Is There DM-training?

The LFG discussion board is SATURATED with people looking for DM's. Unfortunately; it looks like the DM to Player ratio is 1:1,000. With over 10k users registered I'm guessing there are 10 DM's willing to play. :D Because of this realization I'm now looking to become a DM. Problem is I'm ALREADY a noob at D&D 4e, but that seems to be the ONLY way I'll get to play. Can anyone provide me some resources for encounters? I'm reading the DM guide (only on page 20). Thanks for any help.

I am in the exact same boat. Best of luck to you!

Your first stop should probably be Greg Stolze's "How to Run Roleplaying Games", located here (at the very bottom). It's a short essay on how to be a GM, pitfalls to look out for, etc. (As a side note, there's a complementary essay called "How to Play Roleplaying Games" at the same link for anyone looking for general advice when getting into the hobby). Those two essays will help prepare you to participate in the hobby, regardless of whether you play D&D 4e, GURPS, World of Darkness, or any other game system.

I like the 4th Edition DM guide quite a bit. The Dungeon Delve has some nice, simple encounters for that sort of gameplay. But, with as many people that are new to the game... even though I was baptized by 4e with it's wild rulesets and math, can I suggest having a rough plan and just jumping in? Skill checks are, in my opinion, the best thing in the world. You start a game with new players, and the first thing they'll do is push and try to figure out what they "can" and "can't" do. That's up to you, but I embrace the "rule of cool"-- if it's going to be fun and not ruin the universe, let them try it out! But be ready to think on your feet. "I want to climb the wall of the castle!" Decide how hard that is, and have them roll an athletics check. Tell them if they can or can't climb the wall. You are now successfully playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Pathfinder Beginner's Box has an excellent GM/DM instruction manual. Its not just applicable to 3.5/D20 games, but really applies to almost any game, ruleset, etc....

My first experience with D&D was as a DM in the 3.0 era. I ran it for some buddies from high school who were also all new. We made tons of mistakes, but we had fun and learned gradually. I think Pathfinder and 4E are both more intuitive than 3.0 (although that's not really saying much), so I can personally recommend going this route. Don't let it stress you out, just have fun. I'd suggest getting your hands on a 1st level module and using that so you can focus on learning rules before generating content. If you get through the module and you aren't interested in proceeding with that campaign or you've made critical mistakes, discard and start over. Let the players know in advance that you're new and to expect some trial and error. If there are really that many players waiting around for someone to DM they won't care if they have to reroll once or twice or thrice.

This is going to sound like weird advice, read DM of the Rings. It is an excellent web comic. The players do things your players will do, at the bottom of each page is the creators comments and what inspired that page so you then get to see a more serious example of the things that happened. It gives tips about whats bad, whats good, and what should NOT BE DONE. Also I don't think you should try and run an adventure path. I personally don't like them because once the players try to do something totally unique the DM either sits there with his mouth hanging open trying to figure out what to do, or has to say "as cool you can't because..." <a href="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612" rel="nofollow">http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612</a>

There are a number of 'actual-play' podcasts out there that can give you a wide range of GMing techniques and styles. Check out rpgpodcasts.com for a pretty extensive list.

Hey there, the best advice I can give any new DM is to be confident and keep the room energy going. The idea is to have fun. When I started I used to make snap judgment calls and then look up the actual rules when my players were figuring out their plan of attack. This would keep the flow of the game and the players knew that it was subject to a bit of rule checking. I found in most of my games that you have someone there who likes to do that stuff anyways :P I tossed in a link to subscribe to a newsletter done for DMs. I still find the tips in it are handy in pollishing up my games. I hope that you find it as useful. <a href="http://www.roleplayingtips.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow">http://www.roleplayingtips.com/subscribe/</a>

More Game Masters! That is good. There is free GM training for other systems as well. For instance, GURPS 4ed has a free Lite downloadable version (<a href="http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG31-0004" rel="nofollow">http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG31-0004</a>) and a classic free adventure, downloadable too: <a href="http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG37-0031" rel="nofollow">http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG37-0031</a> The intended purpose for these resources is to learn how to be the GM and how to play --in the side of the players.

