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Recently I was approached by a group of friends wanting to learn how to play D&D 4e. None of us had ever played any version before and the task of learning the game was placed on my shoulders as well as the responsibility of being DM once we had the rules down enough to begin. We've had two sessions, the first where I taught them character creation and we got everyone a character made by the end and I emphasised that they would all need to read, at the very least, the player's handbook. The second session was a basic rundown of combat and taking your turn and culminated in me running the first encounter that comes with the dungeon masters guide. All of this went very smoothly, much to my surprise.

At this point I'm going to finish out the small campaign in the back of the DM guide to get them really used to combat and their characters and then start running the keep on the shadowfell. I would like to create my own campaigns eventually but I don't think I'm quite there at this point. The plan is to run through the keep, possibly progress onto the next premade campaign after that one and then start my own thing from there using what has been established as a basis.

Anyway here is my concern, though I'm sure more will arise:

I'm well aware that I can't prepare for everything the characters might do, however, is there a way I can avoid long boring stretches consisting of me looking up and making a new encounter and dungeon that is nessicary based on an unexpected action they take?

Also any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've never played D&D, but my various encounters with it have led me to believe the DM will require a skill known as "railroading."

Eg: DM of the Rings C:Railroad Goes Ever on and on - Twenty Sided and DM of the Rings IV:Uphill Battle - Twenty Sided

Well I first recommend getting a subscription to D&D Insider via the Wizards D&D site. This gives you access to the online content (Dungeon and Dragon online Magazines) which includes DM articles and pre-made adventures. It also gives you access to the Character Builder and Monster Builder programs which are going to be your most invaluable tools. These downloadable programs are constantly updated with new material and erratta, and make building legal characters a snap. Also, with every paid account, you can update up to five computers with new content. Meaning that you and four friends can benefit from one account.
Monster Builder is also very useful for helping you scale up or down monsters to fit your campaign needs.

Coming up with your own content is great and highly encouraged, but even the online content can provide decent adventures.

As far as DM suggestions, watch plenty of fantasy films to get ideas. Nothing wrong with borrowing an idea if need be. Also, if you are worried that your players will go off course, have something else planned. Also helps to know your characters so you can plan adventures based around what you know they will do. For instance if you know that at least one of your characters is a protector of the innocent, you can probably assume that they will stop to assist a town of peasants currently at the mercy of a viscious pack of trolls. If they are treasure hunters, you can assume that they will investigate a treasure map that comes into their possession.

In the DMG and DMG2 there are rules concerning what they call skill challenges. These are good opportunities to give the players chances to utilize their skills in ways that can affect the campaign. The books have good examples, and many of the pre-made adventures have one or two included in each. Basically the idea is that the PCs must gain a certain number of successes before 3 failures. The DM will have details on what skills are useful and what they accomplish. Some may gain the team a success, some may only apply a bonus to the next check, and some may not help at all. The PCs tell the DM what skill they want to use (without knowing what will work or not in advance) and then roll the dice and compare their total to the target DC. If they succeed that's one success towards the skill challenge.
Skill challenges can take the forms of interrogations, diplomatic missions, rooftop chases, or sex acts even if they really want that kind of thing.

Also, best advice I can give any DM, try to say "Yes" a lot. You don't have to just hand out treasure or anything, but if the PCs want to try something a little unorthodox or beyond the scope of the rules (such as leaping onto a chandelier and swinging into an enemy) try to let them at least attempt it. Just assign a reasonable DC for an acrobatics check for the chandelier swing, then have them make a bull rush charge attack against the target.

Be creative. Be fun. Describe things with detail and make things epic.

Note cards are your friend.

As a DM, you need to READ A LOT more than anyone else. If you are planning, you should have note cards or notes you can refer really quickly. Remember, in D&D, you can make up rules as you need on the fly.

Example. Lets say one of your character wants to sneak in and pick a lock at busy bar. Instead of doing many checks, you might just use 6d6 vs their 3d6 per player (i.e. if they have help for distractions and such) and you declare who has the highest wins. It is quick and easy and you can move on. Sure you can do as "encounter" and roll out each area, but you can fudge a little (once you are comfortable)

Get some quick reference sheet. There should be some pre-printed that you can buy or compile some. You can also use sticky notes on important pages you might use.

