| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ragge |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 14:53:28
Hey, I am new to the game, mostly due to the fact that I enjoy the novels and recently came upon a great garage sale purchase. Sombody sold 26 game books for $25! From the players handbook to the dungeon masters guide to all three monster manuals and even a few specific class and race handbooks and others! Now I've got a small group going of about 5 including myself, and it seems as though I'll probably be the DM> I was looking for some advice on maybe some exercises to help me get a better feel for being the DM as well as get the other players, who also have never played, to get a feel for the role playing and game basics. Seeing as I have a ton of reference and options for races, classes, monster etc. should I stick to very basics or go ahead and explore all the options? I don't want to discourage the individuality and creativity but I also don't want to make it so complicated that we have to review rules every five minutes. Any how I have browsed the forums and everyone seems to be very helpful, so any advice you can share with me would be much appreciated! Thanks all! |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ragge |
Posted - 18 Jan 2007 : 20:53:36
Hey Wolf, thanks for the stories and advice.
Recently my "crew" of sorts has kind of broken apart. One decided that he wasn't that interested in taking on another hobby game ( as he is addicted to Warhammer 40k )and one has a schedule conflict for the night we previously agreed on. So that leaves me (as the DM) and two other guys.
However the good news is I found a local gaming shop that has a saturday game for new players that is set in the Realms. I personally love FR and so this seemed like a great idea! Not to mention I'm sure that playing as a PC first will aid in my understanding of how to be a good DM. So I, and one of the other guys joined that game. We are in the midst of creating our characters. I believe he is making a warlock of sorts and I have chosen a Aasimer Lycan (weretiger) Cleric. It's already getting exciting! A giant silver tiger that can heal AND beat the crap out of people! What's more fun than that!?
I do intend on running the Burning Plague still in the near future. I got really excited about DMing that one. I thought the Jakk would be a fun character to play. So I will let you know how that goes. |
| Wolf of the Dark |
Posted - 15 Jan 2007 : 07:43:49
Hail and Well Met, Ragge,
I am glad to hear you chose the Burning Plague. That is a great little adventure. I ran it for my crew when we first started 3rd Ed. and I created a whole new campaign based around the map of Sherwood from a Dragon magazine.... The plague was in a mine near Tuxford.... ah yes, ....
Great memories for me and my players.
So, plainly you are well equipped, and mentally prepared, and the above posted advice is sound. As for the contagious nature of stuff, regardless of the rules, I tend to play it a bit loose- saying perhaps that if the battle was too easy for them, then they are still "wandering through dead and diseased corpses with a foul stench of decay; the wafting fumes of the bloated pierce their nostrils and all feel a bit of a burning in the eyes".... - then I would have asked for a few fortitude rolls saying, "Your characters know full well that these foul ones are diseased with some peculiar ailment, but you have persisted, and therefore you must each roll [three] fortitude rolls for my consideration..."
- but if the battle was hard and all barely survived I might have said, "These creatures were infected but through great good luck you are but lightly splattered in tehir grume and gore. Let us see how things proceed for the next few hours and then I will tell you how you fare with the contagion." - and if they don't get that hint, [to wash off and get a blessing perhaps], then I have them roll a Fort save.
Good luck to you, and please post some bit of the tale of how they fare, for I am now curious.
- Wolfdark
|
| Ragge |
Posted - 10 Jan 2007 : 01:50:05
Thanks Kuje, I have been reading up on the kobolds and trying to find specifics on diseases and "contagious" so we will see where that leads me :) |
| Kuje |
Posted - 10 Jan 2007 : 00:57:52
quote:
Originally posted by Ragge
When the PC comes into contact with a monster or item that is considered contagious, they have to make the the Fort saving throw. So in a battle, does that mean after every hit? or just once for the entire duration of the battle?
I think it depends on the beastie.... some beasties have different rules for the rolls for being diseased/poisoned/etc. Course, someone might come along and tell me that I'm full of it and I'll probably agree because I'm not that sure on the rules aspect. :) |
| Ragge |
Posted - 10 Jan 2007 : 00:33:40
Thanks Mace and Dhomal. I checked out some of the sites and tools linked to me in the beginning. I went to the downloadable 1st level beginning campaigns. I talked to the players and we decided to go with the one called " The Burning Plague".
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20000801a
It seems fun  and simple enough. However, seeing as everyone is very helpful and I am going over the PHB and the DMG, but I had a few small questions...
When the PC comes into contact with a monster or item that is considered contagious, they have to make the the Fort saving throw. So in a battle, does that mean after every hit? or just once for the entire duration of the battle?