I think some DM tarining sessions could help those that are scared of DMing over that hurdle.

While resources are useful, the best way to learn how to be a DM is to actually DM a campaign. Get a group of players together who want to play in a way similar to how you do any play a quick game of D&D. Also, remember that as DM, you choose who you have in your campaign. Do not get a bunch of players who will quote the rules at you and argue with everything you say unless that is how you really want to play D&D. Since you don't know much about 4e, you will probably be making things up on the spot, so be consistent, fair, and don't put up with too much badgering.

The absolute #1 piece of advice I have for any new 4e DM is to have a copy of the D&D 4e Rules Compendium. It is lightweight, portable, and has EVERY rule for core gameplay in a well-organized, and well-indexed format. I thumb through mine to look something up several times every game, and because the book is so well organized, it generally only interrupts things for about half a minute, so my players don't mind. I'd recommend reading both of the 4e Dungeon Master Guides. The first one explains a lot of the design concepts of 4e in general, and goes into the different ways people enjoy the game, and how to design adventures to maximize the fun for everyone. Follow the guidelines for encounter difficulties, xp and treasure rewards, map design, etc and you'll have pretty good results. The Second one clarifies a lot of the mathematical formulas that govern game balance over the course of a campaign, and has a great section on alternative rewards such as boons and inherent attack bonuses that give you a bit more flexibility to have fun with magic items. You also might want to find some adventure modules to get started with. Once you read a few you should start getting ideas on how to make your own. DMing is a lot of fun, but it's extra work. I think most good DMs spend at least the same amount of time prepping an adventure for players as they spend running the adventure for the players. It's not surprising most people would rather play than DM. Note to Roll20: will there be any incentives for DMs, like free swag, gift cards, or at the very least free membership?

While resources are useful, the best way to learn how to be a DM is to actually DM a campaign. Get a group of players together who want to play in a way similar to how you do any play a quick game of D&D. Also, remember that as DM, you choose who you have in your campaign. Do not get a bunch of players who will quote the rules at you and argue with everything you say unless that is how you really want to play D&D. Since you don't know much about 4e, you will probably be making things up on the spot, so be consistent, fair, and don't put up with too much badgering. The #1 rule is for players to have fun. So this advice is good. When ever I start DM'ing for new players(new or experienced) I explain to them I am the DM what I say goes. Im not going to be unfair but some times I just dont want to have to figure out how to make a challenging campaign when there is a party of 7 people with flying in it. Remember when a player wants to do something above and beyond the normal game play structure its ok to let them. They want to have a pet dragon? Fine but it can only lift things less than 1 pound and cannot be used in combat. They want to fly? Let them glide. Make it so its not unfair to the other players(or yourself). In my last campaign i had to make a whole new class just to make some one happy. That is fine. The best way to learn is probably by CO-DMing. DM with some one else so they can guide you. Remember dont be a jerk and just try to kill your party off with mobs you have them fight. You might as well just not play they wont have fun. AND they will always talk about you....well how awful you where at dm'ing lol

