Categories: Recreation

Dungeons and Dragons: Tips for the New Dungeon Master

Dungeons and Dragons, also known as D&D;, has been a staple of fantasy culture since its release. The Dungeon Master, or DM, runs the game, creating the world the players experience. Preparing to DM your first game can be somewhat daunting, especially if you have players who are new to the game. Here are some tips and valuable links to make sure your ready.

1) Make sure you have access to the rule books you will need. If you want to use expansions, like psyionics, you will need that book as well. Actually having the books is significantly easier than using the system reference document, or the SRD. However, if you cannot get your hands on books, the SRD will suffice. It can be downloaded or you can use the online version. You might consider sending these links to your players as well.

2) Check with your players to see what kind of a game they want. It’s easier to ask, rather than waiting until the first session and trying to guess based on their playing style.

3) Make sure you have what you will need for mapping. I highly recommend a dry erase grid board or mat. This will let you draw in your dungeon and move the players around it. The plain flip-mat by paizo.com is very nice.

4) Have something to represent your players. Miniatures are a lot of fun to use if you have them, but they’re also very expensive. If you’re looking to play cheaply, you have several options open to you. You could use tiny action figures, like the ones you sometimes get in a kid’s meal. You could have players print out a small picture to represent their character and glue these to coins. If all else fails, you can use bottle caps and whatever else is handy.

5) Make sure each player has a set of dice. RPG dice can be hard to find, and players may not want to pay for them if its their first game. You may have to pick up a set for them from your local supplier, or direct them to ebay. Remember that new players won’t know what dice they need. Give them a list. Have some extra dice available if players absolutely do not want to buy their own or forget to bring them. If all else fails, there is an online dice bag.

6) For new players, character build with them one at a time. This will take a lot more time on your part, but will reduce confusion and frustration because you won’t be trying to explain 7 different classes at the same time.

7) If you can, get an experienced player or two to sit in on the first few sessions to help your new players get the feel of the game. This can make your job a lot easier.

8) Don’t plan too far in advance. Because you have new players, there’s a good chance you will have a high drop out rate. Also, if you’re forced to think on your toes, it allows the players a lot more freedom. Of course, this requires that you know the rules extremely well.

9) Have a collection of pre-rolled non-player characters, or NPCs. This way you can pull one out whenever you need one, even if you were not expecting to need the NPC. Also, if your players bring friends along, you can hand them a prepared character sheet so they can begin playing immediately. You can even make these recurring characters, which will add continuity to your adventure.