Let's face it, your first time is something you were eager to jump into. Whether you kept it cool and laid-back, to seem like a can-do-no-wrong pro, or you had the nervous energy of prepubescent about to transition, you never forget your first time. Chances are, you made mistakes; a lot of them, even. But, consider, what did you do right?
If only there were a counsel of parents with DM careers that read like CV's, or a place for the experienced to gather (ahem, I seem to like this spot) so they could offer some tricks for trade. Though, there is something thrilling about getting right into it. Me, I was a planner. My first map was an elaborate prison with four wards. When I was done with the skeleton of the architecture, I marked in detail of the jail cells. I should also mention I chose, as my first time, to co-DM. He looked at me draw some bedsheets on my bed, and said, "Oh...look how pretty. You gonna add some wallpaper, too?"
I share with you, as my first post, a chance to reflect on the classic good/ bad/ ugly of first time DMing. Here how you can share: tell me your platform (D&D with edition, Pathfinder, etc.)/ tell me how many players you had/ and finally give me one thing you think you did wrong AND one thing you know you right.
My first-time can be an example:
Dungeons and Dragons, 3.5 Edition: 4 players (I co-DM'd)
The Bad: I chose players that had limit commitment to the over-elaborate setting my friend & I created. They enjoyed the game, a lot; though, their schedules were too all over the place. Had I really thought about it, the group would have never worked out beyond a few games -- and that is exactly what happened. What did I learn, be honest with myself about the commitment your players can have. It'll save you some time to know how much they can offer.
The Good: I checked some long-standing traditions at the door. For me, the notion of playing alignment to the letter, and following the "can be done and can't be done" is just short of shackles. Open, honest boundaries about what your game lends its players to do, spoken EARLY on, is okay in my book. Limitations as an after thought? Bad move.
The Ugly (Optional): Not enough food to go with the booze.
Alright, here is my first time:
ReplyDeleteDungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition: 4 Players
The Bad: Underestimating the power level of the party the players made. I quickly learned that CRs don't mean squat. Every monster in the dungeon posed no threat to the party including the boss. I worked hard on that boss but he got made a chump. The other thing I wished I did differently was how the party was formed. I only gave them the small prompt that they had been together for a while (the game started at level 9). I thought they would come up with a cohesive backstory but they couldn't really agree on one. Therefore, I did not get the interparty Role Play investment I wanted.
The Good: While the monsters failed, my dungeon design went over well. My puzzles did their job and I held true to my goal of making lighting important. Also, the investigation/town exploration portion went to my liking.
The Ugly: What was supposed to be a one night game took three.
DnD 3.5: 4-5 players.
ReplyDeleteThe Bad: Not preparing enough and being consistent with the story. I had a hard time keeping up with story choices I was making week to week.
The Good: Everyone had a great time with the battles I came up with. They were epic and challenging, but not overbearing.
I am going to talk about my first time DMing a live group as an adult. My attempts as a kid, and my post by post work mostly ended in hamfisted failure. Not that my first attempt at live adults was any better.... but yeah. I'm going to talk about the first campaign instead of the first night, because... well you'll see.
ReplyDeleteDungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition (ALL OF IT AT THE SAME TIME): 8 Players, all either new or very rusty.
The bad: Just go back and read the above. All jokes aside though, it was very rough. Getting through 8 players and the entire extended ruleset would be an insane undertaking for a veteran DM with multiple assistants and all the tech to speed play in existence. For an effectively fresh DM still working mostly out of books? HA! Very stressful.
The Good: I introduced 8 people, which extended out to introducing or bringing back quite a few more players than that, for which I am very thankful. The chaos of it could have very well chased everyone off, but the results have been far far better.
The Ugly: The Books of Nine Swords.