I found it very helpful to follow this: The GM has more important things to worry about than rules. Don't stop the game to look up rules or interpret some obscure wording. Know your players, someone always has a good grasp of the rules. Have him do the legwork. But be aware of people who sound confident but always provide slightly wrong answers. If in doubt, just decide one way or the other---unless it's one of the very rare occasions where it really, really matters (character death, boss fight). (But look up the rules between sessions, otherwise you'll create house rules left and right and lose consistency). As a GM, you concentrate on the story. Keep the overall picture in your head. Think the characters' actions through---some harmless side-comment may break your story's logic later. Don't forget to always check what NPCs are seeing. They have to react to the NPCs actions and words. Nothing is more lame than villagers trusting the PCs in session 10 when the same villagers watched them torture one of their kids as suspected thief to death in session 2. Listen to the players' speculations. Do they come up with a better solution than you had in your story? Use it. Do they dismiss your solution with good reasoning? Adapt your story to be more logical. Did they misunderstand some information/plot point? Either correct them (preferably ingame) or adapt your story to match their understanding. If the players mess up, don't adapt the story to give the players infinite chances to get it right. Have it fail. Games where you always succeed, no matter what you do, are called "Point&Click Adventures". Then the evil overlord takes over the world. So what? Guess what the next story will be? ;)

A lot of attention has been put on the "How to deal with the rules" aspect of GMing (very important, given), but few have mentioned the "How the heck do I make a story?" aspect of it. I hope I can answer that a bit here, though the aforementioned GM guides will go into this much better than I will. As the GM, you are everything the Players are not: the rocks, the trees, the winding wind, the whistle of the wind, the sweet scent of the pie on Ms. Beechtree's windowsill. You are the five senses the Players use to figure out what the heck is going on, use them all. Keep a small little scrap of paper on the side of your screen reminding you to use all five senses. Get them to smell the horde of goblins, taste that potion they're quaffing (probably because it doesn't taste like anything they'd want to put in their mouths in the first place), feel the bowstring digging into their fingers. This makes for an engrossing scene, which is what we are aiming for, right? As for making the story, you will fall into one of two categories: the guys that plan things out in advance, or the lucky jerks that can improvise one on the spot. Speaking as one of those lucky jerks (though it took training, boy howdy!) even if you improvise, you should plan out a general direction you want your game to go. In planning ahead, realize those Players of yours are smart and have a tendency to lay waste to the best laid of plans. As such, be prepared to improvise a lot. If you ARE going to plan things out in detail, a list of a few things to avoid: 1) Overly complex riddles that bar the way forward. Riddles are great, but if you're going to use them as blockades, make them simple or have multiple ways to be solved. If you want a complex riddle, consider making it optional, perhaps a sort of "bonus room" locking away a really nice ring or some-such. 2)The "That's Cool, but Not What I Planned You To Do" syndrome. When you're GMing, you're all about making the players look cool. If they've come up with a better solution than you thought of, take advantage of it, especially if it gets the plot moving forward. If they've figured out the acid-trap mechanism and launch it at the boss, give them a moment of smug satisfaction and a nice "Oh CRAP!" look on the boss as poetic irony melts his face a bit. This cuts both ways though. If your barbarian goes "I certainly hope there's no ghouls behind this door..." and a ghoul-in-the-room fits in PERFECTLY, say "Thanks there "PlayerName"!" and have everyone else slap the barbarian a good one. Proviso: This is only if they can take a ghoul. If they're down to nothing, let the barbarian slam the door and bolt it and throw the wasn't-there-before-but-now-there-is table against it. You still get a free ghoul, the party doesn't die and you have a bonus smug grin! 3)Letting the Face characters hog the spotlight. Sure, they're made to be up in front and all, but give the other players that don't actively take the spotlight a chance to shine out of combat as well. Make Ranger and Druid companion rituals actual events instead of "poof, now I have a doggie!" appearing acts. Go into detail on how that supporting Mechanic carefully patches up the spy group's car with the care of a doctor examining a patient. These players definitely appreciate it, even if they don't show it immediately. 4) Let the Rolls you make get in the way of the Game. Sometimes, you have to fudge. Players expect you to, especially if it makes for a more enjoyable game. If one player seems to be having a spot of bad luck, fudge a roll for them. Say the ghoul tripped on a rock or something. Multiple, systemic failure that is not player-generated is not fun (systemic failure that IS player-generated is hilarious, but don't let them die from it, unless it IS truly stupid.) 5) Let the Game get in the way of the Fun. We, as GMs, are not the player's adversaries, contrary to most outside views of roleplaying in general. Fun is our prime directive. If the game ceases to be fun for the players, ask them if they want to scrap it. There's always more adventurers out there to take care of stuff you give them a head-start on. Does it hurt when the players don't want to play your game? Yeah. It hurts a lot. You want to take it personally, but remind yourself why you're here in the first place: for them, and you, to have fun. It takes a lot of courage to do this, and I wouldn't say it if it didn't happen to me (boy...did it ever). The traps, dungeons, monsters, heck, even entire villains and allies and storylines can be ported over to another game. Usually, it's cosmetic issues with the world that cause the tension, or perhaps the group dynamic simply doesn't fit. It doesn't mean your effort is ruined, just delayed. Longwinded, yes. Tis one of my flaws. Being a GM is an art that can never be perfected. Anyone that says they're a perfect GM needs to be pants'd and hung upside down for a few minutes. Always remember there's more to learn, more to perfect, more to do better. Never forget that first game you both played and GM'd. One day, you'll be the mentor in a game someone else is starting in and you will guide them on the path you took. Be humble, be ruthless (when it's fun), be merciful (when you can't be ruthless), and don't forget to let the players stew for a bit every once in a while ;)

