Becoming a DM/GM (part 1)

This is going to be part one of an ongoing series I'd like to start up. The idea will be to give new DMs a place to look for all those questions that come up with you realize that you are going to be in charge and don't want to "ruin" it for everyone else.

I spend a lot of time browsing the Wizards Community Forums, the Giant in the Playground Forums and the Dungeons and Dragons Subreddits. There are frequent posts on those websites about the same topic. "I'm a brand new DM and I don't know where to start/what to do, help!" The goal of this segment will be to give those DMs a place to start and hopefully to teach a couple of tricks to even the experienced DMs out there.

So, first things first... 

What do I need?

A group (duh)

Normal group size is 4-6 players (not including the DM). For a new DM I recommend sticking to the lower end of this, but getting to 6 still isn't unmanageable. Any more than 6 and I would strongly advise towards splitting into two groups. When the group gets too large, it gets very difficult to get into roleplaying (too many people trying to talk at once and usually too much disagreement on what to do). It also will get very bogged down in combat. Combat can take a little while to begin with if people are new (and also if the DM is new) but with a large group it will take forever and it will be BORING to anyone who's not currently acting. 

Going smaller is definitely viable, and I've heard of DMs running groups as small as juts 1 player and the DM, or 2-3 players. This can be done if you want to either add NPCs (non-player characters) to round out the group or if you want to build the campaign around have a smaller (and usually less balanced) group. 

The other options for coping with a smaller group are generally not liked by most groups/DMs. These are: Running a DMPC (Dungeon Master Player Character). I recently posted a couple of threads on reddit discussing this and there have been plenty of them before. The feelings on this idea are mixed, and I'll likely cover this issue in a separate post (it's a big issue with a lot of differing opinions). The general wisdom here is that you have enough going on as a DM (especially as a new DM) that managing an entire character is going to significantly slow down the game and make your life much more difficult. The other problem that many people run into with DMs running their own player characters is the DM giving preference to those characters or having them take the spotlight from the heroes. Both of these are possible to avoid, but it's difficult. 

Another option is having players run more than one character themselves. This is not a popular option for a couple of reasons, one of the most important is that it makes it really difficult to get into roleplaying. It's much harder for the players to keep multiple different characters personalities and knowledge separate.

"Supplies"

Here are some of my recommendations for what you will want to run a 4e game:

Books:

Player's Handbook (PHB)
Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG)
Monster Manual (MM)

These books are all you actually need to get the game up and running. You can actually get away with one copy of each, but having multiple PHBs can come in handy. Only the DM needs a copy of the DMG and MM. Additional supplements are great, but you can run a game just fine with only what's here.

Also, the Dungeons and Dragons Insider subscription is a wonderful thing. I love the monster building tool and the character builder makes creating characters a breeze, it's worth trying out if you are running 4e, and while it is $10 a month, if you can get your group to split it, it can be a measly $2 a month each for a 5 man group. 

Dice:

I haven't had to buy dice in a long time, they are an investment that will last you a long time if you take care not to lose them. The "Pound o' Dice" from Chessex is a great choice, it's random what you get, but you will definitely get everything you need to run a game. It's not too expensive and will give you everything you need (and should be plenty for a whole group if you can get the group to split the cost).

Maps and Miniatures:

There's a few things here that are pretty good options. The GameMastery Battlemap is really good. It's reversible and you can use wet-erase markers on it. Another option I've used is a easel pad with 1" grid and some markers as well but this one can get a bit more expensive. I've also used things like a roll up chess board and chess pieces and just about anything else you can imagine. 

For minis there are a great number of options. My group has used everything from actual miniatures (this can get very expensive) to re-based Mage Knight figures to things like our favorite beer bottle caps... 1" round wooden discs (can be found at most craft supply stores) are really good, and can be written on with a pencil and erased, making them very reusable. Also, the monster vault comes with a ton of discs that can be used for monsters, this is a great option as well, and not anywhere near as expensive as miniatures are.

 Misc.:

I would recommend a good supply of pencils and paper for players to take notes. For the DM, a pad of regular graph paper can come in very handy for creating maps of dungeons/cities/etc. 

Technology can be quite helpful here as well. Some people have strong opinions of "virtual" dice rollers, there are apps that can be found on every major tablet operating system... Personally, as long as people are being honest about the dice rolls, I don't care so much if they're physical dice or virtual. I've used both and the virtual programs can be great if you want to play but don't necessarily have the space to actually roll dice.

Some other virtual programs can help with things like keeping track of initiative and statuses on combat.

For this, I personally used a large white board. On it I would write the initiative order with a magnet to mark whose turn it is currently. I also was able to list off the monsters and note any important info/status effects on the board where everyone could see it. For some of the groups I've run, I've listed the defenses of the monsters on the white board next to their name, allowing combat to move a little faster. The player could have already decided their turn and could usually roll to hit and damage very quickly without having to constantly ask "do I hit". For some DMs they feel this is giving the players too much info, personally I don't have a problem with it, but it's really a preference thing. 

We'll end here for now as this gives a good idea what you want to collect together when preparing to DM for the first time. Keep an eye out for more posts as there is much more info to come!

Did I miss something that you use all the time? Something you think every group should have? Comment below and point it out!

Until next time, 

Your Humble DM,

-Zach