Roll20 uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies enable you to enjoy certain features, social sharing functionality, and tailor message and display ads to your interests on our site and others. They also help us understand how our site is being used. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our use of cookies. Update your cookie preferences .
×
Create a free account

I'm a very vary new d&d 5e player never played before but im interested in being a dm

What should my first d&d game be and any dm tip or info I would need would be greatly appreciated 
1658133221
Ziechael
Forum Champion
Sheet Author
API Scripter
Just go for it ... the only tip a DM ever needs. Is it easy, no. Is it tiring, yes. Can it be stressful herding players for their own sake, very... but is it worth it, YES! With practice, experience and patience you'll find your own style and rhythm and that is something that no-one can teach you, it comes from within :) The biggest thing for a starting DM is to find a good group, either of experienced players who will help guide you through the rules in the early days or a group of complete amateurs who will learn with you. Create a game listing, do due diligence on applications to see if they'd be a fit with you and one another and don't be afraid to reject people if you don't think they'll be a fit... just be respectful of their feelings and constructive with your responses. Other than that, if you have access to a module (there are a handful of free ones on Roll20 by default I believe) I'd maybe start with one of them. They help guide you through a story and do some of the heavy lifting creatively. Once you've got your feet under the table you can start exploring the infinite void of your own imagination and crush your players with the might of your storytelling genius!
Awesome! Thank you!
I Started April 2022! I never played a game before, Never DMed a game before but I watched a WHOLE lot of CR and D20. Literally one of the main reason I became a GM is Fantasy High, ANYWAY here's what I've learned. Read the Players Handbook and DM guide. These will be where DMs get the wealth of their knowledge, then you google the rest. Buy a Short Campaign or One Shot They come with everything you need to start a game, and many come with helpful GM tips. The Free Community is Nice People want to play, and they need GMs, they don't expect you to be Matt Mercer and honestly if you just straight up make a game and say " I'm a new GM learning the ropes"  you'll still have a packed house. You will have Flakes the big difference in free vs play is some characters will just never come back to a free game ever again. I dont consider it a bad thing,  find new players, try and make it work , if it doesn't well take the lessons and learn Play with Vets People in the community have no problem talking and teaching. If you host a game and get 1 or 2 vets, it's a lot smoother on everyone and normally they'll share the wealth of knowledge they have. Have a good Headset your job is a lot of talking, you'll want them to hear you. It's alright to be Overwhelmed Not only are you responsible for the game, but also for Roll20. Learning how to handle images, sheets, characters, levels, music, tokens, Mods(Apis). I recommend watching roll20 tutorial videos and getting comfortable different things like How to make music, How to control NPCs and Combat.
1658927081

Edited 1658927246
Manny L.
Pro
Marketplace Creator
In my almost 40 years of being a DM my top tips to you are: - don't worry about knowing all the rules, just learn the absolute basics then get the rules you need as you progress; players really just appreciate being able to play - the point is for everyone to have fun, that includes the DM. - don't let the players use the rules in ways that spoil the game. The rules are a guide, you are the the one who decides if you want to use that rule or not. Quoting from DMG p4 "The D&D rules help you and the players have a good time, but the rules aren't in charge. You're the DM, and you are in charge of the game." - if there's a rules query/argument at the table, adjudicate it quickly however you see fit (remember, you are in charge) and let everyone know you will review the rules after the game session so the flow of play doesn't get interrupted by people opening rules books / looking up websites. - ensure you treat each player equally and fairly, and every player is being treated equally and fairly by every other player; RPGs are a social game.
Hey, I am a fairly new GM as well. I ran one verrrrrrry short campaign when Covid hit with my family and have been running Tomb of Annihilation for about 10 months now with a group. (would not recommend starting with this).  Everyone has great feedback here and I especially agree with a lot of what Manny said. I have a group that is mixed with some newbies and some vets and I think the two biggest things I have learned are this.  Be honest with the table, I don't know all the rules and rely a lot on the vets to help out with this lack of knowledge. At the same time I established early on that I would be making the final ruling on what will happen at the table and I enjoy the game when my PC's are having fun so I also let them know that I will likely rule in their favor as much as I can.  The game is just as it sounds, a game, so don't be afraid to wave your magic DM hand over some rules or guidelines. I have found that as long as I don't wave rules that break the game and as long as I am doing it in a way that will allow my PC to try something new, crazy, bold, or cunning it has usually worked out.  I definitely would recommend getting a short campaign as building your own takes a lot of work. Being new I bought the premade Tomb of Annihilation and I still spend about 2 hours prepping by just reading up on the area they are going to, the NPC's they will encounter, how those NPC's will act/be, and prepping the maps for play.  Good luck and you will do much better than you think you will in your head.