Thank you Regentine, excellent post!

I really like Brian Jameson's book gamemastering. It is cc so, it can be distributed freely. Lots of good info and tables. I keep a copy if the tables in my to-go bag. Here is a link. <a href="http://www.gamemastering.info/media/171/download/Gamemastering.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.gamemastering.info/media/171/download/Gamemastering.pdf</a>

I always end up GMing, so I never get to enjoy being a PC. That's why I love systems like Mythic (and even MAID to some extent) because the story unfolds itself and I can have a character of my own join in.

The best advice I ever received about being a GM was to be adaptive. You will find all kinds of resources and opinions about what to do, what is fun, what is disruptive. And it is all useful, but in the end it all depends on your players. This is the basis for something like Rule Zero, which states that the rest of the rules can be bent for the sake of fun of the game. This is your job first and foremost make it fun. this goes for yourself and the players. Keep this in mind and so long as you don't mind the work the rest will fall into place.

I've been a gamemaster (dungeon master) for almost 40 years, I live in Wisconsin, the birth place of Fantasy Role Playing, I have gamed with many of the game's pioneers, including Gary Gygax and if you remember one thing about DMing, make the game fun, everything else will work out. One more thing, RULES LAWYERS ruin gaming sessions! The rules are guidelines for you, use them when you have to not when there not necessary. To Quote Lodge in Dorkness Rising, "Story Trumps Rules"! GAME ON!

I keep two rules: 1. If you don't know the rule, make it up and find the exact rule later. I try and keep it fair and close, but I would rather make it up if I can't find it quickly than stop the game to triple check it for 10 minutes. Nothing more bores players. 2. Never Rules Lawyer me .... ever or in front of other players! There are enough players looking for a good GM that a problematic player can no be replaced. If you have a problem with how I play, tell me afterwards and I actually give XP.

Our roleplay group offers 1 on 1 DM mentoring for getting you started on the path to DM. As far as encounters go, you really can't go wrong for 4th ed. in using some of the low level adventures that Wizards themselves puts out. Enough story to expand on as fits you and your group or you can make a dungeon crawl of it. To me, putting together an encounter is one of the easier aspects of being a DM though. The XP chart for monsters makes it a breeze to calculate the total monster XP that would be challenging for your party, from there it is just selecting monsters that will fit the story and provide a unique challenge to the party. Have fun with it! You'll only get better with putting more together. As far as all things DMing goes, you're just doing it wrong/the hard way if you don't keep up with "The DM Experience" by Chris Perkins. <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/archive.aspx?category=all&subcategory=dmexperience" rel="nofollow">http://www.wizards.com/dnd/archive.aspx?category=all&subcategory=dmexperience</a>

