatantly steal stuff. Setting ideas, characters, encounters from books. It makes it easier, saves you time, and helps you learn what works and what doesn't.

Try to get your players to read the rules. It won't happen, but it's worth a shot.

As you play, learn what kind of things each of your players like and try to incorporate a bit of everything. One guy is all about combat? Make cool encounters. One guy is really likes RP stuff? have a party with NPCs to interact with. One guy likes puzzles? Fuck that puzzles are hard.

Not going to be a dick like others in this thread and tell you not to play DND, 5e is a decent game. DND often ends up being "My first RPG!" due to it's popularity, but IMO isn't actually that intuitive or easy compared to some other systems. For combat stuff it's pretty good, but take a look at other games as well if you're into the hobby. Variety is the spice of life

Wow, you're kind of stupid.

>several editions, including 5e, have next to no mechanics for anything unrelated to combat.

Wow, you're not just stupid, you're blatantly lying.

>Of course this is all expected, given that D&D was originally created as a small scale wargame and had nothing to do with roleplaying.

You mean that it was a departure from wargames. Roleplaying was what made D&D D&D.

It's like being shocked that submarines can go underwater because they were originally based on boats that did their best to stay on top.

>good thing there is something called "house rules" and "having fun is the most important"
Just run another more appropriate system you fucking autistic.
>ackshully muh history says D&D was only BASED on a small scale wargame and not a small scale wargame BASED on a regular wargame
I don't care, loser. Try refuting my points instead of pointing out arbitrary trivia.

Well there are a few simple rules for roleplaying, i.e. diplomacy and other face-player roles but very little yes. But why do you NEED more than that? I've never needed more than that myself. Roleplaying comes from playing your character, not from rules.

>I'm just trolling

Well, I'm done with you, Mr. "Waste time responding to my ludicrous shit as if they were points worth refuting."

Want to be refuted? Read the books instead of relying on spiteful hopes and wanton imagination of what they contain.

I highly reccomend watching podcasts of other DMs and learning from them. Their mistakes and successes should influence your progression into this hell of a game. I'll tell you one of my many plights.
>be me
>holy dwarf cleric of Torag (Pathfinderfag)
>inna party with two players that are completly homocidal and one sane person.
>a rouge that is a carbon copy of deadpool
>dwarf ranger who's personality is "fuck bitches get gold"
>actual quote from his character
>a half elf fighter who really could have been intresting if he hadnt un sticks and left after shit got too crazy
>by the end of the campaign my dwarf was dead, I was full-time DM
>ranger had become a drunken barbarian with the constitution of a god (literally he had like 50)
>used akimbo colossal waraxes.
>I shit you not
>damage so high it averaged around the 2 hundreds each round
>Rouge had somewhere around 60 AC due to his 50. fucking. Dex.
>they even started creating their own classes/ prestige classes to make themselves even more OP.
>kicked those fuckers out when the ranger threw the handbook across the room and lit a fire in my basement for shits and giggles.

pic related

>why do you NEED lots of rules for combat I manage just fine with having everyone use ATTACK, MOVE, and USE SPELL
Please end yourself.

Beitto desu yo.

Combat needs mechanics inherently. Roleplaying doesn't. Please attack my argument not me.

Despite what a lot of trendy narrativist faggots claim, "roleplaying" doesn't magically induce events to happen, within or outside of combat. Your assumption that combat is special in its need for arbitration and mechanical depth is completely absurd, and shows that your only interest in the game lies within its combat.

An RPG exists to create an environment where possibilities can be explored. The most fundamental rule of any RPG must be that it abides by some kind of logic that dictates what events are possible and with what likelihood, and events are impossible and with what likelihood.

D&D is not designed with this in mind, nor do its mechanics even remotely guarantee it. It exists to create compelling combat scenarios for its players. It is a wargame.

When you doubt, TPK and call it a day

>shows that your only interest in the game lies within its combat.
Completely wrong. Combat is my least liked part of any rpg.

>The most fundamental rule of any RPG must be that it abides by some kind of logic that dictates what events are possible and with what likelihood, and events are impossible and with what likelihood. D&D is not designed with this in mind, nor do its mechanics even remotely guarantee it.
Oh I see so what you're saying is you have no common sense that allows you to define what is and isn't possible and no imagination so you need to a system in place in order to make up a simple scenario.

You are trying to argue with a troll.

I know. I don't want the newbie getting the wrong idea.

>Completely wrong. Combat is my least liked part of any rpg.
You're either lying or you're a limp-wristed narrativist faggot.

As silly as it sounds, thank you for that. It's why I've taken to stamping down any faggots trying to push 3.PF on newbies. You just can't let it stand.

Hey OP, if you are still around, the best way to get good at DMing is to DM. Make sure your players know it is your first time, and it'll be a little rough.

If they aren't ok with that, then is it really worth it?

Of course, don't use this as an excuse to not try, but don't hate yourself if it isn't great either.

