Tips on how to be a better DM-prep
Prep- Whether you are playing a published adventure or making your own, there are lots of differing opinions on how much time to spend prepping. Some DMs like to have ever possible detail worked out in advance, and some just make everything up as they go. Find the method that works best for you, but in general you should consider making some point form notes before each session so you have at least a general idea of the encounters that could happen, the NPCs the PCs might meet,, and where you'd like the story to go. Just remember one thing... if your players can go outside the box, they will go outside the box. At least some times, anyway. There will always be times when the players do something you didn't expect. THAT'S OKAY! Roll with it! If you can, just make it up and make it seem like you were prepared for them to do that, even if you weren't. If you aren't comfortable with "winging it" when the players do something unexpected, calmly call for a brief pause for snacks, or a washroom break, and take a few minutes to figure out what you will do next. Don't panic, it's going to be okay.
Take notes- Make notes before the session starts in point-form for what you expect to happen in the session; make notes about the monsters coming up and any special abilities you might need to remember, and during the game make notes about any NPCs you need to make up on the fly, or things the Characters do or say that you can mine for story ideas and encounters later. The more notes you take, the more you have to work with going forward. I like to make a bunch of characters beforehand and then throw them into the story and I have notebook to keep all of that straight and I'll talk more about that in the next part.
NPCs - Make a list of NPC names common to the region the PCs are in, or to the races they might encounter. As the session progresses, if they meet an NPC you weren't expecting them to meet, if you make up an NPC on the fly, you can pick a name quickly from the list (make sure you make a note about it in your notes for later!). It is much more realistic for your players if the people they meet have names, rather than Bartender #4, or Generic Old Woman. You can also keep a list of NPC characteristics handy for the same situations (ie. Smokes a purple pipe; Has only one eye; likes to say "Wot!" at the end of every sentence; Fidgets with an a dead rat.). I also like to write little stories or hooks that random characters can have and I attach those to a character that I've made before the game starts and if they run into that character somehow then they have an opportunity to go on a little Quest or at least explore some very unique thing about them that might incorporate NPC into the story.
Remeber for all you new DM's out there Don't panic, it's going to be okay.
Hey, My girlfriend and I really into board games, card games and DnD. What advice do you have for a group that's having a hard time getting the game started and meeting up together for the game?
Our DM is having a hardtime setting up maps, story wise she said it's ready but the maps is taking her a really long time.
My friends are pretty lazy on weekends, understandable since we had a long work week. So they usually potato at home on weekends. I know that roll20.net exists and we can totally do it online, But we prefer to be in the company of our friends with our dices and on a table.
I'll be following you since you seem to be posting alot of stuff on Dnd.
If making maps seems to be such a hard problem, you could try using a system not dependent on maps.
Personal recommendation of mine are Powered by the Apocalypse Games, like:
But you may also use a generic system, like FATE Accelerated (which is freely available here)
Try roll20 to get people started. I personally like meeting in person, way more, than playing via the internet, but sometimes not leaving your home is the simpler solution.
Once your players are invested, they might overcome themselves to attend in person, too.
Personal recommendation, if all of you know each other from real life: Everyone should use video-chat instead of just voice-chat. Get a web-cam (cheap ones start at … 20$? – if you have a laptop you most likely already have one!) and see each other while playing.
It's a big help while GMing, because you can see your players facial expressions, and emotions more easy.
Plus, it's closer to playing together in person, than just voice.
Wow! thank you for this informative response. I'll definately give these suggestions to our DM and see what she thinks. On the topic of maps, One of my friends suggested buying re-usable maps such as this one they sell on Etsy.
He said that it's a laminated surface so you can write over it and wipe it off after. That way it saves us the trouble of making our own maps and what not. What do you think? Is this a good option?
I think our DM really wanted to get everyone together in person to do the game, but i completely understand where you're coming from. If we can get people into their roles and into the game they might be more inclined to show up in person and play the game together.
