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galneweinhaw
Commander
2646 Posts
    
 | | 06/14/2005 1:50 PM |
| | recovered topic 4787 | |
Join the Eternal Skirmish Campaign.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr Seuss | |
| E.C. Organizer
galneweinhaw
Commander
2646 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 1:50 PM |
| Welcome to maxminis =D
I would recommen for your first DM campaign running from a series of published adventures. They help you out a ton having lots of stats and other info handy for you. Also there are usaully many other people who have ran the same adventures so it's easy to get answers to question.
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Join the Eternal Skirmish Campaign.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr Seuss | |
| The Mighty
jai
Commander
3235 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 1:54 PM |
| | He has a good point. Go to your LGS and look for the pamphlet mini adventures or even for a Dungeon Magazine. Excellent sources. | | | |
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PatEllis15
Commander
4462 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 2:13 PM |
| If you've only been playing I year, and you've never DM'd before, I'd advise against a 100% homebrew world and adventures.
Gygax did it right the first time around...
Use Greyhawk (as presetned in the $9.95 gazeteer, and in the PHB) as your starting point, and then keep your campaign (which "could" be homebrew) underground.
i.e.
Your based in the City of Greyhawk, and you hear rumors of untold wealth available for the taking if your brave (or foolish) enough to try and get it!
Character go investigate the abandoned castle where this wealth is reported to be...
They can go back to town to sell what they find, and buy magic items and what not, and then head back under to continue the investigation...
This makes set up on your part pretty easy, and you don't have to worry about intefering tomuch with other items that have been written.
Good luck!
Pat E | |
"Games evolve. Otherwise we'd still be pushing rocks around the dirt. What do you think the cavemen said when some dude showed up with sticks?" - Chairman7w | |
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Vash
Underboss
1995 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 2:15 PM |
| My initial plan is to create my custom campaign to get my feet wet on my "own terms". Then if everything goes well I was going to do something out of one of the books. As far as stats I was just going to use the quick reference on the back of the DDM cards. If no one minds and since I typed it out I'll post my plot then if and when I finally go through with it I can still have the comments (positive or negative, I can take both ;))
World of Aurora
Centuries ago there was a Great War between the three factions of dragons (which it wasn't untill after I made my campaign that I realized this actually happened - go me [:D]). All dragons were destroyed in this war and all dragonkin have been exiled to an Island, that, upon use of their powers, now floats through the sky and with the knowledge to reach it lost to the general populous. The heroes each have a family heirloom that upon their arrival to the starting town gets stolen. They team up to track down the thieves and find that they are members of a secret Order dedicated to the ressurection of the Acient Chromatic Dragon that led its faction during the Great War. Their travels take them to the Floating Island to which they need to Shadowalk to a mysterious continent. When they reach it they find that they are the decendents of the four heroes that aided the Metallic Dragons during the great war and that the heirlooms are magical items used to aid in the banishment of the Chromatic Dragons and their leader. Also used to banish the dragons were X number of Dragon Pearls (X being the number of PCs) and each of these have been sealed within separate dungeons linked to 1 of X planes. The PCs have to track these down before the Order and stop them from seeing their ambitions fulfilled. The PCs gather the pearls and when they encounter the Order the leader is still able to ressurect the Dragon now that the PCs have gathered the perls for him, all he needs is a sacrifice. When the PCs defeat him he uses himself as the sacrifice and ressurects the Dragon leader but as a Zombie Dragon.
Hope I got what it takes [V] | |
Champion of the Alhoon and my called shot for Unhallowed
Blood War Called Shot: Phoenix
Trade withe me! | |
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nyjastul69
Commander
2710 Posts
Rhode Island
| | 06/14/2005 3:15 PM |
| Welcome to the boards Vash. DMing is a difficult, but very rewarding job. You'll put significantly more time in than the players, but you'll probably feel that you get as much or more out of it. At least I feel I do. I've heard DM's refered to as 'the player who never plays'[:p]
I'll second the notion that you may be better off with a pre-fab as opposed to home brew world. But if you've made your mind up I wish you the best of luck. If there is only one thing I would suggest about a home brew is, don't create more material than you'll actually need. I highly recommend Dungeon magazine. Even if you don't use the adventures as written, you can freely loot most issues for ideas, encounters, creatures stats, etc.. There are also useful DM related articles. Of these I strongly recommend Monte Cooks Dungeoncraft series. Try to get some back issues, the Dungeoncraft series alone is probably worth the time and money. I'll try to get some issue suggestions, if I remember when I get home.
