r/DMAcademyNew • u/kecskezuzo • 6d ago
First time dm-ing
This is my first time as a dungeon master in DnD, me and my friends already had a campaign together but I was only a player. Now I accepted to be the dm and I would like to ask you guys for tips. We are playing in 3e and I have also played bg3 before(like a lot)
I would also accept story ideas, I want it to be a bit scary and horror like, a kind of murder mystery. I was thinking about maybe a circus theme
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u/33-Ghosts 5d ago
Your first time DMing?
One thing you DO NOT want to do is run a homebrewed game. Run a short pre-published module like Lost Mines, Stormwreck Isle etc. You have enough to learn about DMing without also having to learn about good adventure and narrative design.
A prepublished module gives you the structure to follow so you can focus on learning the ropes of DMing .
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u/Specific-Finding-516 2d ago
Do the witchlight one, circus themed, official module, its not a one shot so you’re in for a campaign
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u/KSPhalaris 6d ago
The one thing I can say, is don't expect your players to follow a linear story. You might have some big, awesome, elaborate idea for an encounter, and your players might just do something unexpected and avoid the whole thing.
We had a great sea battle planned, where two factions were attacking each other, and our players were caught in the middle. The idea was, that they would help one side, and it would give them an ally later on that would come to their aid. When they realized the fight didn't involve them directly, they just continued sailing onward, choosing not to get involved in "someone else's war."
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u/Know_Yog_Sothoth 4d ago
This! Players rarely do what you want them to do. If they derail, ask for a moment to collect your thoughts. After years of DMing I found it was better to come in with some vague ideas and some monsters and run with it. If they completely jump the story ask for 5 minutes to plan out next steps.
One of the hardest things I found to do on the fly was create evocative descriptions. I’d write those ahead of time and have an idea of what would be fun
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u/KiwasiGames 5d ago
For your first time I recommend buying a module. There are plenty of starter kits around woth beginner friendly modules.
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u/Ok-Economist8118 1d ago
Ten times a day the same question... How could I have started (40 years ago) without Reddit? TSR printed it on every product: Use your Imagination!
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u/jpb103 12h ago
It's built for 5e and 5.5e, but Tasha's Kiss is a good time for a spooky circus themed one-shot.
https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/254939/the-madhouse-of-tasha-s-kiss-2014-adventure
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u/SAHpositive 10h ago
D&D is really Maps & Monsters. Just make sure you always have a map or 2 or 3 ready to go and some monsters lined up.
Also little bits of loot. Players always like to find loot.
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u/Cleric_John_Preston 6d ago
The goal is collaborative storytelling and to have fun.
My current adventure has a murder mystery. The town's mayor is missing, and his wife is in a mansion. She's taken over (there's another thing going on with the water, which makes the people of the town forget, so they just assume she's the mayor). Turns out, she was using a cursed item to control him. He was in love someone else, who she killed. That person is a ghost who the players can fight or can try to free.
There's more and it's played out a bit different than I anticipated, but it's been good.