"Dear JB" Mailbag #13, #14, and #15

[three quick ones I figured I could knock out before breakfast; happy Ash Wednesday, by the way!]

Dear JB:

I posted about a week ago asking about how to balance an encounter for a group of nine players that I was taking over for a previous DM.

Many of y’all said I should split the group and I followed your advice. But now the four who are in the “B group” so to speak are upset with me. One of my A group players wants me to add someone from the B group in. The B group players decided to drop the campaign even when I suggested doing A group one week and B group the next.

I’m just so stressed. I want everyone to have a good time but I won’t be having a good time if I have to run a game for nine people. I’m also a little mad at the old DM for allowing so many players. I wish he had put a limit on his group

My Players Are Upset With Me

Hey MPAUWM:

I'm sorry you didn't turn to me first; we could have nipped this whole thing in the bud instead of allowing it to escalate to where you're at now.

FIRST OFF: you state that you wish the previous DM had set a limit on players in the group. Well, you know who's the DM now?  Any guesses on who's responsible for setting limits on the group size now?

No one is forcing you to be the DM (I hope. Please write back if you're being held against your will). As the DM, you set the table size, you decide who's allowed, you decide how many you can handle, you schedule the games, etc., etc.

You can't please ALL the people ALL the time. Have players draw lots for your game, or pick your favorites or whatever...but exercise your authority. The players who get left out can form their own group with their own DM. You wouldn't be doing them any favors by trying to include them in a situation where you're already feeling overwhelmed.

Sincerely,

JB

*****

Dear JB:

I haven't played in a long time but I'd like to DM a few easy campaigns for my nephews who have never played before. Ideally I'd like them to create their characters and then have them go on a few adventures with minimal complexity. What's the easiest way to get started?

Want To Create Simple Campaigns For Kids Aged 8-11

Hey WTCSCFK:

The simplest way is just as you said: have them create characters and have them run through a few simple adventures of your own (or others') design. This isn't rocket science.

Ignore the idiots on Reddit who say "DnD is an unnecessarily complicated system for kids;" they have no idea what they're talking about. I've introduced MANY kids aged 8-11 to D&D without any problems at all. Pick up B/X and a copy of M1: Blizzard Pass...that's a great introductory adventure that will give them a real feel for the game. Or, if you're feeling ambitious run them through B1 and B2; both are great.

AD&D is a little trickier for kids as young as 8 and 9 (requiring quite a lot of hand-holding), but fine for age 10+. Unfortunately, I don't have a good AD&D adventure to recommend for 1st level characters. However, if you can get your hands on a copy of Holmes Basic, The Tower of Zenopus is easily adapted to 1E and makes a fine warm up dungeon. 

Best of luck. If your experience is anything like mine, you're well on your way to becoming a favorite uncle!

Sincerely, 

JB

*****

Dear JB:

I've already played in a few DnD campaigns, but now it's my first time being a DM(I'm still a teen so I am not like super advanced), and I need tips!

-How do I make the experience the most enjoyable for the players?

-How to come up with a story that will make the players engage? I have played a campaign in which everything revolved around the DM, and really do not want that with my campaign. And overall some tips would be really appreciated.

First Time Being A DM

Hey First Time:

I'm going to answer each of your two questions separately.

1. In my experience, players will find the most enjoyment in a smoothly run game. To do that, you need to be experienced with the rules. Since this will be your first time DMing, there is no way you should expect to provide that (it's always going to be a little rough your first few times), but you can mitigate your lack of experience by being well-prepared. Be sure you know and understand the rules most pertinent to your players' characters, be sure you understand the ins-and-outs of combat and other complex procedures. Design or purchase a SMALL adventure to start, and make yourself exceptionally familiar with it for your first running. 
2. Forget everything about "creating a story." Player engagement does not come from storytelling; it comes from situational immediacy. Keeping the players in the moment, by confronting them with situations that require action, is the best way to engage players. Do this, and they will lose themselves in the game and enjoy the heck out of it.

Be patient with yourself and understand you will get better with time. Remember that when you are the DM, you ARE the world...the game cannot help but revolve around the DM (because without the DM there is no game), so if you are not comfortable with that, you may not be ready to take up the mantle.

But try it out. Maybe you'll find you enjoy being a Dungeon Master. Many of us do.

Sincerely,

JB