Also, I had another question but I forgot, so much going on in my head to set this all up!
thanks again all, definitely make a newcomer feel welcome! |
| Dhomal |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 18:25:53
Hello-
Unless I missed it - I am surprised nobody has mentioned This little tibit of advice:
Have Fun!
Simple, right? Wrong! :) Well - actually it IS simple - if y ou remember a couple of things:
Nobody will grade you on your gaming sessions from the outside. If you and your players have fun, and enjoy the game - go with it. There are Plently of sources to tell you how XYZ works, how to handle ABC situations, not to mention worlds and locations within worlds to set the game.
Respect the Players - and make sure they respect you. Again - if y ou are ALL having fun - then you are OK. Sometimes though, the players can get a little 'wild' or whatnot - and the DM has less fun. Politely let them know. Sometimes its the other way around - and make sure ahead of time - your players know they can let you know (at an appropriate time) that they are not having fun. IN both cases - try and be somewhat specific about WHY there is less fun being had. Especially useful if it can be compared - like "I loved the first two sessions, but the third one was kinda dull.." helps a LOT more than "I'm not having fun" Or "The third session sucked!".
I completely agree with starting small - and possibly even leaving the 'Role Play' out for a brief time so that the mechanics can be gotten used to a little. You have endless choices as to what to have them do - but the suggestion of something small and less RP-ish and more combat-oriented is not a bad one.
Keep in mind too - that conversation between the players come in two varieties: Player to Player --> "Hey Bob, pass me the chips. BTW - How many Hit Points do you have left?" AND "Garthor! I'm wounded! I need healing! This skeleton is tougher than I expected!"
The key is to make sure the plaers know the difference too. Early on in someones 'gaming' career/life - the two can be a bit blurred - and thats not necessarilly a bad thing - but try and steer them right as far as this goes.
Again though - have fun! Trounce the orcs in the forest, or unseat the evil sherrif in the town! Burn the town, or enslave and command the orcs! Whatever You and the Players want to do - work with it - and Have Fun!
Dhomal |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 17:52:58
Ragge, good to have you on board.
Now in the beginning I'd take it slow. I dunno how much experience your players have, if they are all new as well, I'd go for a simple game, so to speak. Let them solve something, throw in some combat, some dungeon crawl and that's that.
Back when I began playing I ran a very simple adventure in which the party has to investigate the rooms under an inn. Maybe even start in medias res, in the middle of things. Instead of explaining a lot to them, let them know what the situation is and voila, they are in the basement, in front of the door that leads deeper into the building and let them take it from there. This way you introduce them to the mechanics. The roleplaying should play a "minor" part in it.
Maybe let them question a NPC whom they surprise. This way you can ease them into roleplaying.
First of all, tho, read the rules  and get to know them (or at least know where everything is in which book) |
| Kuje |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 17:23:59
If you are lookin for NPC's, check out my two lists of canon FR NPC's. You need Excel or the Excel viewer (which is linked in my thread on the general FR board). The links for the files are in my sig. |
| Ragge |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 17:17:03
thanks Wooly, that is a lot to take in! But also I'm sure will be immensely helpful! I'm sure that once we jump into the game it will all come together, it's always easier to learn from experience as opposed to being told. All this info will guide me along, thanks again. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 17:00:56
quote:
Originally posted by Ragge
Ahh,... ok. I didn't know how involved an NPC was in the party, as far as helping out the group with dicisions. THats what i meant by knowing whats around the corner. I didn't know if I should lead them into the trouble or lead them away, but it's spo much simpler being told that I don't lead anything! So yeah and I will most definitely throw a Cleric in the mix.
And thanks for the links! I'm gonna check them out!
How involved an NPC is with the party depends on the role of the NPC. Essentially, every person the characters interact with, that they themselves are not running, is an NPC. There's some range there: some guy that bumps into the fighter while walking the streets of Silverymoon, the flirty barmaid in the seedy tavern by Baldur's Gates docks, the haughty noblewoman the PCs rescue from slavers in Skullport, the mage-for-hire that joins the party for a few adventures while working towards his own goals, the exiled prince who hires the PCs to help reclaim his throne... And so on. NPCs fill the roles you, as the DM, assign them. So that role is as minor or as major as you make it.
To throw a couple other links into the mix... There's plenty of free Realmslore scattered around the WotC site, and that includes the older sourcebooks that are freely available from the Wizards downloads page. And in my sig there's a link to the Candlekeep Compendium, where you'll find fan-created Realmslore, NPCs, and adventure hooks.