>I'm an easily triggered troll

Please, if you're so genuine in your goal, adopt a tripcode already so people can properly thank you, you tireless servant you.

You've always heard the expression "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey". Well, bear that in mind when designing campaigns. "Wide open sandboxes" tend to leave players flummoxed about what to do. It's fine to tell them what to do; it becomes railroading once you start trying to dictate how they do it.

If they wind up getting sidetracked by something they find more interesting, that's good too. I'm just saying don't say "you're in a tavern", say "you've been hired to kill the evil lich".

I'll be DMing a group of all newbies.

Okay, for your first game, run some short premade thing. It should let you and your friends get a feel for how the game goes.

>you're a limp-wristed narrativist faggot.
Yeah, no. Just no. The problem there is no GM to call out bullshit. You've failed and lost, get over it.

Don't run 5e
Run 3.5 or pathfinder

OP here..

Let me get some feedback on what I've got so far for a campaign.

Players start off in an orc encampment prison based inside a mountain, but when they escape they realize that these orcs are in this like fertility cult and were roasting the prisoners using a red dragon who's wings they cut off to feed to their queen so they can keep the bloodline pure. The higher-ranking orcs also stole a bunch of shit from the house of a nobleman and use the lower levels of the encampment to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle.

I've only really fleshed out the but the big bad is this being from another dimension that can see into all of the other planes of existence through a rip in it's dimension. Since it can see snippets of all time and space it learned magic and uses that to gain influence in other dimensions to gain enough power to rips it's way into a more interconnected plane and take over all of existence.

>I'm gonna assume you're lying, because it doesnt fit my narrative.
You know why combat needs mechanics? RP comes from players interacting with he DM. Combat comes from players interacting with monster stat blocks. The quality of RP in ANY setting depends on the people you're playing with

They you will all kinda suck. Which is a great learning environment

I've heard of dumber shit. Go for it. Your BBEG sounds too big though.

Worry more about more mundane enemies for the time being. Interdimensional Time-Traveling Mind-Control Monster seems more like a tier 4 enemy; if you're starting at 1st level, look more at tier 1 enemies. The orcs are a good place to start.

Ok so newbies are a little unpredictable. So expect to be surprised by what they want to play or do. Also manage there expectations.

Maybe do this You don't need to do this if you can make a simple plot and make it work in the game and you're good at improv.

Personally I'm largely an improv GM. I make a loose plan and then I see what the players get up to. I usually find that they sort've form or find their own plot and then I just develop and support the hell out of that plot.

Wow I'm being defended.

That's pretty interesting OP. I have one gripe though. Dragons should be scary, powerful and hard to kill. I would suggest that the dragon the orcs have is a baby or something like. Then have the momma be mad. Plot idea right there.

I'm not the nigger screaming and crying about all of D&D. My ire is only to those sad, braindamaged fucks that insist 3.PF is a good game, rather then a literal abomination that ruined a generation. AD&D, 2e, 4e, 5e? All fine.

But I sincerely wish any pathetic little cunts that still play 3.PF would die. I want the cancer to die.

>People who like a different game system than me should die.

I think you need to calm down, get a job, something. You are clearly taking this too seriously.

Damn dude, take a xanex or something.

I personally have never played pathfinder or 3.5 or whatever the hell it is.
All of the greatest stories I've read over the years on Veeky Forums seem to be out of PF.
>I actually wish I had someone familiar with the system to DM for myself and some friends so we too could enjoy such lovely antics in what to me sounds like the perfect ruleset for long term sandbox play.

It sounds good, but it's really a broken shitpile. If you want fucking about in sandboxes/hexcrawling, you more want the OSR branch of the D&D family.

once again, I don't know who is worse: the Fantards who love a system to death and talk about every chane they get.
Or the Anti-fans who will fucking wish everyone who liked it died, or even better, don't even know what the fuck they are talking about.

Please, put on a tripcode. You think you're doing a noble service, so be proud of your posts.

My advice: ask this question literally anywhere that isn't Veeky Forums. You are more likely to get useful advice on Yahoo Answers. Everyone here is a mentally deficient deviant who wants to fuck an anime character on a pile of Magic cards and Warhammer minis.

You say that like being a mentally deficient deviant who wants to fuck an anime character on a pile of Magic cards and Warhammer minis is mutually exclusive with giving good advice.

Maybe, just maybe, it's the system that literally ruined a generation, who's effects we are still feeling.

You know, the literal brain-damage that fucking abomination of a system has inflicted on people.

The pathetic little fucks that think shit like Caster Supremacy is proper and right.

Read the DMG. Read Robin's Laws.

Okay, Virt, enough's enough. Fuck off already, you stupid troll.

Please kill yourself Virt.
Everyone else, stop replying to him.
Since there's no one who should be stupid enough to fall for this level of retarded trolling, we can safely assume any further replies are just him replying to himself.

Virt loves 3.PF, you stupid jackass.

No, you troll in every direction, Virt, saying stupid things about everything. Now fuck off already.