If your curiosity is piqued about being a Campaign Administrator (aka DM/GM), but you've always been a bit hesitant to try it out, VT RPG is a perfect training ground to try your hand at crafting and running a fun RPG campaign. Check out our intro post at on the roll20 forum here. <a href="http://community.roll20.net/discussion/1497/eternal-vigilance-multigaming-guild-now-recruiting-for-vt-rpg-portal" rel="nofollow">http://community.roll20.net/discussion/1497/eternal-vigilance-multigaming-guild-now-recruiting-for-vt-rpg-portal</a> Below is an outline of our DM mentor system, pasted from our forum at EV. ----------------------------------------- THE MENTOR SYSTEM Simply send a PM to the Portal Commander expressing your interest in becoming a DM and he will assign a Campaign Administrator to you as a mentor, to guide you through the process of game preparation, running a session, and wrapping up. Each CA is different, and there are many different ways of managing these three stages of building and running a game. Your mentor will work with you to help establish your own DM style, by providing advice, examples on good ways to manage and run a game, answering questions, or even attending your game as a spectator or Co-DM. It's up to you to decide how much help you need, but feel free to ask your mentor anything! CAMPAIGN GROUP: SHORT ADVENTURE ARCS The Short Adventure Arcs campaign group is a dedicated platform for running brief adventures, that are usually between 1 and 3 sessions long. Each adventure arc or delve is a separate entity, and new characters are rolled at the outset of each arc. The group has a permanent roster of 2 players to form a solid but small player group, and the remaining 3 slots are up for grabs at the start of each new delve or adventure. This format is designed to allow a variety of players to enjoy less "commitment heavy" D&D games with the portal while still allowing this group to continue with scheduled sessions if the temp slots are not filled. The Short Adventure Arcs campaign group is a perfect starting place for your career as a DM. The players know each other well, and the adventures are short and sweet. Ask the Portal Commander if you would like to DM a Short Adventure Arcs game.

I've posted a guide on my own style of doing prep and running games as DM. Check it out :) <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Js5tukXtc-5gDK1b8fFTF9tI6bhfZN5wQEJkJjYEmU/edit" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Js5tukXtc-5gDK1b8fFTF9tI6bhfZN5wQEJkJjYEmU/edit</a> I'm the Commander of VT RPG, a portal of the Eternal Vigilance multigaming guild. Looking for a roleplaying group to call home? Visit our public forum at <a href="http://www.evcitadel.com/community/categories/virtual-table-rpg-portal.168/" rel="nofollow">http://www.evcitadel.com/community/categories/virtual-table-rpg-portal.168/</a>.

I think that one of the most important things about being a GM/DM is being able to let your players enjoy themselves. Having fun is what role-playing is all about. As others have pointed out, if you get to a point in which you are unsure of a rule, fudge it as close to the rule as you recall and verify it later. Slowing down the game (as Tommy mentioned) can be a fun killer. Also as the GM/DM, be creative and imaginative, have fun with what you are doing. Also as mentioned before, the players are the stars of the game. Give them moments to shine, look at their back stories or what they want to do to incorporate it into the game. Nothing makes a player character happier then knowing that the evil warlord was the man who killed your family and revenge was part of the reason you agreed to help the town against him. just some thoughts.

@Hector, I agree with everything your saying, but want to make a small correction: THE most important things about being a GM/DM is being able to let your players enjoy themselves. Growing up, I could never stand when GM's had a them vs you attitude. A GM is a narrator if the story they are the stars in.

