Baby's first DM session

I've got my first session tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous.

Here's the map and plan for our campaign-opening scene. My PC's will start in bondage in the attic of a repurposed farm/frontier house, get taunted into introducing themselves, and then (hopefully) escape their shackles and start a fight.

I've hidden their weapons elsewhere in the fort in hopes of getting them to explore and trigger the fight... But I think we'll all be unhappy if they decide just to flee with the small side weapons they find in the attic...

From there, they'll hopefully follow up on the plot hook that the elf boy drops for them (the same elf boy who will be waiting to introduce himself by climbing in from the roof in case they can't free themselves).

I'd also totally be down to see what happens if they just decide to take this fort for themselves and fight off the rest of the bandit crew when they come to retake it.

Also post random character art.

Don't over-complicate things for yourself. Especially if you are a new DM. There's a lot of information there that can run the risk of distracting you from providing a narrative and adapting to player questions.

Looks awesome!

You have great notes and a good set-up for a neat mystery.

Erm... no offense, but I can't read this shit. Your handwriting is kinda cramped.
I also don't know if for the FIRST SESSION taking away their weapons and HIDING them is the best idea.

That's an excellent point. I was going to go through a checklist as they did / did not do things I was expecting, but I should definitely ditch that since it'd be an unnecessary distraction.

Well the point is that they escape and find them.

He just needs to throw in a "perhaps they hid your weapons in this place?"

Or have an enemy say: "Ha, this job is easy. Knock em out in the morning ship em away by the evening." Thus suggesting that their stuff may be nearby since so little time has passed.

Handwriting is what it is, I mostly just posted it so everyone could see the squiggles and assume I'm working hard on it.

Totally valid concern. But since I decided waaaaaay too early-on to start with them escaping from being captives, I decided it's the only way that makes sense.

I'm going to drop clues every step of the way, if they start to explore the fort, as to where their heavy weapons are.

I really don't want them to get killed. It's two 1/8 CR bandits in the fort, their sidearms in the attic, their heavy arms out in the courtyard, the bandit up top snoozing, the bandit down below a coward, and the leader at a distance (the latter being either 5, 4, or 2 combat rounds away from joining the fight, depending on which weapons they have by the time it all kicks off).

I'm basically forcing them into the fight, desu... It should only be a problem if it gets them killed because they can't locate the relevant shit. Fortunately, all the stuff that will trigger the alarm is on the same side as to where their weapons are...

I don't know why this is such a popular first-session idea, but

FOR

FUCK'S

SAKE

why do you need to start the session with the PCs constrained?

I've seen a least five posts on here about GMs starting their sessions like this, and it's a terrible idea. It makes your players feel like they have no choice or agency, as they were forced into the situation. They didn't get caught and captured because they lost a fight, they're just stuck there because you said so. They have no choice but to listen to the villain monologue, or come up with a way to escape. And since this is the first session, escaping becomes more of a triviality than an actual, fun challenge. Or it should be, unless you really want to piss your players off.

And it seems here, you got it so the villain TAUNTS them into introducing themselves. How do you expect that to go, user?

It would almost be better if you started them off in a tavern together. It's hard to get mad at an opening like that, however cliche.

Looks like it's too late for you now, though. Try and keep your train on the rails. Best of luck, from one GM to another.

Thank you! I just hope they're into it.

It has a horror / mystery theme, but I know for a fact one player is more into action and comedy so I'm hoping to frame my demonic abominations in an absurd light...

For example, they'll find a Ram trapped in a tar pit at some point... If they try to pull it out (and oh, I so so so hope they do it by grabbing the horns), the Ram's head will split vertically down the center - revealing glistening teeth and a salivating tongue.

This will precede them all getting into an encounter with this monster (which, to reiterate, has its vertically-split mouth disguised in such a way as to look like a baby Ram trapped in a tar pit... Lol)

>Agency
triggered

Totally reasonable. OP here btw.

I think it's popular because it's, at least in theory, a way to get all the PCs working together and gaining an early success to start off the adventure. Not to mention it's a pseudo-organic way to start them off building relationships if they don't know each other.

With that saaaaid, I think this is popular moreso amongst folks who haven't played as much DnD? I say that because the totally-valid concerns you have about restricting agency/etc are only things people with experience in the game would notice as a concern.

