Project New DM (D&D Retro Games)
I've seen so many postings of people who would like to DM a game, but have never run a game before and are not sure they could do it. So, i've come up with a plan!
A common quote among the D&D world is, "Too many players. Not enough DM's". And with the increasing rise in interest in OD&D/AD&D retro games on this site, I've begun the idea of creating a simple 2-level dungeon designed especially for new DM's.
The Plan:
The concept is a simple one. I plan to start this project initially using the Swords & Wizardry Core Rules set as a basis, since it is a well-constructed and loyal clone of the Original D&D rules and is an easy system to learn in itself. Once that is completed, there the project will be extended to cover use of the AD&D system and possibly others.
The project will most likely consist of a single 2-level dungeon created to run a party of four 1st-level characters. The characters will provided as pre-gens covering the four basic classes, for the sake of simplicity and ease of getting started, as well as keeping things easy to figure out. The DM is free to let the players create their own characters as long as they don't stray from the Core Rulebook rules.
Each of the two levels of the dungeon would consist of pre-determined monsters, one trap and one hazard. One of the levels would also consist of a puzzle to be solved (possibly on level 1, necessary to reach level 2). The monsters would be pre-determined, with 2 rooms on each level containing monsters in waiting, and the others as wandering monster tables.
And of course, no adventure is complete without treasure!
The goal is to keep things as simplified as possible to make running the game as least intimidating as possible, while still keeping things fun for both the DM and the player, and taking the fear out of running a game!
A common quote among the D&D world is, "Too many players. Not enough DM's". And with the increasing rise in interest in OD&D/AD&D retro games on this site, I've begun the idea of creating a simple 2-level dungeon designed especially for new DM's.
The Plan:
The concept is a simple one. I plan to start this project initially using the Swords & Wizardry Core Rules set as a basis, since it is a well-constructed and loyal clone of the Original D&D rules and is an easy system to learn in itself. Once that is completed, there the project will be extended to cover use of the AD&D system and possibly others.
The project will most likely consist of a single 2-level dungeon created to run a party of four 1st-level characters. The characters will provided as pre-gens covering the four basic classes, for the sake of simplicity and ease of getting started, as well as keeping things easy to figure out. The DM is free to let the players create their own characters as long as they don't stray from the Core Rulebook rules.
Each of the two levels of the dungeon would consist of pre-determined monsters, one trap and one hazard. One of the levels would also consist of a puzzle to be solved (possibly on level 1, necessary to reach level 2). The monsters would be pre-determined, with 2 rooms on each level containing monsters in waiting, and the others as wandering monster tables.
And of course, no adventure is complete without treasure!
The goal is to keep things as simplified as possible to make running the game as least intimidating as possible, while still keeping things fun for both the DM and the player, and taking the fear out of running a game!