Keep us posted and good luck. BTW, I like the back story. | |
You know, I keep thinking that after the new design team gets done with D&D 4e, D&D won't stand for Dungeons and Dragons anymore, because well, that's just not fun. It's old and stuffy. - Originally Posted by BabWryter on Kenzerco.com | |
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Vash
Underboss
1995 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 3:25 PM |
| Thanks for all of the feedback everyone! I think, since I am more comfortable with it I may start out with my homebrew, no offense to those who suggested pre-fab...It looked at me with those forelorn eyes and I couldnt say no. Although once the homebrew has made me comfortable I will definately be trying one of the pre-fabs. Thanks for the references to Dragon Magazine, I didn't know it offered all that information. By the looks of it I may be using it for a lot of help on making my dungeons if I read that right. And for any interested I will definately keep everyone posted on the adventure.
-vash | |
Champion of the Alhoon and my called shot for Unhallowed
Blood War Called Shot: Phoenix
Trade withe me! | |
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nyjastul69
Commander
2710 Posts
Rhode Island
| | 06/14/2005 3:35 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Vash9284
I think, since I am more comfortable with it I may start out with my homebrew, no offense to those who suggested pre-fab
None taken. Your better off doing what you're comfortable with.
quote:
Originally posted by Vash9284
Thanks for the references to Dragon Magazine,
Just to be clear, I was mentioning Dungeon Mag. It's a sister publication to Dragon. I collect and read both and I'd recommend either. Dungeon caters to the DM a bit more. You'll find both useful. If money is an issue (no pun intended) try to get your players to buy Dragon.[}:)] | |
You know, I keep thinking that after the new design team gets done with D&D 4e, D&D won't stand for Dungeons and Dragons anymore, because well, that's just not fun. It's old and stuffy. - Originally Posted by BabWryter on Kenzerco.com | |
| Knight of Argenis
Corim Danex
Warlord
6685 Posts
West Valley City, Utah
| | 06/14/2005 4:05 PM |
| If you do use homebrew, then read through a few adventures. Sometimes certain authors will create more situations where a rogue is needed (traps, locked doors, etc.) Sometimes, authors will create more situations where skills like climb, jump, etc. are needed.
Personally, I think a variety of skill needs is the most interesting. Sure, that makes it so that some members of the party will very likely fail certain things. However, it creates situations where the party has to be creative.
I find that one advantage to becoming familiar with prefab dungeons/adventures (whether or not you actually use them) is getting a feel for various types of situations you can throw at your players to deal with.
Just a note on the stats on the back of DDM cards--generally they are pretty good. There are errors, though. It's just a matter of preference the degree you use those stats. | |
"Look to God and live." Alma 37:47
Vindicated Champ of Hippogriff (Arcadian Hippogriff) and Uncommon Horse | |
| The Mighty
jai
Commander
3235 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 4:49 PM |
| Two things about your plot using the X factor (based on PCs).
I have done plots like that before, and from experience they can be tough. When done for a single night of gaming, you are fine because you know who is there. Recently i did a plot that required certain bloodlines (PCs). If one player decides to stop playing, then you can find yourself in a bind. Do you leave that character behind as the not-so-important bloodline? Do you play him as an NPC? Do you find another player to play him? And then, what if you kill that PC on accident? How do you handle it? Did the storyline just end because there is now no way to get all the bloodlines to the end of said campaign arc (some 10-20 levels later) or did he have a cousin (often overused)?
