Dungeon Master Tips

Good day, I Figured I would create a thread where DM's could gather some ideas and share tips on what tools are good / bad and talk about what "works" to help run and control a good game. <a href="http://donjon.bin.sh/" rel="nofollow">http://donjon.bin.sh/</a> I have found that webpage to be an amazing tool .. treasure generation to random encounters or even entire dungeons can be created swiftly. Also the maps generated upload well into roll20.net jsut use the align to grid tool and you are pretty much set with a full night of fun! I also Strongly encourage any dungeon master to upgrade your account at least once, the Dynamic Lighting is AMAZING! My group is mostly playing pathfinder and we all seem to be having a good time with it, but I am always willing to read and learn from other DM's and players as to what they like most in a game, and tricks and tips to keep the games moving smoothly. Thank you Chuck G

A trick I have learned that seems to work well. Is I let my players move about the map and encourage them to role-play ALOT. When they move around the maps I told them "If you see a token, or a torch, or fire or lantern or anything.. make sure you tell me right away and stop moving your token around." Once that happens I can click on the item and "turn on" the light that they just found. This works well for the party's that have 1 member with dark vision that can safely scout ahead of the rest. It helps to control what can and can not be seen and by which party members. Just a tip for dynamic lighting Thanks Chuck G

Chuck: What I use for DL is the following: Players with darkvision get 60' 'light' without the checkmark box. This way only the player with darkvision can see things when they move ahead. If there is a light source that only one player should be able to see (your torch example) I change the torch to being controlled by that player and leave the DL checkbox unchecked. This way only that player can see the light. If I don't want them to muck with the light (move it etc) I put it on the map layer afterwards. - Gauss

Involving dynamic lighting: Say you have a circular object and it emits light. However, you want to only show half of it and it's along a diagonal wall. The fog of war tool doesn't do diagonal shapes. So with the Lighting layer, select draw polygon/line and cut through the circular shape and make a box. (Like in the file i attached) Then, instead of having it transparent, fill the object with a color-I chose grey because it's less distracting. Doing this will constrict the light to shine only in the room, and not outside of it. If my image looks weird, it's because I turned down the GM opacity so you could see better.

Very nice Matt :) - Gauss

Biggest tip I can give any game master: "Don't take shit from players." I mean it, if a player starts being a That Guy, tell him off for it. If he starts arguing instead of backing down, remove him from the game. I've been GMing for too long to know the patterns, and I can tell you that rotten fruit only gets worse.

To add to PA's post. User agreements work for games too. Post it right up front, with "entry = consent" right on top. If they don't read it, it is on them. If, after someone has been warned about " giving you shit" then follow through. Like little kids. "IF you persist, this is what will happen next." Phase II, execute. Make an example. Particularly key in this kind of environment. On a related note, KEEP MOVING. Don't rules flip, or bog it down when someone wishes to do so. It is much easier to maintain momentum that to attain it. Make a quick note, or agreement, to address it in down/lag time. Assess, decide, act. This is not to say that you don't want to slow or accelerate things. In stories esp, as well as games that attempt to approach being a story, pacing is key. Just be aware of when you lose and gain energy. Harder to get back. RPGs, even the simplest ones, are complex as it is. Study and use literary archetypes, and use them, if you intend to approach, or (theoretically anyway) actually complete an entire story.