That said, 2 of the 3 people I'm running for are new to DnD, so maybe they'll just be along for the ride.

Did I MENTION it's an original adventure for my first time GMing? Could I be making any more mistakes? XD

Also, if everything goes to plan (...), they should ideally get to begin murdering the fuck that was taunting them within 15 minutes of irl time.

Do you think I should just stow their main weapons in the attic (easy access without an encounter) and then just bait them with the prospect of gold/etc into exploring the fort and triggering the fight?

Bumping for any thoughts/criticisms about starting your PCs off trapped or in bondage

If your players are new, then you'll be fine. The Elder Scrolls always starts you off as a prisoner, and that works just fine, for example.

It can be fine, but it's still a bad way to do things, for the reasons I listed above.

Here are a bunch of other ways to start a session/campaign:

>> Players are travellers
>> Have to stop at a border fort
>> Because players look suspicious, they all need to sleep together, under watch.
>> Over several days, they get to know each other, by virtue of having to live together.
>> Fort is attacked, players must fight their way out.

>> Players are crew or passengers on a ship.
>> Ship comes under attack.
>> Attack was be meant to sink ship. It does.
>> Players get on lifeboats to nearby island.
>> In the distance, they can see a volcano, with a ruin on its side.

>> Duke Dankius von Memehauser is throwing an epic kegger to celebrate a hard-won victory.
>> Players are all VIP guests.
>> During a toast, he introduces them one by one, calling out to each why they are here, and what badass thing they did to help win the battle.
>> Enemies apparently weren't finished off, they want to crash the party.


I mean, with so many options on the table for first session, I have no idea why the whole 'being captured' thing is so popular. My guess is it's some kind of subconcious, power-tripping bullshit, so the GM can exert power over the players. Or it's just a lazy way to railroad. W/e, desu.

But yeah, with all that said, you should be fine. Not the worst set-up, and the notes are solid, along with your encounter plans. You got the makings of a good first sesh.

Thanks! (And I am, so most definitely, stealing that last one)

good luck user, i believe in you

>Players are crew or passengers on a ship.
>Ship comes under attack.
>Attack was be meant to sink ship. It does.
>Players get on lifeboats to nearby island.
>In the distance, they can see a volcano, with a ruin on its side.

My first ever TTRPG was a oneshot session that started exactly like this. It ended up turning into a "The Most Dangerous Game" type story, with the players being hunted down for sport. The twist was that one of the shipwrecked players was actually the owner of the island and had arranged the whole thing in advance.

What an awesome way to be introduced to roleplaying. I wish I had known back then how much effort it takes to DM so I could have more properly appreciated the effort he went through. DM, if you're reading this, that was an awesome session and you're the best.

>It has a horror / mystery theme
>horror
Never worked for me. Especially with combat oriented system.

Looking for reasons to justify the players adventuring together is a waste (unless you've got a group that really enjoys the dramatic improv aspect).

If there's any doubt in the player's minds, I usually just say "This is a game about a group of adventurers. You can be a group of best friends, or strangers, or whatever, but you have to keep the group together, because I can't run two games at once"

The GM already manages the world and all the creatures and NPC's in it. I don't think he should also have to explain the character's motivations as well.

>short piece of GM advice
Regardless of genre or type of game--create an open ended environment for the players to explore. It might be limited to a single haunted house, or a whole kingdom, but focus on creating environments instead of writing a plot.

Wow i freaking hate those kind of starts. being dropped with strangers and being constricted and playing a railroaded first dungeon is definitely the way i least like starting a campaign.
I hope everyone will get along and you won't have players who made a chaotic evil character who want to murder other players and will just leave the group when they have escaped because " my character doesn't want to go on that adventure".

Also what the freaking fuck is that 40 hp satyr?

i hope you guys will have fun.
Anyway focus on creating an enviroment more than a series of scripted events your players will run into.Basically describing what's in each room and you'll find out how players can itneract with that when they will choose so.

I strongly suggest you to dedicate a day or like 3 hours to creating character sheets because it takes a long ass time with new players.
i strongly suggest you to dedicate 10-20 minutes at the end of the session to ask your players what they think of each other, and their own, roleplaying and what they think of your campaign so far and how you handled the whole thing.