Can I also suggest a slim book called "Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering". It's a really short read, but has a lot of big ideas in it. Brian Jameson's book was great as well. I think of all the Dungeon Master's Guides, 4th ed has the best (about 60% of content is mechanic independent). HIGHLY recommend the Narrative Control podcast - it's the best of the bunch for advice on running good games. Stuff I have learned: 1.) Creating elaborate mysteries, the answers to which seemed obvious to me. I however, was in love with all my creation and had all the facts. When starting, if you MUST use a mystery, keep it simple, like REAL simple like you were running it for 8 years olds. Most players show up to kill stuff and act in character, not book keep clues. 2.) Do not create beloved NPCs. I never really had a huge problem with this, but if you need to create a helper NPC, they can be good at their schtick, but don't steal the focus from the player characters, or you're really just playing with yourself. Also, don't create Dastardly villains you always allow to escape the PC's grasp/ or can easily overpower the PC's. Have them hate a recurring villain, give him 1 escape, but if they surprise you with a good roll or clever way to kill him, or he had his 1 escape, give the players the satisfaction of killing him. Too many GM's fall in love with (identify with?) their own villains. 3.) It's usually not a bad idea to keep a few encounters as backup if things are moving faster than you expected, and have a few encounters you can dump in the event things are taking too long. Instead of having to beat this minor boss to get this key to the final crypt, they find it on a guard in this room. A lot of times you can use existing encounters, just change a few monster stats and descriptions. 4.) Play in "chapters" like TV seasons that can be completed in a few adventures. That way you always get a satisfying conclusion to the story. Most of the campaigns I have played in peter out, someone moves. It's nice to have a stopping point to take a breather, break, try out another game that has a decent conclusion to it. 5.) Build adventures to the CHARACTERS ABILITIES. If you have a ninja and a pirate and a scientist, their ought to be a scene that requires stealth, sailing/swashbuckling and a mysterious device. Players usually make characters to do things they want to do. 6.) Consider using complications sometimes instead of failures. Failure is boring. If a player wants to try to gather rumors on the villain, what is more interesting, rolling a 1 and failing, or THINKING you found out where his hideout is, only to discover he misled you into a deathtrap you must defeat? 7.) Tell players what kind of game you want to run, and have them make characters that fit well with each other and the game. This doesn't mean they can't be unique, or contrast with the world, as many good characters in film and TV do. Just don't allow them to bring a mafioso, a cop, a nuclear physicist and a housewife together and try to turn it into a party. Usually the best games I have run are ones where I had a kind of quick pitch and even worked up some examples of character types that would fit well in the game and together. 8.) Remember, you run the world, but you NEVER run the player's characters. The reason they play is to make their own choices. Sometimes you might want to stop and inform a player what their character might reasonably know, that the player seems to be unaware of (anyone who insults the king usually finds their way to the dungeons, you sure you want your character to say that?) but remember, the choice is theirs. 9.) When you first start building encounters, might want to make sure they have a way to leave or retreat if things go bad. Maybe the wizard who hires them gives them a scroll that can teleport them all back to him, but means they have to travel all the way back to the dangerous dungeon. This allows you to mess up a few times over challenging a group without killing a whole party (this happens a lot, even still to me - there is a fine line between a brutal encounter the players overcome and feel like superheroes after, and one that kills them one by one on a bad set of rolls). Also, don't show them all the rolls/ monster it points, etc. I will sometimes roll in front of the players on a dramatic roll, but not if things are going to hell for them. 10.) Don't waste your time on things that have no contact with players when doing prep. You can spend hours piddling away time on stuff that no one will see, fight, or experience. A lot of GMs like world-building, but don't mistake it for adventure building. You need an adventure next week, you don't need the know the specific rituals for the Order of Nightshade. 11. In a high prep game, don't be afraid to drop some choices for the players at the end of the adventure, like rumors of the Lizard King invading the nearby town AND a cleric begging for help when all the corpses have disappeared from his graveyard. You can ask them at the end "so what do you think next week? Lizardman or Bodysnatchers?" It can reduce a lot of prep stress on your part. 12.) Don't be afraid to delegate to players. You have enough stuff to do. Tell Bob to run initiative, Jason to keep the spell section open, etc. Players have a responsibility to everyone to make the game enjoyable, too. Good players usually make good GMs and vice-versa. Good luck and have fun! Remember, most players are thrilled you are willing to run, and will forgive a lot because without you they don't get to portray their fantasy character!