Might want to not worry about a villain in the far future and focus more on what the players will actually encounter.

Talk to your players, set the expectations with them and tell them that you're first time DM (Even if they know that, I still tell my new groups that i'm rusty to set the bar low and then they're often pleasantly surprised)

Find a balance between over planning and under planning. Over planning will drain you and i've seen DMs fall into this trap however under planning will embarrass you and lead to a bad experience. This is a tough one for noobies but it should be something you try to tackle because it's key to hosting a fun game

Try and figure your players out, not everyone will want the same thing. Some players want to roleplay, some want to rollplay. Work out what works for making a fun game.

Tip from a veteran: Consider music. This is done in film all the time. Music is basically cheating when it comes to setting the mood of a scene. Even if you're not running a moody campaign i'd give it a swing.

Last but most importantly, Have fun yourself. too many DM/GM/ST's I hear about just ruin themselves in their games. DMing should be a delight rather than a chore. Make things fun for you first and once you're having fun, the players should by proxy be having more fun than they would if you're not having fun.

You make an interesting point.

No, there's two things Virt literally can't control his verbal diherah on. The first one is calling 5e Next and screaming about it, and the other is Dungeon World.

Agreed. Focus 90% on next-session prep and 10% on story arc. Your players will fuck up your long-term story plans every time.

Also, be ready to improv. Have a bunch of quick set-piece encounters ready for when your players decide they don't give a shit about the quest the noble King gave them and jump on a boat to go fight pirates.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever read was that the GM isn't trying to kill the characters; the GM's job is to give the characters an opportunity to be heroes. Give your players an experience that feels like a high-stakes, potentially lethal challenge, but also give them a fair chance to win.

Was he rolling with d8s?

Learn how to improvise and advance the story, keep the goals clear. If clerics try to fight all evil, or rogues try to rob everyone, if fighters try to fight among the group, if wizards have to enchant every piece of copper. Rectify this shit.

Get your players to show up on time, put their phones away, and read the bloody source material at least enough to know the basic mechanics.

Make sure you and your players all agree on what type of campaign you're gonna run, and are operating on the same set of assumptions on how things will work.

Bring plenty of food and drink.

At first you sound like a dick, but you perfectly describe this one guy in my group who exclusively plays neutral evil halfling rogues and goes out of his way to steal and kill and it always gets us into some sort of mess but he never actually gets punished.

Our DM is usually chill about us getting away with stuff but he is annoyed at this guy, and our previous DM went out of his way to kill one of his characters just because he was that annoyed (although that was a dick move by the DM).

>Your players, and your own, enjoyment is more important than the rules. Do not be afraid to fudge a bit if you need to.
At the same time, breaking the rules might upset you, or your players. Do not be afraid to follow the rules if it helps you.

>That being said, a campaign with no challenge is boring. Make fights lethal, or at least lethal seeming.
You could put in puzzles or social challenges! The failure state doesn't have to be "Hitpoints equal to negative constitution"!
The failure state can be "you don't accomplish what you set out to do, and have wasted a session" or "You don't get to score with that hot fictional imaginary waifu".

Even winning, but feeling like you only won because you brute forced it, can be a failure state - since the player feels like he's a dumbass and not very good at the game.

>At the same time, breaking the rules might upset you, or your players.
I mean that might be a valid complaint from a player if they didn't know that you weren't following the rules on a particular issue but generally I think that can get 'rules-lawyery' very easily. Best to state that you're not following a rule ahead of time IF you know you want to ignore it. Homerules ho!

Chaotic neutral can be fun.
Just get your entire group to be Chaotic neutral.
Playing a narcisstic, amoral, kleptomaniac loli-looter is just inherently entertaining.
You can even make a campaign of it!
The Three Evil Kingdoms of You Can't Do That, Muh Consequences Muh Morals, and Bad Wrong Fun Stop It, are oppressing their people with their Lawful Stupid behaviour.
You play as a ragtag group of rebels who are sick at having to do what the town guard says or be jailed, and are going to fight back with military force, until you can have fun without any guardsman or judge or paladin or king or God getting in your way.

Your reply was too rational and helpful.
Get the fuck out of here.

download the 3.5 monster manuals; they provide much more extensive information on the organization and culture of various monsters than the 5e ones do. honestly i was astonished when i transitioned. the 5e monster manual is really bad at providing anything more than a stat block.

This isn't a D&D board, it's a traditional games board.

Are you the same faggot that asks "why are you in a roleplaying game if you don't roleplay?" when it's not a roleplaying game?

Are you the faggot who gets really triggered who people ask him to roleplay?

>when it's not a roleplaying game?
Man, this bait is getting stale. You're echoing it too much for anyone to fall for it more than once a thread and soon enough it'll be as overt as a Virt post.

3/10 at least idiots are still responding.

Are you the faggot whose mom I fucked 12 years ago?

You overestimate Veeky Forums.

>. I would ask myself why your character is even on a quest in the first place
He's here for the loot.
Does your quest give him loot?