You should have a handful of enemies who could drop in at any point. While the room may be changeable and the encounter may not be especially creative, you can make it an encounter beneath their level's worth, of maybe just a couple enemies who were guards/patrol/etc, something they can mow through quickly. It will keep the pace going and give you time to come up with something on the fly for afterward. Not every battle needs to take the same amount of time, be the same amount of difficulty, etc. Mixing it up with a quick and easy battle now and then is the same kind of variance needed as having longer, harder boss fights, to help keep the pace from growing stagnant. And a good place to do those from a DM "I need to stall" standpoint is when the players have gotten into something you're totally not prepared for.

Pretty much what the disinterested Pokemon said. Basically have a stack of backup encounters already written down that you can throw in to stall your guys. Also, if you have a little time, try having a backup adventure that eventually leads back into the main adventure. It's much less railroady than just saying, "no", it just takes some more time to prepare.

On the other hand, be prepared to kill your babies, or whatever the phrase is.

Realize that even if you plan out some excellent dungeons or encounters, your players might find ways to bypass them completely.

Something like this happened recently in a 4e game of mine. The party was hired to babysit/bodyguard the 8 year old prince of the Empire, who was very excitable and had all kinds of magically enhanced "toys". The Prince wanted us to play tag with him which the DM was attempting to turn into a wild goose chase around the palace, eventually leading us into the sewers where we would have fought "something".

However, since our primary job was to protect the Prince and the entrances to the sewers were locked and trapped, we were able to use our not-inconsiderate Diplomacy and Bluff skills to convince him there was more fun and juice boxes to be had elsewhere, and we avoided the sewers altogether.

Basically our session ended like 2 hours early, and we successfully finished our job of protecting the Prince, simply by having some decent insight into the minds of spoiled children and a clear indication of our job (protect the Prince = DON'T LET HIM GO INTO AREAS THAT ARE FULL OF TRAPS AND PROBABLY DIRE RATS).

It was anti-climactic at best.

Oh I remember something. Players like adventure. Players also like to "stump" their DM too if you are using a large map and using tradition "inn" to start your adventure. You can toss a couple of "paths" for you fellow adventure that seems interesting. Also limit the map to places you DO have something set up. Do try to avoid putting too much info on a drawn map (if any) cause adventures might be interested and go there. Have some stories and scenario handy (note cards ) like if adventure is going to cross a border but you mention something about a war is going on, you might say the major road is block and heavily armed due to war or patrol. A low adventure party may not attack this, but a high level one might just try it. You could drop a random NPC overheard their conversation and maybe saying that the nation is currently recruiting and such and thus pull the adventures in BUT avoiding needless fight that probably get them killed.

Players will always go places where there might be "loot" and adventure so have a few paths ready but make it so it ties into your main story. The players might be thinking they are derailing you, but in reality, you got them where you want them but they just don't know it yet

Basically what I'm saying is that in addition to planning extra encounters for the event your characters do something unexpected, you must also prepare for the eventuality that your characters will simply avoid any stuff you actually DO plan.

---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:14 AM ----------

The COOL thing is, if your players are invested enough in the story and the world you've created, they'll always wonder what things could have been had they made that decision differently, and what they might have missed.

This has happened in Shawnacy's game more than I can probably list right now and it makes me wonder how differently things could have gone.

A lot of times I'll make nothing but monsters and treasure, then let the players go their own way, throwing in the bad guys/stuff when it makes sense to do so. It takes some getting used to, but in the end it looks like you planned everything.

Dave said:

A lot of times I'll make nothing but monsters and treasure, then let the players go their own way, throwing in the bad guys/stuff when it makes sense to do so. It takes some getting used to, but in the end it looks like you planned everything.

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yup also... NEVER let the players know that they got you stumped or "off the path"

Far said:

I'm well aware that I can't prepare for everything the characters might do, however, is there a way I can avoid long boring stretches consisting of me looking up and making a new encounter and dungeon that is nessicary based on an unexpected action they take?

Also any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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I always have several encounters premade just in case I need a battle they vary from epic battles that will strain the PCs to piddly little fights that were a cakewalk 2 levels ago. I have my own shorthand for these premade encounters so they only take up a few pages of my notebook.

As for dungeons learn to wing it. Have them enter a foyer and have a few BS little search checks or climb checks why you madly sketch out a dungeon or the second floor of a house or whatever. Also try to have a good idea of the place Players are going to ask 101 questions about the fiddliest little details and if you have a good view of it in your mind you can probably say yes that is appropriate and add it or no and don't.

