Becoming a Dungon Master, Jerry's book recomendation?

ju_stunna

So I have just moved to Seattle and am starting to make some friends. D&D came up, I proposed starting a campaign, and there was a bit of interest. We are seeing if there are enough players and a regular night to set this up.

My question is this, Jerry had recommended to Mike a couple of books when Mike was getting started as a DM, and I cannot seem to find that post through google (and don't want to sift through every post stating from the Elemental Chaos post and going back to find it (though in the meantime I am)). Do you know what these books are?

I am still fairly new to the game, I have only played 4E once and played Pathfinder for 3 months as a player, so I wanted to know how to get started. I liked pathfinder a lot so I think I am going to go with that.

Also, if you have any advice for a fledgeling DM, things I might need to gather, feel free to offer it up.

((EDIT: word placement))

Bartholamue

EDIT: Never mind.

ju_stunna

Thanks, I figure the standards are always a good place to start and have on hand, DM Guid and a player's handbook for reference, but I am wondering what other books give good advice for running D&D games.

MechMantis

For Pathfinder, if you're gonna be running, you only really need to pick up a Bestiary. The Core Rulebook combined the DMGs and PHBs of yore. The Pathfinder GMG has some nice stuff in it though, but certainly not necessary.

ju_stunna

So it seems I was remembering incorrectly. http://penny-arcade.com/2008/12/22 Jerry recommended "the big three" which I take to mean what MechMantis has pointed out (rule book, DMG, PHB).

As for the Bestiary, I have not heard of this, is it a specific book or collection?

MechMantis

This thing. At least for Pathfinder.

Pathfinder only has two core books, unlike D&D's (4th Ed included) three.

D&D calls it the Monster Manual.

EDIT: Just to make this easier:

If you're running Pathfinder you REQUIRE:

The Core Rulebook
The Bestiary

It is NICE TO HAVE:

The GameMastery Guide
The Bestiary 2


If you're running Fourth Ed you REQUIRE:

The Player's Handbook
The Dungeon Master's Guide
The Monster Manual

I don't know if anything else is particularly nice to have around because I've never done anything with Fourth Ed. But I LOVE my Bestiary 2 and GMG for Pathfinder.

FANTOMAS

Well, Ive been an AD&D 2nd ed. Dungeon Master for... 17 years or so, and let me tell you, one of things I learned is that you have to learn to be FAIR and STRICT, you can break and bend all rules, hell, as a DM you can control your players characters or do anything you want with them. So the most important thing is earning your party´s respect, if they realice that your actions are for a greater good they will be far more cooperative.

I have no idea about the regular D&D, or if you play modules, or ready-to-go stories, so I cant help with the list of books and addendums you need. For AD&D all I really needed was the Players handbook, monster compendium, and the DM guide (mostly for looks, its the book I never let the players read).

In my experience, the best games are when the party can really get inmerse and in tone with the story you are trying to tell, for such purposes I remember banning alcoholic beverages in one or two of the campaigns, I never allowed outside people to just sit and watch, if its a friend that wants to learn, he learns playing. Anyway, I could go on talking about the good old RP days for ages.

Quid

ju_stunna wrote: »

Also, if you have any advice for a fledgeling DM, things I might need to gather, feel free to offer it up.

Remember that your group is going to decide the kind of game that gets played, not you. This doesn't mean you don't have any say. You're part of the group. But you're one of about five or so people playing. The good news is you know these people so you can create and alter the game to all of your satisfaction.

Edit: For instance, my games were fairly different from FANTOMAS's. Alcohol was generally a fixture, friends who didn't play would still hang out and watch, and it wasn't about the story so much as how much we could make each other laugh. PnP games are a different beast for every group.

Gaddez

The single most important thing to remember with RPing, is that you as a GM have a responsibility to make sure everyone is having fun, and finding that perfect balance of good storytelling and action is very important. Before you get started, It might be a good idea to talk to the players and determine what sort of game they are looking for and then balance it against what you want to try and do with your adventure.