In my case, one of my players is Air Force and is now in the desert. So at first his PC went into a coma (was convenient that Devil's had him prior). Then when he awoke, he imparted knowledge and went on a personal quest. Not exactly what the player would have done, but it worked out.
Anyway, the story sounds like fun, but keep an eye on the two things i mentioned. If you know and plan now, you should be fine. Fore-warned is Fore-armed. Good Luck! | | | |
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Vash
Underboss
1995 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 5:28 PM |
| | Hmmm...why did I think I read Dragon...oh well now I have Dragon Magazine (doh!) and jai, thanks for the insight, didnt really think of those situations. | |
Champion of the Alhoon and my called shot for Unhallowed
Blood War Called Shot: Phoenix
Trade withe me! | |
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kestrel.ca
Underboss
1679 Posts
| | 06/14/2005 8:06 PM |
| I'd be curious as to how you hope to get your early adventures to tie into your overall campaign story. I think it's an intriguing idea -- you may have to railroad the PC's a little to keep them on track, but that's common enough in most campaigns anyway. It appears to me though that all this work with dragons suggests reasonably high level PCs (minimum 6+), and how are you going to get them to that point realistically? How many kobolds/goblins are also involved in these dragon's plots?
What I've done in my homebrew is to plan out the first 2-3 adventures, detail local geography, and outline wider geography. I have an idea of later campaigns, including boss villains, and so I can drop hints every now and then to my players (just to keep some semblance of continuing world), but haven't worried too much about the later levels yet.
Oh, and welcome! [:D] | |
Completed Trades/Transactions: 94 || Bad Trades: 3 (Chaotic Good x2, MackeyV) | |
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FeranEldritchKnight
Sergeant
385 Posts
Kansas City, MO USA
| | 06/19/2005 1:58 PM |
| quote:
There are also useful DM related articles. Of these I strongly recommend Monte Cooks Dungeoncraft series. Try to get some back issues, the Dungeoncraft series alone is probably worth the time and money.
I'll absolutely agree. Dungeoncraft was a good continuing article back around '99 I think. He had great suggestions like making a secret to go with major landmarks and areas of your map. I've found that if I make a world map and create a secret about most everything, it leaves me with plenty of plot hooks later. "Why is it called the lake of lost ships? Why are there ruins all along the edge of the jungle?" Another good source of advice is www.Roleplayingtips.com.
And be prepared for the players to screw up your entire plot by doing something unexpected. It happens, and you shouldn't rob your players of their accomplishment. I have a player who formerly DMed a game where his integral villain was making an escape, and the player rolled a natural 20 on his attack. DMs response? "You miss." Bad call IMO. Raise Dead works fine too. Let the players have their victory, and using my example devise a new boss or Raise the old one. Players don't forget things like getting robbed of a crit kill. | |
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Carpe Forum! | |
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Monsoon28
Underboss
2299 Posts
Toronto
| | 06/20/2005 3:50 AM |
| Welcome to Maxmini's and welcome to DM'ing.
Stick with a homebrew for now, I love the Forgotten Realms, and a number of other pre-fab worlds. But when I started DM'ing (all those years ago), it was great not to have to worry about reading and remembering history, people and places and most importantly names(so many names).
OTOH Pre-fab adventures are the way to go! This way you don't have to worry about creating an adventure with the appropriate amount of treasure and whether or not the monsters are too under/over powered. Plus all the time it'll save you on back-story, map making and of course...plot!
As for pointers...simple focus on making it fun for your players. Don't be afraid after a session to ask them what they thought (too much/not enough combat/political intrigue/role-playing...) and make changes based on the groups mentality. This may also require a careful balance if you have players with differing opinions.
Another important tip...be consistant, if you make a ruling you have to stick with it. Also don't be afraid to kill PC's if they feel you won't kill them, the game will fall apart.
And FEK is right don't rob your players of a victory ever. Bad guys can be replaced or revived later.
There's plenty more, but I hope that helps at least a little. [:D] | |
"I was sittin' here eatin' my muffin, drinkin' my coffee, replayin' the incident in my head, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity." - Jules Winnfield
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