I relly enjoy your advices, i will put some in action...

Good stuff, Tom Morris! I find DM advice is like throwing mud at a wall- even if its caked in the stuff, it comes off over time, and so it never hurts to sling a bit more every now and then :)

DM'ing forever, but never using an online system. &nbsp;How do you set up the game and maps etc to run the game. &nbsp;I used to work for TSR in early days and looking forward to running two games a week. &nbsp;One for Conan RPG by Mongoose, and &nbsp;a Deadlands Reloaded using Savage Worlds by Pinnacle. &nbsp;Will want a core group of five to six players for each game. &nbsp;With alt players now and then to play guest star roles on an ongoing bases.

Books and essays are useful, but unless this is going to be a career, keep a few things in mind... 1. Beggars can't be choosers. Choosy beggar = thief. There is a dearth of GMs see 'saturated' prev. &nbsp;Use this to your advantage. Just state up front that you are a noobian, will do your best, take big boy pants constructive criticism, and go. If someone wants to whine, and you've been up front, then they can suck it. Punch out. Drop back for three.&nbsp; 2. After cases have been clearly stated ONCE, and the yak becomes 'see prev" then someone is trying to coerce/manipulate you. Warn once, then "PULL!" 3. If you are going to read any how to, before anything else, I advise " Play Unsafe " by&nbsp; Graham Walmsley .&nbsp; 4. There is a saying, I've tracked it as far back as ninth century Japan. "Learn by being cut." Analysis paralysis becomes its own game. Pick one. Handwringing is for sissies.&nbsp; out

@Kelley F.&nbsp; General overview on how to set up a game in Roll20:&nbsp; Create a game and enter it. Copy a desired map out of the module's PDF and dump it into an art program like MS Paint, save as a jpg. (Note: there are other options, you could create a map in an art program etc) Upload it to the game Change the map size to fit the grid (see this link &nbsp;) If you have a paid account add dynamic lighting barriers. Add NPC/monster tokens Put the appropriate stats on the tokens (often I do a statblock dump into the GM section of the token).&nbsp; Invite players and set them up with tokens and character sheets.&nbsp; Run the game and have fun! There are details I have left out since this was a general overview of how to do this but this should give you a starting place. - Gauss

<a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?keywords=free&amp;filters=0_0_44281_0_0&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;author=&amp;artist=&amp;pfrom=&amp;pto=" rel="nofollow">http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?keywords=free&amp;filters=0_0_44281_0_0&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;author=&amp;artist=&amp;pfrom=&amp;pto=</a>

Creating a world and story is hard, and players can easily go off the edge of a homebrew so if you'r not quite that on-the fly, picking up a few worldbook resources is good. Pathfinder's Golarion world has a lot you can play off of. Premade adventures are also pretty good to test the waters. I read DM for Dummies and it helped me gain a lot of confidence. I also think its not that people DON'T GM but more it's so easy to be in a rut of being the only one WILLING to GM and never getting to play, and people want to take a break from the work of being GM and just play. If you develop a static gaming group, the general formula is to run in someone's game until that GM needs a break or the adventure is all done and then swap out so that they have a chance to play and have fun while making new preparations as GM on the side. Sometimes people are CURRENTLY GMing, and they just want another group to play around in on the side.