Far said:

I'm well aware that I can't prepare for everything the characters might do, however, is there a way I can avoid long boring stretches consisting of me looking up and making a new encounter and dungeon that is nessicary based on an unexpected action they take?

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Buy the book called Dungeon Delve.

Dubyamn said:

As for dungeons learn to wing it.

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This is important too. Often enough, you'll have to think on the fly and just make up some BS on the spot.

escushion;402432][QUOTE=Dubyamn said:

As for dungeons learn to wing it.

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This is important too. Often enough, you'll have to think on the fly and just make up some BS on the spot.[/QUOTE]
@Far : I know that winging it can be hard for some. It does takes some practice BUT here are some sources you could wing from. Movies, Books, magazines, and even using real places will give players an idea what to look for/feels like they are doing something cool. If you are doing an ancient setting, you can use real places that is similar to your campaign. It makes it easier for YOU and the players especially if you are going to wing some part since you would have the same place in your head and it would be easier to make stuff up along the way.

Always have throw away encounters and possible "railroad" encounter. Now I personally don't like to use "can't be beaten encounter" just to get player back on track, but I do love using hints and clues. What if the encounter is a little tough but beatable THEN have an item, a note, clue, something that will peak the player's interest. A note with a symbol on it or a seal that looks magical. A magical "encryption" that might need a higher NPC wizard to ID it, or a simple encrypted note that players can try to figure out (yes use like real code and your local language to solve it hehe that will keep them busy while you are planning their next demise... I mean their next move

I will certainly be taking all of this into consideration when we start up and definately appreciate all the advice. I'm on vacation right now but I've been working on the campaign and reading the various rule books so it'll be some time before I can actually try any of this out.

So far I've read through PH, DM, DM2 and have access to the adventures vault as well as the PH2 and 3 though I've only skimmed them. I have actually picked up a sub to D&D Insider already and can see the benefit that both the character creator and the monster builder will have.

When I do start things up again once I get back home I'll let you all know how things are going. Thanks again!

Far said:

I will certainly be taking all of this into consideration when we start up and definately appreciate all the advice. I'm on vacation right now but I've been working on the campaign and reading the various rule books so it'll be some time before I can actually try any of this out.

So far I've read through PH, DM, DM2 and have access to the adventures vault as well as the PH2 and 3 though I've only skimmed them. I have actually picked up a sub to D&D Insider already and can see the benefit that both the character creator and the monster builder will have.

When I do start things up again once I get back home I'll let you all know how things are going. Thanks again!

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no problem good luck. Some of us have been DM'ing for years. The main part is that your players and you are having fun. If the players are not having fun then you might need to change your tactics. I have DM some group that love STORIES and not much fighting and there are group who just love to fight and get bored with stories. Adjust accordingly and you will be ok.

Things have been going pretty well so far I think. Everyone seems to be enjoying the sessions that we've had. In the up coming sessions they may be running into a gelatinous cube so I decided to try and make a mini to be used and this is what I ended up with.



I used a clear resin with a sculpy mold. I kind of botched the mix though and there were small bubbles through out and it's not quite clear as I'd have liked. It's not as tall as I had initially wanted either, hence the black base I added. There is a cavity inside of it so when characters get engulfed they can remain inside it. Had it been as clear as I first wanted you would have been able to see the minis inside.



Despite the flaws I'm pleased with it, especially since it was my first time trying to mold and cast anything.

Fantasic

That is AWESOME!!! wow. nice Cube you have there.

Now I miss DMing.

Wow, a great cube! Sounds like you're an awesome DM.

I have to echo what the others said about having encounters handy on index cards, even just a brief summary. I also used to create word documents for my games with text boxes throughout the document with monster stats, notes, text to read to players, and information I needed regarding traps, locks, difficulties, and treasure. I tried my best to come have everything I might need to look up from the monster manual and DMG handy on either the documents or with index cards. The thing is, you might come up with the best plan, but you eventually have 2-5 players who can combine their minds/creativity in an attempt to outsmart and figure you out.

Last year, I spent about $300 on minis with the mind of DMing and then lost the desire to play D&D. Too bad. I wonder if I could sell those on Craigslist.