And some other links, from me own collection of links:
A Grand History of the Realms
Forgotten Realms Calendar Tool
Krash's Book List for Tomes in Candlekeep, which builds on Steven Schend's Candlekeep Collection
The DragonDex, an up-to-date index of all of the articles in Dragon.
Realms Bestiary, Volumes 1 & 2 by Eric L. Boyd and Thomas M. Costa
Tom Costa's Prestige in the Realms
A compilation of Ed's answers
Lore from the Sages
Realmslore Archive
Revised (v.3.5) System Reference Document
Tools Archive
Consolidated Lists Archive
Roll Call of Dragons
Web Enhancement Archive
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Map Gallery
Krash's North timeline
Hopefully all this stuff isn't too overwhelming for you! 
|
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:35:26
The easiest way of thinking about it is this
PC = Playing Character
NPC = NON PLAYING Character
ie they don't DO anything important re the game.
This helps newbies on NPC's
NPC's don't have a voice unless it is really important like I have said above, They are never a leader.
Delz
 |
| Ragge |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:30:55
Ahh,... ok. I didn't know how involved an NPC was in the party, as far as helping out the group with dicisions. THats what i meant by knowing whats around the corner. I didn't know if I should lead them into the trouble or lead them away, but it's spo much simpler being told that I don't lead anything! So yeah and I will most definitely throw a Cleric in the mix.
And thanks for the links! I'm gonna check them out! |
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:28:13
Ragge
have you been to the WotC Forgotten Realms site?
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fr/welcome
and their download page?
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b
You can download for free some classic adventures from 1st level to 20th, all generic D&D and one or two FR.
I thought these might help you.
Delz
|
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:18:11
Re NPC's
How many players do you have 5 i think you said including you, so thats
4 PC
1 NPC
poss 1 NPC cleric aswell
making a party of 6
I think that is all you would need. it would be a good idea to have a NPC cleric to help with healing!
But as to running NPC's remember as you are controling them, they have no power in the group as far as making choices. Basically let the other players make all the choices your NPC's just folow the heard, unless it conflicts with there alignment, ie a Chaotic Good character would not join in in a mindless slaughter of all the villages women and children then assault the cattle, a chaotic evil npc might though. You see what I mean.
Play the NPC's as part of the group but with no say in big key issues apart from obvious alignment and moral conflicts.
This can be a fun way of turning an adventure around if it gets slow!
Oh and just because YOU know whats around the corner doesn't mean the NPC's do! That's Role Play!!!!
remember have fun!!!!
Delz
|
| Ragge |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:05:22
since this has become mostly a Q&A post between you and I Delz, how often to NPCs join the PCs party? and Are there any good rules of thumb to use when doing that? Since I would be playing both DM and the adventuring NPC. I just thought I'd ask that as well considering it's probably the only other thing I'm intimidated by. Since I would know what was behind every corner and lurking in every shadow already . |
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 15:50:02
I aim to please 
Delz
|
| Ragge |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 15:48:32
Thanks again Delz , I did recieve some low lvl set adventures when I got that stuff form the garage sale. Just a bit intimidated with so much to choose from and play. But it seems as though it's pretty laid out for me though as how I should start it out. SO thanks agian for the advice! |
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 15:39:08
I havn't used that myself, I tend to play big campaigns or small one on one adventures that either I or my mate who DM's makes up, But we have been playing for years and years.
To be honest as you are a newbie I would suggest using a couple of set adventures first before creating, it's not as easy as it looks first time out.
There are plenty of low level adventures on ebay.
and if you need any source books please read my sig!
Delz
|
| Ragge |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 15:33:32
Thanks Delz, I was thinking that sticking to a more basic beginning was probably the better idea! And I shall definitely get the beer!
I also saw that in the back of the DM guide (I think) there is a small dungeon map and it gives you a way to create a small 2-3 hour adventure to get the grip of the game. Has any body used this? Just curious if it's as useful as I'm hoping.
|
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 15:24:33
Hi there Ragge.
If you are all new to the game I suggest this.
Take it slow to start, so everyone grows with each other.
Stick to the basics at first, theres no point page flipping all the time.
Make sure you read up on anything you might come across in the adventure before you are faced with " What happens now, look it says here ........"
BUT the most important bit of advice I can give is actually two bits.
1: RPG = ROLE PLAYING GAME, so encourage your players to do exactly that ROLE PLAY, that means you aswell, all the NPC's, funny voices if it helps!
2: If you are the Dungeon Master or Games Master remember YOU control the game NOT your players. Don't let them start quoting rules at you. Sort out the rules you want to follow and your word is law what you say goes.
Then order Pizza and get the Beers in and enjoy the best games world out there.
Delz
|
|
|
