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Tips for the Beginner DM - Part 4
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Six General Rules for the Newcomer DM
1. You cannot plan for everything the players might do.
In fact it is
a waste of time trying to write down what happens if the players, do this, and
this, and this...
I once made a list of every household item and the damage it would do in a
standard house that could be used as a weapon, (chair, rolling pin, marble
cutting board, etc.) in a game set in modern times. The players, of course,
hooked up the a car battery to metal candle sticks, held them with the rubber
welcome mat and shocked any lurking monsters. I never thought of that. What
would have been easier is simply make a DM call on how much damage on whatever
the players could come up with. It is easier in the DM Client to create an NPC,
and simply speak through them, than it is to try and create dialogue for
everything you can think of in every case.
2. DMing is a skill like anything else.
If you practice, you will get
better. The D&D veterans will be learning how best to use the DM Client with
NWN, so everyone will be equal at the start.
3. Be prepared.
If you are using a module prepared by someone else
then read it through several times. If it is a module for NWN, then play it
through several times to get to know it well. Make different choices, play
different classes to become familiar with what would happen and what results
might occur. Take notes.
If you're running a module you created yourself, remember rule number 1,
while you can be prepared, you cannot plan for everything a player might do in
your own module. Make liberal use of the 3 Quickbars to store creatures,
actions, dialogue and so on.
4. DMing takes energy and organization.
Even the biggest Improv Guy
needs some organization and the most organized guy needs energy to run a module.
5. Take suggestions from your players.
They are your audience and
there might be things you are unaware of, that help them have a better game. The
same goes for you- if you need something from players, let them know- i.e.:
"Can we stop talking about Lord of the Rings during the game, it's
distracting".
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6. Rules are there for clarity but do not have to be followed in
certain instances.
For example the 'fudging' of dice rolls is acceptable,
when a DM has realized that the difficulty in an encounter has been set too high
and will result in all the players dying. All the players being killed serves no
purpose but to, stop the game, and make everyone re-roll characters. The players
are completely at a DM's mercy. As a DM, you are there to make the game fun-
everything else is secondary. The idea of changing the challenge levels on the
fly needs to be remembered for encounters that are too easy (and boring) and too
difficult (everyone dies= unfun). Apart from the Difficulty Slider, the DM
Client allows you many ways to change the difficulty of a module such as healing
players, killing creatures, summoning good guys (or bad guys) to help, or
hinder, the players. A good DM needs to be aware of what tools are available.
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