My question is there a place that can show me how to set up the game. &nbsp;How to load the maps, the tokens, the notes, fog of war etc? &nbsp;Where is the DMing 101 Guide to use the system? &nbsp;I know how to run a great game. &nbsp;I know how to encourage getting in character and roleplaying along with setting the right mood, feel and suspense of the story line and even the thrill of combat and cliff hangers. &nbsp;I need to know how do I set it up and run the game?&nbsp;

Kelley F. said: My question is there a place that can show me how to set up the game. &nbsp;How to load the maps, the tokens, the notes, fog of war etc? &nbsp;Where is the DMing 101 Guide to use the system? &nbsp;I know how to run a great game. &nbsp;I know how to encourage getting in character and roleplaying along with setting the right mood, feel and suspense of the story line and even the thrill of combat and cliff hangers. &nbsp;I need to know how do I set it up and run the game?&nbsp; <a href="http://help.roll20.net/gm-overview/" rel="nofollow">http://help.roll20.net/gm-overview/</a> It's also a lot of "learn by doing," with different approaches working for different people and games. &nbsp;If you're still really stuck after the video, PM me and we can work out a way to screen share and I can walk you though how I've set up my games at least.

Marc F. said: The LFG discussion board is SATURATED with people looking for DM's. Unfortunately; it looks like the DM to Player ratio is 1:1,000. With over 10k users registered I'm guessing there are 10 DM's willing to play. :D Because of this realization I'm now looking to become a DM. Problem is I'm ALREADY a noob at D&amp;D 4e, but that seems to be the ONLY way I'll get to play. Can anyone provide me some resources for encounters? I'm reading the DM guide (only on page 20). Thanks for any help. The best best BEST thing to do, although inconvenient, is to play a while as a player first. There's a lot of "fresh from reading their class description for the first time" players who just aren't ready to lead a game. Yes, you can play more free form and rules can always be toned down, but it's not just about rules. It's about style and it's about ideas. I've never read a help guide that embodied what a good session should be like. Even the prewritten materials leave some holes in the style department (or they'd all be 200 pages, I'm sure.)&nbsp; If you get a session in with a good DM, emulate him. It will be the best thing for you. DM's tend to have the personality trait which makes them force people into playing "their game," but better DM's roll with the punches and find a way to regroup and&nbsp;re-captivate. If you see that your players not connecting with some element you have a strong preference for, you need to rethink it, or you won't have enthusiastic players, which is a much better feeling than forcing them to play your way. As for encounters and such, I play Pathfinder and for the most part, it's just some simple math. Pick a theme, figure out your XP budget and buy some creatures.&nbsp;

First of all buy this PDF and read it. Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering This covers everything about being a GM that a DM's Guide does NOT cover.&nbsp; Player types and how to give them what they want in an adventure is a big part of it. I highly advise going with a rules-lite system for your first go around.&nbsp; Rulings, not rules. This PDF (free) can help you understand the difference. Quick Primer for Old School Gaming As systems go I'd stay the heck away from D&amp;D 3E or 4E.&nbsp; The scope of what you'd be expected to know as a new DM is simply too great.&nbsp; Instead I suggest going with Castles &amp; Crusades, Labyrinth Lord, or OSRIC.&nbsp; As a new DM you want a system which doesn't have a rule to cover EVERYTHING.&nbsp; You want something where a player will ask you if they can do something and you can decide outright or tell them what you want them to roll.&nbsp; Yes, as a DM you have the "Rule Zero" to have your decision override any rule but you will quickly drive away players if you invoke that too often.&nbsp; Players are more receptive to a DM ruling when there is no rule that governs what the player is trying to do. DriveThruRPG.com is now selling the old school adventures.&nbsp; I recommend running B1 In Search of the Unknown as your first adventure.&nbsp; It was written for newbie DM's and contains a lot of advice for running the adventure.&nbsp; Also, since it is in digital format, bringing the maps over into Roll20 is simplicity in itself.&nbsp; Use Labyrinth Lord to run it.&nbsp; Labyrinth Lord is the OGL version of the original D&amp;D so it will work with the original modules just fine.

If you want old school adventure modules then just hop over to Dragonsfoot.org as they specialize in old school stuff. It is all free also. I would include my favorite Basic Fantasy in the toss up. It has the old school feel to it but is based off 3.5 while being rules lite and free.