Jim’s DMing Guide

November 11, 2011

Ask Questions

Roleplaying not up to snuff? Too much gamespeak? Characters storing items in midair? Don’t bitch at the players; just ask non-threatening questions, like “what does he say when he casts the spell?” or “where was that wand stored?” Don’t be pushy.

Order:

1. Figure last session’s XP
2. Update the Adventure Sheet
3. Make the next adventure session
4. Organize Materials
5. Go through your notes
6. Write up rules changes
7. Flesh out the next adventure session (see below)
8. Read source material & rules
9. Act on notes
10. Research source material
11. Work on campaign and campaign world

Pre-roll random encounters

Roll (or pick) a few times on the relevant tables before the adventure so you can emplace these encounters if the characters happen to run into them. The encounters can be far more detailed and you can be far more ready.

Adventure Outline

Adventure Overview

Adventure Summary
Adventure Goals
Encounter Listing
Reference Sheet

Encounters

Setup—preparation
Info/start—what’s going on when the PCs encounter this? What do they see? What is there that they don’t see?
Encounter—what happens when the PCs encounter this?
Role-playing
Dialogue
Statistics
Outcome—what are some possible results of PC actions?
Next