I have one of these, too. I even made a small picture series of my setup. You don't have to buy minis either. Just print them, using some graphic on the internet :-D
To be honest I though you were already using a re-usable map. Designing them in gimp/photoshop/mspaint/whatever every time and printing them, or drawing them on big graph-paper is a huge waste of time imo.
Maps don't have be be pretty at all - don't overdo it.
I remember some of my DnD maps very fondly. The fighting arena my players made some money it – it was a glorious 8 inch circle, with two entrances top, and bottom.
Roll20 basically is one of these maps, btw. I recorded a time lapse creating some of my Shadowrun maps. Simple maps like these are WAY more than enough.
Oh! that is a simple setup! My original plan was to cut out hexagon cardboards and then glue on printed out graphics to create different tiles of grass, dirt, water, etc.
After that i can piece them together for a DND map, and change the terrian as we like by shifting it around or put a few extra layers to create altitude.
I'm also thinking about crafting a dice tower as well, i really like to make things but im currently working 2 jobs so it's really hard to find time to craft and make stuff that takes a lot of time.
(For once) DnD requires you to do none of that.
If you don't have the time to have fun doing it: Don't do it.
The whole cardboard hexagons, map, thing seems really overkill to me though. If you want to build some acceptable sized landscape you're going to need loads of them.
I was never a big fan of things like Dwarven Forge, too. It's just too much hassle to set up, etc.
Though I don't like preparing anything anymore, since I stopped GMing DnD. Players will ruin your preparation, and go somewhere you completely did not expect, as the OP already mentioned.
But... I have fun doing it? I like making things. And i think having the hexagon maps would be super cool. But i will agree with you on the fact that it'll be a pain in the ass to setup the game if i wanted to prepare the landscape and map. Just for the record this is what i want to do for myself.
My friends will probably do some premade map or make something on roll20 and print out, or one of the resources you linked.
Players ALWAYS ruin your preparations. So i can understand why you feel that way. Ive lost count how many stories i read online where DMs die a little inside because of the stuff their players do is always outside of their expectations.
I should have emphasized:
If you do it, when you have the time for it: Sure.
pssst Secret hint to all of these DMs:
Embrace the players going of to their own adventures, and see where it leads them to.
It's better for the players, because they can go and do what they want.
And it's better for the GM, because they're not wasting their time.
That's a great question. Well for me I like to be as minimal as possible really so I just use a dry erase mat or dry erase tiles and I make the maps as we're playing when needed. Realistically the game can be played Without Maps or without tiles or anything like that it is theater of the mind after all so I would say just go for it. 75% of all of my sessions don't involve Maps or pictures and if they do they're just very roughly Maps so that people can get a perspective of what's going on . The important thing is to have people envision your world in their mind so you don't really need a map.
If there's only one enemy monster "theater of the mind" may work out.
You can see this, when actually doing a "one enemy monster fight" on a map. It's often very boring. The fighter/paladin/barbarian tanks all the damage, everyone goes to their position and never moves again. yawn
If there is more the one enemy monster, ranges are of importance. That is what a map is for.
The rules don't say:
The rules say:
If you're not using a map when ranges are this specific you are bound to break rules, because you inadvertently will get a placement wrong. Especially when AoEs with ranges are involved it often becomes a huge clusterf*ck of "Ooof, who does this even hit? Who's in a 10ft radius?".
So it often ends in GMs being nice to their players and throwing the rules overboard, saying the spell hits everyone they want.
If DnD tells you: You can move 30ft, and the spell has 50ft range, but you're winging it, you're playing the wrong game.
Do it rarely: Okay, no need to change systems.
Do it all the time: Change to a system with less of a strategic element. You obviously don't care about movement-ranges.
There is no way to play the game wrong. I've also played a game where we didn't have Maps and it wasn't terribly difficult for the DM to keep notes on where everyone was and we just envisioned the whole thing in our mind. The thing about D&D that's wonderful is that the rules aren't absolute and really you can do whatever you want in fact they want you to go outside of the rules of the game and be creative which is why they have very few rules in the first place.