GMing questions on D&D-type RPG?

Question

I need GM tips....lots and lots of them
for instance: how do I balance it to where the player doesnt feel controlled, yet I can still make the guards take him captive
another exsample: whats some good ways to build dungeons, I mean the actual organizing the papers, etc. I have trouble keeping it together

Answer 1

Graph paper is essential to dming. You can create very intricate keeps as well as catacombs. Always think of your own city or town, churches cemetary's etc... they have a purpose for every room. A dungion shoudn't have empty rooms. Even places taken over by creatures have a use for rooms even if it is to be used as a bathroom. Things you need to think about is rations. Food and water if the charicters is doing deep dugion delving. Running out of water may not be the only thing to worry about. Like running out of air. Undead don't need to breath. Don't set death traps every where because the evil needs to have quick access to where they go. They can't get to thier lair if they have to disarm a trap every 10'. Also let your players help you work your game. Play off them. If they make a statement like "Oh that guy is going to be a problem!" Even if you have never planned for that have some ready rolled people. Give them personalitys like scars or like they pick at sores on the face or arms. Don't make all the creatures in a type evil. Like in my world dragons scale color and how they behave is as veried as our culture. A red dragon can be good as well as a gold dragon can be evil. Also don't limit your villians. They have friends too. Example like Malak has the dragon lich that serves him. Have the lich raise Malak from the dead if he is killed. Play off the players and know their charicters weekness. Every hero has a falt.

Answer 2

Well... If this is your first attempt at GMing/DMing, I would *strongly* recommend that you either buy (or download, if free available) a good "entry-level" module.

A lot of these beginner modules are specifically written in order to help rookie players and/or GMs. They're a great way to "cut your teeth" and learn the game from the other side of the GM screen.

Alternatively, if you have a main GM or DM in your group, see if you can get them to help you with either designing an existing adventure (float your ideas at them and see what they think), or join a mailing list dedicated to new (and inexperienced) GMs.

There are TONS of resources out there for people in your position. Johnny Four has a good website that dishes out "Roleplaying Tips" on a regular basis. You might find some good information there. I have included the link at the bottom of this listing.

Also, watch adventure movies that you enjoy. Watch them with a keen eye on what works (and why) in the movie. The same sort of things will work in "face to face" gaming.

Remember five words, and try to include them in ALL your games:

Pace, Challenge Level, Suspense, Balance and Fun.

Keep a good mix of all these items, and you (and your gamers) will have a BLAST.

Answer 3

1. Start your world SMALL and then grow it a little bit each session.

2. Try to figure out what the players will do, but keep them responsible for their actions. If you want them to be captured by guards, and they decide to fight, hey - maybe someone gets killed. You can try to make multiple solutions to each part. If you want the players to get captured by guards and they fight or run, maybe only 1 or 2 chatacters will get caught. Then the others have to break them out.

If players try something creative that you didn't think of, reward them. If they try something stupid, punish them.

3. Organization - when designing a map of anything, dungeon, castle, town... don't just randomly put rooms everywhere. Make each room have a purpose. Keep it realistic and descriptive.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You might want to run a few module adventures to get started. If you have a local game store they may have some really cheap modules to run. That can give you a good idea on what your players like, and what kind of strategies are good for you and your group.

Now, about capturing them... PCs rarely want to surrender or run. If they care about their reputations as characters at all, they might be catch able in a kingdom they like; they could be concerned about killing a few dozen guards. If they have magic users or psion, anti-magic is absolutely necessary, a high-level magic user can't be caught without it. Get the drop on them with things like tangle foot bags and hold person. And there simply will be times where you can't give your players a choice. Ambushing them in their sleep may take away their choice, but give them a couple of different options on how to get out to make up for it.

My DM captured my group once by setting us up. A half-fiend ogre my party had been pursuing (against my protests) set us up in a tournament and hit us all with a desecration spell (or something like that). It paralyzed my entire party, and he scooped us up at his leisure. We fought and beat the ogre in the next play session, turns out the desecration was a once a day power, and the DM made sure that the ogre had used it before the fight started. One of the characters was outside the effect when it happened, so he escaped, and ended up following us and coming to the rescue.

As for dungeons, graph paper is a miracle. In fact you might want to draw two maps, one without notes if you need to show it to the players, and one with notes for yourself. Don't try to put all your details on your maps, you can write notes on other pieces of paper. Try using numbers and symbols on the map that draw reference to the other pages.